Chapter One: Implementation Mechanism
and
Chapter Four: The Way Ahead
[Chapter One: Implementation []
1. We recognise that it is now time to move from principles to action,
considering the work already being done in implementing the Plan of Action and
identifying those areas where progress has been made, is being made, or has not
taken place. Governments and other stakeholders should identify those areas
where further effort and resources are required, and jointly identify and where
appropriate develop implementation strategies,, mechanisms and processes for
WSIS outcomes at global, regional, national and local levels, paying particular
attention to peoples and groups that are still marginalized in their access to
and utilization of ICTs.
2. Taking into consideration the leading role of governments in partnership with
other stakeholders in implementing the WSIS outcomes, including the Plan of
Action at the national level referred in [the Political Chapeau], we encourage
those governments that have not yet done so to elaborate, as appropriate,
comprehensive, forward looking and sustainable national e-strategies, including
ICT and sectoral e-strategies, as an integral part of national development plans
and poverty reduction strategies, as soon as possible and before 2010.
3. We support regional and international integration efforts aimed at
building a development-oriented global Information Society, reiterate that
strong cooperation within and among regions is indispensable to support
knowledge-sharing. Regional cooperation should contribute to national
capacity-building and to the development, as appropriate, of national
e-strategies, including ICT and sectoral e-strategies, as well as regional
implementation strategies.
4. We affirm that the exchange of views and sharing of effective
practices and resources is essential to implementing the outcomes of WSIS at the
regional and international levels. To this end, efforts should be made to
provide and share, among all stakeholders, useful knowledge and know-how,
related to the design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of national
e-strategies[, including ICT and sectoral e-strategies] and policies, as
appropriate. We recognize as fundamental elements to bridge the digital divide
in developing countries, in a sustainable way, the reduction of poverty,
enhanced national capacity-building and the promotion of local technological
development.
5. We reaffirm that through the international cooperation of governments
and partnership of all stakeholders, it will be possible to succeed in our
challenge of harnessing the potential of ICTs as a tool, at the service of
development, to promote the use of information and knowledge to achieve the
internationally-agreed development goals and objectives, including the
Millennium Development Goals, as well as to address the national and local
development priorities, thereby further improving the socio-economic development
of all human beings.
6. We are determined to improve global, regional and national
connectivity and affordable access to ICTs and information through an enhanced
international cooperation of all stakeholders that promotes technology exchange
and technology transfer on mutually agreed terms, human resource development and
training, thus increasing the capacity of developing countries to participate
fully, contribute and innovate, in the Information Society.
[6bis Recalling that 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, [we
undertake to assess regularly the impact of that cooperation and to work jointly
in order to eliminate any obstacles against it.]]
Newest 6bis Plan of action 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.
7. We reaffirm our commitment to providing equitable access to
information and knowledge for all, recognizing the role of ICTs for economic
growth and development. We are committed to working towards achieving the
indicative targets, set out in the Plan of Action, that serve as global
references for improving connectivity and universal, ubiquitous, equitable,
non-discriminatory and affordable access in the use of ICTs, considering
different national circumstances, to be achieved by 2015, and to using ICTs, as
an additional tool to achieve the internationally-agreed development goals and
objectives, including the Millennium Development Goals, by:
mainstreaming and aligning national e-strategies, including ICT
and sectoral e- strategies, across local, national, and regional action
plans, as appropriate and in accordance with local and national development
priorities, with in-built time-bound measures;
developing and implementing enabling policies that are reflective
of individual countries and promote a supportive international environment
foreign direct investment as well as the mobilization of domestic resources
in order to promote entrepreneurship in particular Small, Medium and Micro
Enterprises (SMMEs) taking into account their particular market and cultural
context. These policies should be reflected in a transparent, equitable
regulatory framework to create a competitive environment to support these
goals and strengthen economic growth.
