ITU Plenipotentiary Conference addresses WSIS issues

ITU approved two documents concerning WSIS during its Plenipotentiary Conference in Marrakesh this fall. The first is an information report on the role of ITU in the Information Society. The second is a set of the ITU input to the declaration of principles and plan of action to be adopted at the first phase of the World Summit on the Information Society in December 2003.

The text puts forward three broad themes that lie at the core of the Information Society and that global leaders will need to address. These are:

• Providing access to ICTs for all;

• ICTs as a tool for economic and social development: meeting the Millennium Development Goals;

• Building confidence and promoting trust in the use of ICTs.

The framework provides a tool for ITU to develop the concept and formulate the deliverables associated with specific proposals. The criteria on which ITU proposals to WSIS are to be based include:

• tracking closely the core competencies of the Union

• being demand driven

• being global in scope with enough flexibility to respond to the national and regional conditions

• being responsive to the needs of developing countries

• taking fully into account and building upon the activities carried out in other relevant international and regional forums

• being practical, setting realistic and measurable objectives and identifying tangible results

• identify with national governments the potential for partnerships and explore these opportunities with potential partners

As well, the guiding principles to be considered relevant to ITU competencies in regard to promoting sustainable development for the 'information society' include, but are not limited to:

• securing the right to information and knowledge

• promoting universal access at affordable cost

• strengthening international cooperation

• establishing an enabling environment

• developing human capacity

• promoting linguistic diversity and cultural identity

• strengthening information and network security

• improving market access, especially for products and services from developing countries

• addressing global challenges

ITU, Media Relations and Public Information Service, Geneva, October 2002