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Beirut, 24 January 2003, (United Nations Information Service)--Ministers
and high-level decision makers representing Arab States and
engaged in building the information society will convene at the
United Nations House in Beirut from 4 to 6 February 2003 to
participate in the Western Asia Preparatory Conference for the
World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS). Prominent experts
in Information and Communication Technologies (ICT),
non-governmental organizations, civil society institutions,
regional and international organizations as well as private
establishments involved in the information society will also
participate in the Conference.
Riveting objectives and themes
Hosted by the Lebanese Ministry of Post and Telecommunications,
the Beirut Conference is held in close collaboration with ESCWA
(United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia),
the Cairo regional office of UNESCO (United Nations Educational,
Scientific and Cultural Institution) and ITU (International
Telecommunication Union), with support from the World Bank
Information for Development Programme (infoDev) and the United
Nations Information Communication Technologies Task Force. The
Conference is intended to assess the current status of ESCWA
member countries in relation to the information society; review
ICT policies, infrastructure, applications and services at the
national and regional levels; identify national and regional
needs, priorities and key issues to tackle; forge an understanding
among countries in the region on the information society; and
develop a vision, strategies and plans to reach the
knowledge-based society.
The Conference is also expected to establish a platform for
dialogue between major stakeholders of the information society in
the ESCWA region; identify initiatives leading to national and
regional projects that aim at developing ICT infrastructure and
services; and reach a consensus on the modalities of participation
in the WSIS for countries of the region.
Consequently, the main themes that the Conference will focus on
are: infrastructure development for the information society; ICT
applications for socioeconomic development; capacity building in
ICT; development of the ICT sector; policies and strategies for
building the information society; partnership among stakeholders
of the information society; the cultural identity and Arabic
digital content in a knowledge-based society; and regional
collaboration in building the information society.
Important issues to be tackled include the dissemination of the
benefits of ICT; focusing on the United Nations Millennium
Development Goals, particularly on generating employment and
alleviating poverty through ICT; e-learning, e-health;
e-government, e-commerce, and e-business; regulatory frameworks
for the digital economy and international rules and agreements; as
well as launching, implementing and financing information society
projects.
The final document adopted by the Beirut Conference will include
its main recommendations regarding policies, preliminary plans and
initiatives that address the key issues and tackle the identified
problems in building the information society. The document will be
presented at the Second Intergovernmental Preparatory Committee
meeting to be held in Geneva from 17 to 28 February 2003. The
second preparatory meeting will discuss the agenda of the Summit
and the elements to be incorporated into the final document for
the World Summit on the Information Society.
The WSIS
In its Resolution A/RES/56/183, adopted in 2001, the United
Nations General Assembly endorsed the International
Telecommunication Union (ITU) proposal to hold a World Summit on
the Information Society (WSIS) at the highest possible level and
under the patronage of the United Nations Secretary-General. The
main objective of the Summit is to develop a common vision and
understanding of the information society and the adoption of a
declaration of principles and a plan of action for implementation
by governments, international institutions and all sectors of
civil society.
The Summit will be organized in two phases. The first phase will
be held in Geneva from 10 to 12 December 2003 and the second phase
in Tunis in 2005.
The main issues the Summit will address are raised by the
information society and related to policy formulation,
socio-economic development as well as cultural, ethical and
technological concerns. They include building the ICT
infrastructure; the universal and equitable access to the
information society; the services and applications; the user
needs; developing a framework for building the information
society; as well as ICT in education.
The World Summit on the Information Society will offer a unique
opportunity for the world community to discuss and give shape to
the information society by bringing together key players:
governments, international organizations, private sector, civil
society including non-governmental organizations (NGOs).
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