Building ICT capacity for all and confidence in the use of ICTs
by all - including youth, women, indigenous peoples, people with
disabilities and rural communities - through the improvement and delivery of
relevant education and training programmes and systems incorporating
lifelong and distance learning;
promoting community [volunteering] ] as well as community access;
promoting public policies aimed at providing affordable access to
hardware as well as software, connectivity, increasingly converging
technological environment, capacity-building and local content;
developing and implementing e-government applications based on
open standards in order to enhance the growth and interoperability of
e-government systems, at all levels, thereby furthering access to government
information and services, and contributing to building ICT Networks and
developing services that are available anywhere and anytime, to anyone and
by anything.
promoting libraries in their public service role of enhancing
community connectivity and information literacy, and providing free and
equitable access to information, paying particular attention to the needs of
underserved communities.
supporting educational, scientific, and cultural institutions,
including museums, libraries, and archives, in their role of developing,
providing access to, and preserving diverse content, including in digital
form, to support informal and formal education, research, and innovation.
encouraging effective information management policies in the
public and private sectors, including the use of standards-based digital
archiving and innovative solutions to overcome technological obsolescence,
to ensure long term preservation of and continued access to information.
improving access to the world's health knowledge and telemedicine
services, in particular in areas such as global cooperation in emergency
response, access to and networking among health professionals to help
improve quality of life and environmental conditions;
building ICT capacities to improve access and use of postal network and
services;
using ICT to improve access to agricultural knowledge, combat
poverty, and support production of and access to locally relevant
agriculture related content;
[creating local and regional networks to improve the world’s
system for the control warning surveillance and response to situation of
emergency;]
[establishing standards-based monitoring and early-warning systems
and facilitating emergency response in high-risk regions all over the
world, using ICTs, accessible for all groups and individuals, to forecast,
monitor and reduce the impact of natural and man-made disasters, as well as
to disseminate understandable warnings to those at risk;]
old o)+n) Establishing standards-based monitoring and worldwide
early-warning system, and their integration into, national and regional
networks as well as facilitating emergency response in high-risk regions all
over the world, using ICTs, accessible for all groups and individuals, to
forecast, monitor and reduce the impact of natural and man-made disasters,
as well as enhance information and communication networks [including
emergency communications networks] to disseminate understandable warnings to
those at risk;
enhancing the capacity of communities in all regions to develop
content in local languages;
improving global, regional and national connectivity and access
to ICTs through enhanced international cooperation that promotes technology
transferand human resources training and development so as to increase the
capacity of developing countries, including Least Developed Countries and
their citizens capacity to participate fully in the Information Society;
strongly encouraging ICT enterprises to commit to
environment-friendly production processes, product recycling and proper
disposal of ICT waste products in order to minimise the negative impacts of
the use and manufacture of ICTs on people and the environment;
Incorporating regulatory, self-regulatory, [co-regulatory] and other
effective policies and frameworks to protect children and young people
from abuse and exploitation through ICTs into national plans of action and
e-strategies;
Old t) Promoting the use of traditional and new media in order to foster
universal access to information, culture and knowledge for all people,
especially vulnerable populations and populations in developing countries
and using radio and television into educational and learning tools;
[strengthening freedom of the press and freedom of information,
as well as independence, pluralism and diversity of media and reducing
international unbalances affecting the media;]
Newest s) Encouraging the development of domestic legislation that
guarantees the independence and plurality of media, as well as taking
appropriate measures – consistent with freedom of expression under certain
restrictions provided by law for respect of rights or reputations of others
and the protection of national security, public order and public morality.
Reaffirming the responsible use and treatment of information by media in
accordance with the highest ethical and professional standards.
digitizing our historical data and cultural heritage for the
benefit of future generations.
