Geneva 2003, the First Phase
The Swiss Government and Geneva are proud to have been the host of the first phase of the World Summit on the Information Society in 2003. WSIS was the first major event to take place in Geneva since Switzerland joined the United Nations in 2002 and is one of the first very important United Nations’ Summits of the 21st century.

Geneva is recognized for its distinctive international presence. In particular, the prominent diplomatic community and the many important and relevant international organizations based here, as well as the significant experience of the Canton and the City of Geneva in hosting high-level events made a valuable and essential contribution to the Summit. The Summit also provided an opportunity to strengthen and realize the synergies between the members of the international community based in Geneva. Finally, the Summit benefited from Switzerland’s position as an increasingly important research and high-tech industrial center in Europe and Switzerland also benefited from hosting the Summit.

Press release: The ITU has chosen Switzerland to host the first phase of the World Summit on the Information Society

Partnership
The success of the first phase of the Summit has shown the importance of the good cooperation which Switzerland was able to secure: with Tunisia, host country for the second phase of the Summit in 2005; the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the UN agency responsible for the Summit; all UN Member-States; the intergovernmental organizations (IGO), the private sector and civil society.

For Switzerland, it is important that the Summit help create a World Information Society that enables all segments of society, in industrialized and developing countries, to have access to information and knowledge through the new information and communication technologies (ICT). In all countries, everyone should be given a chance to use ICTs for their personal, social, economic and cultural development and that of their community. However, governments cannot do this job alone. The private sector, which has been the driving force for development of ICTs as we know them today, and civil society, a prime user of ICTs for developmental applications, must be important partners in determining the outcome of the Summit. These partners will be the prime motors behind implementing the actions decided at the Summit, working together with governments.

Financial role
The Swiss Government covered the costs of the logistical requirements of the WSIS in Geneva 2003. The Swiss Confederation and the Geneva Government jointly financed the secondment of ten experts from various countries who worked in the Civil Society and Government Divisions of the Summit Executive Secretariat under the responsibility of the Executive Director Pierre Gagné. In addition, Switzerland created a host Government Secretariat with a staff of ten assisted by an experienced conference management company.

Financial support was also provided by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) to facilitate the participation of governments from less developed countries at the Summit. International development cooperation and humanitarian aid are instruments of Swiss foreign policy. The Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation is part of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs. In order to achieve the greatest possible impact and influence, the SDC, headed by Walter Fust, concentrates its long-term development cooperation efforts on a limited number of countries and areas of activity. Humanitarian aid and disaster relief, on the other hand, are provided throughout the world, wherever emergency situations arise.
See the ICT4D Platform organized by the SDC and the GKP at the World Summit on the Information Society Geneva 2003.

Message from Pascal Couchepin, President of the Swiss Confederation (2003)
The job of politicians is to reconcile ideals with what is possible. Then the possible must actually be implemented. The fact that many countries are fast becoming knowledge-based societies raises questions affecting individuals, the internal organization of states as well as international cooperation.
The first phase of the World Summit on the Information Society will take place in Geneva from 10 to 12 December 2003. This will be a unique opportunity to develop a worldwide vision for the information society at the highest possible level. The Summit is to result in a political declaration and a plan of action. And since information and knowledge concerns society as a whole, Switzerland particularly supports the involvement of civil society and the private sector in this process.
I am very pleased that my country will host this Summit. I will do my best to ensure that the first UN Summit in Geneva since Switzerland gained full membership of the UN will be a success.