World Summit on the Information Society

Second preliminary session of the World Summit Information Society, plenary meeting, 18–25 February 2005, UNO building, Geneva, Switzerland.

The World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) was a pair of United Nations-sponsored conferences about information, communication and, in broad terms, the information society that took place in 2003 in Geneva and in 2005 in Tunis. One of its chief aims was to bridge the so-called global digital divide separating rich countries from poor countries by spreading access to the Internet in the developing world. The conferences established 17 May as World Information Society Day.

Background

In the last decades of the 20th century the new Information and Communication Technology (ICT) was implemented, especially in the developed countries. Using ICT changed the modern society in many ways which is known as digital revolution, and therefore new opportunities and threats had been raised. The world's leaders were hopeful to solve many problems using ICT. At the same time they were concerned with digital divide at an international level as well as at a national one which could lead to shaping new classes of those who have access to ICT and those who have not.

In such circumstance, recognizing that these challenges and opportunities require global discussion on the highest level, the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), following a proposal by the government of Tunisia during ITU Plenipotentiary Conference in Minneapolis in 1998, approved Resolution 73 to hold a World Summit on the Information Society and put forward it to the United Nations. In 2001, the ITU Council decided to hold the Summit in two phases, the first from 10 to 12 December 2003, in Geneva, and the second from 16 to 18 November 2005 in Tunis.

On 21 December 2001, the United Nations General Assembly by approving Resolution 56/183 endorsed the holding of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) to discuss on information society opportunities and challenges. According to this resolution, the General Assembly related the Summit to the United Nations Millennium Declaration to implement ICT to facilitate achieving Millennium Development Goals. It also emphasized on the multi-stakeholder approach to use all stakeholders including civil society and private sector beside the governments. The resolution gave ITU the leading managerial role to organize the event in cooperation with other UN bodies as well as the other international organizations and the host countries and recommended that preparations for the Summit take place through an open-ended intergovernmental Preparatory Committee – or PrepCom – that would define the agenda of the Summit, decide on the modalities of the participation of other stakeholders, and finalize both the draft Declaration of Principles and the draft Plan of Action.

Geneva Summit, 2003

In 2003 at Geneva, delegates from 175 countries took part in the first phase of WSIS where they adopted a Declaration of Principles. This is a road map for achieving an information society accessible to all and based on shared knowledge. A Plan of Action sets out a goal of bringing 50 percent of the world's population online by 2015. It does not spell out any specifics of how this might be achieved. The Geneva summit also left unresolved more controversial issues, including the question of Internet governance and funding.

When the 2003 summit failed to agree on the future of Internet governance, the Working Group on Internet Governance (WGIG) was formed to come up with ideas on how to progress.

Civil Society delegates from NGOs produced a document called "Shaping Information Societies for Human Needs" that brought together a wide range of issues under a human rights and communication rights umbrella.

According to the Geneva Plan of Action the WSIS Action Lines are as follows:

• C1. The role of public governance authorities and all stakeholders in the promotion of ICTs for development
• C2. Information and communication infrastructure
• C3. Access to information and knowledge
• C4. Capacity building
• C5. Building confidence and security in the use of ICTs
• C6. Enabling environment
• C7. ICT Applications:
  • E-government
  • E-business
  • E-learning
  • E-health
  • E-employment
  • E-environment
  • E-agriculture
  • E-science
• C8. Cultural diversity and identity, linguistc diversity and local content
• C9. Media
• C10. Ethical dimensions of the Information Society
• C11. International and regional cooperation

Tunis Summit, 2005

World Summit on the Information Society, Tunis, 2005

The second phase took place from November 16 through 18, 2005, in Tunis, Tunisia. It resulted in agreement on the Tunis Commitment and the Tunis Agenda for the Information Society, and the creation of the Internet Governance Forum.

Just on the eve of the November 2005 Tunis event, the Association for Progressive Communications came out with its stand. (APC is an international network of civil society organizations—whose goal is to empower and support groups and individuals working for peace, human rights, development and protection of the environment, through the strategic use of information and communication technologies (ICTs), including the internet).

APC said it had participated extensively in the internet governance process at the World Summit on Information Society. It says: Out of this participation and in collaboration with other partners, including members of the WSIS civil society internet governance caucus, APC has crystallized a set of recommendations with regard to internet governance ahead of the final Summit in Tunis in November 2005. APC proposed specific actions in each of the following five areas:

• The establishment of an Internet Governance Forum;
• The transformation of ICANN into a global body with full authority over DNS management, and an appropriate form of accountability to its stakeholders in government, private sector, and civil society;
• The initiation of a multi-stakeholder convention on internet governance and universal human rights that will codify the basic rights applicable to the internet, which will be legally binding in international law with particular emphasis on clauses in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights directly relevant to the internet, such as the rights to freedom of expression, association, and privacy.
• Ensuring internet access is universal and affordable. APC argued: "The internet is a global public space that should be open and accessible to all on a non-discriminatory basis. The internet, therefore, must be seen as a global public infrastructure. In this regard we recognize the internet to be a global public good related to the concept of the common heritage of humanity and access to it is in the public interest, and must be provided as a global public commitment to equality".
• Measures to promote capacity building in "developing" countries with regard to increasing "developing" country participation in global public policy forums on internet governance.