[Motivating by means of effective actions in the areas of education and
research (inclusive of science and technology), girls and women, to fully
participate in the information society. These actions will promote women
performance as workers, educators, researchers, civil society
representatives and stake holders in the e-Government processes and in the
decision making and political and action plan monitoring organizations;]
Newest u) Implementing effective actions on training and education (in
particular science and technology) that motivate the fully participation of
girls and women in the Information Society. These actions will also promote
women performance as educators, researchers, civil society representatives,
as well as stakeholders in the e-government process including decision
making and monitoring of public policies and plans of action related to
Information Society.
paying special attention to the formulation of universal design concepts
that promote access for all persons including those with disabilities
New 11Abis from political chapeau We recognize the intrinsic relationship
between disaster reduction, sustainable development and eradication of poverty
and that disasters seriously undermine investments in a very short time and
remain a major impediment to sustainable development and poverty eradication. We
are clear of the important enabling role of ICT at the national, regional and
international levels including,
Enhancing the capacity of developing countries in utilizing ICT tools for
national disaster early warning, management and emergency communications,
including their integration in the global network;
Promoting technical cooperation on development and application of ICT
tools for cost-efficient establishment and operation disaster early warning,
management and emergency communication system;
Promoting regional and international cooperation for easy accessing to and
sharing of technical and information resources for disaster management,
including to promote the utilization of space infrastructure, and exploring
resources for easier participation of developing countries. (Agreed).
[New child helpline. We commit ourselves to mobilising resources, including
human resources, to: issue a three or four-digit toll-free number for each
respective country’s child helpline. This number can be the universal access
number earmarked for children, similar to emergency services numbers currently
offered in many countries and should be accessible and free of cost from both
landline and mobile phones.]
8. We accordingly call on international and intergovernmental
organisations to develop within approved resources their policy analysis and
capacity-building programmes, based on practical and replicable experiences of
ICT matters policies and actions that have led to economic growth and poverty
alleviation through improved competitiveness of enterprises.
9. [We recall that the WSIS Plan of Action identifies international
performance evaluation and benchmarking, taking into account different national
circumstances, as an important aspect of follow-up and evaluation . Recognizing
the need to achieve a common set of core ICT indicators that are harmonized and
mutually agreed-upon internationally, taking into account different levels of
development, we welcome the progress made on a list of core ICT indicators and
encourage further coordination with the work currently being done by the UN
Statistical Commission and other relevant international fora on measuring
progress towards the achievement of the internationally-agreed development goals
and objectives, including the Millennium Development Goals.]
9B 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.
10. We call upon and encourage national statistical offices and
e-government agencies, UN agencies, Regional Commissions and intergovernmental
networks, international organizations as well as other stakeholders to support
these research efforts by providing technical support and data sharing including
gender, age and other disaggregated data. We invite the international community
to strengthen the statistical capacity of developing countries by giving
appropriate support at national and regional levels.
12. We recognize that our goals can be accomplished through the
involvement and cooperation of all stakeholders in the Information Society. We
encourage strengthened and continuing co-operation between and among
stakeholders to ensure effective implementation of the Geneva and Tunis
outcomes, for instance through the promotion of multi-stakeholder partnerships
including Public Private Partnerships (PPPs), the promotion of national and
regional multi-stakeholder thematic platforms in a joint effort and dialogue
with developing and less developed countries, donors development partners and
actors in the ICT sector.
14. We commit ourselves to review and follow-up progress in bridging the
digital divide, taking into account the different levels of development among
nations, so as to achieve the internationally-agreed development goals and
objectives, including the Millennium Development Goals, assessing the
effectiveness of investment and international cooperation efforts in building
the Information Society, identifying gaps as well as deficits in investment and
devising strategies to address them.
[15 Request that the ITU and relevant regional organizations report on a regular
basis to the Summit’s follow-up mechanism on activities to safeguard the use of
the radioelectric spectrum in the public interest, in accordance with the
principle of legality and in full observance of relevant international laws and
agreements, as well as national and international regulations.]
