The World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) will be held in two phases. The first phase will take place in Geneva hosted by the Government of Switzerland from 10 to 12 December 2003. The second phase will take place in Tunis, 2005.

The objective of the World Summit on the Information Society is to formulate a common vision and understanding of the global information society. It is expected to adopt a Declaration of Principles and an Action Plan to facilitate the effective growth of the Information Society and to help bridge the digital divide. It is also regarded as an effective means to assist the United Nations in fulfilling the goals of the Millennium Declaration.

The Challenge

The global information society is evolving at breakneck speed. The accelerating convergence between telecommunications, broadcasting multimedia and information and communication technologies (ICTs) is driving new products and services, as well as ways of conducting business and commerce. At the same time, commercial, social and professional opportunities are exploding as new markets open to competition and foreign investment and participation. The modern world is undergoing a fundamental transformation as the industrial society that marked the 20th century rapidly gives way to the information society of the 21st century. This dynamic process promises a fundamental change in all aspects of our lives, including knowledge dissemination, social interaction, economic and business practices, political engagement, media, education, health, leisure and entertainment. We are indeed in the midst of a revolution, perhaps the greatest that humanity has ever experienced. To benefit the world community, the successful and continued growth of this new dynamic requires global discussion.

The Opportunity

The World Summit on the Information Society will provide a unique opportunity for all key stakeholders to assemble at a high-level gathering and to develop a better understanding of this revolution and its impact on the international community. It aims to bring together Heads of State, Executive Heads of United Nations agencies, industry leaders, non-governmental organizations, media representatives and civil society in a single high-level event. The roles of the various partners (Member States, UN specialized agencies, private sector and civil society) in ensuring smooth coordination of the practical establishment of the information society around the globe will also be at the heart of the Summit and its preparation.

Who will Participate?

Governments
All governments have a stake in the Information Society, whatever their level of national income or their infrastructure facilities. Governments are key for bringing the benefits of the Information Society to everyone through the development of national and global policies and frameworks to meet the challenges of the Information Society. In their pursuit of the public interest, governments can raise awareness, facilitate access to information for the public, and they also can lay the foundations for all citizens to benefit from Information and Communication Technologies in terms of improved quality of life, social services and economic growth

Private Sector
The private sector will play an active role, in conjunction with governments and civil society, by offering an economically viable model to achieve the development objectives on the world agenda. The contribution of the private sector is instrumental in creating the material conditions for universal access to information and value-added ICT services. Its involvement in the Summit will promote economic growth and new partnerships, technology transfer, increase awareness of new technologies, and motivate the creation of local content development and skilled employment opportunities.

Civil Society
Civil society is playing an active role in identifying the social and cultural consequences of current trends and in drawing attention to the need to introduce democratic accountability on the strategic options taken at all levels. Its diversity and, often, hands-on approach to issues, make civil society a key player in the renewed international partnership called for by the UN Secretary-General.

United Nations Family
The Summit offers a unique opportunity for the global community to reflect, discuss and give shape to our common destiny in an era when countries and peoples are interconnected as never before. The UN family of organizations serves as a catalyst for change by bringing together state governments, as well as the private sector, international institutions and civil society in pursuit of common goals. The United Nations system and its specialized agencies will be deeply involved in the organization and holding of the Summit, with the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) taking a lead role.

More information: http://www.itu.int/wsis/basic/about.html

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WSIS Gender Caucus

The WSIS Gender Caucus was formed during the African regional preparatory conference (Bamako 2002), which took place in Mali from 25-30th May 2002. The WSIS- Gender Caucus commits to work towards the goals of the WSIS by sharing information and ideas on strategies for including gender equality goals and ensuring women’s participation in the WSIS process and follow-up programmes.

To ensure that gender perspectives and women’s rights are taken seriously as core principles in the planning and preparation for the WSIS, the WSIS-Gender Caucus urges all stakeholders, in planning the preparatory processes, the Summit, and the follow-up programmes, to:

• Acknowledge gender equality and women’s rights as a cross-cutting principle;
• Include women as leaders and decision-makers in all planning processes for the Summit and recognition that women’s perspectives can make a significant contribution to aligning the Summit with the Millennium Development Goals;
• Facilitate and encourage women as members of national delegations and representatives of civil society and business by setting targets for delegations to include at least 30% women including gender and ICT experts;
• Include in the theme of applications --design of ICT projects which take women’s needs into account, for example by developing technology solutions suited to rural women, women in conflict areas, and applications that assist with the HIV/AIDS pandemic;
• Development of projects that will collect and, analyze, appropriate gender specific data and reporting mechanisms to evaluate and monitor the impact of ICT developments on women and girls;
• Implementation of an information dissemination campaign that includes a wide range of media such as radio, drama and print and variety of languages; and
• Commission a study on the interaction between gender equality and ICT, which should include development of a gender equality and ICT baseline study, indicators, conceptual tools and case studies on the impact of ICT on achieving gender equality, to inform the dialogue of the Summit.

The WSIS-Gender Caucus looks forward to working with all stakeholders to implement these recommendations.

More information: http://www.genderwsis.org/

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NGO GENDER STRATEGIES WORKING GROUP

This is a formation of women´s information and communications organizations that have come together to develop strategies for gender advocacy within the WSIS context and other related issues. This group is distinct from, though aligned with, the WSIS Gender Caucus

Is specifically interested in:

• ensuring that all ngo documents and statements include gender concerns and a gender perspective throughout
• raising the specific concerns that women's ngos might have in relation to civil society processes and avenues for participation
• participating in both civil society plenary and wsis gender caucus in their lobbying and advocacy efforts
• raising awareness within the wider women's movement context about wsis and the information and communication concerns that should be advocated for by women's movement actors.

More information: ngowomen@genderit.org
http://www.genderit.org

 

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