The summit itself attracted 1,500 people from International Organizations, 6,200 from NGOs, 4,800 from the private sector, and 980 from the media.

Funding for the event was provided by several countries. The largest donations to the 2003 event came from Japan and Spain. The 2005 event received funding from Japan, Sweden, France and many other countries as well as companies like Nokia.

Conference developments

A dispute over control of the Internet threatened to derail the conference. However, a last-minute decision to leave control in the hands of the United States-based ICANN for the time being avoided a major blow-up. As a compromise there was also an agreement to set up an international Internet Governance Forum and Enhanced Cooperation, with a purely consultative role.

The summit itself was marred by criticism of Tunisia for allowing attacks on journalists and human rights defenders to occur in the days leading up to the event. The Tunisian government tried to prevent one of the scheduled sessions, "Expression Under Repression", from happening. French reporter Robert Ménard, the president of Reporters sans frontières, (Reporters Without Borders) was refused admission to Tunisia for phase two of the Summit. A French journalist for Libération was stabbed and beaten by unidentified men after he reported on local human rights protesters. The representatives of the Human Rights in China NGO (due to Chinese government pressure on Tunisia) were refused entry to Tunisia. A Belgian television crew was harassed and forced to hand over footage of Tunisian dissidents. Local human rights defenders were roughed up and prevented from organizing a meeting with international civil society groups.

The WSIS Stocktaking Process

Evolution of the number of WSIS stocktaking members

Evolution of the number of WSIS stocktaking projects

Origin of the WSIS Stocktaking members

The WSIS Stocktaking Process is a follow-up to WSIS. Its purpose is to provide a register of activities carried out by governments, international organizations, the business sector, civil society and other entities, in order to highlight the progress made since the landmark event. Following § 120 of TAIS, ITU has been maintaining the WSIS Stocktaking database as a publicly accessible system providing information on ICT-related initiatives and projects with reference to the 11 WSIS Action Lines.

ECOSOC Resolution 2010/2 on "Assessment of the progress made in the implementation of and follow-up to the outcomes of the World Summit on the Information Society" reiterated the importance of maintaining a process for coordinating the multi-stakeholder implementation of WSIS outcomes through effective tools, with the goal of exchanging of information among WSIS Action Line Facilitators; identification of issues that need improvements; and discussion of the modalities of reporting the overall implementation process. The resolution encourages all WSIS stakeholders to continue to contribute information to the WSIS Stocktaking database (www.wsis.org/stocktaking).

Furthermore, regular reporting on WSIS Stocktaking is the outcome of the Tunis phase of the Summit, which was launched in order to serve as a tool for assisting with the WSIS follow-up. The purpose of the regular reports is to update stakeholders on the various activities related to the 11 Action Lines identified in the Geneva Plan of Action, that was approved during First Phase of the WSIS.

WSIS Stocktaking Platform

The WSIS Stocktaking Platform is the new initiative that was launched by Mr Zhao, ITU Deputy Secretary-General and chair of ITU's WSIS Task Force, in February 2010 to improve existing functionalities and transform the former static database into a portal to highlight ICT- related projects and initiatives in line with WSIS implementation. The platform offers stakeholders interactive networking opportunities via Web 2.0 applications. In the framework of the WSIS Stocktaking Platform, all types of stakeholders can benefit from the "Global Events Calendar", "Global Publication Rrepository", "Case Studies" and other components that tend to extend networking and create partnerships in order to provide more visibility and add value to projects at the local, national, regional and international levels.

Since the first edition of the WSIS Stocktaking Report was issued in 2005, biannual reporting has been a key tool for monitoring the progress of ICT initiatives and projects worldwide. The 2012 report reflects more than 1,000 recent WSIS-related activities, undertaken between May 2010 and 2012, each emphasizing the efforts deployed by stakeholders involved in the WSIS process.

WSIS Forum and Follow up

The WSIS Follow up works towards achieving the indicative targets, set out in the Geneva Plan of Action and serve as global references for improving connectivity and universal, ubiquitous, equitable, non-discriminatory and affordable access to, and use of, ICTs, considering different national circumstances, to be achieved by 2015, and to using ICTs, as a tool to achieve the internationally agreed development goals and objectives, including the Millennium Development Goals.

