Final Report english[725]

Document WSIS-03/GENEVA/9(Rev.1)-E 18 February 2004 Original: English WSIS Executive Secretariat REPORT OF THE GENEVA PHASE OF THE WORLD SUMMIT ON THE INFORMATION SOCIETY GENEVA-PALEXPO, 10-12 DECEMBER 2003 Table of contents Page Chapter I Chapter II Chapter III Chapter IV Chapter V Chapter VI Chapter VII Chapter VIII Chapter IX Chapter X Chapter XI Annex 1 Annex 2A Annex 2B Annex 2C Resolutions adopted by the Summit ......................................................... Attendance and organization of work ....................................................... General debate........................................................................................... Round tables.............................................................................................. Report of the Credentials Committee ....................................................... Report from Multi-stakeholder Events ..................................................... Adoption of the Declaration of Principles ................................................ Adoption of the Plan of Action................................................................. Arrangements for the Tunis phase of the Summit .................................... Adoption of the Draft Report of the Geneva phase of the Summit .......... Closing of the Geneva phase of the Summit ............................................. List of Documents before the Summit ...................................................... Chairperson's summary of Round table 1: Creating Digital Opportunities.................................................................. Chairperson’s summary of Round table 2 : Opportunities and Challenges – Diversity in cyberspace ......................... Chairperson’s summary of Round table 3: ICTs as a tool to achieve the Millennium Development goals ................. 2 27 35 40 43 46 47 50 51 52 53 54 55 57 60 www.itu.int/wsis -2WSIS-03/GENEVA/DOC/9-E CHAPTER I Resolutions adopted by the Summit A. Declaration of Principles The World Summit on the Information Socie ty, Geneva Phase, at its Fifth Plenary Meeting, 12 December 2003, adopted the following Declaration of Principles (WSIS-03/GENEVA/DOC/4): Declaration of Principles Building the Information Society: a global challenge in the new Millennium A. Our Common Vision of the Information Society 1. We, the representatives of the peoples of the world, assembled in Geneva from 10-12 December 2003 for the first phase of the World Summit on the Information Society, declare our common desire and commitment to build a people-centred, inclusive and development-oriented Information Society, where everyone can create, access, utilize and share information and knowledge, enabling individuals, communities and peoples to achieve their full potential in promoting their sustainable development and improving their quality of life, premised on the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations and respecting fully and upholding the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. 2. Our challenge is to harness the potential of information and communication technology to promote the development goals of the Millennium Declaration, namely the eradication of extreme poverty and hunger; achievement of universal primary education; promotion of gender equality and empowerment of women; reduction of child mortality; improvement of maternal health; to combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases; ensuring environmental sustainability; and development of global partnerships for development for the attainment of a more peaceful, just and prosperous world. We also reiterate our commitment to the achievement of sustainable development and agreed development goals, as contained in the Johannesburg Declaration and Plan of Implementation and the Monterrey Consensus, and other outcomes of relevant United Nations Summits. 3. We reaffirm the universality, indivisibility, interdependence and interrelation of all human rights and fundamental freedoms, including the right to development, as enshrined in the Vienna Declaration. We also reaffirm that democracy, sustainable development, and respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms as well as good governance at all levels are interdependent and mutually reinforcing. We further resolve to strengthen respect for the rule of law in international as in national affairs. -3WSIS-03/GENEVA/DOC/9-E 4. We reaffirm, as an essential foundation of the Information Society, and as outlined in Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, that everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; that this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers. Communication is a fundamental social process, a basic human need and the foundation of all social organization. It is central to the Information Society. Everyone, everywhere should have the opportunity to participate and no one should be excluded from the benefits the Information Society offers. 5. We further reaffirm our commitment to the provisions of Article 29 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, that everyone has duties to the community in which alone the free and full development of their personality is possible, and that, in the exercise of their rights and freedoms, everyone shall be subject only to such limitations as are determined by law solely for the purpose of securing due recognition and respect for the rights and freedoms of others and of meeting the just requirements of morality, public order and the general welfare in a democratic society. These rights and freedoms may in no case be exercised contrary to the purposes and principles of the United Nations. In this way, we shall promote an Information Society where human dignity is respected. 6. In keeping with the spirit of this declaration, we rededicate ourselves to upholding the principle of the sovereign equality of all States. 7. We recognize that science has a central role in the development of the Information Society. Many of the building blocks of the Information Society are the result of scientific and technical advances made possible by the sharing of research results. 8. We recognize that education, knowledge, information and communication are at the core of human progress, endeavour and well-being. Further, Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) have an immense impact on virtually all aspects of our lives. The rapid progress of these technologies opens completely new opportunities to attain higher levels of development. The capacity of these technologies to reduce many traditional obstacles, especially those of time and distance, for the first time in history makes it possible to use the potential of these technologies for the benefit of millions of people in all corners of the world. 9. We are aware that ICTs should be regarded as tools and not as an end in themselves. Under favourable conditions, these technologies can be a powerful instrument, increasing productivity, generating economic growth, job creation and employability and improving the quality of life of all. They can also promote dialogue among people, nations and civilizations. 10. We are also fully aware that the benefits of the information technology revolution are today unevenly distributed between the developed and developing countries and within societies. We are fully committed to turning this digital divide into a digital opportunity for all, particularly for those who risk being left behind and being further marginalized. 11. We are committed to realizing our common vision of the Information Society for ourselves and for future generations. We recognize that young people are the future workforce and leading creators and earliest adopters of ICTs. They must therefore be empowered as learners, developers, contributors, entrepreneurs and decision- makers. We must focus especially on young people who have not yet been able to benefit fully from the opportunities provided by ICTs. We are also committed to ensuring that the development of ICT applications and operation of services respects the rights of children as well as their protection and well-being. 12. We affirm that development of ICTs provides enormous opportunities for women, who should be an integral part of, and key actors, in the Information Society. We are committed to ensuring that the Information Society enables women's empowerment and their full participation on the basis on -4WSIS-03/GENEVA/DOC/9-E equality in all spheres of society and in all decision-making processes. To this end, we should mainstream a gender equality perspective and use ICTs as a tool to that end. 13. In building the Information Society, we shall pay particular attention to the special needs of marginalized and vulnerable groups of society, including migrants, internally displaced persons and refugees, unemployed and underprivileged people, minorities and nomadic people. We shall also recognize the special needs of older persons and persons with disabilities. 14. We are resolute to empower the poor, particularly those living in remote, rural and marginalized urban areas, to access information and to use ICTs as a tool to support their efforts to lift themselves out of poverty. 15. In the evolution of the Information Society, particular attention must be given to the special situation of indigenous peoples, as well as to the preservation of their heritage and their cultural legacy. 16. We continue to pay special attention to the particular needs of people of developing countries, countries with economies in transition, Least Developed Countries, Small Island Developing States, Landlocked Developing Countries, Highly Indebted Poor Countries, countries and territories under occupation, countries recovering from conflict and countries and regions with special needs as well as to conditions that pose severe threats to development, such as natural disasters. 17. We recognize that building an inclusive Information Society requires new forms of solidarity, partnership and cooperation among governments and other stakeholders, i.e. the private sector, civil society and international organizations. Realizing that the ambitious goal of this Declaration— bridging the digital divide and ensuring harmonious, fair and equitable development for all—will require strong commitment by all stakeholders, we call for digital solidarity, both at national and international levels. 18. Nothing in this Declaration shall be construed as impairing, contradicting, restricting or derogating from the provisions of the Charter of the United Nations and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, any other international instrument or national laws adopted in furtherance of these instruments. B. An Information Society for All: Key Principles 19. We are resolute in our quest to ensure that everyone can benefit from the opportunities that ICTs can offer. We agree that to meet these challenges, all stakeholders should work together to: improve access to information and communication infrastructure and technologies as well as to information and knowledge; build capacity; increase confidence and security in the use of ICTs; create an enabling environment at all levels; develop and widen ICT applications; foster and respect cultural diversity; recognize the role of the media; address the ethical dimensions of the Information Society; and encourage international and regional cooperation. We agree that these are the key principles for building an inclusive Information Society. 1) The role of governments and all stakeholders in the promotion of ICTs for development 20. Governments, as well as private sector, civil society and the United Nations and other international organizations have an important role and respons ibility in the development of the Information Society and, as appropriate, in decision-making processes. Building a people-centred Information Society is a joint effort which requires cooperation and partnership among all stakeholders. -5WSIS-03/GENEVA/DOC/9-E 2) Information and communication infrastructure: an essential foundation for an inclusive information society 21. Connectivity is a central enabling agent in building the Information Society. Universal, ubiquitous, equitable and affordable access to ICT infrastructure and services, constitutes one of the challenges of the Information Society and should be an objective of all stakeholders involved in building it. Connectivity also involves access to energy and postal services, which should be assured in conformity with the domestic legislation of each country. 22. A well-developed information and communication network infrastructure and applications, adapted to regional, national and local conditions, easily-accessible and affordable, and making greater use of broadband and other innovative technologies where possible, can accelerate the social and economic progress of countries, and the well-being of all individuals, communities and peoples. 23. Policies that create a favourable climate for stability, predictability and fair competition at all levels should be developed and implemented in a manner that not only attracts more private investment for ICT infrastructure development but also enables universal service obligations to be met in areas where traditional market conditions fail to work. In disadvantaged areas, the establishment of ICT public access points in places such as post offices, schools, libraries and archives, can provide effective means for ensuring universal access to the infrastructure and services of the Information Socie ty. 3) Access to information and knowledge 24. The ability for all to access and contribute information, ideas and knowledge is essential in an inclusive Information Society. 25. The sharing and strengthening of global knowledge for development can be enhanced by removing barriers to equitable access to information for economic, social, political, health, cultural, educational, and scientific activities and by facilitating access to public domain information, including by universal design and the use of assistive technologies. 26. A rich public domain is an essential element for the growth of the Information Society, creating multiple benefits such as an educated public, new jobs, innovation, business opportunities, and the advancement of sciences. Information in the public domain should be easily accessible to support the Information Society, and protected from misappropriation. Public institutions such as libraries and archives, museums, cultural collections and other community-based access points should be strengthened so as to promote the preservation of documentary records and free and equitable access to information. 27. Access to information and knowledge can be promoted by increasing awareness among all stakeholders of the possibilities offered by different software models, including proprietary, opensource and free software, in order to increase competition, access by users, diversity of choice, and to enable all users to develop solutions which best meet their requirements. Affordable access to software should be considered as an important component of a truly inclusive Information Society. 28. We strive to promote universal access with equal opportunities for all to scientific knowledge and the creation and dissemination of scientific and technical information, including open access initiatives for scientific publishing. 4) Capacity building 29. Each person should have the opportunity to acquire the necessary skills and knowledge in order to understand, participate actively in, and benefit fully from, the Information Society and the knowledge economy. Literacy and universal primary education are key factors for building a fully inclusive information society, paying particular attention to the special needs of girls and women. -6WSIS-03/GENEVA/DOC/9-E Given the wide range of ICT and information specialists required at all levels, building institutional capacity deserves special attention. 30. The use of ICTs in all stages of education, training and human resource development should be promoted, taking into account the special needs of persons with disabilities and disadvantaged and vulnerable groups. 31. Continuous and adult education, re-training, life- long learning, distance- learning and other special services, such as telemedicine, can make an essential contribution to employability and help people bene fit from the new opportunities offered by ICTs for traditional jobs, self-employment and new professions. Awareness and literacy in ICTs are an essential foundation in this regard. 32. Content creators, publishers, and producers, as well as teachers, trainers, archivists, librarians and learners, should play an active role in promoting the Information Society, particularly in the Least Developed Countries. 33. To achieve a sustainable development of the Information Society, national capability in ICT research and development should be enhanced. Furthermore, partnerships, in particular between and among developed and developing countries, including countries with economies in transition, in research and development, technology transfer, manufacturing and utilization of ICT products and services are crucial for promoting capacity building and global participation in the Information Society. The manufacture of ICTs presents a significant opportunity for creation of wealth. 34. The attainment of our shared aspirations, in particular for developing countries and countries with economies in transition, to become fully- fledged members of the Information Society, and their positive integration into the knowledge economy, depends largely on increased capacity building in the areas of education, technology know- how and access to information, which are major factors in determining development and competitiveness. 5) Building confidence and security in the use of ICTs 35. Strengthening the trust framework, including information security and network security, authentication, privacy and consumer protection, is a prerequisite for the development of the Information Society and for building confidence among users of ICTs. A global culture of cybersecurity needs to be promoted, developed and implemented in cooperation with all stakeholders and international expert bodies. These efforts should be supported by increased international cooperation. Within this global culture of cyber-security, it is important to enhance security and to ensure the protection of data and privacy, while enhancing access and trade. In addition, it must take into account the level of social and economic development of each country and respect the development-oriented aspects of the Information Society. 36. While recognizing the principles of universal and non-discriminatory access to ICTs for all nations, we support the activities of the United Nations to prevent the potential use of ICTs for purposes that are inconsistent with the objectives of maintaining international stability and security, and may adversely affect the integrity of the infrastructure within States, to the detriment of their security. It is necessary to prevent the use of information resources and technologies for criminal and terrorist purposes, while respecting human rights. 37. Spam is a significant and growing problem for users, networks and the Internet as a whole. Spam and cyber-security should be dealt with at appropriate national and international levels. 6) Enabling environment 38. An enabling environment at national and international levels is essential for the Information Society. ICTs should be used as an important tool for good governance. -7WSIS-03/GENEVA/DOC/9-E 39. The rule of law, accompanied by a supportive, transparent, pro-competitive, technologically neutral and predictable policy and regulatory framework reflecting national realities, is essential for building a people-centred Information Society. Governments should intervene, as appropriate, to correct market failures, to maintain fair competition, to attract investment, to enhance the development of the ICT infrastructure and applications, to maximize economic and social benefits, and to serve national priorities. 40. A dynamic and enabling international environment, supportive of foreign direct investment, transfer of technology, and international cooperation, particularly in the areas of finance, debt and trade, as well as full and effective participation of developing countries in global decision-making, are vital complements to national development efforts related to ICTs. Improving global affordable connectivity would contribute significantly to the effectiveness of these development efforts. 41. ICTs are an important enabler of growth through efficiency gains and increased productivity, in particular by small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs). In this regard, the development of the Information Society is important for broadly-based economic growth in both developed and developing economies. ICT-supported productivity gains and applied innovations across economic sectors should be fostered. Equitable distribution of the benefits contributes to poverty eradication and social development. Policies that foster productive investment and enable firms, notably SMEs, to make the changes needed to seize the benefits from ICTs, are likely to be the most beneficial. 