A Ministry of Health (MoH) project that employs artificial intelligence (AI) in the early detection of breast cancer has won recognition at the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) 2020. The award came in the category of health sector electronic applications.

Organised by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), awards are given in 18 categories, each directly linked to the 11 WSIS Action Lines defined in the Geneva Plan of Action.

Houlin Zhao, secretary general of ITU, presented the award to H E Idris bin Abdurrahman al Khanjari, sultanate’s permanent representative to the ITU in Geneva.

This year, a record number of 806 projects were submitted by the WSIS community around the world. Of these, 776 projects were nominated after deliberations of a group of experts. 

Highlighting the voices of women and youth in media, the 2020 WSIS prizewinners included a wide range of impact-driven projects that leverage ICT to improve lives, bridge digital divides and reduce inequalities.

WSIS is the world’s largest annual gathering of the ‘ICT for development’ community. The event took place entirely online this year, for the first time ever. 

This year’s theme is ‘Fostering digital transformation and global partnerships: WSIS Action Lines for achieving Sustainable Development Goals.’