Since 2006 the WSIS Forum has been held in Geneva around World Information Society Day (17 May) to implement the WSIS Follow up. The event is organized by the WSIS facilitators including ITU, UNESCO, UNCTAD and UNDP and hosted by ITU. Until 2010 the Forum was held in ITU building and since then it has been held in International Labour Organization building. Every year the Forum attracts more than 1000 WSIS Stakeholders from more than 140 countries. Several high-level representatives of the wider WSIS Stakeholder community graced the Forum, more than 20 Ministers and Deputies, several Ambassadors, CEOs and Civil Society leaders contributed passionately towards the programme of the Forum. Remote participation was an integral component of the WSIS Forum over 1000 stakeholders followed and contributed to the outcomes of the event in a remote manner from all parts of world. Onsite networking was facilitated by the imeetYouatWSIS online community platform. More than 250 on-site participants have actively used the tool prior and during the event which facilitated in fruitful networking leading to win-win partnerships.

WSIS Forum has been held in Geneva as follows:

• WSIS Forum 2006:   9–19 May
• WSIS Forum 2007: 14–25 May
• WSIS Forum 2008: 13–23 May
• WSIS Forum 2009: 18–22 May
• WSIS Forum 2010: 10–14 May
• WSIS Forum 2011: 16–20 May
• WSIS Forum 2012: 14–18 May
• WSIS Forum 2013: 13–17 May
• WSIS + 10 High Level Event: 9 to 12 June 2014
• WSIS Forum 2015: 25–29 May 2015

WSIS Project Prizes

This initiative responds to the requests of participants of WSIS Forum 2011 for a mechanism to evaluate and reward stakeholders for the success of their efforts in implementing development-oriented strategies that leverage the power of information and communication technologies (ICTs). The prizes provide a unique recognition for excellence in the implementation of WSIS outcomes. The contest is open to all stakeholders: governments, private sector, civil society, international organizations, academia, and others. The 18 prize categories are linked to the WSIS Action Lines outlined in the Geneva Plan of Action. The annual contest is organized into four phases: (1) Submission of project descriptions; (2) Voting by the members of the WSIS Stocktaking Platform; (3) Compilation of extended descriptions of the winning projects and preparation of "WSIS Stocktaking: Success Stories"; and (4) the WSIS Project Prize Ceremony and release of the "Success Stories" publication at the WSIS Forum. The WSIS Project Prizes are now an integral part of the WSIS Stocktaking Process established in 2004.

2012

WSIS Project Prizes 2012 was created to encourage all groups of stakeholders, from all over the world, to share their experiences on WSIS implementation and leverage its activities.

More than 170 projects from 50 countries were nominated and, after a multi-phase evaluation, 18 were chosen. A WSIS Project Prize Ceremony, where the winners received their awards, was held on 14 May 2012 as part of the Opening Ceremony of the WSIS Forum 2012. Prizes were awarded in recognition of outstanding effort and achievement to:

• The Association for Progressive Communications (South Africa/international) with the project Global Information Society Watch (GISWatch) in category C1: The role of public governance authorities and all stakeholders in the promotion of ICTs for development
• The National Information Center (Sudan) with the project Sudanese Internet Exchange Point in category C2: Information and communication infrastructure
• Computers to Educate (Colombia) with the project Computers to Educate in category C3: Access to information and knowledge
• The Ministry of Administration and Digitization (Poland) with the project Lighthouse Keepers in category C4: Capacity building
• Odessa National Academia of Telecommunications N.A. Popov (Ukraine) with the project Building a Safer Internet for Educational Institutions in category C5: Building confidence and security in the use of ICTs
• Rural Technology and Business Incubator (India) with the project Rural Technology and Business Incubator in category C6: Enabling environment
• Network for Information & Computer Technology (India) with the project Samadhan in category C7: ICT applications - e-Government
• The Ministry of Commerce and Industry (Oman) with the project One Stop Shop Business eServices in category C7: ICT applications - e-Business
• The Ministry of Education (Saudi Arabia) with the project Noor Program in category C7: ICT applications - e-Learning
• Cognizant Technology Solutions (USA/India) with the project Ruhanga – RealTime Remote Health Monitoring in category C7: ICT applications - e-Health
• The Human Resources Development Fund (Saudi Arabia) with the project National Unemployment Assistance Program in category C7: ICT applications: e-Employment
• ICVolunteers (Switzerland) with the project Green Voice in category C7: ICT applications - e-Environment
• e-Agriculture Community (Food & Agriculture Organization), with the project e-Agriculture Community in category C7: ICT applications - e-Agriculture
• University of La Punta (Argentina) with the project Automatic Meteorological Stations Network in category C7: ICT applications: e-Science
• Telecentre.org Foundation (Philippines) with the project Telecentre.org Community Learning Programme in category C8: Cultural diversity and identity, linguistic diversity and local content
• Video Volunteers (India) with the project Building A Community Newswire Service in category C9: Media
• The Ministry of Information Society and Telecommunications (Montenegro) with the project Promotion of the Information Society Among People with Disabilities in category C10: Ethical dimensions of the Information Society
• The Information Technology Organization of Iran (ITO) and Iran University of Science and Technology (Islamic Republic of Iran) with the project WSIS Cooperation: Research Study and Preparation of International Strategic Documents for the Information Society in category C11: International and regional cooperation.

