About WSIS Stocktaking


The WSIS Stocktaking process provides a register of activities – including projects, programs, training initiatives, conferences, websites, guidelines, toolkits, etc. – carried out by governments, international organizations, the private sector, civil society and other entities. To that end, in accordance with paragraph 120 of the Tunis Agenda for the Information Society adopted by WSIS, ITU has been maintaining the WSIS Stocktaking Database since 2004 as a publicly accessible system providing information on information and communication technology (ICT)—related initiatives and projects with reference to the 11 WSIS action lines (Geneva Plan of Action).

The principal role of the WSIS Stocktaking exercise is to leverage the activities of stakeholders working on the implementation of WSIS outcomes and share knowledge and experience of projects by replicating successful models designed to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The WSIS Stocktaking process has come to comprise the database of:

  • exchanges of information on projects
  • sharing of best practices of certain regions
  • initiatives related to the implementation of the 11 WSIS action lines
  • linkage between the 11 action lines and the SDGs — a linkage that becomes more and more important over the years.

The WSIS Stocktaking database was introduced in 2010 and currently has more than 10,000 entries and a growing community more than 350,000 stakeholders. Besides collecting good ICT practices through the WSIS process, the WSIS Stocktaking platform has also hosted repositories of non-WSIS processes and other international organizations with objective to deliver customized reporting.

As of 2015, the United Nations General Assembly, within the framework of the ten-year review of WSIS (UN resolution 70/125) called for a close alignment between the WSIS process and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (UN resolution 70/1). The WSIS Stocktaking process responded by highlighting the contribution of 11 WSIS Action Lines to the achievement of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The direct linkages between the WSIS action lines and the SDGs set out below are crucial to continuing to strengthen the impact of ICTs for sustainable development. Each United Nations action line facilitator has analysed the connections and relations between their respective action lines and the proposed SDGs and their targets to create a clear and direct linkage and an explicit connection between the key aim of WSIS — harnessing the potential of ICTs to promote and realize the SDGs — and the post-2015 development agenda, to contribute to the realization of the latter. The majority of the projects presented in this database clearly showcase the linkage between their related action lines and the various SDGs and targets. SDGs as a new component was introduced in the WSIS Stocktaking process in the form of reporting ICT success stories to best showcase the possible achievement of SDGs through the implementation of WSIS action line-related projects.

The United Nations Economic and Social Council resolution 2018/28 on "Assessment of the progress made in the implementation of and follow-up to the outcomes of the World Summit on the Information Society" reiterates the importance of sharing best practices at the global level and, while recognizing excellence in the implementation of the projects and initiatives that further the WSIS goals, encourages all stakeholders to submit ICT-related projects and initiatives to the WSIS Stocktaking platform.

The same resolution also reiterates the importance of recognizing excellence in the implementation of the projects and initiatives that further the goals of the WSIS process, and encourages all stakeholders to nominate their ICT-related projects for the annual WSIS Prizes contest, established in 2012 as an integral part of the WSIS Stocktaking process.

Platform


Since October 2004, the WSIS Stocktaking Platform has served as a global repository for collecting and reporting on ICT-related projects which implement the WSIS Outcomes. It has also proved to be an efficient mechanism for sharing best practices towards advancing development goals, a role that will continue to be of value in the post–2015 era.

The platform offers stakeholders exciting and interactive networking opportunities; all types of stakeholders can benefit from the database, the global events calendar, the global repository, blog, online forum that tend to extend networking and create partnerships in order to provide more visibility and add value to projects at the local, national, regional and international levels.

By identifying trends in implementing the WSIS Outcomes, the WSIS stocktaking process contributes significantly towards building an inclusive Information Society. We hope that the best practices reflected on this platform will serve as models to be replicated around the world, and will encourage stakeholders to move forward towards achieving the WSIS goals. We extend sincere gratitude to all stakeholders who have been engaged in the WSIS Stocktaking Process, sharing their contributions towards achieving the WSIS goals since 2004. Even as we continue to face many challenges, opportunities also abound towards achieving a fully inclusive information society.