'PrepCom-3 forged ahead with a common vision expressed in a Declaration of Principles and Plan of Action to connect the world and help to bridge the digital divide between developed and developing countries. The two documents will be submitted for the approval of Heads of State attending the first phase of the Summit from 10 to 12 December 2003 in Geneva. The second phase will be held in Tunisia from 16 to 18 November 2005'.

The search for consensus among all stakeholders on the wording of these documents has continued since Prepcom-2 held in February 2003 (see [ilink=http://www.ictdevagenda.org/frame.php?dir=07&sd=10&sid=2&id=376]UN: Outcomes of WSIS Prepcom-2: Nearly, but not quite An Information Society for All[endilink]), through the intersessional meeting held in Paris (France) during July 2003 (see [ilink=http://www.ictdevagenda.org/frame.php?dir=07&sd=10&sid=1&id=457]UN: Intersessional WSIS Meeting Revises Draft Declaration of Principles and Action Plan[endilink]), and a real sense of urgency has developed at Prepcom-3 to find agreement before the first phase of the WSIS begins in December 2003 (see also [ilink=http://www.ictdevagenda.org/frame.php?dir=07&sd=10&sid=1&id=489]UN: WSIS Prepcom 3: The Need for Political Will, and to Build Consensus Amongst All Stakeholders[endilink]).

The latest version of the revised Declaration of Principles and Plan of Action can be downloaded from the WSIS Secretariat, at http://www.itu.int/wsis

The WSIS Process – A Unique Multi-stakeholder Approach

‘The Summit will be successful if it achieves three goals—raising awareness among world leaders of the implications of the information society; getting their firm commitment to tackle the injustice of the digital divide; and developing new legal and policy frameworks appropriate to cyberspace’ said Yoshio Utsumi, Secretary-General of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the lead UN organizing agency of WSIS. ‘The importance of communications and access to networks is no longer just a technical matter, but a fundamental policy goal for every nation’, added Yoshio Utsumi.

WSIS heralds a radical departure from previous UN global conferences. Those who have a stake in the information society have come together to shape a common future based on information and communication technologies (ICTs). Governments, civil society, the private sector, non-governmental (NGOs) and international organizations and the media are all active players in this innovative process. This multi-stakeholder process is a bid to foster social inclusiveness and reflects the universal nature of an interconnected society.

In a groundbreaking development, non-governmental stakeholders were allowed to express their priorities in all meetings of the Plenary and its Subcommittees. Adama Samassékou, President of the Preparatory Committee, asked the participants to move from ‘input to impact’ in working towards the construction of a real ‘world summit of solidarity’. Despite their frustrations with parts of the process, the positive engagement of the non-governmental stakeholders ‘is exerting a greater and concrete influence on the course of the debates’.

The State Secretary of Switzerland for WSIS and Director General of the Federal Office of Communications (OFCOM), Marc Fürrer, also hailed this as a positive development. ‘It is most important that the multi-stakeholder process is in place. We have had substantial and difficult discussions at PrepCom, and we have made progress on some fronts. Political negotiations have to start now to improve the Declaration’.

Some 1,600 delegates from UN Member States, intergovernmental organizations, civil society, the private sector and media attended the preparatory committee meeting for the two-phase Summit. More than 50 Heads of State and Government are expected to participate in the first phase of the Summit in December.

Plan of Action Targets Aligned with Millennium Development Goals

The WSIS Plan of Action sets out specific development targets aimed at extending access to ICTs to all, especially in the context of the internationally agreed development goals in the UN Millennium Declaration. UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan has said that information technology should be used to improve quality of life, and promote peace and democracy. This is recognition that ICTs can improve the chances of poor countries to leapfrog the crucial missed stages of development by allowing them to reroute onto the digital expressway.

The Draft Plan of Action sets indicative targets improving connectivity and access in the use of ICTs in promoting the objectives of the Plan of Action, to be achieved by 2015:

a) to connect villages with ICTs and establish community access points;
b) to connect universities, colleges, secondary schools and primary schools with ICTs;
c) to connect scientific and research centres with ICTs;
d) to connect public libraries, cultural centres, museums, post offices and archives with ICTs;
e) to connect health centres and hospitals with ICTs;
f) to connect all local and central government departments and establish websites and email addresses;
g) to adapt all primary and secondary school curricula to meet the challenges of the Information Society, taking into account national circumstances;
h) to ensure that all of the world's population have access to television and radio services;
i) to encourage the development of content and to put in place technical conditions in order to facilitate the presence and use of all world languages on the Internet;
j) to ensure that more than half the world’s inhabitants have access to ICTs within their reach.

The Plan of Action also foresees the establishment of indicators to measure the goals set at the Summit, recognizing the need to establish international monitoring and benchmarking through comparable statistical indicators and other research.

Source: WSIS Secretariat http://www.itu.int/wsis

The Road Ahead

’As PrepCom-3 winds up, the major issues are on the table, ready to be taken up by Heads of State and Government at the December Summit meeting. These issues, identified by stakeholders of the information society represented at PrepCom-3, will call for the political commitment of the world’s highest level decision-makers as WSIS moves towards harmonizing its global vision.

Issues that are still to be resolved following PrepCom-3 include financing, Internet security and Internet governance. Under review are ways to stimulate investment and fund development. Views differed on whether to use existing financing mechanisms or to create new ones. Developing countries in particular are strongly supporting the creation of a “digital solidarity fund”, but many also feel that existing financing mechanisms can be better leveraged. The role of different software models in ensuring access for all to information and knowledge has raised intense debate. Many countries feel that “proprietary” software solutions—that are copyright protected—are not the optimum solution to meet all users’ needs, as they often entail higher costs and may restrict options. The importance of striking a balance between ensuring freedom of access to information, and protecting and stimulating innovation has also been recognized. The debate around international intellectual property rights (IPRs) relating to Internet content is still going strong.

Several countries raised Internet governance and security as fundamental issues calling for global cooperation. However, there is considerable disagreement regarding the ways in which this should be done. In recent years, the roles of intergovernmental, i.e. with multilateral cooperation between governments, and international bodies, i.e. organizations of international scope, in managing international-level Internet policy issues have been the subject of much international debate. This Summit is helping to focus international attention more firmly on this issue, with the involvement of all stakeholders’.

Resources:

• WSIS http://www.itu.int/wsis


• Final press release issued by WSIS Secretariat http://www.itu.int/wsis/newsroom/press_releases/itu/2003/prepcom3closure.html