Detailed descriptions of the winning projects are available in the WSIS Stocktaking: Success Stories 2012 book.

Held for the first time in 2012, the contest was appreciated by its diverse stakeholders, who encouraged the initiative to continue in 2013 with the same open approach allowing all stakeholders to participate in the transparent contest.

2013

The WSIS Project Prizes 2013 contest provided an occasion to showcase projects. More than 280 projects from 64 countries were nominated. The 18 winners were honored, recognized, and presented with an award at the Prize Ceremony at the WSIS Forum 2013 (May, Geneva). The winners also had an opportunity to network, present, and promote their projects at an international level, share knowledge and experience as well as learn about other best practices and models which further the WSIS goals. Prizes were awarded in recognition of outstanding effort and achievement to:

• Ministry of Higher Education (Saudi Arabia) with the project Safeer Programme in category C1: The role of public governance authorities and all stakeholders in the promotion of ICTs for development
• Ministry of Education (Saudi Arabia) with the project Schools Connectivity Project in category C2: Information and communication infrastructure
• Public Library Radislav Nikcevic (Serbia) with the project AgroLib Ja (Agricultural Libraries in Jagodina) in category C3: Access to information and knowledge
• EIFL (Electronic Information for Libraries) (Italy) with the project PLIP builds communities ICT skills in 23 developing and transition countries in category C4: Capacity building
• Ministry of Telecommunication and Information Society (Ecuador) with the project Digital Training through Mobile Classrooms in category C5: Building confidence and security in the use of ICTs
• Ministry of Communication and Transport (Mexico) with the project Club Digital: massive open online ICT courses in category C6: Enabling environment
• Network for Information and Computer Technology, Indore (India) in cooperation with Municipal Corporation, Indore and Bank of India with the project SAKSHAM - ICT enabled Direct Old Age Pension Distribution in category C7: ICT applications - e-Government
• Ministry of the transport and communications, National Information Technologies JSC (Kazakhstan), and the Ministry of Regional Development of the Republic of Kazakhstan with the project E-license Information System in category C7: ICT applications - e-Business
• African Forum for the Promotion of New Information and Communication Technologies (AFP-NICT) (Congo) with the project Training and connecting rural people in category C7: ICT applications - e-Learning
• Ministry of Health (Oman) with the project Reduce Childhood Mortality Rate: Infants and Children under 5 years of Age in category C7: ICT applications - e-Health
• Civil Service Commission (Kuwait) with the project E-Employment system in category C7: ICT applications: e-Employment
• University of La Punta (Argentina) with the project Zero Balance in category C7: ICT applications - e-Environment
• Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation ACP-EU (CTA) (Netherlands) with the project Web 2.0 and Social Media Learning Opportunities in category C7: ICT applications - e-Agriculture
• Abu Dhabi Technology Development Committee (United Arab Emirates) with the project Abu Dhabi Science Festival in category C7: ICT applications: e-Science
• Ministry of Information and Communications Technologies in cooperation with Colnodo (Colombia) with the project En mi idioma ("In my language") in category C8: Cultural diversity and identity, linguistic diversity and local content
• Ministry of Youth and ICT and Workforce Development Authority (WDA) (Rwanda) with the project Africa Digital Media Academy in category C9: Media
• Ministry of Communication and Transport (Mexico) with the project Mujermigrante.mx: promoting human rights for migrant women in category C10: Ethical dimensions of the Information Society
• Child Helpline International (Netherlands) with the project Child Helplines and Telecoms: A toolkit to assist your child helpline to advocate for a free of costs telephone number in category C11: International and regional cooperation.

Detailed descriptions of the winning projects are available in the WSIS Stocktaking: Success Stories 2013 book.

2014

The WSIS Project Prizes 2014 contest provides a platform to identify and showcase success stories and models that could be easily replicated; empower communities at the local level; give a chance to all stakeholders working on WSIS to participate in the contest, and particularly recognize the efforts of stakeholders for their added value to the society and commitment towards achieving WSIS goals. The WSIS Project Prizes 2014 is organized into four phases that were held from 5 September 2013 until 13 April 2014. During the High Level Event 18 winners were honored and presented with their awards.

WSIS + 10

The WSIS + 10 High-Level Event, an extended version of the WSIS Forum, took place 9–13 June 2014 in Geneva, Switzerland. The event reviewed the progress made in the implementation of the WSIS outcomes under the mandates of participating agencies, took stock of developments in the last 10 years based on reports of WSIS stakeholders, including those submitted by countries, action line facilitators, and other stakeholders. The event reviewed the WSIS Outcomes (2003 and 2005) related to the WSIS Action Lines and agreed a vision on how to proceed beyond 2015.

