Dear Colleagues

We are pleased to provide you with an update on the second meeting of the Preparatory Committee (PrepCom-2) for the World Summit on the Information Society, which took place in Geneva from 17-28 February. 

PrepCom-2 began with a panel of ‘visionaries’ that included the Presidents of Senegal and Romania and concluded with working documents for a draft declaration and action plan. The meeting also marked the creation of a Civil Society bureau, which will ensure the closest possible cooperation between government and civil society.

President Abdoulaye Wade of Senegal, in his visionary address, called for “digital solidarity, perhaps founded on a digital charter.” President Ion Iliescu of Romania noted that as the information society is increasing our dependency on technology, “establishing a suitable framework will be of key importance.” For the visionaries statements click here. 

The working documents for a draft declaration and action plan propose a common vision of the information society and the issues to be dealt with ranging from ICTs for economic development and human capacity building to security and access to information and knowledge. These documents will form the basis for on-going discussions amongst all stakeholders and are available here. A new working document, incorporating all of the input from PrepCom-2, will be produced by 21 March 2003 and will be posted on the website for consultation and comment.

PrepCom-2 attracted 1586 participants of which 918 were from member states, 398 from civil society and non-governmental organizations, 60 from the business sector and 25 from the United Nations and specialized agencies. "Their enthusiastic participation is reflected in the comprehensive nature of the work produced, and in their collective belief in developing new and innovative partnerships between Member States, civil society and the business sector in order to bridge the divide," says Mr Yoshio Utsumi, Secretary-General of ITU. "However, to achieve the vision of the information society we've outlined, we need to do more work as well as gain the support and political will of the leaders of the world." 

The full text of the press release on the outcome of PrepCom-2 can be found here.

The document outlining the intersessional arrangements between PrepCom-2 and PrepCom-3, which will be held in Geneva 15 – 26 September, can be found here.

The outcome of the eight multi-stakeholder roundtables held during PrepCom-2 is available here.

Please feel free to contact us at anytime for more information on the World Summit on the Information Society.

With best regards,

WSIS Secretariat