42. Intellectual Property protection is important to encourage innovation and creativity in the Information Society; similarly, the wide dissemination, diffusion, and sharing of knowledge is important to encourage innovation and creativity. Facilitating meaningful participation by all in intellectual property issues and knowledge sharing through full awareness and capacity building is a fundamental part of an inclusive Information Society. 43. Sustainable development can best be advanced in the Information Society when ICT-related efforts and programmes are fully integrated in national and regional development strategies. We welcome the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) and encourage the international community to support the ICT-related measures of this initiative as well as those belonging to similar efforts in other regions. Distribution of the benefits of ICT-driven growth contributes to poverty eradication and sustainable development. 44. Standardization is one of the essential building blocks of the Information Society. There should be particular emphasis on the development and adoption of international standards. The development and use of open, interoperable, non-discriminatory and demand-driven standards that take into account needs of users and consumers is a basic element for the development and greater diffusion of ICTs and more affordable access to them, particularly in developing countries. International standards aim to create an environment where consumers can access services worldwide regardless of underlying technology. 45. The radio frequency spectrum should be managed in the public interest and in accordance with principle of legality, with full observance of national laws and regulation as well as relevant international agreements. 46. In building the Information Society, States are strongly urged to take steps with a view to the avoidance of, and refrain from, any unilateral measure not in accordance with international law and the Charter of the United Nations that impedes the full achievement of economic and social development by the population of the affected countries, and that hinders the well-being of their population. 47. Recognizing that ICTs are progressively changing our working practices, the creation of a secure, safe and healthy working environment, appropriate to the utilisation of ICTs, respecting all relevant international norms, is fundamental. -8WSIS-03/GENEVA/DOC/9-E 48. The Internet has evolved into a global facility available to the public and its governance should constitute a core issue of the Information Society agenda. The international management of the Internet should be multilateral, transparent and democratic, with the full involvement of governments, the private sector, civil society and international organizations. It should ensure an equitable distribution of resources, facilitate access for all and ensure a stable and secure functioning of the Internet, taking into account multilingualism. 49. The management of the Internet encompasses both technical and public policy issues and should involve all stakeholders and relevant intergovernmental and international organizations. In this respect it is recognized that: a) Policy authority for Internet-related public policy issues is the sovereign right of States. They have rights and responsibilities for international Internet-related public policy issues; b) The private sector has had and should continue to have an important role in the development of the Internet, both in the technical and economic fields; c) Civil society has also played an important role on Internet matters, especially at community level, and should continue to play such a role; d) Intergovernmental organizations have had and should continue to have a facilitating role in the coordination of Internet-related public policy issues; e) International organizations have also had and should continue to have an important role in the development of Internet-related technical standards and relevant policies. 50. International Internet governance issues should be addressed in a coordinated manner. We ask the Secretary-General of the United Nations to set up a working group on Internet governance, in an open and inclusive process that ensures a mechanism for the full and active participation of governments, the private sector and civil society from both developing and developed countries, involving relevant intergovernmental and international organizations and forums, to investigate and make proposals for action, as appropriate, on the governance of Internet by 2005. 7) ICT applications: benefits in all aspects of life 51. The usage and deployment of ICTs should seek to create benefits in all aspects of our daily life. ICT applications are potentially important in government operations and services, health care and health information, education and training, employment, job creation, business, agriculture, transport, protection of environment and management of natural resources, disaster prevention, and culture, and to promote eradication of poverty and other agreed development goals. ICTs should also contribute to sustainable production and consumption patterns and reduce traditional barriers, providing an opportunity for all to access local and global markets in a more equitable manner. Applications should be user- friendly, accessible to all, affordable, adapted to local needs in languages and cultures, and support sustainable development. To this effect, local authorities should play a major role in the provision of ICT services for the benefit of their populations. 8) Cultural diversity and identity, linguistic diversity and local content 52. Cultural diversity is the common heritage of humankind. The Information Society should be founded on and stimulate respect for cultural identity, cultural and linguistic diversity, traditions and religions, and foster dialogue among cultures and civilizations. The promotion, affirmation and preservation of diverse cultural identities and languages as reflected in relevant agreed United Nations documents including UNESCO's Universal Declaration on Cultural Diversity, will further enrich the Information Society. -9WSIS-03/GENEVA/DOC/9-E 53. The creation, dissemination and preservation of content in diverse languages and formats must be accorded high priority in building an inclusive Information Society, paying particular attention to the diversity of supply of creative work and due recognition of the rights of authors and artists. It is essential to promote the production of and accessibility to all content—educational, scientific, cultural or recreational—in diverse languages and formats. The development of local content suited to domestic or regional needs will encourage social and economic development and will stimulate participation of all stakeholders, including people living in rural, remote and marginal areas. 54. The preservation of cultural heritage is a crucial component of identity and self–understanding of individuals that links a community to its past. The Information Society should harness and preserve cultural heritage for the future by all appropriate methods, including digitisation. 9) Media 55. We reaffirm our commitment to the principles of freedom of the press and freedom of information, as well as those of the independence, pluralism and diversity of media, which are essential to the Information Society. Freedom to seek, receive, impart and use information for the creation, accumulation and dissemination of knowledge are important to the Information Society. We call for the responsible use and treatment of information by the media in accordance with the highest ethical and professional standards. Traditional media in all their forms have an important role in the Information Society and ICTs should play a supportive role in this regard. Diversity of media ownership should be encouraged, in conformity with national law, and taking into account relevant international conventions. We reaffirm the necessity of reducing international imbalances affecting the media, particularly as regards infrastructure, technical resources and the development of human skills. 10) Ethical dimensions of the Information Society 56. The Information Society should respect peace and uphold the fundamental values of freedom, equality, solidarity, tolerance, shared responsibility, and respect for nature. 57. We acknowledge the importance of ethics for the Information Society, which should foster justice, and the dignity and worth of the human person. The widest possible protection should be accorded to the family and to enable it to play its crucial role in society. 58. The use of ICTs and content creation should respect human rights and fundamental freedoms of others, including personal privacy, and the right to freedom of thought, conscience, and religion in conformity with relevant international instruments. 59. All actors in the Informa tion Society should take appropriate actions and preventive measures, as determined by law, against abusive uses of ICTs, such as illegal and other acts motivated by racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia, and related intolerance, hatred, violence, all forms of child abuse, including paedophilia and child pornography, and trafficking in, and exploitation of, human beings. 11) International and regional cooperation 60. We aim at making full use of the opportunities offered by ICTs in our efforts to reach the internationally agreed development goals, including those contained in the Millennium Declaration, and to uphold the key principles set forth in this Declaration. The Information Society is intrinsically global in nature and national efforts need to be supported by effective international and regional cooperation among governments, the private sector, civil society and other stakeholders, including the international financial institutions. 61. In order to build an inclusive global Information Society, we will seek and effectively implement concrete international approaches and mechanisms, including financial and technical - 10 WSIS-03/GENEVA/DOC/9-E assistance. Therefore, while appreciating ongoing ICT cooperation through various mechanisms, we invite all stakeholders to commit to the “Digital Solidarity Agenda” set forth in the Plan of Action. We are convinced that the worldwide agreed objective is to contribute to bridge the digital divide, promote access to ICTs, create digital opportunities, and benefit from the potential offe red by ICTs for development. We recognize the will expressed by some to create an international voluntary “Digital Solidarity Fund”, and by others to undertake studies concerning existing mechanisms and the efficiency and feasibility of such a Fund. 62. Regional integration contributes to the development of the global Information Society and makes strong cooperation within and among regions indispensable. Regional dialogue should contribute to national capacity building and to the alignment of national strategies with the goals of this Declaration of Principles in a compatible way, while respecting national and regional particularities. In this context, we welcome and encourage the international community to support the ICT-related measures of such initiatives. 63. We resolve to assist developing countries, LDCs and countries with economies in transition through the mobilization from all sources of financing, the provision of financial and technical assistance and by creating an environment conducive to technology transfer, consistent with the purposes of this Declaration and the Plan of Action. 64. The core competences of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) in the fields of ICTs—assistance in bridging the digital divide, international and regiona l cooperation, radio spectrum management, standards development and the dissemination of information—are of crucial importance for building the Information Society. C. Towards an Information Society for All Based on Shared Knowledge 65. We commit ourselves to strengthening cooperation to seek common responses to the challenges and to the implementation of the Plan of Action, which will realize the vision of an inclusive Information Society based on the Key Principles incorporated in this Declaration. 66. We further commit ourselves to evaluate and follow-up progress in bridging the digital divide, taking into account different levels of development, so as to reach internationally agreed development goals, including those contained in the Millennium Declaration, and to assess the effectiveness of investment and international cooperation efforts in building the Information Society. 67. We are firmly convinced that we are collectively entering a new era of enormous potential, that of the Information Society and expanded human communication. In this emerging society, information and knowledge can be produced, exchanged, shared and communicated through all the networks of the world. All individuals can soon, if we take the necessary actions, together build a new Information Society based on shared knowledge and founded on global solidarity and a better mutual understanding between peoples and nations. We trust that these measures will open the way to the future development of a true knowledge society. - 11 WSIS-03/GENEVA/DOC/9-E B. Plan of Action The World Summit on the Information Society, Geneva Phase, at its Fifth Plenary Meeting, 12 December 2003, adopted the following Plan of Action (WSIS-03/GENEVA/DOC/5): Plan of Action A. Introduction 1. The common vision and guiding principles of the Declaration are translated in this Plan of Action into concrete action lines to advance the achievement of the internationally-agreed development goals, including those in the Millennium Declaration, the Monterrey Consensus and the Johannesburg Declaration and Plan of Implementation, by promoting the use of ICT-based products, networks, services and applications, and to help countries overcome the digital divide. The Information Society envisaged in the Declaration of Principles will be realized in cooperation and solidarity by governments and all other stakeholders. 2. The Information Society is an evolving concept that has reached different levels across the world, reflecting the different stages of development. Technological and other change is rapidly transforming the environment in which the Information Society is developed. The Plan of Action is thus an evolving platform to promote the Information Society at the national, regional and international levels. The unique two-phase structure of the W orld Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) provides an opportunity to take this evolution into account. 3. All stakeholders have an important role to play in the Information Society, especially through partnerships: a) Governments have a leading role in developing and implementing comprehensive, forward looking and sustainable national e-strategies. The private sector and civil society, in dialogue with governments, have an important consultative role to play in devising national e-strategies. b) The commitment of the private sector is important in developing and diffusing information and communication technologies (ICTs), for infrastructure, content and applications. The private sector is not only a market player but also plays a role in a wider sustainable development context. c) The commitment and involvement of civil society is equally important in creating an equitable Information Society, and in implementing ICT-related initiatives for development. d) International and regional institutions, including international financial institutions, have a key role in integrating the use of ICTs in the development process and making available necessary resources for building the Information Society and for the evaluation of the progress made. B. Objectives, goals and targets 4. The objectives of the Plan of Action are to build an inclusive Information Society; to put the potential of knowledge and ICTs at the service of development; to promote the use of information and knowledge for the achievement of internationally agreed development goals, including those contained in the Millennium Declaration; and to address new challenges of the Information Society, at the national, regional and international levels. Opportunity shall be taken in phase two of the WSIS to evaluate and assess progress made towards bridging the digital divide. - 12 WSIS-03/GENEVA/DOC/9-E 5. Specific targets for the Information Society will be established as appropriate, at the national level in the framework of national e -strategies and in accordance with national development policies, taking into account the different national circumstances. Such targets can serve as useful benchmarks for actions and for the evaluation of the progress made towards the attainment of the overall objectives of the Information Socie ty. 6. Based on internationally agreed development goals, including those in the Millennium Declaration, which are premised on international cooperation, indicative targets may serve as global references for improving connectivity and access in the use of ICTs in promoting the objectives of the Plan of Action, to be achieved by 2015. These targets may be taken into account in the establishment of the national targets, considering the different national circumstances: 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. 7. In giving effect to these objectives, goals and targets, special attention will be paid to the needs of developing countries, and in particular to countries, peoples and groups cited in paragraphs 11-16 of the Declaration of Principles. C. Action Lines C1. The role of governments and all stakeholders in the promotion of ICTs for development 8. The effective participation of governments and all stakeholders is vital in developing the Information Society requiring cooperation and partnerships among all of them. a) Development of national e-strategies, including the necessary human capacity building, should be encouraged by all countries by 2005, taking into account different national circumstances. b) Initiate at the national level a structured dialogue involving all relevant stakeholders, including through public/private partnerships, in devising e-strategies for the Information Society and for the exchange of best practices. c) In developing and implementing national e-strategies, stakeholders should take into consideration local, regional and national needs and concerns. To maximize the benefits of initiatives undertaken, these should include the concept of sustainability. The private sector should - 13 WSIS-03/GENEVA/DOC/9-E be engaged in concrete projects to develop the Information Society at local, regional and national levels. d) Each country is encouraged to establish at least one f nctioning Public/Private Partnership u (PPP) or Multi-Sector Partnership (MSP), by 2005 as a showcase for future action. e) Identify mechanisms, at the national, regional and international levels, for the initiation and promotion of partnerships among stakeholders of the Information Society. f) Explore the viability of establishing multi-stakeholder portals for indigenous peoples at the national level. g) By 2005, relevant international organizations and financial institutions should develop their own strategies for the use of ICTs for sustainable development, including sustainable production and consumption patterns and as an effective instrument to help achieve the goals expressed in the United Nations Millennium Declaration. h) International organizations should publish, in their areas of competence, including on their website, reliable information submitted by relevant stakeholders on successful experiences of mainstreaming ICTs. i) Encourage a series of related measures, including, among other things: incubator schemes, venture capital investments (national and international), government investment funds (including micro- finance for Small, Medium-sized and Micro Enterprises (SMMEs), investment promotion strategies, software export support activities (trade counseling), support of research and development networks and software parks. C2. Information and communication infrastructure: an essential foundation for the Information Society 9. Infrastructure is central in achieving the goal of digital inclusion, enabling universal, sustainable, ubiquitous and affordable access to ICTs by all, taking into account relevant solutions already in place in developing countries and countries with economies in transition, to provide sustainable connectivity and access to remote and marginalized areas at national and regional levels. a) Governments should take action, in the framework of national development policies, in order to support an enabling and competitive environment for the necessary investment in ICT infrastructure and for the development of new services. b) In the context of national e-strategies, devise appropriate universal access policies and strategies, and their means of implementation, in line with the indicative targets, and develop ICT connectivity indicators. c) In the context of national e-strategies, provide and improve ICT connectivity for all schools, universities, health institutions, libraries, post offices, community centres, museums and other