16. We acknowledge that multi-stakeholder participation is essential to
the successful building of an inclusive and development-oriented information
society. We underline that the participation of all stakeholders in implementing
WSIS outcomes, and following them up on national, regional and international
levels with the overarching goal of helping countries to achieve
internationally-agreed development goals and objectives, including the
Millennium Development Goals is key to that success.
17. We agree, in order to ensure the sustainability of progress towards
the goals of WSIS after the completion of its Tunis phase, to establish
[implementation and] [a process of] follow-up [mechanism] to the outcomes of
WSIS, at national, regional and international levels , as part of an integrated
and co-ordinated process. That [process] [mechanism] may include, at each level,
the following elements:
implementation;
evaluation;
review, policy debate and follow up
18. At the national level, based on the WSIS outcomes, we encourage
governments, with the participation of all stakeholders, to set up a national
implementation framework bearing in mind the importance of the enabling
environment, in which:
National e-strategies,[ including ICT and sectoral e-strategies,] where
appropriate, should be made an integral part of national development plans,
including Poverty Reduction Strategies, aiming to contribute to the
achievement of goals contained in the Millennium Declaration;
ICTs should be fully mainstreamed into strategies for Official
Development Assistance (ODA) through more effective development partners
information-sharing and co-ordination, and through analysis and sharing of
best practices and lessons learned from experience with ICT for development
programmes;
Existing bilateral and multilateral technical assistance programmes,
including those under the UN Development Assistance Framework, should be
used whenever appropriate to assist governments in their implementation
efforts at the national level;
Common Country Assessment reports should contain, a component on ICT for
development.
19. At the regional level:
Upon request from governments, regional inter-governmental organizations
in collaboration with other stakeholders could carry out WSIS implementation
activities, exchanging information and best practices at the regional level,
as well as facilitating policy debate on the use of ICT for development,
with a focus on attaining the internationally-agreed development goals and
objectives, including the Millennium Development Goals;
UN Regional economic Commissions, based on request of Member States and
within approved budgetary resources, may organize regional WSIS follow-up
activities in collaboration with regional and sub-regional organizations
with appropriate frequency as well as assist members states with technical
and relevant information for the development of regional strategies and the
implementation of the outcomes of regional conferences;
We consider a multi-stakeholder approach and the participation in
regional WSIS implementation activities by civil society, business entities
and others to be essential.
20. At the international level, bearing in mind the importance of the
enabling environment:
Implementation and follow-up of the outcomes of the Geneva and Tunis
phases of the Summit in the UN system should take account of the main themes
and action lines in the Summit documents with full participation of all
stakeholders;
Each UN agency, within its mandate and competencies, and based on
decisions of their respective governing bodies, and in line with UNGA
Resolution 57/270 B, should facilitate activities among different
stakeholders, including civil society and the business sector, to help
national governments in their implementation efforts. The facilitation
should include, amongst others, information exchange, creation of knowledge,
sharing of best practices, and assistance in developing and
multi-stakeholder public private partnerships. Facilitation should be
carried out within the approved budgets of the respective agencies.
[ We stress the importance of the effective and timely implementation
the outcomes of WSIS and agree that the modalities of coordination of
implementation activities among UN agencies should be defined by the UN
Secretary General on the basis of existing practices within the UN system.
Recalling that the system-wide integrated and coordinated of
implementation of and follow-up to the outcomes of major UN conferences and
summits in the economic and social fields should follow the procedures set
out in UNGA Resolution 57/270B, and, that the impact of ICTs cuts across
several sectors, and therefore UN agencies, we further agree that the
experience of, and activities undertaken by, UN agencies in the WSIS process
should continue to be used to their fullest extent.
Recognizing that ICTs can serve as a catalyst for meeting the
internationally-agreed development goals and objectives, including the
Millennium Development Goals, we urge all UN agencies, especially those
whose mandate may have a significant impact on the development of an
inclusive and development-oriented Information Society to consider, within
their mandate and competencies, based on the decisions of their respective
governing bodies and in line with UNGA Resolution 57/270 B, to facilitate
activities among different stakeholders, including civil society and the
business sector, in order to assist national governments in their
implementation efforts.
