WSIS Prepcom to Focus on Digital Fund, Internet Governance
GENEVA -- Two key issues remain unresolved from the first phase of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) and will be central to the 2nd session beginning here today (Thurs.), said Yoshio Utsumi, secy. gen. of the ITU and of WSIS: “That is whether we should have a so- called digital solidarity fund or not, and the so-called issue of Internet governance.” The first phase ended in Dec. 2003 in Geneva with the adoption of the WSIS Action Plan endorsed by 175 countries.
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More than 2,400 people have registered to attend PrepCom-2 of WSIS, officials said. Of them, 929 are from governmental organizations, 1,191 are from civil society and 92 are from the business side.
“To be successful in the second phase, we need further, firm political commitment from heads of state and a clear implementation plan of the Geneva Action Plan,” Utsumi said. “We also need necessary resources to implement the plan. If we meet these three objectives, the second phase will be 120% successful… This is an innovative process to establish the future of the information society rather than to solve past problems. So the expectation of all participants is really high.”
The Task Force on Financial Mechanisms (TFFM), which was set up by U.N. Secy. Gen. Kofi Annan, completed its report in Dec. and will present its findings to PrepCom-2. The Working Group on Internet Governance is continuing deliberations and will submit a preliminary report, with the final report due in Sept. at PrepCom-3. The Group of Friends of the Chair (GFC) prepared a document as a basis for negotiations in PrepCom-2, officials said.
Future thematic meetings are planned and will cover issues such as combating spam, Internet governance, freedom of expression in cyberspace, economic and social implications of ICTs and the application in natural disaster reduction. “I am keen to see PrepCom-2 address and frame the issue of financing of ICTs, which is important to the fulfillment of ITU’s core development mission,” Utsumi said: “It is equally important that the negotiations at PrepCom-2 be on track so that the other outstanding issue, that of Internet Governance can be fully addressed at PrepCom-3… During PrepCom-2, the most important issues to be discussed are the issues of financial mechanisms, this solidarity fund issue and the implementation mechanisms of the action plans.”
“The most important issue, the one that will take most of the time, will be examination of the TFFM report and negotiations on the text which will be based on the findings and conclusions of the report,” said Ambassador Janis Karklins, pres. of the preparatory committee of the Tunis phase of WSIS. “We will address the issue of implementation of Geneva decisions and we will try to elaborate and create a mechanism in the U.N. system to ensure that decisions which were taken in Geneva will be implemented.” Another focus of PrepCom-2 will be establishing a link between the WSIS process and a review process of the Millennium Declaration which will take place in Sept. in N.Y. and to agree on the format of the Tunis summit, Karklins said.
Karklins and the Group of Friends of the Chair will submit a document that’s expected to be a basis for negotiations at PrepCom-2. “What I would wish to see as an outcome of PrepCom-2 would be solutions on financial mechanisms,” added Karklins. “Success of this summit is crucial for the future of humanity,” concluded Utsumi.
In a separate announcement, Utsumi announced $1.1 million in new financial contributions to fund preparation for the Tunis phase. “With these new contributions to the WSIS Fund, we have raised more than $2.2 million, representing over half of our $4.2 million goal,” he said.