institutions accessible to the public, in line with the indicative targets. d) Develop and strengthen national, regional and international broadband network infrastructure, including delivery by satellite and other systems, to help in providing the capacity to match the needs of countries and their citizens and for the delivery of new ICT-based services. Support technical, regulatory and operational studies by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and, as appropriate, other relevant international organizations in order to: i) broaden access to orbital resources, global frequency harmonization and global systems standardization; - 14 WSIS-03/GENEVA/DOC/9-E ii) encourage public/private partnership; iii) promote the provision of global high-speed satellite services for underserved areas such as remote and sparsely populated areas; iv) explore other systems that can provide high-speed connectivity. e) In the context of national e-strategies, address the special requirements of older people, persons with disabilities, children, especially marginalized children and other disadvantaged and vulnerable groups, including by appropriate educational administrative and legislative measures to ensure their full inclusion in the Information Society. f) Encourage the design and production of ICT equipment and services so that everyone, has easy and affordable access to them including older people, persons with disabilities, children, especially marginalized children, and other disadvantaged and vulnerable groups, and promote the development of technologies, applications, and content suited to their needs, guided by the Universal Design Principle and further enhanced by the use of assistive technologies. g) In order to alleviate the challenges of illiteracy, develop affordable technologies and non-text based computer interfaces to facilitate people’s access to ICT, h) Undertake international research and development efforts aimed at making available adequate and affordable ICT equipment for end users. i) Encourage the use of unused wireless capacity, including satellite, in developed countries and in particular in developing countries, to provide access in remote areas, especially in developing countries and countries with economies in transition, and to improve low-cost connectivity in developing countries. Special concern should be given to the Least Developed Countries in their efforts in establishing telecommunication infrastructure. j) Optimize connectivity among major information networks by encouraging the creation and development of regional ICT backbones and Internet exchange points, to reduce interconnection costs and broaden network access. k) Develop strategies for increasing affordable global connectivity, thereby facilitating improved access. Commercially negotiated Internet transit and interconnection costs should be oriented towards objective, transparent and non-discriminatory parameters, taking into account ongoing work on this subject. l) Encourage and promote joint use of traditional media and new technologies. C3. Access to information and knowledge 10. ICTs allow people, anywhere in the world, to access information and knowledge almost instantaneously. Individuals, organizations and communities should benefit from access to knowledge and information. a) Develop policy guidelines for the development and promotion of public domain information as an important international instrument promoting public access to information. b) Governments are encouraged to provide adequate access through various communication resources, notably the Internet, to public official information. Establishing legislation on access to information and the preservation of public data, notably in the area of the new technologies, is encouraged. c) Promote research and development to facilitate accessibility of ICTs for all, including disadvantaged, marginalized and vulnerable groups. - 15 WSIS-03/GENEVA/DOC/9-E d) Governments, and other stakeholders, should establish sustainable multi-purpose community public access points, providing affordable or free-of-charge access for their citizens to the various communication resources, notably the Internet. These access points should, to the extent possible, have sufficient capacity to provide assistance to users, in libraries, educational institutions, public administrations, post offices or other public places, with special emphasis on rural and underserved areas, while respecting intellectual property rights (IPRs) and encouraging the use of information and sharing of knowledge. e) Encourage research and promote awareness among all stakeholders of the possibilities offered by different software m odels, and the means of their creation, including proprietary, open-source and free software, in order to increase competition, freedom of choice and affordability, and to enable all stakeholders to evaluate which solution best meets their requirements. f) Governments should actively promote the use of ICTs as a fundamental working tool by their citizens and local authorities. In this respect, the international community and other stakeholders should support capacity building for local authorities in the widespread use of ICTs as a means of improving local governance. g) Encourage research on the Information Society, including on innovative forms of networking, adaptation of ICT infrastructure, tools and applications that facilitate accessibility of ICTs for all, and disadvantaged groups in particular. h) Support the creation and development of a digital public library and archive services, adapted to the Information Society, including reviewing national library strategies and legislation, developing a global understanding of the need for “hybrid libraries”, and fostering worldwide cooperation between libraries. i) Encourage initiatives to facilitate access, including free and affordable access to open access journals and books, and open archives for scientific information. j) Support research and development of the design of useful instruments for all stakeholders to foster increased awareness, assessment, and evaluation of different software models and licences, so as to ensure an optimal choice of appropriate software that will best contribute to achieving development goals within local conditions. C4. Capacity building 11. Everyone should have the necessary skills to benefit fully from the Information Society. Therefore capacity building and ICT literacy are essential. ICTs can contribute to achieving universal education worldwide, through delivery of education and training of teachers, and offering improved conditions for lifelong learning, encompassing people that are outside the formal education process, and improving professional skills. a) Develop domestic policies to ensure that ICTs are fully integrated in education and training at all levels, including in curriculum development, teacher training, institutional administration and management, and in support of the concept of lifelong learning. b) Develop and promote programmes to eradicate illiteracy using ICTs at national, regional and international levels. c) Promote e-literacy skills for all, for example by designing and offering courses for public administration, taking advantage of existing facilities such as libraries, multipurpose community centres, public access points and by establishing local ICT training centres with the cooperation of all stakeholders. Special attention should be paid to disadvantaged and vulnerable groups. d) In the context of national educational policies, and taking into account the need to eradicate adult illiteracy, ensure that young people are equipped with knowledge and skills to use ICTs, - 16 WSIS-03/GENEVA/DOC/9-E including the capacity to analyse and treat information in creative and innovative ways, share their expertise and participate fully in the Information Society. e) Governments, in cooperation with other stakeholders, should create programmes for capacity building with an emphasis on creating a critical mass of qualified and skilled ICT professionals and experts. f) Develop pilot projects to demonstrate the impact of ICT-based alternative educational delivery systems, notably for achieving Education for All targets, including basic literacy targets. g) Work on removing the gender barriers to ICT education and training and promoting equal training opportunities in ICT-related fields for women and girls. Early intervention programmes in science and technology should target young girls with the aim of increasing the number of women in ICT careers. Promote the exchange of best practices on the integration of gender perspectives in ICT education. h) Empower local communities, especially those in rural and underserved areas, in ICT use and promote the production of useful and socially meaningful content for the benefit of all. i) Launch education and training programmes, where possible using information networks of traditional nomadic and indigenous peoples, which provide opportunities to fully participate in the Information Society. j) Design and implement regional and international cooperation activities to enhance the capacity, notably, of leaders and operational staff in developing countries and LDCs, to apply ICTs effectively in the whole range of educational activities. This should include delivery of education outside the educational structure, such as the workplace and at home. k) Design specific training programmes in the use of ICTs in order to meet the educational needs of information professionals, such as archivists, librarians, museum professionals, scientists, teachers, journalists, postal workers and other relevant professional groups. Training of information professionals should focus not only on new methods and techniques for the development and provision of information and communication services, but also on relevant management skills to ensure the best use of technologies. Training of teachers should focus on the technical aspects of ICTs, on development of content, and on the potential possibilities and challenges of ICTs. l) Develop distance learning, training and other forms of education and training as part of capacity building programmes. Give special attention to developing countries and especially LDCs in different levels of human resources development. m) Promote international and regional cooperation in the field of capacity building, including country programmes developed by the United Nations and its Specialized Agencies n) Launch pilot projects to design new forms of ICT-based networking, linking education, training and research institutions between and among developed and developing countries and countries with economies in transition. o) Volunteering, if conducted in harmony with national policies and local cultures, can be a valuable asset for raising human capacity to make productive use of ICT tools and build a more inclusive Information Society. Activate volunteer programmes to provide capacity building on ICT for development, particularly in developing countries. p) Design programmes to train users to develop self- learning and self-development capacities. - 17 WSIS-03/GENEVA/DOC/9-E C5. Building confidence and security in the use of ICTs 12. Confidence and security are among the main pillars of the Information Society. a) Promote cooperation among the governments at the United Nations and with all stakeholders at other appropriate fora to enhance user confidence, build trust, and protect both data and network integrity; consider existing and potential threats to ICTs; and address other information security and network security issues. b) Governments, in cooperation with the private sector, should prevent, detect and respond to cyber-crime and misuse of ICTs by: developing guidelines that take into account ongoing efforts in these areas; considering legislation that allows for effective investigation and prosecution of misuse; promoting effective mutual assistance efforts; strengthening institutional support at the international level for preventing, detecting and recovering from such incidents; and encouraging education and raising awareness. c) Governments, and other stakeholders, should actively promote user education and awareness about online privacy and the means of protecting privacy. d) Take appropriate action on spam at national and international levels. e) Encourage the domestic assessment of national law with a view to overcoming any obstacles to the effective use of electronic documents and transactions including electronic means of authentication. f) Further strengthen the trust and security framework with complementary and mutually reinforcing initiatives in the fields of security in the use of ICTs, with initiatives or guidelines with respect to rights to privacy, data and consumer protection. g) Share good practices in the field of information security and network security and encourage their use by all parties concerned. h) Invite interested countries to set up focal points for real- time incident handling and response, and develop a cooperative network between these focal points for sharing information and technologies on incident response. i) Encourage further development of secure and reliable applications to facilitate online transactions. j) Encourage interested countries to contribute actively to the ongoing United Nations activities to build confidence and security in the use of ICTs. C6. Enabling environment 13. To maximize the social, economic and environmental benefits of the Information Society, governments need to create a trustworthy, transparent and non-discriminatory legal, regulatory and policy environment. Actions include: a) Governments should foster a supportive, transparent, pro-competitive and predictable policy, legal and regulatory framework, which provides the appropriate incentives to investment and community development in the Information Society. b) We ask the Secretary General of the United Nations to set up a working group on Internet governance, in an open and inclusive process that ensures a mechanism for the full and active participation of governments, the private sector and civil society from both developing and developed countries, involving relevant intergovernmental and international organizations and - 18 WSIS-03/GENEVA/DOC/9-E forums, to investigate and make proposals for action, as appropriate, on the gove rnance of Internet by 2005. The group should, inter alia: i) develop a working definition of Internet governance; ii) identify the public policy issues that are relevant to Internet governance; iii) develop a common understanding of the respective roles and responsibilities of governments, existing intergovernmental and international organisations and other forums as well as the private sector and civil society from both developing and developed countries; iv) prepare a report on the results of this activity to be presented for consideration and appropriate action for the second phase of WSIS in Tunis in 2005. c) Governments are invited to: i) facilitate the establishment of national and regional Internet Exchange Centres; ii) manage or supervise, as appropriate, their respective country code top- level domain name (ccTLD); iii) promote awareness of the Internet. d) In cooperation with the relevant stakeholders, promote regional root servers and the use of internationalized domain names in order to overcome barriers to access. e) Governments should continue to update their domestic consumer protection laws to respond to the new requirements of the Information Society. f) Promote effective participation by developing countries and countries with economies in transition in international ICT forums and create opportunities for exchange of experience. g) Governments need to formulate national strategies, which include e-government strategies, to make public administration more transparent, efficient and democratic. h) Develop a framework for the secure storage and archival of documents and other electronic records of information. i) Governments and stakeholders should actively promote user education and awareness about online privacy and the means of protecting privacy. j) Invite stakeholders to ensure that practices designed to facilitate electronic commerce also permit consumers to have a choice as to whether or not to use electronic communication. k) Encourage the ongoing work in the area of effective dispute settlement systems, notably alternative dispute resolution (ADR), which can promote settlement of disputes. l) Governments, in collaboration with stakeholders, are encouraged to formulate conducive ICT policies that foster entrepreneurship, innova tion and investment, and with particular reference to the promotion of participation by women. m) Recognising the economic potential of ICTs for Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs), they should be assisted in increasing their competitiveness by streamlining administrative procedures, facilitating their access to capital and enhancing their capacity to participate in ICTrelated projects. n) Governments should act as model users and early adopters of e-commerce in accordance with their level of socio-economic development. o) Governments, in cooperation with other stakeholders, should raise awareness of the importance of international interoperability standards for global e-commerce. - 19 WSIS-03/GENEVA/DOC/9-E p) Governments, in cooperation with other stakeholders, should promote the development and use of open, interoperable, non-discriminatory and demand-driven standards. q) ITU, pursuant to its treaty capacity, coordinates and allocates frequencies with the goal of facilitating ubiquitous and affordable access. r) Additional steps should be taken in ITU and other regional organisations to ensure rational, efficient and economical use of, and equitable access to, the radio- frequency spectrum by all countries, based on relevant international agreements. C7. ICT applications: be nefits in all aspects of life 14. ICT applications can support sustainable development, in the fields of public administration, business, education and training, health, employment, environment, agriculture and science within the framework of national e-strategies. This would include actions within the following sectors: 15. E-government a) Implement e-government strategies focusing on applications aimed at innovating and promoting transparency in public administrations and democratic processes, improving efficiency and strengthening relations with citizens. b) Develop national e-government initiatives and services, at all levels, adapted to the needs of citizens and business, to achieve a more efficient allocation of resources and public goods. c) Support international cooperation initiatives in the field of e-government, in order to enhance transparency, accountability and efficiency at all levels of government. 16. E-business a) Governments, international organizations and the private sector, are encouraged to promote the benefits of international trade and the use of e-business, and promote the use of e-business models in developing countries and countries with economies in transition. b) Through the adoption of an enabling environment, and based on widely available Internet access, governments should seek to stimulate private sector investment, foster new applications, content development and public/private partnerships. c) Government policies should favour assistance to, and growth of SMMEs, in the ICT industry, as well as their entry into e-business, to stimulate economic growth and job creation as an element of a strategy for poverty reduction through wealth creation. 17. E-learning (see section C4) 18. E-health a) Promote collaborative efforts of governments, planners, health professionals, and other agencies along with the participation of international organizations for creating a reliable, timely, high quality and affordable health care and health information systems and for promoting continuous medical training, education, and research through the use of ICTs, while respecting and protecting citizens’ right to privacy. b) Facilitate access to the world’s medical knowledge and locally-relevant content resources for strengthening public health research and prevention programmes and promoting women’s and men’s health, such as content on sexual and reproductive health and sexually transmitted infections, and for diseases that attract full attention of the world including HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis. - 20 WSIS-03/GENEVA/DOC/9-E c) Alert, monitor and control the spread of communicable diseases, through the improvement of common information systems. d) Promote the development of international standards for the exchange of health data, taking due account of privacy concerns. e) Encourage the adoption of ICTs to improve and extend health care and health information systems to remote and underserved areas and vulnerable populations, recognising women’s roles as health providers in their families and communities. f) Strengthe n and expand ICT-based initiatives for providing medical and humanitarian assistance in disasters and emergencies. 