Further recognizing that successful building of an inclusive
Information Society is reliant on access to infrastructure and the
development of content, We request ITU with close collaboration with UNESCO
and UNDP to continue playing the leading managerial role and organize a
meeting of coordinators of action lines as mentioned in Annex A.
We further request the Secretary General in his capacity as Chair of
the Chief Executives Board for co-ordination to address the possibility of
inter-agency co-ordination.
]
Coordination of multi-stakeholder implementation activities would allow
information exchange and avoidance of duplication of activities;
The establishment of multi-stakeholder partnerships which are aimed at
bridging the digital divide should be supported and encouraged. In that
respect we welcome initiatives such as the ITU-led initiative “Connect the
World”, ,
[21. We request in the follow up process of the Summit to assist those
countries affected by 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 or that hinders their well-being, in overcoming the obstacles which
prevent their population from fully enjoying the benefits of the information
society.]
[Annex A
Action Line
Coordinator(s)
С1. The role of public governance authorities and all
stakeholders in the promotion of ICTs for development
ECOSOC/UN Regional Commissions
С2. Information and communication infrastructure
ITU
C3. Access to information and knowledge
ITU/UNESCO
C4. Capacity building
UNESCO/ITU
C5. Building confidence and security in the use of ICTs
ITU
C6. Enabling environment
ITU/UNDP
C7. ICT Applications
E-government
E-business
E-learning
E-health
E-employment
E-environment
E-agriculture
E-science
UNDP/ITU
WTO/UNCTAD
UNESCO/ITU
WHO/ITU
ILO
WHO/WMO/ UNEP/UN-Habitat
FAO
UNESCO
C8. Cultural diversity and identity, linguistic
diversity and local content
UNESCO
C9. Media
UNESCO
C10. Ethical dimensions of the Information Society
UNESCO/ECOSOC
C11. International and regional cooperation
UN REGIONAL COMMISSIONS/ UNDP/ITU/ECOSOC/
B. Objectives, goals and targets
ECOSOC/ITU
D. Digital Solidarity
UNDP/ITU
E. Follow-up and evaluation
ITU
]
Chapter Four: The Way Ahead
40. Building an inclusive development-oriented Information Society will
require unremitting effort. We thus commit ourselves to remain fully
engaged, nationally, regionally and internationally, to ensure sustainable
follow-up to the implementation of outcomes and commitments reached during WSIS
process and its Geneva and Tunis phases of the Summit. Taking into account the
multifaceted nature of building the Information Society, effective cooperation
among governments, UN agencies, civil society and the private sector , according
to their different roles and responsibilities and leveraging on their expertise,
is essential.
[40A This cooperation must be [governed] [guided] by the provision of UNGA
resolution 57/270 B and in terms of the decisions of the 2005 Summit]
40A EU
[40A Review and policy debate should be organized in the framework of the
follow-up to the outcomes of the major UN conferences and summits in the
Economic and Social fields, as provided for in UNGA Resolution 57/270 B. It
should be an integral part of the review process of the implementation of the UN
Millennium Declaration]
41. WSIS follow up mechanisms should be based on a multi-stakeholder approach.
We recognize the need to establish appropriate mechanisms for implementation,
evaluation, as well as policy debate and review, involving governments and other
stakeholders and including national, regional, international and other bodies.
[We note that the 2005 Summit Outcome Documents emphasize the role of ECOSOC as
a quality platform for high-level engagement among Member States and with the
international financial institutions, the private sector and civil society.]
Effective implementation of WSIS outcomes is important for achieving
internationally-agreed development goals and objectives, including the
Millennium Development Goals.
