World Summit on the Information Society
WSIS (World Summit on the Information Society) is a two phase summit endorsed by the United Nations General Assembly under Resolution 56/183 to create a global multi-stakeholder platform to resolve the issues confronting information and communication technology. The summit was participated by more than 19,000 individuals from 174 countries.[1]
Background[edit | edit source]
The International Telecommunications Union (ITU) initiated the idea of conducting the World Summit on the Information Society(WSIS) in 1998 via Resolution 73. In 1999, the United Nations Secretary General expressed its enormous support to the proposed summit and created the framework for the summit under Resolution 56/183. The resolution also defined the role of ITU in cooperation with other interested organizatio and partners. By 2001, ITU led the preparations in holding the WSIS and decided to conduct it in two phases.The first phase of the Summits to be held in Geneva on December 10-12, 2003 and the second phase in Tunis on November 16-18, 2005.[2]
High-Level Summit Organizing Committee[edit | edit source]
The High-Level Summit Organizing Committee (HLSOC) was established with the support of UN Secretary General Kofi Annan to coordinate the efforts of the United Nations in the preparation, organization and holding of WSIS. The ITU Secretary General served as CHairman of HLSOC which is composed of a representative of the UN Secretary General and Executive Heads of other international organizations such as the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), World Bank, World Trade Organization (WTO), International Labor Organization (ILO), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) etc.[3]
Members of HLSOC[edit | edit source]
The members of the HLSOC include:[4]
WSIS Executive Secretariat (ITU)
- Mr. Yoshio Utsumi- Secretary General of WSIS and Secretary General of ITU
- Mr. Charles Geiger- Executive Director
- Mr. Pierre Gagne, Executive Director, Geneva Phase
- Mr. Alain Clerc and Ms. Louise Lassonde, Head Civil Society Division
Other members of the Executive Secretariat include:
- Mr. Art Levin, Chief of the ITU Coordination, External Relations and Communication Units
- Dr. Tim Kelly, Chief of ITU Strategy and Policy Unit
- Mr. Fernando Lagraña, Executive Manager of ITU TELECOM
First Phase: Geneva 2003[edit | edit source]
The first phase of the WSIS which was held in Geneva in 2003 was attended by 11,000 people from 175 countries. The main objective of the event is to create and promote commitment and political will among the participants to take action in making the information society accessible for everyone to be able to achieve their full potential and promote development and experience quality life. This objective was clearly stated in the Declaration of Principle adopted by the participants in the summit.[5] In addition, a Plan of Action was established outlining the specific goals and objectives of the overall Information Society which shall be achieved by 2015 through international cooperation.[6]