19. E-employment a) Encourage the development of best practices for e -workers and e -employers built, at the national level, on principles of fairness and gender equality, respecting all relevant international norms. b) Promote new ways of organizing work and business with the aim of raising productivity, growth and well-being through investment in ICTs and human resources. c) Promote teleworking to allow citizens, particularly in the developing countries, LDCs, and small economies, to live in their societies and work anywhere, and to increase employment opportunities for women, and for those with disabilities. In promoting teleworking, special attention should be given to strategies promoting job creation and the retention of the skilled working force. d) Promote early intervention programmes in science and technology that should target young girls to increase the number of women in ICT carriers. 20. E-environment a) Governments, in cooperation with other stakeholders are encouraged to use and promote ICTs as an instrument for environmental protection and the sustainable use of natural resources. b) Government, civil society and the priva te sector are encouraged to initiate actions and implement projects and programmes for sustainable production and consumption and the environmentally safe disposal and recycling of discarded hardware and components used in ICTs. c) Establish monitoring systems, using ICTs, to forecast and monitor the impact of natural and man-made disasters, particularly in developing countries, LDCs and small economies. 21. E-agriculture a) Ensure the systematic dissemination of information using ICTs on agriculture, animal husbandry, fisheries, forestry and food, in order to provide ready access to comprehensive, up-todate and detailed knowledge and information, particularly in rural areas. b) Public-private partnerships should seek to maximize the use of ICTs as an instrument to improve production (quantity and quality). 22. E-science a) Promote affordable and reliable high-speed Internet connection for all universities and research institutions to support their critical role in information and knowledge production, education and training, and to support the establishment of partnerships, cooperation and networking between these institutions. b) Promote electronic publishing, differential pricing and open access initiatives to make scientific information affordable and accessible in all countries on an equitable basis. - 21 WSIS-03/GENEVA/DOC/9-E c) Promote the use of peer-to-peer technology to share scientific knowledge and pre-prints and reprints written by scientific authors who have waived their right to payment. d) Promote the long-term systematic and efficient collection, dissemination and preservation of essential scientific digital data, for example, population and meteorological data in all countries. e) Promote principles and metadata standards to facilitate cooperation and effective use of collected scientific information and data as appropriate to conduct scientific research. C8. Cultural diversity and identity, linguistic diversity and local content 23. Cultural and linguistic diversity, while stimulating respect for cultural identity, traditions and religions, is essential to the development of an Information Society based on the dialogue among cultures and regional and international cooperation. It is an important factor for sustainable development. a) Create policies that support the respect, preservation, promotion and enhancement of cultural and linguistic diversity and cultural heritage within the Information Society, as reflected in relevant agreed United Nations documents, including UNESCO's Universal Declaration on Cultural Diversity. This includes encouraging governments to design cultural policies to promote the production of cultural, educational and scientific content and the development of local cultural industries suited to the linguistic and cultural context of the users. b) Develop national policies and laws to ensure that libraries, archives, museums and other cultural institutions can play their full role of content—including traditional knowledge—providers in the Information Society, more particularly by providing continued access to recorded information. c) Support efforts to develop and use ICTs for the preservation of natural and, cultural heritage, keeping it accessible as a living part of today’s culture. This includes developing systems for ensuring continued access to archived digital information and multimedia content in digital repositories, and support archives, cultural collections and libraries as the memory of humankind. d) Develop and implement policies that preserve, affirm, respect and promote diversity of cultural expression and indigenous knowledge and traditions through the creation of varied information content and the use of different methods, including the digitization of the educational, scientific and cultural heritage. e) Support local content development, translation and adaptation, digital archives, and diverse forms of digital and traditional media by local authorities. These activities can also strengthen local and indigenous communities. f) Provide content that is relevant to the cultures and languages of individuals in the Information Society, through access to traditional and digital media services. g) Through public/private partnerships, foster the creation of varied local and national content, including that available in the la nguage of users, and give recognition and support to ICT-based work in all artistic fields. h) Strengthen programmes focused on gender-sensitive curricula in formal and non- formal education for all and enhancing communication and media literacy for women with a view to building the capacity of girls and women to understand and to develop ICT content. i) Nurture the local capacity for the creation and distribution of software in local languages, as well as content that is relevant to different segments of population, including non- literate, persons - 22 WSIS-03/GENEVA/DOC/9-E with disabilities, disadvantaged and vulnerable groups especially in developing countries and countries with economies in transition. j) Give support to media based in local communities and support projects combining the use of traditional media and new technologies for their role in facilitating the use of local languages, for documenting and preserving local heritage, including landscape and biological diversity, and as a means to reach rural and isolated and no madic communities. k) Enhance the capacity of indigenous peoples to develop content in their own language s. l) Cooperate with indigenous peoples and traditional communities to enable them to more effectively use and benefit from the use of their traditiona l knowledge in the Information Society. m) Exchange knowledge, experiences and best practices on policies and tools designed to promote cultural and linguistic diversity at regional and sub-regional levels. This can be achieved by establishing regional, and sub-regional working groups on specific issues of this Plan of Action to foster integration efforts. n) Assess at the regional level the contribution of ICT to cultural exchange and interaction, and based on the outcome of this assessment, design relevant programmes. o) Governments, through public/private partnerships, should promote technologies and R&D programmes in such areas as translation, iconographies, voice-assisted services and the development of necessary hardware and a variety of software models, including proprietary, open source software and free software, such as standard character sets, language codes, electronic dictionaries, terminology and thesauri, multilingual search engines, machine translation tools, internationalized domain names, content referencing as well as general and application software. C9. Media 24. The media—in their various forms and with a diversity of ownership—as an actor, have an essential role in the development of the Information Society and are recognized as an important contributor to freedom of expression and plurality of information. a) Encourage the media—print and broadcast as well as new media—to continue to play an important role in the Information Society. b) Encourage the development of domestic legislation that guarantees the independence and plurality of the media. c) Take appropriate measures—consistent with freedom of expression—to combat illegal and harmful content in media content. d) Encourage media professionals in developed countries to establish partnerships and networks with the media in developing ones, especially in the field of training. e) Promote balanced and diverse portrayals of women and men by the media. f) Reduce international imbalances affecting the media, particularly as regards infrastructure, technical resources and the development of human skills, taking full advantage of ICT tools in this regard. g) Encourage traditional media to bridge the knowledge divide and to facilitate the flow of cultural content, particularly in rural areas. - 23 WSIS-03/GENEVA/DOC/9-E C10. Ethical dimensions of the Information Society 25. The Information Society should be subject to universally held values and promote the common good and to prevent abusive uses of ICTs. a) Take steps to promote respect for peace and to uphold the fundamental values of freedom, equality, solidarity, tolerance, shared responsibility, and respect for nature. b) All stakeholders should increase their awareness of the ethical dimension of their use of ICTs. c) All actors in the Information Society should promote the common good, protect privacy and personal data and take appropriate actions and preventive measures, as determined by law, against abusive uses of ICTs such as illegal and other acts motivated by racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia, and related intolerance, hatred, violence, all forms of child abuse, including paedophilia and child pornography, and trafficking in, and exploitation of, human beings. d) Invite relevant stakeholders, especially the academia, to continue research on ethical dimensions of ICTs. C11. International and regional cooperation 26. International cooperation among all stakeholders is vital in implementation of this plan of action and needs to be strengthened with a view to promoting universal access and bridging the digital divide, inter alia, by provision of means of implementation. a) Governments of developing countries should raise the relative priority of ICT projects in requests for international cooperation and assistance on infrastructure development projects from developed countries and international financial organizations. b) Within the context of the UN’s Global Compact and building upon the United Nations Millennium Declaration, build on and accelerate public-private partnerships, focusing on the use of ICT in development. c) Invite international and regional organizations to mainstream ICTs in their work programmes and to assist all levels of developing countries, to be involved in the preparation and implementation of national action plans to support the fulfilment of the goals indicated in the declaration of principles and in this Plan of Action, taking into account the importance of regional initiatives. D. Digital Solidarity Agenda 27. The Digital Solidarity Agenda aims at putting in place the conditions for mobilizing human, financial and technological resources for inclusion of all men and women in the emerging Information Society. Close national, regional and international cooperation among all stakeholders in the implementation of this Age nda is vital. To overcome the digital divide, we need to use more efficiently existing approaches and mechanisms and fully explore new ones, in order to provide financing for the development of infrastructure, equipment, capacity building and content, which are essential for participation in the Information Society. D1. Priorities and strategies a) National e-strategies should be made an integral part of national development plans, including Poverty Reduction Strategies. - 24 WSIS-03/GENEVA/DOC/9-E b) ICTs should be fully mainstreamed into strategies for Official Development Assistance (ODA) through more effective donor information-sharing and co-ordination, and through analysis and sharing of best practices and lessons learned from experience with ICT- for-development programmes. D2. Mobilizing resources a) All countries and international organizations should act to create conditions conducive to increasing the availability and effective mobilization of resources for financing development as elaborated in the Monterrey Consensus. b) Developed countries should make concrete efforts to fulfil their international commitments to financing development including the Monterrey Consensus, in which developed countries that have not done so are urged to make concrete efforts towards the target of 0.7 per cent of gross national product (GNP) as ODA to developing countries and 0.15 to 0.20 per cent of GNP of developed countries to least developed countries. c) For those developing countries facing unsustainable debt burdens, we welcome initiatives that have been undertaken to reduce outstanding indebtedness and invite further national and international measures in that regard, including, as appropriate, debt cancellation and other arrangements. Particular attention should be given to enhancing the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries initiative. These initiatives would release more resources that may be used for financing ICT for development projects. d) Recognizing the potential of ICT for development we furthermore advocate: i) developing countries to increase their efforts to attract major private national and foreign investments for ICTs through the creation of a transparent, stable and predictable enabling investment environment; developed countries and international financial organisations to be responsive to the strategies and priorities of ICTs for development, mainstream ICTs in their work programmes, and assist developing countries and countries with economies in transition to prepare and implement their national e-strategies. Based on the priorities of national development plans and implementation of the above commitments, developed countries should increase their efforts to provide more financial resources to developing countries in harnessing ICTs for development; the private sector to cont ribute to the implementation of this Digital Solidarity Agenda. ii) iii) e) In our efforts to bridge the digital divide, we should promote, within our development cooperation, technical and financial assistance directed towards national and regional capacity building, technology transfer on mutually agreed terms, cooperation in R&D programmes and exchange of know- how. f) While all existing financial mechanisms should be fully exploited, a thorough review of their adequacy in meeting the challenges of ICT for development should be completed by the end of December 2004. This review shall be conducted by a Task Force under the auspices of the Secretary-General of the United Nations and submitted for consideration to the second phase of this summit. Based on the conclusion of the review, improvements and innovations of financing mechanisms will be considered including the effectiveness, the feasibility and the creation of a voluntary Digital Solidarity Fund, as mentioned in the Declaration of Principles. g) Countries should consider establishing national mechanisms to achieve universal access in both underserved rural and urban areas, in order to bridge the digital divide. - 25 WSIS-03/GENEVA/DOC/9-E E) Follow-up and evaluation 28. A realistic international performance evaluation and benchmarking (both qualitative and quantitative), through comparable statistical indicators and research results, should be developed to follow up the implementation of the objectives, goals and targets in the Plan of Action, taking into account different national circumstances. a) In cooperation with each country concerned, develop and launch a composite ICT Development (Digital Opportunity) Index. It could be published annually, or every two years, in an ICT Development Report. The index could show the statistics while the report would present analytical work on policies and their implementation, depending on national circumstances, including gender analysis. b) Appropriate indicators and benchmarking, including community connectivity indicators, should clarify the magnitude of the digital divide, in both its domestic and international dimensions, and keep it under regular assessment, and tracking global progress in the use of ICTs to achieve internationally agreed development goals, including those of the Millennium Declaration. c) International and regional organizations should assess and report regularly on universal accessibility of nations to ICTs, with the aim of creating equitable opportunities for the growth of ICT sectors of developing countries. d) Gender-specific indicators on ICT use and needs should be developed, and measurable performance indicators should be identified to assess the impact of funded ICT projects on the lives of women and girls. e) Develop and launch a website on best practices and success stories, based on a compilation of contributions from all stakeholders, in a concise, accessible and compelling format, following the internationally-recognized web accessibility standards. The website could be periodically updated and turned into a permane nt experience-sharing exercise. f) All countries and regions should develop tools so as to provide statistical information on the Information Society, with basic indicators and analysis of its key dimensions. Priority should be given to setting up coherent and internationally comparable indicator systems, taking into account different levels of development. F) Towards WSIS phase 2 (Tunis) 29. Recalling General Assembly Resolution 56/183 and taking into account the outcome of the Geneva phase of the WSIS, a preparatory meeting will be held in the first half of 2004 to review those issues of the Information Society which should form the focus of the Tunis phase of the WSIS and to agree on the structure of the preparatory process for the second phase. In line with the decision of this Summit concerning its Tunis phase, the second phase of the WSIS should consider, inter alia: a) Elaboration of final appropriate documents based on the outcome of the Geneva phase of the WSIS with a view to consolidating the process of building a global Information Society, and reducing the Digital Divide and transforming it into digital opportunities. b) Follow- up and implementation of the Geneva Plan of Action at national, regional and international levels, including the United Nations system, as part of an integrated and coordinated approach, calling upon the participation of all relevant stakeholders. This should take place, inter alia, through partnerships among stakeholders.” - 26 WSIS-03/GENEVA/DOC/9-E C. Arrangements for the Tunis Phase of the Summit The World Summit on the Information Society, Geneva Phase, at its Fifth Plenary Meeting, 12 December 2003, adopted the following resolution regarding the Arrangements for the Tunis Phase of the Summit (WSIS-03/GENEVA/DOC/8): “We decide to hold a preparatory meeting in the first half of 2004 to review those issues of the information society which should form the focus of the Tunis phase of the WSIS and to agree on the structure of the process for the second phase on the basis of contributions from delegations. The Bureau of the Tunis phase of the WSIS under the leadership of its Chairman should commence preparation of this preparatory meeting.” D. Credentials of representatives to the Geneva Phase of the World Summit on the Information Society The World Summit on the Information Society, Geneva Phase, at its Fifth Plenary Meeting, 12 December 2003, adopted the following resolution regarding the Credentials of representatives of the Geneva Phase of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS-03/GENEVA/DOC/7): “Credentials of representatives to the World Summit on the Information Society The World Summit on the Information Society, Having considered the report of the Credentials Committee and the recommendation contained therein, Approves the report of the Credentials Committee.” - 27 WSIS-03/GENEVA/DOC/9-E CHAPTER II Attendance and organization of work A. Date and place of the Geneva phase of the Summit 1 The Geneva phase of the World Summit on the Information Society was held in Geneva, Switzerland, from 10 to 12 December 2003, in conformity with the decision of the ITU Council and General Assembly Resolutions 56/183 and 57/238. The Summit held one organizational and five plenary meetings (1st to 5th). B. Attendance The following States were represented at the Summit: Afghanistan Albania Algeria Andorra Angola Argentina Armenia Australia Austria Azerbaijan Bahrain Bangladesh Barbados Belarus Belgium Belize Benin Bhutan Bolivia Bosnia and Herzegovina Botswana Brazil Brunei Darussalam Bulgaria Burkina Faso Burundi Cambodia Cameroon Canada Cape Verde Central African Republic Chad Chile China Colombia Comoros Congo (Rep. of the) Costa Rica Côte d'Ivoire Croatia Cuba Cyprus Czech Republic Democratic People's Republic of Korea Democratic Republic of the Congo Denmark Djibouti Dominican Republic Ecuador Egypt El Salvador Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Estonia - 28 WSIS-03/GENEVA/DOC/9-E Ethiopia Fiji Finland France Gabon Gambia Georgia Germany Ghana Greece Guatemala Guinea Haiti Holy See Honduras Hungary Iceland India Indonesia Iran (Islamic Republic of) Iraq Ireland Israel Italy Jamaica Japan Jordan Kazakhstan Kenya Kuwait Kyrgyzstan Lao People's Democratic Republic Latvia Lebanon Lesotho Libyan Arab Jamahiriya Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg Madagascar Malawi Malaysia Maldives Mali Malta Mauritania Mauritius Mexico Micronesia (Federated States of) Monaco Mongolia Morocco Mozambique Myanmar Namibia Nepal Netherlands New Zealand Nicaragua Niger Nigeria Niue Norway Oman Pakistan Palau Panama Papua New Guinea Paraguay Peru Philippines Poland Portugal Qatar Republic of Korea Republic of Moldova Romania Russian Federation Rwanda Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia Samoa - 29 WSIS-03/GENEVA/DOC/9-E San Marino Saudi Arabia Senegal Serbia and Montenegro Seychelles Sierra Leone Singapore Slovakia Slovenia South Africa Spain Sri Lanka Sudan Suriname Swaziland Sweden Switzerland Syrian Arab Republic Thailand The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia Timor-Leste Togo Tonga Trinidad and Tobago Tunisia Turkey Uganda Ukraine United Arab Emirates United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland United Republic of Tanzania United States of America Uruguay Uzbekistan Venezuela Viet Nam Yemen Zambia Zimbabwe 2 The European Community was represented in conformity with the rules of procedure of the Summit. 