Geneva, 20 July 2005 - Internet governance is expected to be the main focus of attention for the third Preparatory Committee meeting (PrepCom-3) to be held in Geneva, Switzerland, from 19 to 30 September 2005. PrepCom-3 is also expected to complete the output document on financing, continue negotiations on the political part of the Tunis document as well as look at implementation and follow-up mechanisms on the road ahead.

PrepCom-3 will have before it:

1. The chapter containing the political component of the Tunis document, as it stood at the conclusion of PrepCom-2, together with a compilation of all written comments and proposals made during PrepCom-2 and contributions received from all stakeholders since PrepCom-2

2. Proposals from the Group of the Friends of the Chair for implementation and follow-up mechanisms for the WSIS Action Plan and post-Summit phase, together with a compilation of all written comments and proposals made during PrepCom-2 and contributions received from all stakeholders since PrepCom-2

3. The report of the Working Group on Internet Governance (WGIG) together with a compilation of all written comments and proposals to be submitted by governments and other stakeholders following the release of the WGIG report up to the deadline of mid-August

4. The revised chapter on financial mechanisms which contains some outstanding text that needs to be agreed upon

In addition, reports from regional conferences and WSIS-related thematic meetings held in the period between PrepCom-2 and PrepCom-3 will feed into the WSIS process at PrepCom-3. These include the WSIS regional conferences held in Tehran (31 May — 2 June 2005), in Rio de Janeiro (8-10 June 2005) and several thematic meetings. In keeping with multi-stakeholder participation in the WSIS process, observers from International organizations, civil society and the private sector will also have the opportunity to speak and provide inputs at PrepCom-3.

For further information, see here.

Media Accreditation

Accreditation for Media opened on 18 July 2005 for PrepCom-3. Media accreditation is required to obtain access to PrepCom-3. The procedure for media accreditation along with the form to complete can be found here.

Media badges for PrepCom-3 will be available from Thursday, 15 September 2005 (Opening hours: 08h30 to 12h00 and 13h30 to 17h00) at the WSIS Media accreditation desk at the Montbrillant Building, ITU Headquarters in Geneva. 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 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