The WSIS+10 High-Level Event endorsed the "WSIS+10 Statement on Implementation of WSIS Outcomes" and the "WSIS+10 Vision for WSIS Beyond 2015". These outcome documents were developed in an open and inclusive preparatory process, the WSIS+10 Multistakeholder Preparatory Platform (WSIS+10 MPP). "High-Level Track Policy Statements" and a "Forum Track Outcome Document" are also available.

Open Consultation Process

The Open Consultation Process was an open and inclusive consultation among WSIS stakeholders (governments, private sector, civil society, international organizations, and relevant regional organizations) to prepare for the WSIS + 10 High-Level Event. It focused on developing multistakeholder consensus on two draft outcome documents, the thematic aspects, and innovations on the format of the WSIS + 10 High-Level Event.

The two draft outcome documents were developed and submitted for consideration by the WSIS + 10 High-Level Event are:

1. Draft WSIS + 10 Statement on the Implementation of WSIS Outcomes.
2. Draft WSIS + 10 Vision for WSIS Beyond 2015 under mandates of participating agencies.

The Open Consultation Process for the WSIS + 10 High-Level Event was structured in six phases as follows:

• Phase One: July 2013, initiation of the Open Consultation Process, stakeholders were invited to submit inputs for the draft outcome documents and proposals on themes and innovative approaches at the Event.
• Phase Two: 7–8 October 2013, the first physical meeting of the Open Consultation Process was held on 7–8 October 2013 at ITU Headquarters, Geneva, Switzerland.
• Phase Three: 16–18 December 2013, second physical meeting (with remote participation facilities).
• Phase Four: 17–18 February 2014, third physical meeting (with remote participation facilities).
• Phase Five: 1 March 2014, outcomes of the open consultation published on the website.
• Phase Six: 12 March 2014, final brief on the WSIS + 10 High Level Event.

In order to complete its work, two additional meetings took place, one in May, and one at the beginning of the High Level Event.

Civil society

A number of non-governmental organizations (NGOs), scientific institutions, community media and others participated as "civil society" in the preparations for the summit as well as the High Level Event itself, drawing attention to human rights, people-centered development, freedom of speech and press freedom.

At the same time, there is plenty of WSIS-related discussion outside the official conferences. Workshops on the themes of the summit were held e.g. at the World Social Forum in Porto Alegre, and plans are shaping up for alternative events outside and parallel to the official WSIS summit.

In Germany, a WSIS working group initiated by the Network New Media and the Heinrich Böll Foundation, has been meeting continuously since mid-2002. This group has gradually developed into a broader Germany-wide civil society coordination for the WSIS.

One of the most significant result of civil society within the WSIS first phase was the insertion, in the final declaration signed by the nation's delegates, of the clear distinction between three societal model of digitally-driven increasement of awareness : proprietary, open-source and free software based models. It is the result of the work led by Francis Muguet as co-chair of Patent, Copyrights and Trademark working group.

Some civil society groups expressed alarm that the 2005 phase of the WSIS was being held in Tunisia, a country with serious human rights violations. A fact-finding mission to Tunisia in January 2005 by the Tunisia Monitoring Group (TMG), a coalition of 14 members of the International Freedom of Expression Exchange, found serious cause for concern about the current state of freedom of expression and of civil liberties in the country, including gross restrictions on freedom of the press, media, publishing and the Internet.

The coalition published a 60-page report that recommends steps the Tunisian government needs to take to bring the country in line with international human rights standards. At the third WSIS Preparatory Committee meeting in Geneva in September 2005, the TMG launched an update to the report that found no improvements in the human rights situation.

The Digital solidarity fund, an independent body aiming to reduce the digital divide, was established following discussions which took place during the Tunis summit in 2005.

The Digital Divide

Main article: Digital divide

Kofi Annan, Secretary-General of the United Nations at the time, defined the information society as that through which "human capacity is expanded, built up, nourished and liberated, by giving people access to the tools and technologies they need, with the education and training to use them effectively." It is this kind of a society that the World Summit on the Information Society set about to create.

In November 2002, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan issued a Challenge to Silicon Valley to create nearly up-to-date computers and communications systems that would enable villages to afford Information and Communication Technologies for Development (ICT4D). Some examples from around the world were:

• the Simputer movement in India
• Pocket PC from Microsoft in Redmond, Washington, United States
• free metropolitan wireless systems
• the MIT Media Lab program to create a $100 laptop
• localization of Linux into languages not supported by commercial vendors

Yoshio Utsumi, Secretary General of the International Telecommunication Union, declared that with the emergence of such a society comes the risk of widening the existing digital divide. The Holy See (Vatican) reaffirmed this position in its address to the summit members given by Archbishop John Foley. "This summit," he said, "is a unique opportunity to connect and assist those living in the poorest and most isolated regions of the world… [I]f this process creates only new opportunities for those who already enjoy a good living standard and excellent communications possibilities, then our work will have been a failure."

