Industry Gears Up for Second Phase of Information Society Summit
05 Apr 2005As the second part of the UN’s World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) approaches, USCIB and its members are actively working to ensure that business views are represented in the preparatory process and at the summit itself, which takes place in Tunis this November.
The first phase of the two-part UN summit was held in December 2003 in Geneva, where governments signed a declaration of principles – a common vision of the information society’s values – and a plan of action to build on that vision and to bring the benefits of information and communications technologies to poorer countries and populations.
At the Tunis summit, November 16-18, there will be a number of occasions for business leaders to make their views known, including speaking slots at plenary sessions, official roundtables, and smaller, high-level panels. Other opportunities, such as exhibition booths and private meetings are also available.
“Although the logistical aspects of high-level business participation are crucial, it is equally important that companies be aware, well in advance, of decisions likely to be taken at the summit,” said Heather Shaw, USCIB’s director of e-commerce and telecommunications.
To that end, business has been an active participant in the WSIS preparatory process and has sought to resolve, in advance of the Tunis meeting, concerns over possible future Internet governance and financing mechanisms. Input has taken place under the Coordinating Committee of Business Interlocutors, an umbrella organization led by the International Chamber of Commerce to mobilize and coordinate the involvement of the worldwide business community in the WSIS process.
Ongoing discussions in the UN’s Working Group on Internet Governance, created by UN Secretary General Kofi Annan following the Geneva summit, have demonstrated that policy and technical matters surrounding Internet governance may require different forms of international coordination and stakeholder involvement. In general, business favors using currently existing organizations, while emphasizing that greater discussion and information exchange is needed among stakeholders.
“WSIS has made progress in building a multi-stakeholder partnership to promote a global information society,” said Ms. Shaw. “This is necessary to accomplish the goals set at the Geneva summit, and one that should be continued in any implementing mechanism discussed in Tunis.”
Echoing these sentiments, Talal Abu-Ghazaleh of Jordan, who chairs ICC’s Commission on E-Business, IT and Telecommunications, urged executives at a recent meeting in Paris to take the lead in establishing a long-term platform to bring together all interested parties.
"Business must act to avoid the pitfalls of short-term solutions," he said. "Current initiatives and events leave many issues unaddressed. It is unrealistic to assume that solutions can be developed in such a short time frame."
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