Post Tunis mechanisms allowing for NGO inputs

Financing mechanism

GENEVA SUMMIT
UN multi-stakeholder initiative
Private initiative; Outside
10-12 December 2003
Outside of the WSIS process
of the WSIS process
TUNIS SUMMIT
UN ICT Task Force

16-18 November 2005

Digital Solidarity Fund - DSF
Established at the request of



ECOSOC in March 2001, the
Multistakeholder policy

Implementation at the
Systemwide follow-up
ICTTF aimed at supporting at the
dialogue on Internet

international level
to WSIS
global level the efforts to bridge

Governance
Inaugurated in Geneva on 14
the digital divide and ICT for
March 2005, outside of the
development.
WSIS process, as a private
UN Group for the Information
Commission on Science and
Internet Governance Forum IGF

foundation under Swiss law.
Society (UNGIS)

Technology for Development

Terminated in Tunis in Nov. 2005


UNGIS is a formal interagency

WSIS invited the UN Secretary


www.unicttf.org
coordination process (� 103).
WSIS requested ECOSOC to
General to convene the IGF for
WSIS did not set up the DSF
Not open to other stakeholders.
review the CSTD to oversee the
multi-stakeholder policy dialogue

but just welcomed it as "an

follow-up to WSIS in a multi-
and clarified its mandate,
innovative financial mechanism"
www.ungis.org
stakeholder approach (� 105).
structure and functions (� 67 and
Global Alliance for ICT and
(� 28, Tunis Agenda).


72 to 79, Tunis Agenda)
Development





Consultation process:
- 16-17 February 2006: Open
Multi-stakeholder


- 13 February 2006: ECOSOC
consultations in Geneva.
This initiative was intended to
Implementation process


consultation on strengthening the
- 31 March 2006: Conclusion of on-
replace the UN ICT TF at the end
WSIS provided that multi-
Initiated in the aftermath of the
CSTD.
line consultations on issues to be
of its mandate. It provides a multi-
stakeholder implementation at
- 16 May 2006: 2nd ECOSOC
discussed.
Geneva Summit on an initiative
stakeholder global forum and
consultation on the future role of
- 18 April 2006: Deadline for
the international level is
by the City of Geneva and the
platform for cross-sectoral policy
the CSTD
submissions for Multi-Stakeholder
President of Senegal, it allows
moderated/facilitated by UN
- 18 May 2006: CSTD informal
advisory Group membership.
dialogue and advocacy and by
agencies when appropriate,
the voluntary commitment of
panel on the future role of the
- 22-23 May 2006: IGF Advisory
catalyzing multi-stakeholder
taking into account themes and
public authorities, including local
CSTD
Group meeting
action oriented partnerships
action lines of the Geneva Plan of
authorities, and private entities


encouraged under the GAID
for with the view to transform
Action (� 108 to 110).

30 Oct. - 2 Nov. 2006: Inaugural
umbrella.

the digital divide into digital
Consultation process:
Reform process:
IGF meeting (Athens, Greece)

opportunities.

- 24 February 2006: Consultation
- 15-19 May 2006: IXth session of

19-20 June 2006: Inaugural

the CTSD (Geneva).
- 12-13 Feb. 2007: IGF stock taking
of Action Line Facilitators.
meeting of the Global Alliance


- 27 July 2006: ECOSOC
meeting
Action line facilitation meetings, 2006:
(Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia).

resolution 2006/46 on the review
- 3 September 2007: IGF
- 9 March: C2 - Infrastructure
of CSTD mandate and
consultation

Partnerships with civil society
- May 2006: Cluster of ALF meetings
composition.

entities.

- Geneva (C1; C7a; C7 - b-e; C2; C4 -

12-15 Nov. 2007: 2nd IGF


C6; C5; C8; C11)

meeting (Rio, Brazil)

- 16-22 October: Cluster of ALF




meetings, facilitated/moderated by
22-24 September 2007: First
Xth session of the CSTD:
2008: 3rd IGF meeting (India)

UNESCO - Paris (C3; C7-c; C7-h; C9;
GAID Global Forum on Youth
21-25 May 2007
2009: 4th IGF (Cairo, Egypt)

C10)
and ICT (Geneva, Switzerland).


A new cluster of Action Line


meetings took place on 14-25




May 2007.



www.intgovforum.org


www.dsf-fsn.org

stdev.unctad.org
www.igfbrazil2007.br
www.itu.int/wsis/implementation
www.un-gaid.org









More information available on the CONGO website
Last up-date: July 2007

Implementation of and follow-up to WSIS: multiple spaces for building the information society

Taking place in two phases, the World Summit on the Information


1. The role of public governance authorities and all
to review and assess implementation processes and to make
Society resulted in four outcome documents: the Geneva Declaration
stakeholders in the promotion of ICTs for development
UN DESA
recommendations thereon, no mechanism had been determined in
of Principles and the Geneva Plan of action were adopted in 2003,

