Approved at the fifteenth Plenary Meeting

ITU Preparation activities for the World Summit on the Information Society

The Council,

recalling

Resolution 73 of the Plenipotentiary Conference (Minneapolis, 1998) instructing the ITU Secretary-General to place the question of holding a World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) on the agenda of the United Nations Administrative Committee on Coordination (ACC);

noting

the feasibility study prepared by the ITU Secretariat Task Force;

further noting

Resolution 1158 of Council instructing the ITU Secretary-General to consult with interested parties on holding the Summit;

noting also

the action plan presented by the ITU Secretary-General to the ACC and the creation, by the ACC of a High Level Summit Organizing Committee (HLSOC), chaired by the ITU Secretary-General, and consisting of heads of those U.N. and other international agencies interested in participating in the WSIS process;

Considering

• that the Summit meeting is to be organized under the auspices of the United Nations Secretary-General with the ITU taking a leading role in its preparations in cooperation with interested U.N. and other international agencies and the host countries indicated in welcomes, below;

• that the participation in the Summit process will be decided at the diplomatic level; and

• the necessity for maintaining continuous review of the WSIS process at the Council level;

having examined

the report of the Secretary-General contained in Document C2001/49(Rev.1);

taking into account

that financial implications for the ITU resulting from its involvement in the organization of the first phase of the Summit do not exceed the amount foreseen in the 2002-2003 budget;

endorses

the proposed approach of the ITU Secretary-General of holding the Summit in two phases, as described in Document C2001/49(Rev.1);

welcomes

invitations as specified in the offers submitted from the Government of Switzerland and the Government of Tunisia to host the first and second phases of the WSIS in 2003 and 2005, respectively;

invites the HLSOC

• to consider means by which U.N. Member and Observer States, Civil Society, the private sector, and NGOs will participate in the Summit process taking into account established U.N. procedures on global summits;

• to consult with ECOSOC and other appropriate U.N. bodies on relevant Summit matters;

instructs the Secretary-General

1. to closely associate the two host countries to the HLSOC activities;

2. to provide information on a regular basis, through reports on the ITU web page, on ITU participation in these activities and on the implementation of this resolution;

3. to prepare for the consideration of the next Council session the estimated cost of the ITU involvement in the preparation of the second phase of the Summit for including in the Financial Plan to be submitted to the Plenipotentiary Conference; and

4. to transmit the present resolution to the HLSOC;

further instructs the Secretary-General

1. to seek from the HLSOC a detailed cost breakdown established for each year and each phase of the WSIS process, and to provide an analysis of any implications to the ITU budget with view to determine the expected requirements of the ITU for additional voluntary contributions;

2. to actively solicit extra-budgetary funding and resources for each of the two phases of the WSIS process; and

decides

given the lead role entrusted to the ITU in organizing the Summit, to authorize the Secretary-General to conclude appropriate agreements with the host countries;

resolves

to establish a liaison committee, chaired by the Chairman of Council 2001, composed of the two host countries and other interested members of the Council in order to:

1. consider ITU's involvement and contributions to the substance of the WSIS process in accordance with Resolution 73 (Minneapolis, 1998) and especially, development issues and international information security aspects, and report to Council 2002;

2. assist in assuring that the projected steps in planning for the WSIS process are taken; and

3. support the Secretary-General in his role in the HLSOC;

this liaison committee will operate mainly by electronic means, and should meetings of the liaison committee be required, costs will be borne by ITU extra-budgetary resources;

invites Member States and Sector Members

to contribute to the ITU preparation of contributions to the WSIS process.