World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS)

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The World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) was a U.N. sponsored Summit organized by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) in two phases. The first phase took place in Geneva hosted by the Government of Switzerland from 10 to 12 December 2003. The objective of the first phase was to develop and foster a clear statement of political will and take concrete steps to establish the foundations for an Information Society for all, reflecting all the different interests at stake. The second phase took place in Tunis hosted by the Government of Tunisia, from 16 to 18 November 2005 with the objective of putting Geneva's "Plan of Action" into motion as well as to find solutions and reach agreements on a broad range of themes. More than 19,000 participants from 174 countries attended the Summit and related events.

 

The Tunis Summit outcomes are outlined in the "Tunis Commitment" and the "Tunis Agenda for the Information Society".

 

 

The World Bank Group's Delegation

The World Bank Group was invited to participate in the Summit as an observer. The delegation to the Second Phase of WSIS in Tunis was headed by Kathy Sierra, Vice President for the Infrastructure Network, coordinated by the GICT Department, and included representatives from:

• World Bank Group's GICT Department: consisting jointly of the Policy division (World Bank) and the Investment division (International Finance Corporation).
• infoDev, an innovative multi-donor partnership of bilateral and multilateral organizations focusing on use of ICT for development, coordinated and served by a secretariat housed in GICT.
• World Bank Institute
• World Bank's Middle East and North Africa Region
• World Bank's South Asia Region
• World Bank's Information Solutions Group
• World Bank's Development Research Group

ICT crosses all sectors, bringing increased efficiency and new opportunities to areas from small enterprise development and international trade, to education and healthcare. It also facilitates the sharing of experiences across organizations and geographical areas, furthering collective learning and the ability for organizations and countries to build on one another's advances. The World Bank Group believes that ICT and its use is of vital importance to achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). These goals guide the World Banks' efforts in fulfilling its mission – a world free of poverty.

 

 

The World Bank Group & infoDev's WSIS Phase II Involvement

WSIS was an excellent opportunity to engage with clients and stakeholders. The World Bank Group and infoDev were involved in numerous ways:

 

PRE-WSIS

• Preparatory Process

DURING WSIS

• Plenary Session and Roundtable Discussion
• Publications
• infoDev Forum and Toolkit
• Technical Workshops
• Video-Conference
• Presentations at Parallel Events
• The Africa Regional Communications Infrastructure Program (RCIP) - Related Events

POST-WSIS

• Discussion on Internet Governance and WSIS

 

Coming out of WSIS, GICT remains focused on developing innovative products and solutions that work in a converged environment for our clients, committed to pushing for the mainstreaming of ICTs, and continuing our engagement and collaboration with partners. To further the goal of extending ICT access, GICT will continue to deepen its efforts on both operational work and knowledge products, with the understanding that the department needs to remain agile in working in a constantly evolving sector.

 

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