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Switzerland believes that the preparation of the World Summit on
the Information Society should be, to the greatest extent possible,
an open and inclusive process. Since the end of 2001, official and
informal preparatory activities have been organized in order to
secure the broadest possible input of all stakeholders. To accomplish
and implement this objective, Switzerland has put into place several
ways of promoting a dialogue between the different actors of the
information society.
Coppet workshop
In December 2001, the Swiss Executive Secretariat organized a workshop
held in Coppet, Switzerland, to discuss and reflect the World Summit
on the Information Society. The objective of the workshop was to
identify potential themes for the Summit and to make recommendations
for the most effective way to prepare the Summit in terms of content.
For the workshop participants, it became clear that to have an important
impact, this Summit must attract Heads of State together with key
stakeholders at the national, regional and international level.
In order to accomplish this, a proposal was prepared and titled
"A Networked Series of Events". (See Coppet
Diagram "A Network Series of Events" (59kb pdf) and Coppet
Workshop Report (257.1kb pdf).
It proposes the organization of a series of preparatory events to
the Summit that involves all concerned stakeholders and facilitates
a broad participation.
Diplomatic preparations
February - June 2002
• Informal consultations and information sessions with the
Permanent Missions of Geneva, organized by the host countries, Switzerland
and Tunisia.
• Series of meetings with the Ambassadors and Missions in
Geneva with the goal of mobilizing and assisting governments in
preparation of the PrepCom process. Thus an informal information
session organized by the host countries, Switzerland and Tunisia,
in April 2002 set out to provide the Permanent Missions of Geneva
with an overview of the many issues related to the Information Society.
Information
Day Report (185.8kb pdf)
December 2002
Meeting (logistical and financial support provided by Switzerland)
of the President of the PrepCom's Group of Experts
• A meeting convened by President of the Prepcom to generate
ideas for his Non-Paper to be submitted at Prepcom2
• Document: Information
and Communication for All (A Non-Paper for Prepcom2, by the
President of the Prepcom)
PrepCom Bureau
The first meeting of the WSIS PrepCom was held on 1-5 July 2002.
The Secretary General of the ITU and the President of the High-Level
Summit Organizing Committee (HLSOC) opened the inaugural plenary
session. On the basis of consultation with the regional groups,
the delegates elected by the President and the other members of
the PrepCom Office were as follows:
President: Adama Samassékou (Mali)
Vice-presidents: Switzerland and Tunisia in their capacity as WSIS
host countries
Regional representation is assured as follows:
Africa: Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, Republic of South
Africa
Asia: Brunei Darussalam, Japan, Pakistan
Eastern Europe: Latvia, Rumania, Russian Federation
Latin America & Caribbean: Brazil, Dominican Republic, Mexico
Western Europe: Finland, France, United States of America.
Switzerland heads Sub-Committee 1
The Preparatory Committee decided to create two sub-committees.
Ambassador Daniel Stauffacher, the Swiss Federal Council’s
delegate to WSIS, was elected chairman of sub-committee 1 (tasked
with examining the internal draft regulations of the Preparatory
Committee, the internal draft regulations of the Summit and the
accreditation modalities). Ambassador Pablo Macedo (Mexico), representing
the LAC group, was elected chairman of sub-committee 2 (tasked with
examining the proposed Summit topics and the possible results of
these).
See also:
Article
for Al-Siyassa, Egyptian quarterly periodical, December 2003.
Interview
with Ambassador Daniel Stauffacher, L’Araignée,
Bamako, Mali, April
2002 (french)
The PrepCom process
In 2002-2003, the three scheduled preparatory Committees (PrepCom)
made it possible to put the finishing touches to the agenda and
define the topics of the Summit. PrepCom 1 elected Adama Samassékou
to manage the entire process up to December 2003. A founder of the
African Academy of Languages and Mali’s former Minister for
Education, Mr. Samassékou thus chaired all the PrepCom meetings
until the conclusion of phase 1 of WSIS.
Topics and content
During the first PrepCom, which was held in Geneva in July 2002,
an initial proposal of topics was identified with a view to future
reflection. At the end of the year, the PrepCom 1 discussions and
the informal meeting on content and topics made it possible to draw
up the following list: ICT infrastructure, obstacles to the establishment
of the information society, access to information, the role of the
players, development of capabilities, safety of the environment,
the establishment of a favorable environment, applications, and
cultural and linguistic diversity.
Message
from Marc Furrer, Director-General OFCOM
The
Swiss Federal Office of Communications (OFCOM) assumed responsibility
for the preparations of the host country for the World Summit on
the Information Society. Mr. Marc Furrer, OFCOM Director-General
and Secretary of State for all events taking place within the framework
of the World Summit on the Information Society, stressed in his
speech at the opening session of the first preparatory committee
meeting on July 1, 2002 the need for tangible results.
“Those
who have no telephone, no internet access, not only in their home
nor even in their village nor in their neighborhood will not be
satisfied with some nice general political statements at the WSIS.
They will want concrete plans on how they can achieve access to
the information society. Especially those who need to use the ICT
for education or for better medical help. So I ask you to always
bear in mind that we have come together to find substantial solutions.
Real solutions. We have to overcome political obstacles, and as
I said before, we can find those solutions only by working together
closely with the non-governmental organizations and the private
sector.” Link
to full speech
PrepCom 2
In the welcome address delivered in February 2003 to the 1,600 delegates
attending the second WSIS Preparatory Committee in Geneva, the host
country set the tone: "It is not a question of a meeting of
a few technology specialists who want to solve the problems of the
planet by maximizing profits". Federal councilor Moritz Leuenberger
invited the participants to discuss as a priority the content of
the information society, i.e. its cultural and political dimension,
with a view to promoting dialogue between cultures and developing
communication for peace.
Chaired by the General Secretary of the ITU, a prospective ' think
tank ' met within the framework of PrepCom 2 which proposed eight
multi-partner round tables on specific topics. The debates in which
Ion Iliescu, the President of Romania, and Abdoulaye Wade, the President
of Senegal, took part were conducted by Maria Livanos Cattaui, General
Secretary of the International Chamber of Commerce. President Wade
grasped the occasion to present his visionary idea: the Digital
Solidarity Charter, open for signature by all States.
Inter-session
meeting in Paris
Chaired in July 2003 by Lyndall Shope-Mafole (South Africa), this
meeting arranged by PrepCom 2 produced satisfactory results. Indeed,
it allowed notable progress to be made with particular regard to
the draft Declaration of Principles. At the end of the meeting in
Paris, this fundamental text was shorter, clearer and more concise
– in accordance with Switzerland’s wishes.
PrepCom 3
The final WSIS Preparatory Committee was held in Geneva from 15
- 26 September, 2003. Switzerland redoubled its efforts to ensure
a satisfactory compromise with regard to the Declaration of Principles
and the Plan of Action. The negotiations intensified and the Swiss
delegation, headed by Secretary of State Marc Furrer, OFCOM Director-General,
intervened more and more as a "facilitator" during this
decisive final stage. For its part, the Swiss government called
upon former President of the Confederation Adolf Ogi to strengthen
contacts and move forward towards a consensual formulation which
would allow the heads of State and heads of Government, the private
sector and civil society to come up with the most appropriate documents
by December 10. Some sticking points (financing, human rights and
the "governance" of the internet) necessitated a further
week of negotiations in mid-November. At the request of the participants,
Switzerland’s effort to facilitate matters continued successfully
virtually right up to the day before the opening of the World Summit.
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