The Summit is expected to bring together some 400 participants and will attract leaders from the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) and neighbouring States, governments, industry and financial institutions.

As the UN specialized agency for information communication technology, ITU will stage this major ICT event as part of its Connect the World series, an ambitious initiative aimed at connecting the unconnected by the year 2015.

The overall objective of the Connect CIS is to mobilize the human, financial and technical resources required to support a rapid, region-wide transition to digital infrastructure and services, widely recognized as the engine of future employment, economic growth and social and economic development.

The Summit will offer a venue for leaders from the public and private sectors as well as international and regional financing and development agencies to network face-to-face and forge new partnerships.

The Summit will feature high-level discussion panels and networking sessions, focusing on the challenges posed to emerging and transition economies in harnessing the full potential of ICTs. Major commitments will be announced on multi-stakeholder partnerships to meet these challenges.

The Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) comprises Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan.