IFIP President to open Sri Lanka’s biggest ICT Conference

Mike Hinchey, President of IFIP, the global federation of ICT professional associations, will formally open the combined NITC/SEARCC Conference in Sri Lanka which happens throughout a period of one week, which is from 11th September to 15th September 2017.

Professor Hinchey will discuss the critical role ICT professionals play in enhancing the quality of life for people around the world by developing and applying new and disruptive technologies like Artificial Intelligence, Robotics, Machine Learning, Cloud Computing, Big Data, the Internet of Things and Mobile Computing. As head of IFIP, Hinchey is a champion for ICT professional standards and says the conference theme; “Towards Digital Prosperity” speaks directly to IFIP’s own commitment to advance professional and socially responsible ICT worldwide for the benefit of all people.

“I congratulate CSSL (Computer Society of Sri Lanka) on its outward-looking vision,” he said. “By inviting both IFIP and SEARCC to play an active role in NITC, CSSL has opened Sri Lanka’s doors to the world, bringing a wealth of ICT expertise and thought leadership to Colombo and creating an unprecedented opportunity for international relationship building and information sharing.” In his opening remarks, Professor Hinchey will also remind delegates of their responsibility to act ethically in relation to the technology they develop, highlighting increased uncertainty for workers as more jobs become automated, and the significant and growing threats from cybercriminals. 
“Ultimately, the power is in the hands of those who best understand how to design, build and maintain our ICT systems – the ICT practitioners and professionals who make up our member societies. Each has a clear responsibility to act professionally and ethically in all that you do.  That means building quality systems that deliver the capability your clients have been promised, while ensuring that your solutions are socially responsible in supporting the needs and well-being of end users.”

Professor Hinchey will also point to IFIP’s collaborations with the United Nations, UNESCO and ITU which seek to progress the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, particularly those relating to: Good health and well-being; Quality education; Clean water and sanitation; Affordable and clean energy; Decent work and economic growth; Industry, innovation and infrastructure; Reduced inequalities; and Sustainable cities 
and communities.

“We believe that technology and the ICT professionals who create, develop, and implement that technology can play a significant role in enhancing the quality of life for people in both developed and developing nations,” Professor Hinchey said. The NITC/SEARCC Conference will be held in Colombo from 14-15 September, preceded by three days of invitation-only meetings for the IFIP General Assembly, its various committees and SEARCC Executive Committee.

International speakers include: President of SEARCC and Adjunct Professor at the University of Queensland, Dr Nick Tate; Vice President of the British Computer Society, Professor Tom Crick of Cardiff Metropolitan University; IFIP IP3 Chair and former Australian Computer Society President, Brenda Aynsley; IFIP Vice President, Dr Yuko Murayama of Japan; Dr Gabriela Marin Raventos of the University of Costa Rica; Professor Kai Rannenberg of Goethe University in Frankfurt, and many more.

The President of CSSL Yasas Abeywickrama said that the opportunity to host global annual General Assembly of IFIP as well as SEARCC Conference together with several other events such as SEARCC International Awards, International Schools Software Competition (ISSC) and CSSL ICT Awards on the same platform, is a great proposition for Sri Lanka. For more information, including how to register for the event, visit nitc.lk