3 The following entities having received a standing invitation to participate as an observer in the sessions and the work of the General Assembly were present at the Summit by observers: Palestine African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States African Development Bank African Union Asian Development Bank Caribbean Community Commonwealth of Independent States Commonwealth Secretariat Council of Europe Inter-American Development Bank International Committee of the Red Cross International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies International Orga nization for Migration International Organization of la Francophonie International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources Inter-Parliamentary Union League of Arab States - 30 WSIS-03/GENEVA/DOC/9-E Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe Organization of the Islamic Conference Sovereign Military Order of Malta 4 The following regional commissions were represented by observers: Economic Commission for Africa Economic Commission for Europe Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific The following United Nations bodies and programmes were represented by observers: International Trade Center Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS Office of Outer Space Affairs Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Office of the United Nations at Geneva United Nations United Nations Children’s Fund United Nations Commission on Science and Technology for Development United Nations Compensation Commission United Nations Conference on Trade and Development United Nations Development Fund for Women United Nations Development Programme United Nations Environment Programme United Nations Fund for International Partnerships United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees United Nations Human Settlements Programme United Nations ICT Task Force United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research United Nations Institute for Training and Research United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction United Nations Mission to Kosovo United Nations Non-Governmental Liaison Service United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs United Nations Office for Project Services United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues United Nations Population Fund United Nations Research Institute for Social Development United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees United Nations University United Nations Volunteers 5 - 31 WSIS-03/GENEVA/DOC/9-E 6 The following specialized agencies and related organizations were represented by observers: Food and Agriculture Organization International Atomic Energy Agency International Fund for Agricultural Development International Labour Organization International Telecommunication Union The World Bank United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization United Nations Industrial Development Organization Universal Postal Union World Health Organization World Intellectual Property Organization World Meteorological Organization World Trade Organization 7 The following associate member of regional commissions was represented by observers: United States Virgin Islands 8 Other Intergovernmental Organizations having received an invitation and participating as observers were: African Telecommunication Union Asia-Pacific Institute for Broadcasting Development (AIBD) The Arab League Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization (ALESCO) Asia-Pacific Telecommunity (APT) Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Centre for Development of Enterprise (CDE) Communauté Economique et Monétaire de l’Afrique Centrale(CEMAC) European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) Inter-American Telecommunication Commission (CITEL) Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation (CTA) Commonwealth Telecommunications Organization (CTO) European Space Agency (ESA) European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) Eutelsat IGO International Associa tion of Economic and Social Councils and Similar Institutions (IAESCSI) Organisation islamique pour l’éducation, les sciences et la culture (ISESCO) International Telecommunications Satellite Organization (ITSO) Pan-African Postal Union - 32 WSIS-03/GENEVA/DOC/9-E Regional African Satellite Communications Organization (RASCOM) Regional Commonwealth in the field of communications (RCC) Red de Información Tecnológica Latinamericana (RITLA) South Africa Transport and Communications Commission (SATCC) South Centre Union des Radiodiffusions et Télévisions Nationales d’Afrique (URTNA) 9 481 non-governmental organizations in consultative status with ECOSOC or accredited to the Summit during its preparatory process also attended. 10 98 business entities and ITU Sector members accredited to the Summit during its preparatory process also attended. C. 11 D. Documentation The list of documents before the Summit is contained in Annex 1 to the report. Opening ceremony 12 At the opening ceremony, on 10 December 2003, addresses were delivered by His Excellency Mr Pascal Couchepin, President of the Swiss Confederation; His Excellency Mr Kofi Annan, Secretary-General of the United Nations; His Excellency Mr Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, President of the Republic of Tunisia; His Excellency Mr Yoshio Utsumi, Secretary-General of the International Telecommunication Union; Ms Kicki Nordström, President of the World Blind Union; Mr Mohammad Omran, Chairman of the Board of Thuraya Satellite Telecommunications Company; and His Excellency Mr Adama Samassékou, President of the Preparatory Committee of the World Summit on the Information Society. E. Organizational meeting 13 The World Summit on the Information Society held an organizational meeting on 10 December 2003. The Secretary-General of the Summit made an opening statement. F. Adoption of the agenda of the organizational meeting 14 At its organizational meeting on 10 December 2003, the Summit adopted the agenda of its organizational meeting as contained in Document WSIS-03/GENEVA/ADM/4. The agenda was as follows: 1. Opening of the Geneva phase of the Summit 2. Adoption of the Agenda of the Organizational Meeting 3. Election of the President of the Summit and of the President of the Organizational Meeting 4. Adoption of the Rules of Procedure 5. Adoption of the Age nda of the First Phase of the Summit 6. Election of other officers of the Summit 7. Organization of work 8. Appointment of the members of the Credentials Committee - 33 WSIS-03/GENEVA/DOC/9-E 9. Report of the Preparatory Committee 10. Other Business G. Election of the President of the Geneva phase of the Summit and the President of the organizational meeting 15 At its organizational meeting, the Summit elected the President of the Swiss Confederation, H.E. Mr Pascal Couchepin, President of its Geneva phase by acclamation. 16 At the same meeting, the Summit elected the Secretary of State for Communications of Switzerland, H.E. Mr Mark Furrer, President of the organizational meeting of its Geneva phase, by acclamation. 17 H. The President of the organizational meeting made a statement. Adoption of the rules of procedure 18 At its organizational meeting, on 10 December 2003, the Summit adopted the rules of procedure as contained in document WSIS-03/GENEVA/DOC/2. I. Adoption of the agenda of the Geneva phase of the Summit and other organizational matters 19 At its organizational meeting, on 10 December 2003, the Summit adopted the agenda of the Geneva phase of the Summit as contained in Document WSIS-03/GENEVA/DOC/1. The agenda was as follows: 1. Opening of the Geneva phase of the Summit 2. Election of the President of the Summit and of the President of the organizational meeting 3. Adoption of the rules of procedure 4. Adoption of the Agenda 5. Election of other officers of the Summit 6. Organization of work 7. Credentials of representatives to the Summit a) Appointment of the members of the Credentials Committee b) Report of the Credentials Committee 8. Report of the Preparatory Committee 9. General Debate 10. Round tables 11. Report from Multi-stakeholder Events 12. Adoption of the Declaration of Principles 13. Adoption of the Plan of Action 14. Arrangements for the Tunis phase of the Summit 15. Adoption of the Report of the Geneva phase of the Summit 16. Closing of the Geneva phase of the Summit - 34 WSIS-03/GENEVA/DOC/9-E J. Election of other officers of the Geneva phase of the Summit Election of fifteen Vice-Presidents 20 At its organizational meeting, on 10 December 2003, the Summit elected the following Vice-Presidents: African States: Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, Mali, South Africa Asian States: China, India, Isla mic Republic of Iran Latin American and the Caribbean States: Brazil, Dominican Republic, Mexico Eastern European States: Latvia, Romania, Russian Federation Western European and Other States: Finland, France, United States of America Election of two ex officio Vice-Presidents 21 The Summit elected by acclamation Mr Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, President of the Republic of Tunisia, and Mr Moritz Leuenberger, Federal Councillor and Head of the Department of Transport, Communications and Energy of Switzerland, as ex officio Vice-Presidents. Designation of the Rapporteur 22 K. The Summit designated Mr Petru Dumitriu (Romania) to serve as its Rapporteur. Appointment of the members of the Credentials Committee 23 At its organizational meeting, on 10 December 2003, the Summit appointed a Credentials Committee for its Geneva phase based on the membership of the Credentials Committee of the fifty-eighth session of the United Nations General Assembly. Since Antigua and Barbuda was not present at the Summit, the Summit agreed that it be replaced by Barbados. The members of the Credentials Committee for the Geneva phase of the Summit were thus as follows: Barbados, Cape Verde, China, Costa Rica, Ethiopia, Fiji, New Zealand, the Russian Federation and the United States of America. L. 24 Report of the Preparatory Committee The Secretary-General of the Summit, Mr Yoshio Utsumi, made a statement. 25 At its organizational meeting, on 10 December 2003, the President of the Preparatory Committee, H.E. Mr Adama Samassékou, made a statement in which he reported on the work undertaken during the preparatory process. M. Other business 26 The Secretary of the Plenary of the Summit, in response to a question raised by the representative of the United States, clarified that interpretative statements on the Declaration of Principles and the Plan of Action submitted in writing would be included as part of the final report of the Geneva phase of the Summit. - 35 WSIS-03/GENEVA/DOC/9-E CHAPTER III General debate 1 The Summit held its general debate at its 1st to 5th plenary meetings, from 10 to 12 December 2003. 2 At the 1st plenary meeting, on 10 December 2003, statements were made by: Her Excellency Ms Tarja Halonen, President of the Republic of Finland; His Excellency Mr Ilham Aliyev, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan; His Excellency Mr Joaquim Alberto Chissano, President of the Republic of Mozambique; His Excellency Mr Zafarullah Khan Jamali, Prime Minister of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan; His Excellency Mr Jean-Pierre Raffarin, Prime Minister of the French Republic; His Excellency Mr Mohamed Hosny Mubarak, President of the Arab Republic of Egypt; His Excellency Mr Pedro Verona Rodrigues Pires, President of the Republic of Cape Verde; His Excellency Mr Paul Kagame, President of the Republic of Rwanda; His Excellency Mr Mohammad Khatami, President of the Islamic Republic of Iran; His Excellency Mr Amadou Toumani Toure, President of the Republic of Mali; His Majesty King Letsie III, King of the Kingdom of Lesotho; Her Excellency Ms Vaira Vike-Freiberga, President of the Republic of Latvia; His Excellency Mr El Hadj Omar Bongo Ondimba, President of the Gabonese Republic; His Excellency Mr Askar Akaev, President of Kyrgyz Republic; His Excellency Mr Festus Gontebanye Mogae, President of the Republic of Botswana; His Excellency Dr Robert Gabriel Mugabe, President of the Republic of Zimbabwe; His Excellency Mr Otmar Hasler, Head of Government of the Principality of Liechtenstein; His Excellency Mr Emile Lahoud, President of the Lebanese Republic; His Excellency Chief Olusegun Obasanjo GCFR, President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria; His Excellency Mr Stjepan Mesic, President of the Republic of Croatia; His Excellency The Honourable Moody Awori, Vice-President and Minister for Home Affairs of the Republic of Kenya; His Excellency Mr Petr Mares, Deputy Prime Minister of Office of the Government of the Czech Republic; His Excellency Sheikh Ahmed Abdullah Al- Ahmed Al-Sabah, Minister of Communications, Minister of Planning and State Minister of Administrative Development Affairs of the State of Kuwait; His Excellency Mr Leonid Reiman, Minister for Communications and Informatization of the Russian Federation; His Excellency The Honourable Deechand Jeeha, Minister of Information Technology and Telecommunications of the Republic of Mauritius; His Royal Highness Prince Saud Al-Faisal, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia; His Excellency Mr Pavol Prokopovic, Minister of Transport, Posts and Telecommunications of the Slovak Republic; His Excellency Mr Xudong Wang, Minister of Information Industry of the People's Republic of China; His Excellency Dr Lucio Stanca, Minister of Innovation and Technology of the Italian Republic; His Excellency Mr Erkki Liikanen, Commissioner of the European Community; Her Excellency Ms Torild Skogsholm, Minister of Transport and Communications of the Kingdom of Norway; His Excellency Mr Tómas Ingi Olrich, Minister of Education, Science and Culture of the Republic of Iceland; His Excellency Mr George Papandreou, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Greece; His Excellency Mr Orlando Jorge Mera, Minister, President of the Dominican Institute of Telecommunications of the Dominican Republic; His Excellency Mr Bachir Al-Mounajed, Minister of Communications and Technology of the Syrian Arab Republic; His Excellency Mr Oleh Yatsenko, Minister for Communications and Informatization of Ukraine; His Excellency Dr Do Trung Ta, Minister of Post and Telematics of the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam; His Excellency Sheikh Abdulla Bin Mohammed Bin Saoud Al- Thani, Minister, Chief of the Diwan Amiri and Chairman of Qatar Telecommunication Company of the State of Qatar; His Excellency Mr Branko Dokic, Minister of Communications and Transport of Bosnia and Herzegovina; His Excellency Mr Juan Costa Climent, Minister of Science and Technology of the Kingdom of Spain; His Excellency Mr Nabil Ben Abdallah, Minister of Communications, Spokesman of - 36 WSIS-03/GENEVA/DOC/9-E Government of the Kingdom of Morocco; His Excellency Ambassador Samuel Pinheiro Guimarães Neto, Acting Minister of External Relations of the Federative Republic of Brazil; His Excellency Ambassador Hernán Escudero, Head of the Delegation of the Republic of Ecuador; Mr José Maria Figueres-Olsen, Chairman of the United Nations ICT Task Force; Ms Lynne Muthoni Wanyeki, Executive Director of the African Women's Development and Communication Network (FEMNET); Ms Brigita Schmögnerová, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe; Mr Shu-Khun Lin, Founder of Molecular Diversity Preservation Interna tional; Mr Vittorio Colao, Chief Executive Officer, SEMEA Region, Member of the Board of Directors of Vodafone; Mr K.Y. Amoako, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa; Ms Titilayo Akinsanmi, Co-founder of Paradigm Initiative Nigeria; Mr Jean-Philippe Courtois, CEO EMEA - Senior Vice President of Microsoft Corporation; Mr Eduardo Doryan, Special Representative of the World Bank; Mr Ayisi Makatiani, Founder of Africa Online; Mr Ad de Raad, Executive Coordinator, a.i., of the United Nations Volunteers. 3 At the 2nd plenary meeting, on 11 December 2003, statements were made by: His Excellency Mr Ion Iliescu, President of Romania; His Excellency Mr Abdoulaye Wade, President of the Republic of Senegal; His Excellency Mr John A. Kufuor, President of the Republic of Ghana; His Excellency Colonel Azali Assoumani, President of the Union of Comoros; His Excellency Mr Robert Kocharyan, President of the Republic of Armenia; His Excellency Mr Alyaksandr Lukashenka, President of the Republic of Belarus; His Excellency Mr Marc Forné, Head of Government of the Principality of Andorra; His Excellency Mr Arnold Rüütel, President of the Republic of Estonia; Her Excellency Begum Khaleda Zia, Prime Minister of the People's Republic of Bangladesh; His Excellency Mr Kim Yong Dae, Vice President of the Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea; His Excellency Mr Ricardo Alarcón de Quesada, President of the National Assembly of People's Power of the Republic of Cuba; Her Excellency Mrs Isatou Njie-Saidy, Vice-President of the Republic of the Gambia; His Excellency Mr Laurens Jan Brinkhorst, Minister of Economic Affairs of the Kingdom of the Netherlands; His Excellency Mr Philippos W. Mariam, Minister of Infrastructure of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia; Her Excellency Ms Ulla Tørnæs, Minister of Education of the Kingdom of Denmark; His Excellency Mr Kálmán Kovács, Minister of Informatics and Communications of the Republic of Hungary; His Excellenc y Mr Bertie Ahern, T.D., Prime Minister of Ireland; His Excellency Mr Rezzo Schlauch, Secretary of State, Federal Ministry for Economics and Labour of the Federal Republic of Germany; His Excellency Mr Maqbool Ali Sultan, Minister of Commerce and Industry of the Sultanate of Oman; His Excellency The Honourable Bernard Chisale, M.P., Minister of Information of the Republic of Malawi; Her Excellency Ms Carin Jämtin, Minister for Development Cooperation of the Kingdom of Sweden; His Excellency Mr Eduardo Cálix, Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of El Salvador; His Excellency Mr Saeed Mohamed Al-Faihani, Head of the Delegation of the Kingdom of Bahrain; His Excellency Mr John Rimmer, Head of the Delegation of Australia; His Excellency U Mya Than, Head of the Delegation of the Union of Myanmar; Mr Koïchiro Matsuura, Director-General of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO); Mr Philip Jennings, General Secretary of Union Network International; Mr Mark Malloch Brown, Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme; Mr Adnan Kassar, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Fransabank Group; Ms Mercedes Bresso, President of the World Federation of United Cities (FMCU); Mr Thomas Ganswindt, Group President of Siemens Information and Communication Networks; Mr Robert Blois, Deputy Secretary-General of the International Telecommunication Union; Mr Paul Twomey, Chief Executive Officer of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN); Mr Marcel A. Boisard, Executive Director of the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR). - 37 WSIS-03/GENEVA/DOC/9-E 4 At the 3rd plenary meeting, on 11 December, statements were made by: His Excellency The Honourable Prof. Apollo Nsibambi, Prime Minister of the Republic of Uganda; His Royal Highness Prince Ulukalala Lavaka Ata, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Tonga; His Excellency Mr Boris Trajkovski, President of the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia; His Excellency Dr José Rizo Castellón, Vice-President of the R epublic of Nicaragua; His Excellency Mr Kayser Bazán, Vice-President of the Republic of Panama; His Excellency Dr Dragoljub Micunovic, President of the Assembly of Serbia and Montenegro; His Excellency Mr Aripov Abdulla, Deputy Prime Minister, General Director of Communication and Information Agency of the Republic of