Preparation work for PrepCom-2 by the Group of Friends of the Chair
The first session of the WSIS Preparatory Committee (PrepCom-1), held last June in Hammamet, Tunisia, decided that a Group of Friends of the Chair, with assistance of the WSIS Executive Secretariat and in consultation with regional groups, will prepare a document to serve as a basis for negotiations in PrepCom-2. The first meeting of the Group of Friends of the Chair (GFC) was held 22 October 2004 in Geneva, with participation of its nominated members as well as observers from other governments, international organizations, accredited civil society and business entities. Discussions included the adoption of its work plan and agreement of the outline of the Document to be submitted to PrepCom-2. The second meeting of the Group will be held 15-16 November 2004. For the list of members of the GFC and detailed outcome of the first meeting, see the official WSIS website. 

New team appointed to organize second phase of World Summit on the Information Society
Mr Yoshio Utsumi, Secretary General of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) and Secretary-General of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the agency charged with organizing the Summit appointed a team to organize the second phase to be held in Tunis from 16 to 18 November 2005.

Mr Charles Geiger is appointed Executive Director of the WSIS Executive Secretariat, which is based at ITU Headquarters. In cooperation with the intergovernmental WSIS Bureau, he is charged with the overall planning and implementation of the organization of the Summit including its preparatory process. Mr Geiger, a Swiss national, was seconded by his government to the Executive Secretariat in 2001 and has been serving as Assistant Executive Director since January 2004. He will take up his new duties as of 1 November 2004. 

Other members of the team include three senior officials of ITU, namely Mr Art Levin, Chief of the ITU Coordination, External Relations and Communication Units, Dr Tim Kelly, Chief of ITU Strategy and Policy Unit, and Mr Fernando Lagraña, Executive Manager of ITU TELECOM. For more information on the new team and its role, see the WSIS press release.

Consultative Meeting of Task Force on Financial Mechanisms, 16 November 2004, in Geneva
At the Geneva phase of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) in December 2003, the United Nations Secretary-General was requested to review the adequacy of existing financial mechanisms to meet the challenges of ICT for development. On behalf of the UN Secretary-General, the Task Force on Financial Mechanisms has been set up by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and launched on 4 October 2004 at UN headquarters in New York. For more information see the UN press release.

The TFFM will organize, in the morning of 16 November 2005, at the United Nations premises in Geneva, an informal consultation meeting open to all stakeholders as part of an all-inclusive process. For more information on the informal meeting see the official WSIS website. The TFFM is expected to complete its review by December 2004.

Launch of Online Forum on Financial Mechanisms
The Task Force on Financial Mechanisms (TFFM) invites you to contribute to an “Online Forum on Financial Mechanisms for Information and Communication Technologies for Development” hosted at the WSIS-online platform until 12 November 2004. 

Inauguration of the Digital Solidarity Fund, 17 November 2004, in Geneva
The Digital Solidarity Fund (DSF) was initiated by President Abdoulaye Wade of Senegal at the Summit of Cities and Local Authorities on the Information Society, held in Lyon, France, in December 2003. At the Geneva phase of WSIS, the Cities of Geneva and Lyon, as well as the Province of Turin joined the initiative and officially launched the DSF. The Fund is an independent initiative aiming to reduce the global digital divide and to promote access of all citizens to the knowledge society. The Fund will be officially inaugurated in Geneva on 17 November 2004 in the presence of Heads of State and representatives of Civil Society and the private sector. For more information see the DSF website. 

7th UN ICT Task Force meeting and Global Forum, 19-20 November 2004, in Berlin
The UN ICT Task Force will hold its seventh meeting in Berlin on 19 and 20 November 2004. The Working Groups of the Task Force on ICT Policy and Governance, National and Regional e-Strategies and Human Resource Development and Capacity-Building will meet on the eve of the Forum. Along with the meetings of the ICT Task Force, a Global Forum on promoting an enabling environment for digital development will be held. The Global Forum is an open event intended to provide a platform for broadest participation of all stakeholders. For more information, see the UNICT website. 

Working Group on Internet Governance, 23 – 25 November 2004, in Geneva
The first meeting of the Working Group on Internet Governance (WGIG) will be held at the United Nations in Geneva on 23 and 25 November 2004. Consultations open to Governments, civil society organizations and private sector entities will be held on 24 November. The members of WGIG are to be nominated by the United Nations Secretary-General. For detailed information on the WGIG's mandate, timeline of activities and meeting arrangements, see the WGIG website . This new website has been launched at the end of October 2004 and now runs independently from the official WSIS website .