Second Preparatory Committee Meeting for WSIS Tunis Phase:
WSIS PrepCom-2, 17-25 February 2005, Palais des Nations, Geneva

Geneva, 4 February 2005 — The second Preparatory Committee Meeting (PrepCom-2) of the Tunis Phase of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) will be held in Geneva, Switzerland, 17-25 February 2005. The meeting will focus on preparations for the Summit that will take place in Tunis, Tunisia, 16-18 November 2005. It will also evaluate progress made on the WSIS Plan of Action, which was agreed to by 175 countries in Geneva in December 2003.

The President of the WSIS Preparatory Committee will submit a document aimed at reaffirming political commitments made in the Geneva Phase and ensuring that the Tunis Phase is a ‘Summit of Solutions’ that will bring the benefits of the Information Society to all of humanity. This document, an output of multi-stakeholder consultations by the President and the ‘Group of Friends of the Chair’, is expected to serve as a basis for negotiations at PrepCom-2. While it has been agreed that the commitments made in Geneva will not be re-opened for discussion, the Tunis document is envisaged in two parts: a political and an operational part. The operational part is laid out in four chapters:

Chapter 1 — From principles to action: A summit of sustainable solutions;

Chapter 2 — Financial mechanisms;

Chapter 3 — Internet governance; and

Chapter 4 — The way ahead.

For further information, see: https://www.itu.int/net/wsis/docs2/pc2/off3.html

PrepCom-2 is also expected to consider a preliminary report of the Working Group on Internet Governance (WGIG) and the report of the Task Force on Financial Mechanisms (TFFM) that is aimed at bridging the digital divide. UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, under the WSIS mandate, established both groups. WGIG has scheduled meetings 14-18 February 2005, which will partly overlap with PrepCom-2.

Reports from regional conferences and WSIS-related thematic meetings will also feed into the WSIS process at PrepCom-2. WSIS regional conferences have been held in Damascus, Syria, 22-23 November 2004, and in Accra, Ghana, 2-4 February 2005.

Parallel events to be held in conjunction with PrepCom-2 include:

• “Telecom for Disaster Relief: the Tampere Convention”: Workshop organized by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU);

• “ICT for Health Action in the Tsunami Crisis”: Workshop conducted by World Health Organization (WHO);

• “Promoting WSIS: MDG¹ synergies”: Session conducted by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, the Swaminathan Research Foundation, India, and the Global Knowledge Partnership;

•  “(e-) Learning about Sustainable Development”: Panel organized by United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and GRID-Geneva;

• “ICT for Peace”: Panel discussion organized by the Swiss Department of Foreign Affairs;

• “World Summit Contributory Conference: ICT & Creativity”: Presentation by Austria and World Summit Awards.

• “Communicating the MDGs”: Workshop organized by the International Public Relations Association (IPRA).

Civil Society will hold an orientation session at the Palais des Nations on 14 February and will meet in plenary sessions during PrepCom-2.

Media Accreditation: Accreditation to the WSIS PrepCom-2 meeting is required in order to obtain a press badge for access to the meeting. The procedure for media accreditation along with the form to complete can be found at https://www.itu.int/newsroom/accredit/wsis/procedure.html

Media badges for PrepCom-2 will be available from 16 February 2005, 08h30 at the WSIS Media accreditation desk at the Montbrillant Building, ITU Headquarters.

While onsite accreditation is possible, it is strongly advised to pre-register to ensure compliance with all accreditation requirements. Pre-registered journalists are requested to present to the media accreditation desk the confirmation letter sent upon acceptance of media accreditation along with a photo identification.

For further information, please contact:

Sanjay Acharya
Communication Officer
WSIS Executive Secretariat
Tel: +41 22 730 6039/730 5046
Email: wsismedia@itu.int

About WSIS
The World Summit on the Information Society provides a unique opportunity for all key stakeholders to develop a common vision and understanding and to address the wide range of issues related to the Information Society. Envisaged in two phases, the Geneva Summit, held in December 2003, laid the foundations of an inclusive and equitable Information Society with agreement by 175 States on a Declaration of Principles and a Plan of Action. The Tunis Phase of WSIS will be held 16-18 November 2005 to consolidate the achievements of Geneva, implement the Action Plan and look ahead to building an inclusive, development-oriented Information Society.
WSIS aims to bring together Heads of State and Government, Executive Heads of United Nations agencies, non-governmental organizations, civil society entities, industry leaders and media in a truly multi-stakeholder process to promote access of all to information, knowledge and communication technologies for development.
The Summit will take place under the auspices of the UN Secretary-General, with the International Telecommunication Union taking the lead role in its preparation.