Uzbekistan; Her Excellency Ms Fatimetou Mint M. Saleck, Secretary of New Technology of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania; His Excellency Mr Taro Aso, Minister of Public Management, Home Affairs, Posts and Telecommunications of Japan; His Excellency Professor Michal Kleiber, Minister of Scientific Research and Information of the Republic of Poland; His Excellency Dr John Marburger, Science Advisor to the President of the United States of America; His Excellency Mr Binali Yildirim, Minister of Transport and Communications of Turkey; His Excellency Dr Roberto Emilio Argueta Reina, Telecommunication Commissioner of the Republic of Honduras; Her Excellency Mrs Ivy Matsepe-Casaburri, Minister for Communications of the Republic of South Africa; His Excellency Dr Pavel Gantar, Minister of Information Society of the Republic of Slovenia; Her Excellency Mrs Joséphine Rebecca Moerman, Minister for Economy, Energy, Foreign Trade and Science policy of the Kingdom of Belgium; Her Excellency Mrs Flora de Ramos, Minister of Communications, Infrastructure and Housing of the Republic of Guatemala; His Excellency Mr Alvaro Díaz, Minister of Economy of the Republic of Chile; His Excellency Mr François Biltgen, Minister of Labor and Employment of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg; His Excellency The Honourable Kamal Thapa, Minister for Information and Communication, Local Development and Health of the Kingdom of Nepal; His Excellency Archbishop John Foley, President of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications of the Holy See; His Excellency Mr Daniel Filmus, Minister of Education, Science and Technology of the Argentine Republic; His Excellency Dr Fawaz Zu'bi, Minister of Communication and Information Technology, and Administrative Development of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan; His Excellency The Honourable Bates Namuyamba, M.P., Minister of Communication and Transport of the Republic of Zambia; His Excellency Dr Bountiem Phissamay, Minister to the Prime Minister's Office and President of Science, Technology and the Environment of the Lao People's Democratic Republic; His Excellency Mr Ahmed Humaid Al Tayer, Minister of Communications of the United Arab Emirates; His Excellency Mr Franz Morak, Secretary of State of the Republic of Austria; His Excellency Mr Moritz Leuenberger, Federal Councillor and Head of the Federal Department of Environment, Transport, Energy and Communications of the Swiss Confederation; His Royal Highness The Honourable Prince David Dlamini, Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade of the Kingdom of Swaziland; His Excellency Mr Arun Shourie, Minister for Communications and Information Technology of the Republic of India; His Excellency Mr Amar Tou, Minister of Posts and Information and Communication Technologies of the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria; His Excellency Mr José Luís Arnault, Minister to the Prime Minister of the Portuguese Republic; His Excellency Mr Mohammad Masoom Stanekzai, Minister of Communications of Afghanistan; His Excellency Mr Septimus Kaikai, Minister of Information and Broadcasting of the Republic of Sierra Leone; His Excellency Mr Palusalue Faapo II, Minister of Communications and Information Technology of the Independent State of Samoa; His Excellency Mr Ben Lashhar Ali, Minister of Information and Communication of the Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya; His Excellency Mr Virgilijus Vladislovas Bulovas, Minister of Interior of the Republic of Lithuania; His Excellency Mr Vital Kamerhe, Minister of Press and Information of the Democratic Republic of the Congo; His Excellency Mr Virgilio L. Peña, Undersecretary for Information and Communications Technology of the Republic of the Philippines; His Excellency Dr Daniel Bervejillo, Vice-Minister of Education and Culture of the - 38 WSIS-03/GENEVA/DOC/9-E Eastern Republic of Uruguay; His Excellency Mr Alexei Volkov, Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan; His Excellency Mr John Tiakia, Associate Minister for Post and Telecommunications of Niue; His Excellency Mr Tashi Phuntsog, Head of the Delegation of the Kingdom of Bhutan, His Excellency Mr Tilak Ranaviraja, Head of the Delegation of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka; His Excellency Mr Panicos Pouros, Head of the Delegation of the Republic of Cyprus; His Excellency Mr Azzam Alahmad, Observer of Palestine; Mr Juan Somavía, Director-General of the International Labour Organization (ILO); Mr Timothy Balding, Director General of the World Association of Newspapers; Mr Pasquale Pistrio, President and Chief Executive Officer of ST Microelectronics; Mr Thomas Leavey, Director-General of the Universal Postal Union (UPU); Ms Jane Lubichenco, President of the International Council for Science (ICSU); Mr Katsuji Ebisawa, President of NHK (Japan Broadcasting Corporation); Mr Kim Hak-Su, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP); Ms Liz Burns, President of the International Association for Volunteer Effort (IAVE); Ms Olga Uskova, President of Cognitive Technologies Companies; Ms Mervat Tallawy, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic Commission for Western Asia (UNESCWA); Ms Sally Burch, President of Agencia Latinoamericana de Información (ALAI); Mr Jorge Cassino, Chief Executive Officer and Director General of Sols Technologies: Mr Paulo Paiva, Vice-President of the Inter-American Development Bank; Mr Bertrand Ramcharan, Acting United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights; Dr Abdelouahed Belkeziz, Secretary-General of the Organization of the Islamic Conference. 5 At its 4th Plenary meeting, on 12 December 2003, Statements were made by: His Excellency Mr Sanjbegz Tumor-Ochir, Speaker of the Parliament of Mongolia, His Excellency The Honourable Pehin Dato Jaji Zakaria Haji Sulaiman, Minister of Communications of BruneiDarussalam, His Excellency Mr. Surapong Suebwonglee, Minister of Information and Communications Technology of the Kingdom of Thailand, His Excellency Mr. Philip Paulwell, Minister of Science, Commerce and Technology of Jamaica, His Excellency Mr. Medro Cerisola y Weber, Minister of Communications and Transportation of the United Mexican States, His Excellency The Honourable Datuk Amar Leo Moggie, Minister of Energy, Communications and Multimedia of Malaysia, His Excellency Dr. Lee Boon Yang, Minister for Information, Communications and the Arts of the Republic of Singapore, His Excellency Mr. Haja Nirina Razafinjatova, Minister of Telecommunications, Post and Communication of the Republic of Madagascar, His Excellency Mr. Licino Tavares Tibeiro, Minister of Posts and Telecommunications of the Republic of Angola, Her Excellency Dr. Martha Pinto de Hart, Minister of Communications of the Republic of Colombia, His Excellency Mr. Syamsul Mu’arif, Minister for Communication and Information of the Republic of Indonesia, Her Excellency the Honourable Lynette Eastmond, Minister of Commerce, Consumer Affairs and Business Development of Barbados, His Excellency Mr. Haider Al Abadi, Minister of Communication of the Republic of Iraq, His Excellency Dr. Chin Daeje, Minister of Information and Communication of the Republic of Korea, His Excellency Mr. Seydou Bouda, Minister of Economy and Development of Burkina Faso, His Excellency Mr. Jean Pastorelli, Plenipotentiary Minister, Permanent Representative of the Principality of Monaco, His Excellency Mr. Eduardo Iriarte Jimeneu, Minister of Transport and Communication of the Republic of Peru, His Excellency Mr. David Cunliffe, Associate Minister of Communications and Information Technology of New Zealand, His Excellency Mr. Lar Narath, Under-Secretary of Posts and Telecommunications of the Kingdom of Cambodia, His Excellency Mr. Bernard Weston, Head of the Delegation of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, His Excellency The Honourable Michael Frendo, M.P., Head of the Delegation of the Republic of Malta, His Excellency Mr. Sergio Marchi, Head of the Delegation of Canada, Mr. Abel Caine, Head of the Delegation of the Republic of the Fiji Islands, His Excellency Mr. Nicholas Thorne, Head of the Delegation of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Her Excellency Ms. Blancanieve Portocarrero, Head of the Delegation of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, - 39 WSIS-03/GENEVA/DOC/9-E Ms. Imelda Henkin, Deputy Executive Director of the United Nations Population Fund, Mr. Kamal Ayadi, President, World Federation of Engineering Associations, Mr. Talal Abu-Ghazaleh, Chairman and CEO of Talal Abu-Ghazaleh & Co. International, Ms. Alicia Báranca, Deputy Executive Secretary, United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean, Ms. Milani Trask, Pacific Representative, United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, Mr. Velusamy Mathivanan, Chairman and CEO CrimsonLogic, Mr. Carlos Afonso, President, Rede de informações para o Terceiro Setor, Mr. Olivier Piou, CEO, Axalto, Mr. Sean O’Siochru, Spokesperson of the CRIS Campaign, Mr. Philippe Petit, Deputy Director General, World Intellectual Property Organization, Mr. Michel Jarraud, Deputy SecretaryGeneral, World Meteorological Organization. 6 At its 5th Plenary meeting, on 12 December, statements were made by: His Excellency Mr. Jean Dello, Minister of Posts and Telecommunications of the Republic of Congo, His Excellency The Honourable Mark J. Mwandosya, Minister for Communications and Transport of the Republic of Tanzania, His Excellency Professor El Zibeir Bashir Taha, Minister of Sciences and Technology of the Republic of Sudan, His Excellency Mr. Séverin Ndikumugongo, Minister of Transport of the Republic of Burundi, His Excellency Mr. Abdulmalek Al-Moalemi, Minister of Telecommunications and Information Technology of the Republic of Yemen, His Excellency Mr. Oviedo de Jesus Amaral, Minister of Transport, Communication and Public Work of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, His Excellency Mr. Alexander Chikvaidze, Head of the Delegation of Georgia, His Excellency Mr. Alvaro Moscoso Blanco, Head of the Delegation of the Republic of Bolivia, His Excellency Mr. Nunzio Alfredo D’Angieri, Head of the Delegation of Belize, His Excellency Mr. Yaakov Levy, Head of the Delegation of the State of Israel, His Excellency Mr. Manuel A Gonzalez Sanz, Head of the Delegation of the Republic of Costa Rica, Mr. João Augusto de Médicis, Executive Secretary, Community of the Portuguese Speaking Countries, Mis Excellency Mr. Jean-Pierre Mazery, President of the Council for Communication, Sovereign Military Order of Malta, His Excellency Mr. Carlyle Corbin, Observer of the United States Virgin Islands, Mr. Amir A. Dossal, Executive Director, United Nations Fund for International Partnerships. - 40 WSIS-03/GENEVA/DOC/9-E CHAPTER IV Round tables 1 In accordance with a decision taken at its third preparatory committee, the Summit convened a series of three round table discussions on 10 and 11 December 2003 as an integral element of the World Summit on the Information Society. Under the overarching theme of "An Information Society for All: Opportunities and Challenges", Round table 1 covered the topic: "Creating Digital Opportunities", Round table 2 covered the topic: "Opportunities and Challenges: Diversity in Cyberspace" and Round table 3 covered the topic: "ICT as a tool to achieve the Millennium Development Goals". Participants included governments, United Nations agencies, organizations, funds and programmes, intergovernmental organizations and representatives of the business sector and civil society. Representation was at the highest level. 2 The Summit secretariat prepared a background document containing questions relevant to the topics. 3 An account of the round tables is set out below. Round table 1: Cre ating digital opportunities 4 On 10 December 2003, Round table 1 (Creating digital opportunities) was convened under the chairmanship of H.E. Mr Abdoulaye Wade, President of the Republic of Senegal, who made an opening statement. 5 The Moderator of the round table, Ms Maria Livanos Cattaui, Secretary-General of the International Chamber of Commerce, also made a statement and opened the floor for the discussion. 6 Statements were made by the representatives of Rwanda, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, France, Slovenia, Botswana, Colombia, Senegal, Singapore, Lesotho, Iceland, Azerbaijan and Thailand. 7 The Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission for Africa made a statement. 8 Statements were made by the Director-General of the United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization and the Vice-President for Infrastructure of the World Bank. 9 Statements were made by the following business sector participants: Chief Executive Officer of Maroc Telecom, Morocco; Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Eutelsat, France; Head of Industries of Oracle Corporation EMEA, United States of America; Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Corporation for National Research Initiatives, United States of America. 10 Statements were made by the following civil society participants: President of the Free Software Foundation, United States of America; Professor, Faculty of Law at McGill University, Canada; the representative of the Electronic Privacy Information Centre (EPIC), Member of Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility, Canada; the representative of CIVICUS International Conference Volunteers (ICV), South Africa; the Mayor of Curitiba, World Federation of United Cities (FMCU), Brazil. 11 The Moderator made concluding remarks. 12 The summary prepared by the Chairman of Round table 1 (Creating digital opportunities) is contained in Annex 2A. - 41 WSIS-03/GENEVA/DOC/9-E Round table 2: Diversity in cyberspace 13 On 11 December 2003, Round table 2 (Diversity in cyberspace) was convened under the chairmanship of H.E. Ms Vaira Vike Freiberga, President of the Republic of Latvia, who made an opening statement. 14 The Moderator of the round table, Mr Nick Gowing, Presenter, BBC World News, made a statement and opened the floor for the discussion. 15 Statements were made by the representatives of Lithuania, Egypt, Chile, Uganda, Pakistan, Morocco, Latvia, Algeria, New Zealand, Argentina, Benin, Chad, Austria and Bulgaria. 16 Statements were also made by the Executive Secretary of the Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia and the representative of United Nations University. 17 The representative of the United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization made a statement. 18 The representative of the Council of Europe made a statement. 19 Statements were made by the following business sector participants: Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Tele Nahar, Lebanon; Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of WorldSpace Corporation, United States of America; President of the International Association of Broadcasting. 20 Statements were made by the following civil society participants: President, Fundación Redes y Desarrollo (FUNREDES), Dominican Republic; Chairman of Creative Commons, United States of America; President, Association Tunisienne de Mères, Tunisia; Executive Director of ISIS International, Philippines; Secretary General of the International Federation of Journalists, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland; representative of the World Association of Community Radio Broadcasters, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. 21 The Chairperson summarized the discussion and made concluding remarks. 22 The summary prepared by the Chairperson of Round table 2 (Diversity in cyberspace) is contained in Annex 2B. Round table 3: ICT as a tool to achieve the millennium development goals 23 On 11 December 2003, the Moderator of Round table 3 (ICT as a tool to achieve the millennium development goals), Mr Mark Malloch Brown, Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme, opened the round table and made a statement. 24 Statements were made by the representatives of Oman, Niger, Romania, Bangladesh, the Federated States of Micronesia, Qatar, Sweden, Estonia, Panama, Kyrgyzstan, Portugal, Morocco, Cuba, Norway, Zimbabwe, Ireland, Kenya, Kazakhstan and Malaysia. 25 The Secretary-General of the International Telecommunication Union made a statement. 26 Statements were made by the Executive Secretaries of the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific and the Economic Commission for Europe. 27 Statements were made by the Under Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs of the United Nations and the Executive Director of the United Nations Institute for Training and Research. 28 Statements were made by the following business sector participants: Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Masreya Information Systems, Egypt; Vice-President of Corporate Philanthropy, Cisco, United States of America; President of KDDI Corporation, Japan; Chairman of Telekom Malaysia Be rhad. - 42 WSIS-03/GENEVA/DOC/9-E 29 Statements were made by the following civil society participants: Legislative Council member of the Hong Kong Council of Social Services, China; President of the Global Foundation for Democracy and Development, Dominican Republic; the representative of Engineers Without Borders, Cameroon; Professor at Aarhus University, Denmark. 30 The Moderator summarized the discussion and made concluding remarks. 31 The summary prepared by the Moderator of Round table 3 (ICT as a tool to achieve the millennium development goals) is contained in Annex 2C. - 43 WSIS-03/GENEVA/DOC/9-E CHAPTER V Report of the Credentials Committee 1. that: Rule 5 of the rules of procedure of the World Summit on the Information Society provides “A Credentials Committee of nine members shall be appointed at the beginning of the Summit. Its composition shall be based on that of the Credentials Committee of the General Assembly of the United Nations at the time the respective Summit phase is held. It shall examine the credentials of representatives and report to the Summit without delay.” 2. At the 1st plenary meeting of the 1st phase of the World Summit on the Information Society, on 10 December 2003, the Summit, in accordance with rule 5 of its rules of procedure, appointed a Credentials Committee having its composition based on that of the Credentials Committee of the General Assembly of the United Nations at its fifty-eight session, namely, Barbados*, Cape Verde, China, Costa Rica, Ethiopia, Fiji, New Zealand, Russia and the United States. 3. 4. The Credentials Committee held one meeting, on 11 December 2003. Mr. Abel Caine (Fiji) was unanimously elected Chairperson. 5. The Committee had before it a memorandum by the Secretary-General of the Summit dated 10 December 2003 on the credentials of representatives of States and of the European Community to the Summit. The Secretary of the Credentials Committee made a statement relating to the memorandum by the Secretary-General of the Summit, in which, inter alia, he updated the memorandum to indicate credentials and communications received subsequently to its preparation. 6. As noted in paragraph 1 of the memorandum and in the statement relating thereto, formal credentials of representatives to the Summit, in the form required by rule 3 and 4 of the rules of procedure of the Summit, had been received as of the time of the meeting of the Credentials Committee from the following 103 States Algeria, Andorra, Argentina, Australia, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belize, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brunei Darussalam, Bulgaria, Burundi, Cambodia, Canada, Chad, Chile, China, Costa Rica, Côte d’Ivoire, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Denmark, Djibouti, Dominican Republic, Egypt, Eritrea, Estonia, Ethiopia, Finland, Gabon, Gambia, Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Holy See, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Maldives, Malta, Mauritius, Monaco, Mongolia, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Netherlands, New Zealand, Oman, Pakistan, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, San Marino, Saudi Arabia, Serbia and Montenegro, Seychelles, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland, Syrian Arab Republic, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Uganda, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United States, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Viet Nam, Zambia, Zimbabwe. ____________________ * Barbados replaced Antigua. - 44 WSIS-03/GENEVA/DOC/9-E 7. As noted in paragraph 2 of the memorandum and in the statement relating thereto, information concerning the appointment of the representatives of States and of the European Community to the Summit had been communicated to the Secretary-General of the Summit, as of the time of the meeting of the Credentials Committee, by means of a telefax from the head of State or Government or the Minister for Foreign Affairs, or by means of a letter or note verbale from the mission concerned, by the following 41 States and the European Community. Afghanistan, Angola, Belgium, Benin, Bhutan, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Colombia, European Community, Fiji, Ghana, Guinea, Haiti, Iraq, Kenya, Korea (Rep. of), Kuwait, Lao P. D. R., Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mexico, Micronesia, Moldova, Nepal, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Panama, Paraguay, Qatar, Samoa, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Sri Lanka, The Former Yugoslav Rep. of Macedonia, Timor-Leste, Turkey, Venezuela. 