On the issue of narrowing the digital divide, the Holy See and the whole of the United Nations stand hand-in-hand. It was the direct goal of the Summit to create a way to provide information to all people in every nation. A joint-effort needed to be made on behalf of the entire international community to assist in providing access to digital communications to those citizens of less developed regions so that they might also share in the bounty of information available through digital mediums. "For far too many people, the gains remain out of reach," Annan said. "There is a tremendous yearning, not for technology per se, but for what technology can make possible." Annan continued by urging the Summit members to respond to that thirst and to make the necessary preparations and take the first steps towards the accomplishment of a society where all people have equal access to information. Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, president of the Republic of Tunisia, also called on the international community to aid in the efforts of helping all peoples, "particularly the least developed ones, to gain access to technological progress and to benefit from the scientific and digital revolution witnessed in the world today." The Vatican also reaffirmed the need for help from the international community.

Secretary General Utsumi said that in order to bring about the changes recommended, and new "pact" will need to be achieved between the information "haves" and the "have-nots." The development of a new arrangement between developed and under-developed nations would not, he said, "obey the normal rules of negotiation of give and take" but would, instead, be based on mutual self-interest. "The value of information," Utsumi said, "increases when it is shared. If we are able to create a new generation in the developing world, it will be to the benefit of information-producing countries."

The overall intent of the World Summit on the Information Society was to bring about a feasible way to eliminate the ever-gaping digital divide. Members of the international community have recognized that an end to the divide must be sought in order to bring about equal information opportunities to the citizens of the less developed countries. Archbishop Foley ended his statement by stating, "It is our responsibility to fill these gaps of humanity and solidarity for the benefit of millions of people and for the next generation." It is the responsibility of the countries of the international community to implement plans they made at the Summit to make information more accessible to all nations.

Digital Divide and Digital Dilemma

Two main concerns seemed to be the issue and talk of the UN World Summit on the Information Society held in Tunis, which were one the digital divide and two the digital dilemma. Not only did several countries comment on one or both of these issues in light of the Holy See's statement by Archbishop John P. Foley the Church seems to agree and furthermore elaborate on these issues.

First the digital divide, which not only is addressed in Archbishop John P. Foley's address before the WSIS, but also in a Vatican document, Ethics in the Internet. According to Archbishop Foley the digital divide is the current disparity in the access to digital communications between developed and developing countries and it requires the joint effort of the entire international community. The digital divide is considered a form of discrimination dividing the rich and the poor, both within and among nations, on the basis of access, or lack of access, to the new information technology. It is an updated version of an older gap that has always existed between the information rich and the information poor. The term digital divide underlines the reality that not only individuals and groups but also nations must have access to the new technology in order to share in the promised benefits of globalization and not fall behind other nations.

In a statement delivered by Senator Burchell Whiteman from Jamaica he stressed that Jamaica realizes the importance of bridging the digital divide which he sees as promoting social and economic development for 80% of the countries that are still struggling with this gap and the impact that it has on them. In a statement given by Mr. Ignacio Gonzalez Planas, who is the minister of Informatics and Communications of the Republic of Cuba, he also talked about the concern of only a few countries enjoying these privileges. Mentioning that over half of the world population does not have telephone access, which was invented more than a century ago. With more than 50% of those using cell phones and internet servers are found in developed countries. In a statement by Vice Premier Huang Ju, the State Council of the People's Republic of China, he stated that the information society should be a people centered society in which all peoples and all countries share the benefit to the fullest in greater common development in the information society.

Second the digital dilemma, which the Holy See emphasized as a disadvantage to the information society, because of this one must approach it with concern and caution to avoid taking the wrong steps. Not only what is being considered as digital opportunities could result in digital dilemmas. It is a real and present danger with technology especially the internet. The Holy See strongly supports freedom of expression and the free exchange of ideas but provided that one respects the moral order and common good. One must approach it with sensitivity and respect for other people's values and beliefs and protect the distinctiveness of cultures and the underlying unity of the human family.

Whiteman from Jamaica agreed on the issue of facing digital dilemmas as well. He stated that information resources combined with technology resources are available to the world and they have the power to transform the world for good or ill. In a statement made by Mr. Stjepan Mesic, President of Croatia, it was stated that we are flooded with data and we think that we know and can find everything about everyone but we also must remember that we don't know what so easily accessible is like. He states that although the information society is a blessing one should not ignore the potentiality of it turning into a nightmare.

