WSIS
E-FLASH N°24, 30 January 2006 |
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Editorial
The WSIS Executive Secretariat has decided to continue the
tradition of the E-Flash to keep you updated on events in
the post-WSIS process. We will also continue to update the
official WSIS website. While the content of the web-pages
regarding the Geneva and Tunis Summit will be “frozen”, the
other parts including basic information, stocktaking and the
new chapter on “WSIS Implementation and follow-up” will be
regularly updated.
With our best wishes for a happy and peaceful 2006,
The WSIS Executive Secretariat and its E-Flash team
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WSIS Executive
Secretariat maintained
As part of
the activities in the post-Summit period, the ITU
Secretary-General has decided to maintain the WSIS Executive
Secretariat, although on a smaller scale, to carry out the
implementation tasks stipulated in the Geneva Action Plan
and Tunis Agenda of WSIS. These activities include the
coordination/facilitation of multi-stakeholder
implementation and stocktaking, as well as other essential
tasks.
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Meeting on WSIS Action Lines Moderators/Facilitators on 24
February 2006
The Tunis
Agenda (para 108-109) states that multi-stakeholder
implementation at the international level should be
organized taking into account the themes and action lines in
the Geneva Plan of Action, and be moderated or facilitated
by UN agencies when appropriate. The experience of, and the
activities undertaken by, UN agencies in the WSIS process –
notably ITU, UNESCO and UNDP - should continue to be used to
their fullest extent. These three agencies are expected to
play leading facilitating roles in the implementation of the
Geneva Plan of Action and organize a meeting of
Moderators/Facilitators of Action Lines. Accordingly,
ITU, UNESCO and UNDP are convening the first
multi-stakeholder consultation meeting on 24 February 2006
in the Palais des Nations, room XXI, in Geneva.
In
addition to finalizing the list of moderators/facilitators
for the different WSIS Action Lines as set out in the Annex
of the Tunis Agenda, the meeting will discuss the nature of
the coordination process, its outputs and the modalities and
logistics of the work to be undertaken on WSIS
implementation.
A draft annotated agenda will be published on the official
WSIS
website. A registration/badge request form for
participants without a UNOG badge will also be available on
the website. The form should be completed and sent to the
WSIS Executive Secretariat at the latest by 22 February
2006.
The WSIS Action Lines Moderators/Facilitators meeting will
be preceded, on 23 February, by a consultation meeting on
WSIS implementation, open only to UN agencies.
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Internet
Governance Forum - consultations on 16 - 17 February 2006
Mr. Nitin Desai, the United Nations Secretary-General's
Special Adviser for WSIS, will hold consultations on the
convening of the Internet Governance Forum (IGF) in Geneva
16-17 February. All WSIS stakeholders are invited to attend
the meeting, which will take place in Room XVIII in the
Palais des Nations from 10:00 to 13:00 and 15:00 to 18:00
hours. The aim of the consultations is to develop a common
understanding among all stakeholders on the nature and
character of the IGF. The meeting will address the IGF's
scope of work and substantive priorities as well as aspects
related to its structure and functioning. It will also
discuss the convening of the inaugural meeting including the
agenda and programme. All participants are invited to a
reception hosted by the Swiss Authorities on 16 February
2006 at 18:00 hours.
More information
(including the official notification of the meeting, the
agenda and additional information on participation and
logistics can be found on the IGF
website. Please note that all participants to this
meeting have to pre-register.
Registration forms
should be sent by fax to the IGF Secretariat preferably
by 4 February, but not later than 11 February.
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WSIS Golden Book
The
WSIS Golden Book was launched in October 2005 with the
objective of highlighting stakeholder commitments and new
initiatives announced during the Tunis phase of WSIS. These
initiatives complement those already underway, which have
been recorded in the WSIS Stocktaking database. As stated in
paragraph 120 of the Tunis Agenda, the Golden Book serves as
one of the valuable tools for assisting with the follow-up,
beyond the conclusion of the Tunis phase of WSIS. The
submissions to the Golden Book database will provide an
input to a special publication that will be released in the
first quarter of 2006. For more information, see:
www.itu.int/wsis/goldenbook
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WSIS Stocktaking
The first
edition of the WSIS Stocktaking Report, released at the
Tunis Summit, is now available from the
ITU E-Bookshop. The report provides an inventory of
activities undertaken by governments and other stakeholders
in implementing the WSIS decisions (the Geneva Declaration
of Principles and Plan of Action) and takes stock of the
progress made in building the Information Society. It does
not claim to be comprehensive or exhaustive, but is intended
to highlight a representative sample of the projects
submitted during the first phase of WSIS, focusing on those
of a multi-stakeholder nature and those involving
cross-border cooperation. After the Tunis phase of WSIS, the
Executive Secretariat, together with ITU, is continuing to
take stock of all new submissions by stakeholders in the
field of WSIS implementation with the objective of updating
the stocktaking database. More information on WSIS
stocktaking is available at:
www.itu.int/wsis/stocktaking.
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The ITU
development initiative “Connect the World”
Leaders from Connect the World partner
organizations gathered on the opening day of the Tunis
Summit to exchange experiences and sign a global pledge to
“connect the unconnected by 2015.” This landmark event
served as an important milestone in a global effort to
mobilize a growing movement of stakeholders to help achieve
the WSIS connectivity goals. ITU also organized a
“Partnership Pavilion” at the Tunis Summit to showcase ITU
and partner initiatives.
ITU is now preparing a Connect the World “Partners’ Panel”
in cooperation with the Government of Qatar, to be held as a
side event during the World Telecommunication Development
Conference (WTDC), from 7-15 March 2006. The Partners’ Panel
event will serve as an informal forum for stakeholders to
exchange views and provide concrete inputs to the WTDC. The
theme of the Panel is “Implementing the WSIS and WTDC
agendas through multi-stakeholder partnerships.”
Looking ahead into 2006, Connect the World will take steps
to enhance interaction among partners by introducing new
on-line tools to support collaboration and networking as
well as the launching of new partnerships. ITU will also
introduce a series of indicators to track progress in
meeting shared goals. Together, these tools will help
stakeholders maintain momentum and guide collective efforts
to connect the unconnected by 2015. For more information on
Connect the World, visit:
https://www.itu.int/partners/index.html.
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WSIS
Outcome documents
The final
WSIS Outcome documents are available in six languages on the
WSIS website.
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New
general WSIS contact e-mail address
Please note that due to spam overflow, we had to change the
general e-mail address of the WSIS Executive Secretariat. The
new general contact address is available at:
https://www.itu.int/net/wsis/contact/index.html. Please avoid
copying this address on your websites, as spammers have
automatic search programmes for e-mail addresses on websites.
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INFORMATION LINKS |
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With best regards,
WSIS EXECUTIVE SECRETARIAT
https://www.itu.int/net/wsis/
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