8. As noted in paragraph 3 of the memorandum and in the statement relating thereto, the following 31 States participating in the Summit had not, as of the time of the meeting of the Credentials Committee, communicated to the Secretary-General of the Summit any information regarding its representatives to the Summit: Albania, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Cameroon, Central African Rep., Comoros, Congo (Rep. of the), Cuba, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ecuador, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, France, Georgia, Iran (Islamic Republic of), Italy, Jamaica, Niue, Norway, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Singapore, Sudan, Suriname, United Kingdom, Yemen. 9. The Committee decided to accept the credentials of the representatives of all States listed in the above- mentioned memorandum and the statement relating thereto and the European Community, on the understanding that formal credentials for representatives of the States referred to in paragraphs 7 and 8 of the present report would be communicated to the Secretary-General of the Summit as soon as possible. 10. The Committee adopted the following draft resolution without a vote: “The Credentials Committee, “Having examined the credentials of the representatives to the World Summit on the Information Society referred to in the memorandum of the Secretary-General of the Summit dated 10 December 2003, “Accepts the credentials of the representatives of the States and of the European Community referred to in the above- mentioned memorandum.” 11. The Committee decided, without a vote, to recommend to the Summit the adoption of the draft resolution. Action taken by the Summit: 12 At its 5th Plenary meeting, on 12 December 2003, the Summit considered the report of the Credentials Committee (WSIS-03/GENEVA/DOC/7) 13 The Conference adopted the draft resolution recommended by the Committee in its report (For the text of the resolution see Chapter I.D. of this Report). - 45 WSIS-03/GENEVA/DOC/9-E 14 The following Annex A was published at 12 December 17.00 as an update: ANNEX A Status of the Credentials as of 12 December 17 hours 1. Formal credentials of representatives to the Summit, in the form required by rule 3 and 4 of the rules of procedure of the Summit, had been received as of 12 December 17 hours from the following 125 States and the European Community: Albania, Algeria, Andorra, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belize, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brunei Darussalam, Bulgaria, Burundi, Cambodia, Canada, Cape Verde, Chad, Chile, China, Colombia, Comoros, Costa Rica, Côte d’Ivoire, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Denmark, Djibouti, Dominican Republic, Egypt, El Salvador, Eritrea, Estonia, Ethiopia, European Community, Finland, France, Gabon, Gambia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Guatemala, Haiti, Holy See, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Korea (Rep. of), Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Lao P. D. R., Latvia, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Malaysia, Maldives, Malta, Mauritius, Mexico, Monaco, Mongolia, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Netherlands, New Zealand, Niger, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Paraguay, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, San Marino, Saudi Arabia, Serbia and Montenegro, Seyche lles, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland, Syrian Arab Republic, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Uganda, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United States, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Viet Nam, Yemen Zambia, Zimbabwe. 2. Information concerning the appointment of the representatives of States to the Summit had been communicated to the Secretary-General of the Summit, as of 12 December 17 hours, by means of a telefax from the head of State or Government or the Minister for Foreign Affairs, or by means of a letter or note verbale from the mission concerned, by the following 45 States: Afghanistan, Angola, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belgium, Benin, Bhutan, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Rep., Congo (Rep. of the), Cuba, Ecuador, Fiji, Equatorial Guinea, Georgia, Guinea, Iran (Islamic Republic of), Iraq, Kenya, Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Micronesia, Moldova, Nepal, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Niue, Panama, Philippine s, Qatar, Rwanda, Samoa, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, The Former Yugoslav Rep. of Macedonia, Timor-Leste, United Kingdom, Venezuela. 3. The following 5 States participating in the Summit had not, as of 12 December 17 hours, communicated to the Secretary-General of the Summit any information regarding its representatives to the Summit: Democratic Republic of the Congo, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint-Lucia. - 46 WSIS-03/GENEVA/DOC/9-E CHAPTER VI Report from Multi-stakeholder Events 1 After an introductory statement by His Excellency Mr. Daniel Stauffacher, Delegate of the Swiss Federal Council for the WSIS, the Summit heard the following reports from Multistakeholder Events: His Excellency Mr. Walter Fust, Director General, Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation and Ms. Rinalia Abdul Rahim, Executive Director, Global Knowledge Partnership, on the ICT4D Platform, Mr. Gérald Collomb, Mayor of Lyon and Mr. Chistian Ferrazino, Mayor of Geneva, on the World Summit of Cities and Local Authorities on the Information Society, Mr. Jean Stock, President, World Electronic Media Forum Association, on the World Electronic Media Forum, His Excellency Mr. Robert Blois, Deputy Secretary-General, International Telecommunication Union, on the ITU High- Level Dialogue and related events, Mr. Richard Mc.Cormick, Past Chairman, International Chamber of Commerce, on the events organized by the International Chamber of Commerce, Mr. Abdul Waheed Khan, Assistant Director-General for Communication and Information, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Culture Organization, on the UNESCO High Level Symposium and Roundtables, Dr. Gillian Marcelle, Coordinator, WSIS Gender Caucus, on the WSIS Gender Caucus Events Programme, Professor Luciano Maiani, Director-General, European Organization for Nuclear Research on the CERN-Symposium on the Role of Science in the Information Society, Dr. Bernhard Heinser, Managing Director, Swiss Library for the Visually Impaired, on the Global forum on Disability in the Informa tion Society, Mr. Ulf Lundin, Director, European Schoolnet, on the Global School Networks Alliance, Ms. Viola Krebs, Director, International Conference Volunteers, on the Conference on Volunteering and Capacity Building in the Information Society, Mr. Sjoerd Nikkelen and Ms. Paula Musuva, Representatives of ITU TELECOM WORLD 2003 Youth Forum, on the Youth Declaration from TELECOM, Mr. Henrick Ole Magga, Chair, Global Forum of Indigenous People, on the Global Forum of Indigenous People in the Information Society, Mr. Alex Fielding, Youth Liaison, TakingITGlobal, on the Youth Day, His Excellency Mr. Denis Belisle, Executive Director, International Trade Center, on the ITC Workshops: “The Changing Marketplace: putting ‘e’ to work”, Dr. Francis Muguet, Chairman of the Civil Society Scientific Information Working Group, on the Scientif Information and PCT Working Groups, Roundtables and Panels, Mr. Talal Abu-Ghazaleh, Chairman and CEO, Talal Abu-Ghazaleh & Co. International, on the Executive Roundtables: “Taking Responsibility in the Information Age”, Mr. Bertrand de La Chapelle, Co-convenor, Open WSIS initiative, on the WSIS-Online-Net workshop. - 47 WSIS-03/GENEVA/DOC/9-E CHAPTER VII Adoption of the Declaration of Principles 1 On the recommendation of the Preparatory Committee, the Summit considered the draft Declaration of Principles, transmitted to it by a note of the Secretary-General of the Summit (WSIS03/GENEVA/DOC/4) 2 At its 5th Plenary meeting, on 12 December 2003, the Summit unanimously adopted the Declaration of Principles (for the text see Chapter I. A. of this Report). 3 The following Interpretative Statements were submitted to the Executive Secretariat: A. Interpretative Statement by Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya Arab Jamahiriya, Morocco, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syrian Arab Republic, Yemen: “Explanatory Note Concerning the Declaration of Principles and the Plan of Action The undersigned States, commending the results achieved by the first phase of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS), wish to clarify their understanding that both the Declaration of Principles and the Plan of Action affirm the necessity of respecting the sovereignty of States, the right to self-determination, the laws, legislation, values, cultures and ethics of every State, as well as the international conventions ratified by the undersigned States. No provision of the above- mentioned documents shall be construed as contradicting this understanding.” This above interpretative statement was also supported by Palestine. B. Interpretative Statement by Zimbabwe: “Zimbabwe Interpretations filed at the Geneva Phase of the World Summit on the Information Society: Clauses 4 and 5 of the Declaration of Principles and related clauses in the Plan of Action: Having looked and analysed the World Summit on the Information Society Geneva Phase Declaration of Principles and Plan of Action, the Government of Zimbabwe wishes to register that: In clauses 4 and 5 of the Declaration of Principles and the related clauses in the Pla n of Action, the Government of Zimbabwe interprets that the clauses will be applied with due recognition and respect being paid to the national laws of Zimbabwe. Should the Government of Zimbabwe’s interpretation on these clauses be at variance with the ge neral interpretation to be made by the World Summit on the Information Society, Zimbabwe hereby registers her reservation on these clauses and does not wish to be bound by them. However we do not wish to stop the adoption of the Geneva Phase of the World Summit on the Information Society – Declaration of Principles and Plan of Action.” - 48 WSIS-03/GENEVA/DOC/9-E “Zimbabwe Interpretations filed at the Geneva Phase of the World Summit on the Information Society: Clause 55 of the Declaration of Principles and related clause in the Pla n of Action: Having looked and analysed the World Summit on the Information Society Geneva Phase Declaration of Principles and Plan of Action, Zimbabwe wishes to register that: In clause 55 of the Declaration of Principles and the related clause in the Plan of Action, the Government of Zimbabwe interprets that the clause will be applied with due recognition and respect being paid to the national laws of Zimbabwe. Should Zimbabwe’s interpretation on this clause be at variance with the general interpretation to be made by the World Summit on the Information Society, Zimbabwe hereby registers her reservation on this clause and does not wish to be bound by it. However Zimbabwe does not wish to stop the adoption of the Declaration of Principles and Plan of Action of the Geneva Phase of the World Summit on the Information Society.” C. Interpretative Statement by the United States of America: “United States Interpretative Statement on Adoption of the World Summit on the Information Society Declaration of Princip les and Plan of Action. 1. The United States is pleased to join consensus on the Declaration of Principles and Plan of Action, which represent an important milestone in the international community’s efforts toward development of the Information Society. The United States requests that this interpretative statement be included in the written proceedings of this Summit; in part, our consensus is based on the understandings set forth herein. 2. The United States wishes to draw attention to the fact that a number of institutions, organizations and others have been requested to implement the Declaration of Principles and Plan of Action. Nonetheless, governments alone adopt the Declaration of Principles and Plan of Action. 3. The United States stresses that the right to freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to seek, receive and impart information, as outlined in Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, is an essential foundation of the Information Society. 4. The United States construes paragraph 27, D2(b) of the Plan of Action as reaffirming, and not redefining, paragraph 42 of the Monterrey Consensus of the International Conference on Financing for Development, which encouraged developing countries to pursue policies to ensure that official development assistance (ODA) is used effectively to help achieve development goals. The United States believes that such policies are vital to development and that without them ODA is not useful. The United States reiterates that it has not accepted an “agreed target” for ODA or made commitments to fulfill any such target. 5. The United States construes paragraph 27, D2(c) of the Plan of Action as reaffirming, and not redefining, the conclusions set forth in Chapter II.E of the Monterrey Consensus of the International Conference on Financing for Development, which emphasized that debtors and creditors must share responsibility for preventing and resolving unsustainable debt situations. In addition to noting the need for creditor initiatives to reduce outstanding indebtedness, the Monterrey Consensus highlighted the need for debtor countries to pursue sound macroeconomic policies and public resource management, as well as other public policy measures, in order to become eligible for debt relief. The United States believes that the inclusion in the WSIS documents of language from the Monterrey Consensus reaffirms this mutuality of responsibility. - 49 WSIS-03/GENEVA/DOC/9-E 6. The United States understands and accepts that the reference to a “right to development” in Paragraph 3 of the Declaration of Principles to mean a right inherent in the individual that is an integral part of all human rights and fundamental freedoms. The lack of development cannot be invoked to justify abridgement of human rights. 7. The United States notes the several references in both the Declaration of Principles and Plan of Action on the importance of good governance to the Information Society. The United States interprets the references to “good governance” in the Declaration of Principles and Plan of Action to mean sound economic policies (including pro-competitive policies), solid democratic institutions responsive to the needs of the people and transparent to them, and, respect for human rights and for the rule of law. 8. The United States understands that the references to transfer of technology upon mutually agreed terms in the Declaration of Principles and Plan of Action mean that, in the case of technologies and know- how subject to intellectual property rights, any transfers must be on a freely negotiated, mutually-agreed basis. This is true regardless of whether transferor and transferee are governments, private entities, or others. 9. The United States construes the phrase “all relevant international norms” used in Paragraph 19(a) of the Plan of Action concerning E-Employment as including internationally recognized core labor standards. 10. The United States notes that the use of the phrase “indigenous peoples” in paragraph 15 of the Declaration of Principles or in Paragraphs 8(f), 11(i), 23(k) and 23(l) of the Plan of Action cannot be construed as having any implications as to the rights that might attach to such phrase under international law.” D. Interpretative Statement by the Pakistan Delegation on the Declaration of Principles to be adopted by the WSIS Summit on Friday 12 December 2003: “We interpret the reference to ‘cyber security’ in Para 37 to include all such incidents where Viruses, Worms, Trojan horses, or any other malicious code is introduced into the networks from external sources that could be outside the target country where the network or data is being affected. We interpret the reference to ‘xenophobia and related intolerance, hatred’ in Para 59 to include negative propaganda against any religion, creating misconceptions about any religion, faith or its followers, portraying any religion or its elements of faith in an offensive manner.” - 50 WSIS-03/GENEVA/DOC/9-E CHAPTER VIII Adoption of the Plan of Action 1 On the recommendation of the Preparatory Committee, the Summit considered the draft Plan of Action, transmitted to it by a note of the Secretary-General of the Summit (WSIS-03/GENEVA/DOC/5) 2 At its 5th Plenary meeting, on 12 December 2003, the Summit unanimously adopted the Plan of Action (for the text see Chapter I. B. of this Report) 3 Several Interpretative Statements submitted to the Executive Secretariat and reproduced in Chapter VII above do also include references to the Plan of Action. Please refer to Chapter VII, 3, A, B and C for details. - 51 WSIS-03/GENEVA/DOC/9-E CHAPTER IX Arrangements for the Tunis phase of the Summit 1 On the recommendation of the Preparatory Committee, the Summit considered the Arrangements for the Tunis phase of the Summit, transmitted to it by a note of the Secretary-General of the Summit (WSIS-03/GENEVA/DOC/8) 2 At its 5th Plenary meeting, on 12 December 2003, the Summit unanimously adopted the Arrangements for the Tunis Phase of the Summit (for the text see chapter I. C. of this Report) - 52 WSIS-03/GENEVA/DOC/9-E CHAPTER X Adoption of the Draft Report of the Geneva phase of the Summit 1 At the 5th Plenary meeting, on 12 December 2003, the Rapporteur introduced the Draft Report of the Geneva Phase of the Summit (WSIS-03/GENEVA/DOC/9) 2 At the same meeting, the Summit adopted the Draft Report and authorized the Rapporteur to finalize the Report. - 53 WSIS-03/GENEVA/DOC/9-E CHAPTER XI Closing of the Geneva phase of the Summit 1 At the 5th Plenary meeting, on 12 December 2003, closing addresses were delivered by His Excellency Mr Yoshio Utsumi, Secretary-General of Summit; His Excellency Mr. Habib Ben Yaha, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Tunisia and His Excellency Mr Pascal Couchepin, President of the Swiss Confederation. 2 Before the closing, a representative of the Civil Society Bureau handed over to the President of the Swiss Confederation the Civil Society Declaration to the World Summit on the Information Society “Shaping Information Societies for Human Needs”. The text of this declaration is on the Summit website at: http://www.itu.int/wsis/documents/doc_single-en-1179.asp . The Secretary-General of the United Nations received two more Declarations, the Declaration of the World Summit of Cities and local authorities on the Information Society, adopted at Lyons on December 5th , 2004 (see http://www.geneva2003.org/wsis/main_c01_02.htm) , and the “Broadcasters’ Declaration”, presented at the World Electronic Media Forum (see: http://www.ebu.ch/departments/legal/pdf/leg_pp_wsis_declaration_broadcasters_091203.pdf). Both declarations were handed over by the Secretary-General of the UN to the President of the Summit. 3 At the same meeting, the President of the Swiss Confederation declared the Geneva Phase of the WSIS closed. - 54 WSIS-03/GENEVA/DOC/9-E ANNEX 1 List of Documents before the Summit The following documents were before the Summit: A. Official Documents: 1. Draft Agenda of the Geneva Phase of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS-03/GENEVA/DOC/1) 2. Draft Rules of Procedure of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS-03/GENEVA/DOC/2) 3. Proposed Format of the Geneva Phase of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS-03/GENEVA/DOC/3) 4. Draft Declaration of Principles (WSIS-03/GENEVA/DOC/4) 5. Draft Plan of Action (WSIS-03/GENEVA/DOC/5) 6. Report on the Preparatory Process for the first Phase of the Summit (WSIS-03/GENEVA/DOC/6) 7. Report of the Credentials Committee to the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS-03/GENEVA/DOC/7) 8. Arrangements for the Tunis Phase of the Summit (WSIS-03/GENEVA/DOC/8) 9. Draft Report of the Geneva Phase of the Summit (WSIS-03/GENEVA/DOC/9) B. Administrative Documents 1. Information for Participants (WSIS-03/GENEVA/ADM/1) 2. Draft Time Management Plan (WSIS-03/GENEVA/ADM/2) 3. Annotated Agenda (WSIS-03/GENEVA/ADM/3) 4. Draft Agenda of the Organizational Meeting (WSIS-03/GENEVA/ADM/4) 5. Draft Agenda of the First Plenary Meeting (WSIS-03/GENEVA/ADM/6) 6. Draft Age nda of the Second Plenary Meeting (WSIS-03/GENEVA/ADM/7) 7. Draft Agenda of the Third Plenary Meeting (WSIS-03/GENEVA/ADM/8) 8. Draft Agenda of the Fourth Plenary Meeting (WSIS-03/GENEVA/ADM/9) 9. Draft Agenda of the Fifth and Last Plenary Meeting (WSIS-03/GENEVA/ADM/10) - 55 WSIS-03/GENEVA/DOC/9-E ANNEX 2A Chairperson's summary of Round table 1: Creating Digital Opportunities 10 December 2003 Chair: H.E. Mr Abdoulaye Wade, President of the Republic of Senegal Moderator: Mrs Maria Livanos Cattaui, Secretary General of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) Introduction 1 The first round table, held on 10 December 2003, was chaired by H.E. Mr Abdoulaye Wade, President, Republic of Senegal, on the theme "Creating Digital Opportunities". 