The Holy See's caution of the information society is being heard and echoed by other countries especially those that were present at the WSIS in Tunis. Echoing the statement made in Ethics in the Internet, "The internet can make an enormously valuable contribution to human life. It can foster prosperity and peace, intellectual and aesthetic growth, mutual understanding among peoples and nations on a global scale."

One critique

In a press statement released 14 November 2003 the Civil Society group warned about a deadlock, already setting in on the very first article of the declaration, where governments are not able to agree on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights as the common foundation of the summit declaration. It identified two main problems:

1. On the issue of correcting imbalances in riches, rights and power, governments do not agree on even the principle of a financial effort to overcome the so-called "digital divide", which was precisely the objective when the summit process was started in 2001.

(The "digital divide" concept was also under criticism from some civil society groups as well: FFII, for instance, rejected the term.)

2. In its view, not even the basis of human life in dignity and equality, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, finds support as the basis for the Information Society. Governments are not able to agree on a commitment to basic human right standards as the basis for the Information Society, most prominent in this case being the freedom of expression.

Selected media responses

A report by Brenda Zulu for The Times of Zambia explained that the (Dakar) resolution "generated a lot of discussion since it was very different from the Accra resolution, which advocated change from the status quo where Zambia participated in the Africa WSIS in Accra. The Dakar resolutions, in the main, advocated the status quo although it did not refer to internationalization of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN)."

The Jamaica Observer had a column which saw Cyberspace as backyard for the new 'Monroe Doctrine'. The Monroe Doctrine, expressed in 1823, proclaimed that the Americas should be closed to future European colonization and free from European interference in sovereign countries' affairs. The Doctrine was conceived by its authors, especially John Quincy Adams, as a proclamation by the United States of moral opposition to colonialism, but has subsequently been re-interpreted in a wide variety of ways, including by President Theodore Roosevelt as a license for the U.S. to practice its own form of colonialism.

From India, The Financial Express interviewed Nitin Desai, who is special advisor to the United Nations Secretary General. Desai is quoted saying, "Our main goal is to find ways for developing countries to gain better access to the Internet and information and communication technologies (ICTs), helping them improve their life standards right from their knowledge base to their work culture, and spread awareness about diseases and other crucial issues. This will aim to bridge the huge communication technology and infrastructure gap existing currently in the world. This will include connecting villages, community access points, schools and universities, research centers, libraries, health centers and hospitals, and local and central government departments. Besides looking at the first two years of implementation of the Plan of Action after the Geneva summit, the Tunis episode will seek to encourage the development of content meant to empower the nations."

He says: "The way India has made use of IT, fetching the country not only profits, but a huge percentage of employed people, it has been really impressive." My view: it's a shame that we in India have so many IT professionals, but these skills get used so much for the export-dollar, and hardly at all (except in a spillover manner) to tackle the huge issues that a billion seeking a better life have to daily deal with.

The South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC), had a Reuters report titled 'Rights groups says Tunisia is not right for WSIS', citing the position of the IFEX Tunisia Monitoring Group. It said:

As thousands of delegates and InfoTech experts gathered in Tunisia this weekend for a UN World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS), human rights and media freedom groups were asking: Is this meeting in the wrong place?" and points to both the positions critical of the Tunisian government on free speech, and the administration's defense of its record. Finally, when it comes to reporting on the unfair global village, and communication rights we have within it, isn't it ironic that the awareness and ability to keep up with the issue – of information – is itself so unfair?

Internet Governance

Main articles: Internet governance and Internet Governance Forum

The Summit's first phase took place in December 2003 in Geneva. The summit process began with the first "Prepcom" in July 2002. The last Prepcom, held from 19–30 September 2005 in Geneva, ended without securing final agreement on Internet governance, with the U.S. rejecting a European Union proposal to relinquish control of ICANN.

An issue that emerged was Internet governance and the dominant role that the USA plays in policy making. The most radical ideas about devolving this authority were those supporting a civil society approach to Internet governance.

Youth and Civil Society played key role in the whole WSIS Process.Young Leaders from Different Countries notably Nick& Alex Fielding from Canada,Tarek from Tunisia and Mr. Zeeshan Shoki from Pakistan were the active and founding members of Gloabl WSIS Youth Caucus and They respectively founded Youth Caucus in their respective Countries like Canada WSIS Youth Caucus, Tunisia Wsis Youth Caucus and Pakistan Wsis Youth Caucus.Young leaders participated at both Geneva and Tunis Phase. Youth Day had been celebrated and Youth Showcase their projects and organised Events at the Summit. Youth have also prepared WSIS Declaration and Plan of action.

United States priorities

In a document released on 3 December 2003 the United States delegation to the WSIS advocated a strong private sector and rule of law as the critical foundations for development of national information and communication technologies (ICT). Ambassador David Gross, the US coordinator for international communications and information policy, outlined what he called "the three pillars" of the US position in a briefing to reporters 3 December.

