MEDIA ADVISORY — MEDIA ADVISORY — MEDIA ADVISORY

ITU Workshop on Internet Governance
Workshop to help prepare ITU input for UN Working Group on Internet Governance

Geneva, 11 February 2004 — The World Summit on the Information Society (10-12 December 2003) organized under the patronage of UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan and spearheaded by the UN’s telecommunication agency, the International Telecommunication Union, adopted a Declaration of Principles and Action Plan to bring the benefits of the Information Society to all of humanity.

As part of this achievement it was requested that the "Secretary-General of the United Nations set up a working group on Internet governance, in an open and inclusive process that ensures a mechanism for the full and active participation of governments, the private sector and civil society from both developing and developed countries, involving relevant intergovernmental and international organizations and forums, to investigate and make proposals for action, as appropriate, on the governance of Internet by 2005."

In order to contribute towards ITU's inputs and positions for this working group, ITU Member States, Sector Members and selected individual experts in Internet governance issues have been invited to a Workshop on Internet Governance to be held 26-27 February 2004 at ITU in Geneva.

The workshop will provide a forum for invited experts to exchange views and make analytical studies on definitions, viewpoints and visions on Internet  governance from several aspects, including legal, technological, administration and commercial issues. All discussions and results from the workshop will be compiled into a report and communicated  to the entire ITU Membership and submitted to the appropriate ITU decision-making bodies for their further consideration.

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