2 The lively and stimulating discussion during the round table was enriched by national experiences and practical suggestions made by the participants. 3 Speakers welcomed the interactive exchange of views and the ideas put forward for creating digital opportunities. They recognized the need for new forms of solidarity, partnership and cooperation among all stakeholders, including governments, private sector, civil society and international organizations to build an inclusive information society. Bridging the digital divide required strong commitments by all stakeholders. 4 The main focus of the discussion centred on the questions of access to ICTs, partnerships and funding. Access 5 Speakers agreed that access to information and communication technologies (ICTs) was a cornerstone of the Information Society. Several participants emphasized the central role of Governments as lead actors and catalysts in promoting the use of ICTs by individuals, communities and local authorities. It was crucial to develop national e-strategies that create an enabling policy and regulatory environment that stimulate local entrepreneurship and private investment. Strong political leadership was seen to be critical to further progress in this area. 6 Several interventions noted that focus should not be exclusively on access to hardware or software. Social, economic, cultural and educational aspects of access needed also be considered. Access to information was seen as a human right and should be treated as such. The role of open software was identified as one possible means to expand access. 7 The specific structural constraints of economies in transition, which are characterized by high levels of education, were also emphasized. The access of economies in transition to new and innovative technologies needed to be promoted. 8 Participants called for the development of effective, independent and "technology neutral" legal and regulatory systems and the use of a combination of technologies, such as power lines, wi- fi and satellite, to better address national country needs. - 56 WSIS-03/GENEVA/DOC/9-E 9 Participants noted the existing digital divide between urban and rural areas, especially in Africa, and called for political leadership to ensure access to ICTs for the rural poor, who remain in many countries the most excluded from the digital revolution. 10 While there was no universal recipe to bridge the digital divide or to ensure universal access, participants called for the sharing of lessons learned and best practices and presented national experiences on effective ways to address issues of access. Colombia's Communications Fund for rural telephony, the Grameen Phone initiative in Bangladesh, the provision of low-cost personal computers by the government of Thailand, and the sharing of scientific applications in areas such as climatology, SARS and natural disasters were mentioned as examples. 11 Special efforts needed also to be undertaken to ensure access to ICTs by youth, for example through building ICT capacity on the secondary and university levels. Partnerships 12 It was widely recognized that building an open and inclusive Information Society could only succeed with effective and innovative partnerships and cooperation among all stakeholders governments, private sector, civil society, media and international community. In this context, the important role of volunteers was emphasized. 13 Public/private partnerships provided useful contributions to a wide range of ICT applications, such as e- government, e-commerce, e-health and e-education. The role of regional partnerships to help promote access to ICT and support efforts to build Information Society was also highlighted. 14 Cybercafés and community media centres, established by combined public and private efforts, were acknowledged as successful examples of partnerships promoting access at the local level. Funding 15 On the critical issue of funding, implementation of the vision reflected in the Plan of Action required that the necessary resources were available to promote universal access and bridging the digital divide. Investments were especially needed for the development of infrastructure and capacity building. Speakers also noted that the role of private sector investment was becoming more important than that of foreign aid in many developing countries. 16 A dynamic and enabling international environment, supportive of foreign direct investment, transfer of technology, and international cooperation, especially in the areas of finance, debt and trade were seen to be vital complements to national development efforts related to ICTs. 17 Aid was necessary in helping to finance ICTs especially for the rural poor. It was mentioned that the private sector tended to invest in the more profitable urban areas. Therefore, it was especially important to provide public funds to remote and rural areas. 18 One participant stressed the importance of committing the will to support a Digital Solidarity Fund to promote implementation of the Summit's agenda. 19 Speakers also called for additional efforts to attract increased private national and foreign investments in ICTs through the creation of a transparent, stable and predictable investment environment. The crucial role of ICTs in national development strategies was stressed as a means of attracting foreign direct investment. - 57 WSIS-03/GENEVA/DOC/9-E ANNEX 2B Chairperson's summary of Round table 2: Opportunities and Challenges - Diversity in Cyberspace 11 December 2003, 11 am - 1 pm Chair: Moderator: H.E. Ms Vaira Vike Freiberga, President, Republic of Latvia Mr Nick Gowing, Presenter, BBC World News 1 The second round table, held on 11 December 2003, was convened under the chairmanship of H.E. Vaira Vike Freiberga, President of the Republic of Latvia, on the theme "Opportunities and Challenges - Diversity in Cyberspace". 2 Participants addressed, in an interactive exchange, the challenge of reconciling the flow of information and the need to preserve cultural and linguistic diversity in a digital world. The session focused, in particular, on the following issues: cultural and linguistic diversity; freedom of expression and media ownership; and law and ethics on the Internet. Cultural and Linguistic Diversity 3 Speakers stressed that maintaining cultural heritage and local languages was essential to the development of an Information Society. Universalizing access, open access to public domain information, freedom of expression and specific policies to foster distribution of information and knowledge were seen as critical to promoting cultural diversity. The significant role of the family in implementing a digital culture was also noted. 4 The importance of local content and local language development was emphasized. Content that is relevant to the cultures and languages of individuals in the Information Society needed to be provided through access to both traditional and digital media services. Some speakers emphasized the need to harmonize and standardize the procedures used to preserve oral languages in written form. 5 Speakers called for support by governments, the private sector and civil society in assisting their efforts to develop and use ICTs for the preservation - both digitization and dissemination - of cultural and natural heritage. They emphasized that the cost of preserving local content was significant when added to the cost of connectivity. The important role of UNESCO in preserving cultural heritage was acknowledged. 6 Some participants noted that the information superhighway was endangering rather than helping the preservation of linguistic and cultural diversity. Concern was expressed about the risks of homogenization of content. The concept of "intangible cultural heritage", which could not easily be recorded, was noted. The risk of losing local languages was described as the "risk of losing our soul". Other participants, however, emphasized the potential of ICTs to disseminate cultural content and referred to the Internet as a significant knowledge repository. 7 The World Summit Awards of 10 December 2003 were acknowledged as an excellent example of cultural diversity. The awards resulted from a selection of 800 projects from 136 countries. The quality of the products was high and no country dominated. This demonstrated diversity and better mutual understanding - the core pillars of an open and inclusive Information Society. - 58 WSIS-03/GENEVA/DOC/9-E 8 Some speakers indicated that there was no market for diversity. Others argued that some aspects of culture were marketable and acknowledged the role of the private sector in expanding access to connectivity, but noted that market forces were insufficient to ensure diversity of content. The role of universities and NGOs was seen as important in helping develop local content and preventing focus essentially driven by commercial considerations. It was recommended to make bicultural and multicultural heritage and resources available to schools via the Internet. 9 Participants emphasized that the exchange of knowledge, experiences and best practices on policies and tools was important to promote cultural and linguistic diversity at regional and subregional levels. They also shared their national experiences on effective ways to preserve cultural and linguistic heritage, such as national cultural heritage in Egypt, traditional music in Latvia, Maori traditions in New Zealand, or local and minority languages in Algeria, Chile and Morocco, among others. Freedom of Ex pression and Media Ownership 10 Freedom of expression was recognized as the pre-requisite for diversity. It was widely agreed that governments had a critical role in removing the obstacles to freedom of expression. Strong commitment by democratic and politically legitimate governments was needed to defend that principle. 11 Global media concentration was criticized by a number of speakers. To ensure democracy and content diversification, major media conglomerates should be prevented from controlling access to information. 12 The development of domestic legislation that guaranteed media independence, pluralism and freedom of expression should be encouraged. Several speakers noted the need to constitutionalize freedom of expression. The constitutionalization of freedom of expression had to be accompanied by political will. Speakers also stressed that legal frameworks needed to be enforced in courts. 13 One speaker indicated that the concept of responsibility as reflected in the Draft Declaration should be replaced by the concept of professionalism for journalists. Professionalism and the creation of a professional culture would protect ethical media conduct. Others indicated that the concept of responsibility should be retained. Several speakers saw a significant role for governments and the courts to ensure ethical media conduct. It was also emphasized that professionalism required training of journalists. 14 Media self-regulation was promoted by a number of speakers. However, it was emphasized that self- regula tion had itself to be subject to regulation. Legal frameworks were also needed for community media and private broadcasters to allow them to operate independently. It was stressed that public and private broadcasters needed to work together. 15 The role of traditional media and community-based media to ensure freedom of expression was underlined by several speakers. Families and educational institutions were recognized as the building block for a culture of freedom of expression. 16 Speakers indicated tha t poor people, for various reasons, faced the greatest problems in freedom of expression. The media had a special role to make greater efforts to help the poor and vulnerable exercise their freedom of expression. 17 A call was made to journalists not to allow terrorism to undermine the principles of democracy and freedom of expression. - 59 WSIS-03/GENEVA/DOC/9-E Law and Ethics on the Internet 18 Participants called upon all stakeholders to increase their awareness of the ethical dimension of the use of ICTs. The use of ICTs and content creation should respect human rights and fundamental freedoms of others. 19 Speakers acknowledged the importance of ethics for the Information Society, which should foster justice, and the dignity of the human person. Social controls were needed to prevent abusive uses of ICTs, such as hatred, extremism, fundamentalism, violence, racial discrimination and xenophobia. Specific proposals and recommendations 20 • • • • The following specific proposals and recommendations were made by participants: Sensitize search engines such as Google to the necessity of providing local languages and of enhancing their search capabilities in such languages. Launch an initiative to promote the development and use of translation engines. Elaborate an international convention for protection against SPAM. Consider developing international conventions to enable users to build on existing content without breaching existing copyright laws. - 60 WSIS-03/GENEVA/DOC/9-E ANNEX 2C Chairperson's summary of Round table 3: ICT as a tool to achieve the Millennium Development Goals 11 December 2003, 3 pm - 5 pm Chair/Moderator: Mr Mark Malloch Brown, Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) 1 The third round table, held on 11 December 2003, was chaired by Mr Mark Malloch Brown, the Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme, and it focused on the topic of ICT as a tool to achieve the Millennium Development Goals. 2 The main focus of the discussion centred on the questions of capacity-building, the role of ICT in helping to achieve sustained economic growth and sustainable development and ways in which ICTs can enable innovative delivery of social services including in the areas of health and education. During the debate, which reflected strong commitments to the Millennium Development Goals, ICTs were firmly placed at the centre of development. 3 It was broadly recognized that ICTs could contribute to accelerating the achievement of the international development targets by enhancing education, labour productivity and job opportunities, such as through call centres, and by creating local content. ICTs could also be effective tools to combat disease, promote universal respect of human rights, democracy and fundamental freedoms. Capacity-building 4 It was recognized that targeted action was required to meet the Millennium Development Goals and support infrastructure for the Information Society. Several interventions illustrated how the mainstreaming of ICTs into national development strategies had helped countries make progress towards the Goals. Speakers shared their national experiences on effective ways of overcoming existing obstacles to harnessing the potential of ICTs, such as the Government of Bangladesh e-strategy, Cuba's use of ICTs in health and education, Romania's e-procurement, the Asian Broadband Initiative, and Estonia's Tiger Leap programme, among others. 5 Participants also identified a number of persisting barriers to broad access to ICTs, including population explosion in developing countries, limited basic education, brain drain, lack of reliable energy sources, and lack of basic ICT infrastructure. It was recognized that Small Island Developing States (SIDS) required financial assistance to overcome the special challenges they face in spreading connectivity, owing to the high costs caused by their isolation. The special situation of Least Developed Countries (LDCs) was also highlighted. 6 Speakers emphasized the need for human resources development and the necessity to address the needs of vulnerable groups. In both developed and developing countries, women and older people were identified as groups which were often marginalized. Special measures were needed to integrate them into e-strategies, based on a combination of actions by government, business and civil society. It was stressed that all population groups, including youth, needed to be involved in the building of the Information Society. - 61 WSIS-03/GENEVA/DOC/9-E 7 The crucial role of partnerships between and among developed and developing countries especially in the areas of research and development, technology transfer, manufacturing and the use of ICT products and services was emphasized. It was generally agreed that the cost of developing ambitious ICT infrastructure, especially broadband networks and high-speed Internet connections, required a bold response from the international financial institutions. 8 Intellectual property rights (IPRs) were considered an important aspect of building an open Information Society. It was important to ensure a balance between the rights and responsibilities of IPR holders through, for example, more open source software and special pricing arrangements for ICT products and services. It was proposed that Trade Related Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPs) and the exceptions in medicine should be extended to areas such as education, promoting greater flexibility on intellectual property rights, as the latter hinder more affordable access and a wider sharing. Some speakers also stressed the importance of enforcing principles of freedom of information which need to be at the heart of national ICT strategies if they are to contribute effectively to development of knowledge. In this regard, political will was crucial. Sustainable development and sustained economic growth 9 Several speakers recognized that there existed, in addition to a digital divide between countries, also a digital divide within countries. A major challenge that the Millennium Development Goals pose was how to create space for pro-poor ICT perspectives in national e-strategies, in order to bridge national digital divides, which are often even greater than the international divide. The principle means to overcome the digital divides was through economic growth. It was noted that national policies that foster productive investment and enable especially small and medium sized enterprises to make the changes needed to seize the benefits of ICT are likely to be the most productive. National and local authorities needed to develop policies which would bring local contents and ICT networks i to everyday life and stimulate both small-scale n enterprises and many diverse social services. 10 There was a need to mainstream development cooperation policies to help developing countries rethink their national e-strategies. The achievement of MDGs required strategies targeted to local conditions and the involvement of both the public and private sectors and civil society. For example in Cuba, the use of solar power as energy source for computers has helped to increase the number of students being educated in rural areas. 11 The need for liberalization of the telecommunications sector was referred to by some speakers as an essential step towards lower cost access to ICT for development. Many speakers also advocated the opening up of public procurement, especially using the Internet and the development of online services, which could significantly improve access for all citizens and reduce the cost for the public sector. 12 The United Nations was considered by many speakers as one of the most important frameworks for mobilizing ICT for development. Some speakers making reference to their own experience with UNDP, suggested that donors could effectively channel resources through international organizations such as UNDP especially with regard to enhancing pub lic access to ICT. However, it was widely recognized that technology has frequently outstripped the capacity of local, national and international institutions to manage the challenges of the 21st century. Institutional weaknesses exacerbated by resource constraints have made it very difficult for many governments throughout the world to create and maintain an adequate framework for bridging the digital divide. - 62 WSIS-03/GENEVA/DOC/9-E Recommendations made by different speakers • International donors should help finance ICT for development. • Establishing an open source foundation, which would allow developing countries to make progress in access to ICT at a lower cost and could also open up many new opportunities for distance learning and the delivery of a wide range of services to rural and remote areas. • The United Nations should provide a more robust platform for stimulating the sharing of experience and best practice in promoting the Information Society, in both regional and multilateral institutions, possibly through the establishment of "technoparks". • The follow-up to the 2003 WSIS in Geneva should focus on the implementation of national e-strategies, including methodologies for monitoring their impact. • In the run-up to the 2005 WSIS in Tunis, training and capacity building should be given highest priority. • In preparation for 2005 WSIS in Tunis, a White Paper could be produced which would seek to define the criteria for governing of the Information Society. • The United Nations should review the impact of IPR on human rights and poverty.