Issues Critical to Development of Information Society Discussed in Executive Roundtable-Jordan
10 Dec 2003AMMAN (JT), Scheduled ahead of the official opening of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS), an executive roundtable entitled "Taking Responsibility in the Information Age" was held in Geneva on Tuesday.
The event, featuring focused dialogue between public, private, and civil society leaders, was co-chaired by Pascal Couchepin, president of the Swiss Confederation and Klaus Schwab, founder and executive chairman of the World Economic Forum, according to a statement released by the Ministry of Information and Communications Technology.
The executive roundtable was designed to set the tone of the WSIS, shape a future agenda for the information society, and convene leadership on the issues.
Focused on reform to enable an information society, the roundtable highlighted and articulated issues on the global agenda and convened leadership for the process from Geneva, Tunis and beyond, in a pragmatic and multi-stakeholder format.
Kofi Annan, secretary general of the United Nations, presented a keynote address emphasizing the need for addressing critical issues including human resource development through education and the development of legal frameworks that are investment friendly.
Moderated by James Rubin, former US assistant secretary of state for public affairs, the roundtable tackled in workshop style four key issues:
1. Finding the appropriate technology mix to address the Digital Divide, chaired by Joaquim Chissano, president of Mozambique.
2. Internet Governance: Beyond the Impasse, chaired by Nicholas Negroponte, a Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor.
3. Extracting Value from Globalization: How ICT-enabled services create opportunities and strengthen competitiveness, chaired by Fawwaz Zu'bi, minister of information and communications technology and minister of administrative development.
4. Connectivity for the Next Five Billion, chaired by Jai Naidoo, chairman of the board, Development Bank of Southern Africa.
The roundtable featured government leaders, including the presidents of the Swiss Confederation, Republic of Senegal, Republic of Mozambique, and the Republic of Latvia.
It also included leaders from the private sector, including the international chairman of Accenture, chairmen of EasyGroup, Eutelsat, and chief executives/presidents from ICANN, VISA, and Swisscom, as well as Jose Maria Figueres, chairman of the United Nations ICT Task Force.
In total, 40 global leaders from business, government, and civil society participated by special invitation, the statement said.
"The global dialogue is becoming much more inclusive, and developing countries choosing to shape their own destinies are finding opportunities to engage in that dialogue," said Zu'bi, who presented Jordan's accomplishments and action plan for the creation of an information society in Jordan.
"The fact that Jordan's public and private sectors were both selected to participate is a testament to the respect that Jordan's ICT development model is gaining worldwide. It is clear from the proceedings of the roundtable that Jordan is on the right track to realizing its ICT aspirations."
Talal Abu-Ghazaleh, chairman of Talal Abu-Ghazaleh & Co. International, was also among the participants, contributing to the outcomes of the dialogue on Internet governance, an emerging challenge that the WSIS is tackling.
The executive roundtable was designed to set the tone of the WSIS, shape a future agenda for the information society, and convene leadership on the issues.
Focused on reform to enable an information society, the roundtable highlighted and articulated issues on the global agenda and convened leadership for the process from Geneva, Tunis and beyond, in a pragmatic and multi-stakeholder format.
Kofi Annan, secretary general of the United Nations, presented a keynote address emphasizing the need for addressing critical issues including human resource development through education and the development of legal frameworks that are investment friendly.
Moderated by James Rubin, former US assistant secretary of state for public affairs, the roundtable tackled in workshop style four key issues:
1. Finding the appropriate technology mix to address the Digital Divide, chaired by Joaquim Chissano, president of Mozambique.
2. Internet Governance: Beyond the Impasse, chaired by Nicholas Negroponte, a Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor.
3. Extracting Value from Globalization: How ICT-enabled services create opportunities and strengthen competitiveness, chaired by Fawwaz Zu'bi, minister of information and communications technology and minister of administrative development.
4. Connectivity for the Next Five Billion, chaired by Jai Naidoo, chairman of the board, Development Bank of Southern Africa.
The roundtable featured government leaders, including the presidents of the Swiss Confederation, Republic of Senegal, Republic of Mozambique, and the Republic of Latvia.
It also included leaders from the private sector, including the international chairman of Accenture, chairmen of EasyGroup, Eutelsat, and chief executives/presidents from ICANN, VISA, and Swisscom, as well as Jose Maria Figueres, chairman of the United Nations ICT Task Force.
In total, 40 global leaders from business, government, and civil society participated by special invitation, the statement said.
"The global dialogue is becoming much more inclusive, and developing countries choosing to shape their own destinies are finding opportunities to engage in that dialogue," said Zu'bi, who presented Jordan's accomplishments and action plan for the creation of an information society in Jordan.
"The fact that Jordan's public and private sectors were both selected to participate is a testament to the respect that Jordan's ICT development model is gaining worldwide. It is clear from the proceedings of the roundtable that Jordan is on the right track to realizing its ICT aspirations."
Talal Abu-Ghazaleh, chairman of Talal Abu-Ghazaleh & Co. International, was also among the participants, contributing to the outcomes of the dialogue on Internet governance, an emerging challenge that the WSIS is tackling.
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