Preparatory Committee 3 (PrepCom-3), 19-30 September 2005, Geneva, Switzerland
Accredit Now

Geneva, 15 September 2005 - The final preparatory meeting for the forthcoming Tunis Phase of the World Summit on the Information Society will take place at the Palais de Nations, Geneva, from 19-30 September 2005.

The meeting, which is expected to welcome some 1’500 participants from UN agencies, the private sector, civil society and the media, will work to finalize the working documents of the Summit, scheduled to take place in Tunis from November 16-18.

Key agenda items include:

• Internet governance
• Financing mechanisms
• WSIS follow-up and implementation

While general agreement has been reached on ICT financing strategies following the work of the Task Force on Financing Mechanisms, set up by UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan following the first phase of WSIS in Geneva, 2003, Internet governance remains a highly contentious issue.

The transformation of the Internet from a research network into a mainstream communications platform for a fast-growing range of private and public purposes has seen different views emerge about the appropriate scope of and mechanisms for Internet governance.

Many of those who participated in the Internet’s early development did not think of the Net as being governed, or even as needing governance. However, when the invention of the World Wide Web in the early 1990s helped make it accessible to a wide range of users, its commercial potential and growing importance to business and government raised new issues and drew new actors into a debate about how the future of the Net should be managed. At the same time, the growing role of civil society in shaping the agendas of public and private organizations has put the spotlight on governance as an essential element in the ongoing development of the Internet, alongside technical standardization and management of core Net resources.

In a bid to build global consensus on this complex issue, the multi-stakeholder Working Group on Internet Governance (WGIG), established after WSIS 2003 to investigate and make proposals for action by the Summit’s second phase, was charged with arriving at a working definition of Internet governance, identifying relevant public policy issues, and developing a common understanding of the roles and responsibilities of different stakeholders.

The final report of the WGIG, released on 18 July (see www.wgig.org), will serve as the catalyst for ongoing debate on this issue at PrepCom-3.

With PrepCom-3 expected serve as the setting for many key decisions on the future of Internet governance, journalists are invited to accredit for this important event, which will bring together the key players in the Summit process for lively discussions on the issues that will form the basis of the Summit’s final outcome.

A draft agenda and time management plan can be found here.

Media Accreditation
Official media accreditation is compulsory for this event. Details of the accreditation procedure and an online accreditation form can be found here. Accreditation for PrepCom-3 will also be valid for the World Summit on the Information Society in Tunis.

Pre-accredited journalists will be able to collect their Media badges from Thursday, 15 September 2005 at the WSIS Media accreditation desk, located on the ground floor of the Montbrillant Building at ITU headquarters. Please note that the letter from ITU confirming acceptance of accreditation must be presented, together with an internationally recognized photo identification document (passport or national identity card).

For further information about the World Summit on the Information Society contact:
Mr Sanjay Acharya
Communication Officer
WSIS Executive Secretariat
Tel: +41 22 730 5046
Email: contact  

Important
For information on entering the Palais des Nations, the location of the “Salle de l’Assemblée”, and the location of the ITU Montbrillant building, see: www.itu.int/wsis/docs2/pc3/venue.html. Note: Entrance to the Palais des Nations will be through the Pregny Gate only.