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ISSUES
World Summit on the Information Society:
How Has WSIS Facilitated Development? |
 Information and communication technologies (ICT) have fundamentally changed the way we live, work, communicate and conduct business. However, most of the world’s poorest people have yet to experience the benefits of ICT, and the digital divide between the haves and have-nots continues to widen with time. Recognizing that this new reality requires global dialogue, the International Telecommunications Union, a United Nations agency, convened Phase 2 of the World Summit on Information Society (WSIS) in November 2005 to specifically address the digital divide in the developing world. Did WSIS yield results? What can developing countries gain from the Summit?
Photo courtesy of ITU
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The World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) has represented a major breakthrough in the history of UN – civil society relations: it has indeed implemented the multi-stakeholder approach long called for by civil society itself and by UN agencies organs and most strongly advocated by the Cardoso Panel on UN – Civil Society Relations. Indeed, governments, international organizations, civil society and the private sector have worked hand in hand for the preparation and the holding of the Summit itself. Read Full Commentary (NEW)
It would be spurious to argue that WSIS is responsible for the dramatic growth in the use of ICT, but the point to make is that WSIS has been co-incident in time with it. We are living through a revolution in the spread of ICT worldwide, and that poses new policy and regulatory challenges, which have been at the heart of the debate over the Information Society. WSIS has helped to fill the requirement for international debate and coordination on how we prepare for the global Information Society, which is arriving much earlier than anyone could have predicted. Read Full Interview
Technology, instead of bridging the gap, often becomes a greater divider. The growing technological between the developed and developing countries must be bridged. Creating links between knowledge generation and development is thus one of the greatest challenges facing developing countries. Strengthening the educational institutions and R&D organizations in the developing countries and their effective linkages with the industry is therefore vital. The challenge is too huge for the governments or private sector in the developing country governments to overcome alone.
With respect to the Digital Solidarity Fund, the global ICT for development fund proposed at WSIS, I support the position of the European WSIS Thematic Conference of Cities and Municipalities held in Leipzig, Germany: This fund should be used as seed money for municipalities and local initiatives that are closest to citizens. This is the only way the comparatively small fund will have true impact. On the other hand, if thrown at Central Governments, it will be considered only as pocket-money and will not be used effectively. Read Full Interview
To be successful in mainstreaming ICT, the ICT community needs to reach out to the broader development community. Having ICT professionals or fans talking to each other is useful for exchange of information and best practice, for the development of alliances and partnerships. In the end, however, the real impact will come only when non-ICT specialists, including the ministers of economy and finance in our client countries and our economists at the World Bank and other development institutions, integrate ICT as an important dimension of the overall development agenda. Read Full Interview
The World Summit on Information Society (WSIS) provides a wonderful opportunity for mutual learning and commitment. It can help developing countries to purchase time in terms of technological leapfrogging. The Digital Solidarity Fund will be particularly helpful in organizing capacity building and networking programs. I hope WSIS will become the flagship of the movement for harnessing ICT for meeting basic human needs, as articulated in the UN Millennium Development Goals. Read Full Interview
There will be significant progress if WSIS specifically recognizes the role of the private sector and takes the necessary steps in neutralizing this deficiency. Programs such as the provision of seed grants can create important opportunities. One key factor to recognize is that developing countries fall within a diverse spectrum with different needs which must be addressed in the creation of any fund. Read Full Interview
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 How did Development Gateway members respond to our Information
Society Survey questions?:
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- Nov
3, Fill-the-Gap!, Netherlands
- Nov 9-Nov 11, World Summit of Cities
and Local Authorities and the role Information Society, Spain
- Nov 10 -11, Libraries and the
Information Society in Action, Egypt
- Nov 13-15, Past, Present and Future of
Research in the Information Society
- Nov 16-18, World Summit on Information
Society, Tunisia
- Nov
17, Creating Transformations: Intel at WSIS, Tunisia
- Nov 28-Nov 30, IEEE International
Workshop on Wireless and Mobile Technologies in Education, Japan
- Nov 28 - Dec 5,
GKP/MSSRF South-South Exchange Traveling Workshop 2005, India
- May 25 – May 26, First
International Conference on Information and Communication Technologies and
Development, USA
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