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ABOUT THE WORLD SUMMIT ON
THE INFORMATION SOCIETY
The United Nations General Assembly Resolution A/RES/56/183, adopted
in 2001, endorsed the ýInternational Telecommunication Union (ITU)
proposal to hold a World Summit on the ýInformation Society (WSIS)
at the highest possible level and under the high patronage of the
ýUnited Nations Secretary-General. The main objective of WSIS is to
develop a common vision ýand understanding of the information
society and the adoption of a declaration of principles and ýa plan
of action for implementation by governments, international
institutions and all sectors of ýcivil society.
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The Summit was organized in two phases; the first phase took place
in Geneva during 10-12 ýDecember 2003 and the second phase in Tunis
in 2005.
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WSIS has offered a unique opportunity for the world community to
discuss and give shape to the ýinformation society by bringing
together key players: governments, international organizations,
ýprivate sector, civil society/NGOs. It has addressed the central
issues raised by the information ýsociety and related to policy
formulation, socioeconomic development as well as cultural, ethical
ýand technological concerns, which include:
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i.ý Building the ICT infrastructure; ý
ii.ý Universal and equitable access to the information society; ý
iii.ý Services and applications; ý
iv.ý User needs; ý
v.ý Developing a framework for building the information society; ý
vi.ý ICTs in education. ý
The ITU has taken the leading managerial role in the preparatory
process, while regional United ýNations organizations and host
countries have taken the initiative to organize regional
ýpreparatory conferences with the aim of producing regional
perspectives for the knowledge-ýbased society. Regional
organizations, civil society institutions and NGOs have contributed
to, ýand actively participated in, the preparatory process and in
the Summit.ý |
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