In order to build a inclusive people-centred development oriented
Information Society We call for the active participation of the private
sector and civil society to work with Governments in implementing WSIS
outcomes at the local, national, regional and international levels, in a
collaborative manner, taking into account local and national priorities as
well as the need to strengthen South-South cooperation.
Evaluation is an important element of assessing implementation of
WSIS outcomes. We accordingly commit to follow up the implementation of the
Geneva and Tunis outcomes through an internationally-comparable and
mutually agreed upon framework for statistical indicators. This framework
should include both qualitative and quantitative elements as well as take
into account the different aspects of the development dimension and national
circumstances and priorities.
Considering the dynamic nature of the Information Society and the
development of ICTs and their applications, regular policy debate and review
is essential. While recognizing that public policy decisions are the
ultimate responsibilities of governments, we consider the participation in
the policy debate by the national civil society, business entities and
others to be essential, and invite all stakeholders to participate actively
in the review and policy debate activities organized in the framework of the
follow-up to the outcomes of the major UN conferences and summits in the
economic and social fields.
42. Adequate financing mechanisms should be sought to implement the long
term action plans dedicated to the building of the information society.
43. [We agree that the follow-up to Internet governance should be separated
from the other issues and organized as outlined in Chapter Three.]
44. An effective international performance evaluation and benchmarking
framework should continue to be developed. Recalling that the Plan of Action
identified the need for international evaluation and benchmarking through
comparable statistical indicators in order to follow up the implementation of
the WSIS objectives, goals and targets, we welcome the launching of the Digital
Opportunity Index (DOI) and that of the ICT Opportunity Index which are tools
for measuring the ICT infrastructure capability of countries and call upon all
stakeholders to contribute to their further development.
[New text to merge 44 and 45 The development of ICT indicators is important
for measuring the digital divide. We support the Partnership on Measuring
ICT for Development, a multi-stakeholder partnership which aims to increase the
availability of internationally comparable ICT statistics and to promote
capacity building in developing countries for the monitoring of the Information
Society. This could lead to the establishment of composite development indexes,
such as the Digital Opportunity Index (DOI).]
45. The development of ICT indicators is important for measuring the digital
divide. We welcome the launching in June 2004 of the Partnership on
Measuring ICT for Development, a multi-stakeholder partnership which aims to
accommodate and develop further the different initiatives regarding the
availability and measurement of ICT indicators at the regional and international
levels. It provides an open framework for coordinating ongoing and future
activities, and for developing a coherent and structured approach to advancing
the development of ICT indicators globally, and in particular in developing
countries.
46. Sharing of information related to the implementation of WSIS outcomes is
important. We note with appreciation the launch of WSIS Stocktaking in
October 2004, which will serve as a valuable tool for follow-up, beyond the
conclusion of the Tunis Phase of the Summit. We encourage all WSIS stakeholders
to continue to contribute information on their activities to the WSIS
stocktaking public database In this regard, we invite all countries to establish
an information gathering mechanism at the national level with the involvement of
all stakeholders.
47. There is a need to build more awareness on The Internet in order to make
it a global facility which is truly available to the public. We agree to
declare [dates] a World [Internet] [ICT] [Information Society] Day to help to
raise awareness, on an annual basis, of the importance of this global facility,
on the issues dealt with in the Summit, especially the possibilities that the
use of ICT can bring for societies and economies, as well as of ways to bridge
the digital divide.
47A. There is a need for efforts to be undertaken to advance the usage of ICTs
including space technologies for knowledge-based disaster management as a
priority task.
48. [We request the Secretary-General of the Summit to report to the
General Assembly of the United Nations on its outcome.]
49. We request the Secretary General of the United Nations to submit a
report on implementation activities of the WSIS decisions within the UN family
as part of the annual report to the ECOSOC and/or UNGA.
[49A We request ECOSOC, through its Commission on Science and Technology for
Development, to oversee the systematic coordination, review and policy debate of
the Geneva and Tunis outcomes of the World Summit on the Information Society.]]