World Summit on the Information Society

World Summit on the Information Society
Name	World Summit on the Information Society
Date	2003–2005
Location	Geneva and Tunis
Participants	United Nations member states, private sector, civil society

World Summit on the Information Society. The World Summit on the Information Society was a landmark pair of United Nations-sponsored conferences focused on addressing the opportunities and challenges of the digital revolution. Organized by the International Telecommunication Union, the summit aimed to develop a common vision for an inclusive information society. It brought together representatives from governments, the private sector, civil society, and international organizations to forge a global framework for harnessing information and communication technologies for development.

Background and origins

The proposal for a global summit emerged from the governing council of the International Telecommunication Union in 1998, recognizing the transformative potential of the burgeoning internet and digital technologies. The concept gained formal endorsement from the United Nations General Assembly in 2001, which mandated the summit to bridge the global digital divide. This initiative was set against a backdrop of rapid technological change following the commercialization of the World Wide Web and the growing influence of corporations like Microsoft and Cisco Systems. The preparatory process involved extensive consultations across multiple continents, including regional meetings in Bavaria, Buenos Aires, and Tokyo.

Phases and meetings

The summit was conducted in two distinct phases. The first phase was held in Geneva from 10 to 12 December 2003, hosted by the government of Switzerland. This gathering produced foundational documents and set the agenda for further action. The second phase convened in Tunis from 16 to 18 November 2005, hosted by the government of Tunisia. Between these major conferences, numerous preparatory committees and regional events took place, such as meetings in Paris and Rio de Janeiro. The structure allowed for iterative negotiation among stakeholders including the European Union, the African Union, and advocacy groups like the Association for Progressive Communications.

Key themes and action lines

Central themes of the summit included promoting affordable access to information and communication technologies and leveraging them to achieve the Millennium Development Goals. Critical discussion areas, later formalized as action lines, covered internet governance, cybersecurity, and enabling environments for innovation. Debates intensely focused on the management of critical internet resources, such as the Domain Name System, pitting visions of multilateral oversight against the existing model involving the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers and the United States Department of Commerce. Other action lines addressed applications in sectors like e-health, e-learning, and e-government.

Outcomes and documents

The principal outcomes were the adoption of two key documents: the Geneva Declaration of Principles and the Geneva Plan of Action in 2003, followed by the Tunis Commitment and the Tunis Agenda for the Information Society in 2005. These texts endorsed a people-centered, inclusive vision for the information society and established eleven concrete action lines for implementation. A major institutional outcome was the creation of the Internet Governance Forum, a multistakeholder discussion body proposed in the Tunis Agenda. The documents also reaffirmed the role of the International Telecommunication Union and other agencies like the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization in follow-up activities.

Implementation and follow-up

Implementation of the action lines was delegated to various United Nations agencies through a process coordinated by the UN Chief Executives Board. The Internet Governance Forum held its first meeting in Athens in 2006 and continues as an annual global event. Other follow-up mechanisms include the WSIS Stocktaking database and the WSIS Forum, a global multistakeholder gathering co-organized by ITU, UNESCO, UNDP, and UNCTAD. A comprehensive ten-year review was conducted through the WSIS+10 process, culminating in a high-level meeting at the United Nations General Assembly in New York which endorsed the WSIS+10 Outcome Documents.

Criticism and challenges

The summit faced criticism from various quarters. Some civil society groups, including the Civil Society Internet Governance Caucus, argued that the process was dominated by governmental and corporate interests from the Global North. The contentious and unresolved debate over internet governance and the role of the United States vis-à-vis ICANN was a significant point of friction, particularly for delegations from China, Brazil, and South Africa. Critics also noted that the voluntary nature of the action lines and the non-binding documents limited their effectiveness in compelling action or redistributing resources to close the digital divide, a challenge later taken up by the Broadband Commission for Sustainable Development.

Category:United Nations summits Category:Information technology conferences Category:2000s in international relations