World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS)

World Summit on the Information Society

The objective of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) is to formulate a common vision and understanding of the global information society. It is expected to adopt a Declaration of Principles and an Action Plan to facilitate the effective growth of the Information Society and to help bridge the digital divide. It is also regarded as an effective means to assist the United Nations in fulfilling the goals of the Millennium Declaration. The Summit will be held in two phases: Geneva from December 10-12, 2003, and Tunis in 2005, preceded by preparatory meetings - the first of which will be held in Geneva from July 1-5, 2002.

In addition to the preparatory meetings, there will be regional preparatory conferences in Africa, Europe, Asia and Latin America before the 2003 Summit to assess the key challenges, opportunities and constraints relating to the Information Society, develop a common vision and understanding for the region, and prepare a plan to address the key issues and solve the problems identified.

In May 2002, the WSIS African regional preparatory conference was held in Bamako, Mali. For more information on the African regional conference and to read the Bamako 2002 Declaration, visit http://www.geneva2003.org/bamako2002/

WSIS Gender Caucus

The WSIS Gender Caucus is a multi-stakeholder group of women and men from national governments, civil society and non-governmental organisations, the private sector and the United Nations system. It takes as a starting point the importance of aligning the WSIS process and outcomes with the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and urges governments to acknowledge gender equality and women's rights as fundamental principles in the creation of an Information Society. The WSIS Gender Caucus has committed to work towards an equitable Information Society that promotes empowerment and contributes to poverty reduction; an Information Society of greater inclusion and diversity, which eliminates cultural, social, technological and economic gaps. The WSIS Gender Caucus regards respect for fundamental human rights; gender equality, peace and environmental sustainability are the foundations for all the specific principles and actions that have been committed to as part of the Declaration and Action Plan. The WSIS Gender Caucus has developed a portal containing useful resources on gender equality advocacy in the ICTs arena: http://www.genderwsis.org

The WSIS Gender Caucus traces its beginnings to Bamako 2002 when representatives of organisations responded to an invitation by UNIFEM to contribute to ensuring that gender dimensions are included in the process of defining and creating a Global Information Society that contributes to sustainable development and human security. The following documents were prepared by the WSIS Gender Caucus at the Bamako 2002 conference:

Mainstreaming Gender Into the WSIS
WSIS Gender Caucus Statement (Click here for statement in French)
Key Recommendations of the WSIS Gender Caucus
WSIS Gender Caucus Call to Action

For further information on the WSIS Gender Caucus, visit http://www.genderwsis.org

Africa Regional Group of the WSIS Gender Caucus

Active participants in the WSIS Gender Caucus hailing from the African region met in Kampala on Sunday May 4th for a strategy and brainstorming meeting. The WSIS Gender Caucus participants had come to Kampala to participate in the Bridging the Gender Digtial Divide through Strategic Partnerships organised by UNIFEM and other partners. The WSIS Gender Caucus meeting provided an opportunity for many of the active participants in the on-line list to meet face to face for the first time, and also brought together some of the formation team, who had initiated the WSIS Gender Caucus, 12 months ago during the African Regional PrepCom for WSIS in Mali. The group meeting in Kampala agreed to continue working on African issues as a regional group within the global Caucus. Click here for the complete meeting report.

WSIS Related Links

WSIS Preparations in Uganda
On January 27, 2003, a Uganda National WSIS Taskforce was created to coordinate Uganda's input to the World Summit on Information Society (WSIS) PrepCom II, Geneva. WOUGNET established this web page for information on WSIS preparations in Uganda.

UNESCO WSIS website
Since the beginning of its preparation for the WSIS, UNESCO has involved NGO and civil society representatives in the preparation process for the WSIS. The UNESCO WSIS website is dedicated to the preparatory activities for the WSIS and includes information relevant to the position papers and events organised in the framework of the WSIS preparation.

NGO Gender Strategies Working Group
The NGO Gender Strategies Working Group was formed at the first WSIS PrepCom Meeting in Geneva in July 2002 as one of the sub-committees of the Civil Society Coordinating Group (CSCG). The groups currently involved in this effort are: the African Women's Development and Communications Network (FEMNET), Agencia Latino Americana de Informacion, Association for Progressive Communication-Women's Networking Support Programme, International Women's Tribune Centre, and Isis International-Manila. The Working Group is open to all NGOs and individuals interested in gender issues and the information society.
The NGO Gender Strategies Working Group is hosting the NGOwomen@genderit.org discussion, an electronic mailing list that is one of the group's efforts in strategising and organising women's participation in the WSIS process. NGOwomen@genderit.org aims to build on the current initiatives on gender and ICTs and further enrich discussions for the benefit of all women.

ICANN, Internet governance and Africa
During the last few years the relationship of African stakeholders with the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) has received greater attention. Driven by a few key individuals within African governments, the technical community, and civil society organisations, the increased scrutiny has highlighted the importance of Internet governance issues for Africa. Internet governance has also been put on the public agenda in the context of the WSIS. The Collaboration on International ICT Policy for East and Southern Africa (CIPESA) has produced a public briefing on the current status and key points of the debate. Click here for a copy of the paper entitled "ICANN, Internet governance and Africa" (PDF format).

Last update: October-9, 2005