Latin America and Caribbean Regional Conference for WSIS, Bávaro (Dominican Republic), 29-31 January 2003

A stone's throw from the crystal-clear waters of the Caribbean, in the paradisiacal setting of Bávaro, some 500 participants representing governments, civil society, the private sector and international organizations from more than 40 countries assembled for the Latin America and Caribbean Regional Conference to prepare for the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS), the first phase of which is to take place in Geneva from 10 to 12 December 2003. The event was organized by the Dominican Telecommunication Institute (INDOTEL), with the collaboration of the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC).

At the opening meeting, which was broadcast live on the country's television and radio networks, Hipólito Mejía, President of the Dominican Republic, informed participants of his positive response to the proposal by the President of the WSIS Preparatory Committee, Adama Samassékou, to form part of the first core of Heads of State and Government undertaking to promote participation in the Summit of the highest authorities in the countries of his region. In this respect, Hipólito Mejía also announced his own personal decision to attend the Summit.

Throughout the three days of deliberations, participants exchanged experiences, ideas and opinions on the status of the information society in the region, focusing on four main themes, namely; legal framework, financing, human resources and universal access to telecommunication services. The Vice‑President of the Dominican Republic and Secretary of State for Education, Milagros Ortiz, participated actively in the event, thus testifying to the Dominican Republic's firm commitment to promoting development of the information society in the region and participating actively in the preparatory process for WSIS.

The last day of the conference was one of intense activity among the delegations of participating countries to draft what was to be the Bávaro Declaration, finally adopted in the early hours of the morning, setting out a series of guiding principles and priority themes for the region in relation to the information society. The Bávaro Declaration also invites the host country to present the text to the second meeting of the Preparatory Committee (Geneva, 17‑28 February 2003) and to the first phase of WSIS (Geneva, 10‑12 December 2003).

With the adoption of the Bávaro Declaration, the delegation of Peru announced its country's offer to host a second regional conference in 2004, to ensure regional coordination and preparation for the second phase of WSIS (Tunisia, 2005).

More information on the Latin America and Caribbean Regional Conference is available from the following webpage: www.indotel.org.do/wsis