1. As nations attempt to build a sustainable ICT sector, commitment to the private sector and rule of law must be emphasized, Gross said, "so that countries can attract the necessary private investment to create the infrastructure."
2. A second important pillar of the US position was the need for content creation and intellectual property rights protection in order to inspire ongoing content development.
3. Ensuring security on the internet, in electronic communications and in electronic commerce was the third major priority for the US. "All of this works and is exciting for people as long as people feel that the networks are secure from cyber attacks, secure in terms of their privacy," Gross said.

As the Geneva phase of the meeting drew closer, one proposal that was gaining attention was to create an international fund to provide increased financial resources to help lesser-developed nations expand their ICT sectors. The "voluntary digital solidarity fund" was a proposal put forth by the president of Senegal, but it was not one that the United States could currently endorse, Gross said.

Gross said the United States was also achieving broad consensus on the principle that a "culture of cybersecurity" must develop in national ICT policies to continue growth and expansion in this area. He said the last few years had been marked by considerable progress as nations update their laws to address the galloping criminal threats in cyberspace. "There's capacity-building for countries to be able to criminalize those activities that occur within their borders...and similarly to work internationally to communicate between administrations of law enforcement to track down people who are acting in ways that are unlawful," Gross said.

Many governments are very concerned that various groups use U.S.-based servers to spread anti-semitic, nationalist, or regime critical messages. This controversy is a consequence of the American position on free speech which does not consider speech as criminal without direct appeals to violence. The United States argues that giving the control of Internet domain names to international bureaucrats and governments may lead to massive censorship that could destroy the freedom of the Internet as a public space.

Ultimately, the US Department of Commerce made it clear it intends to retain control of the Internet's root servers indefinitely.

See also

• Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement
• Communication rights
• Community film
• Development Communication
• Digital rights
• E-democracy
• Global Multistakeholder Meeting on the Future of Internet Governance, held April, 2014
• ICT for Development
• Information freedom
• International Multilateral Partnership Against Cyber Threats
• International Telecommunication Union
• Internet Governance Forum
• RIPE NCC
• World Intellectual Property Organization
• World Intellectual Wealth Organisation

External links

Official sites and organizations

• WSIS – Official site by the ITU
• WSIS Forum Website
• WSIS + 10
• WSIS Stocktaking, WSIS Stocktaking Database, publicly accessible system providing information on ICT-related activities
• Five year review on WSIS implementation (2010), by the UN Commission on Science and Technology for Development (CSTD)
• Official UNESCO WSIS site
• WSIS Knowledge Communities
• WSIS Tunis 2005 – Official site by Tunis
• WSIS ICT discussion – Development Gateway community focusing on Millennium Development Goals
• WSIS Civil Society Meeting Point – Mailing lists
• Worldsummit2003.org – Official WSIS site by Heinrich Boell Foundation, maintained by the German WSIS Civil Society Coordinating Group
• Tunisia Monitoring Group – Official TMG WSIS site by IFEX
• WSIS? WE SEIZE! – Anti-WSIS group from December 2003, supported by the Information Program of the Open Society Institute
• Citizens' Summit on the Information Society
• The World Summit in Reflection – compendium of submission to Information Technologies and International Development
• Internet Governance Forum (IGF)
• WSIS Project Prizes
• UN General Assembly WSIS+10 High Level Meeting website

Official documents

• UN, ITU and ECOSOC resolutions on WSIS
• ECOSOC Resolutions related to WSIS follow-ups

WSIS news and blogs

• WSISBlogs.org – a multilingual coalition of bloggers attending WSIS; includes text, photos, podcasts and video.
• WSIS: Internet Governance Forum Endorsed by World Leaders by Dick Kaser, Information Today, 21 November 2005.
• WSIS WIRE – latest news on the World Summit – en, fr, de
• i-Witness | journalists shaping the information society – debate, news and resources for journalists creating a fairer information society
• The Daily Summit – WSIS (2003 only) and similar World Summit coverage by the British Council Science Team
• The German netzpolitik.org – Blog, has a huge coverage on the WSIS in German language
• David Weekly's Tunis PBwiki – a wikiblog of the Summit & Tunisia
• Choike – WSIS in depth report has information on the Geneva and Tunis phases of WSIS
• "Is Free/Open Source Software the Answer?", transcript of Richard Stallman's WSIS 2005 presentation

Articles and reports

• Information Society for the South: Vision or Hallucination?, a November 2005 book by the WSIS Papers Project (Instituto del Tercer Mundo, ITeM) with Southern perspectives on the Information Society
• Visions in Process II, A brochure collecting female perspectives on WSIS
• Orientation kit on WSIS, A booklet for civil society representatives on WSIS development just before the Tunis Summit
• "Information Society: The Next Steps", Development Gateway Special Report