2. Information and communication infrastructure
ITU
order to provide it with relevant information on the implementation
and the Tunis Commitment and the Tunis Agenda for the Information
C3. Access to information and knowledge

UNESCO
process.
Society were agreed in 2005. The Tunis Agenda for the Information
C4. Capacity building



UNDP

To overcome this missing articulation, the CSTD adopted at its 10th
Society reaffirmed strong engagements for the strengthening of the
C5. Building confidence and security in the use of ICTs
ITU
C6. Enabling environment


UNDP
session in May 2007 a resolution6 asking all Action Line Facilitators
information society and a number of targets and policies. It also
C7. ICT Applications
and other actors in charge of implementation at the international level
provided extensive guidance for the institutional architecture to be
E-government




UN DESA
to inform the Secretariat about the progress in WSIS implementation.
set up to carry out the implementation of all these objectives and the
E-business




UNCTAD
This information would serve as the basis of the annual Secretary-
follow up-to this process until 2015.
E-learning




UNESCO

General's report on the WSIS follow-up.
It is quite noticeable for a UN World Summit that heads of States
E-health




WHO

decided in Tunis that the implementation process at the international
E-employment




ILO
Internet Governance Forum (IGF)
E-environment (not yet confirmed)


WMO
level and the follow-up activities would be accomplished separately1.
E-agriculture




FAO
Created by the Tunis Agenda for the Information Society, the Internet
Beyond implementation and follow up structures, other information
E-science




UNESCO
Governance Forum (IGF) is a forum for multi-stakeholder policy
society-related mechanisms were set up by the Tunis Agenda (IGF),
C8. Cultural diversity and identity, linguistic diversity
dialogue to discuss public policy issues related to key elements of
but also in addition to it (GAID).
and local content



UNESCO
Internet governance and to facilitate discourse between bodies

C9. Media




UNESCO
dealing with different cross-cutting international public policies
Implementation of the WSIS outcomes
C10. Ethical dimensions of the Information Society
UNESCO
regarding the Internet. Convened by the Secretary General of the
The Tunis Agenda for the Information Society set up a very
C11. International and regional cooperation

UN DESA
United Nations, it meets annually for at least five meetings. In
decentralised implementation effort, based on the national, regional Meetings of Action Line Moderators/Facilitators was convened in convening and organising the annual IGF, the UN Secretary General
and international levels.
February 2006 and May 2007 by ITU, UNESCO and UNDP. It

is assisted by a 47-member multi-stakeholder Advisory Group. The
At the national level, governments, with the participation of all refined the facilitators' general terms of reference and constituted a inaugural IGF meeting gathered 1.200 participants from all
stakeholders, are encouraged to set up national implementation space for exchange of experience in performing this role.
stakeholder groups in Athens, Greece, between 30 October and 2
mechanism.

November 2006.

In addition, all UN agencies are requested by the Tunis Agenda to
At the regional level, regional inter-governmental organisations and

implement the WSIS outcomes within their mandate and
UN Regional Commissions can hold regional implementation
Global Alliance for ICTs and Development (GAID)
competence. A formal interagency coordination mechanism was
activities with other stakeholder approach upon request of
Even though GAID has not been established as an outcome of the
established and launched in July 2006 through the UN Group on the
governments.
World Summit on the Information Society, but by the UN Secretary-
Information Society3. Its role is to avoid duplication, develop

General in April 2006, its activities will interact with the post-WSIS
At the international level, the Tunis Agenda for the Information synergies and enhance effectiveness of the system. It meets once a implementation and follow up process.
Society provided that a multi-stakeholder implementation process year and adopts a yearly work plan.

should be organised taking into account the themes and WSIS action
GAID is both a platform for cross-sectoral and multi-stakeholder
lines as defined in Geneva in 2003. UN agencies are requested to Follow up to the WSIS outcomes by ECOSOC
policy dialogue, and an initiative to catalyse multi-stakeholder action-
moderate or facilitate this multi-stakeholder process in accordance The UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) was requested to oriented partnerships to harness the potential of ICT in achieving the
with their particular fields of activity, through an informal process. oversee the WSIS system wide follow up and to review the mandate, MDGs. GAID performs its activities through a decentralised structure,
The WSIS outcome also requested that the implementation should agenda and composition of the Commission on Science and including through regional networks, stakeholder networks and
not require the creation of any new operational body.
Technology for Development (CSTD)4. In July 2006, ECOSOC Communities of Expertise. GAID is conceived as an open multi-

In practice, the first steps of the international implementation process adopted Resolution 2006/465, deciding that the CSTD will assist stakeholder forum with open ended membership. GAID is governed
focused on confirming one Focal Point within the UN system for each ECOSOC as the focal point in the system-wide follow-up to WSIS. by a Steering Committee and a Strategy Council and serviced by a
action line, defining working modalities and priorities. In 2006 and Besides its existing mandate, the CSTD was given the new mandate small secretariat located at DESA in New York.

2007, most of these thematic Action Line Facilitation meetings were to review and assess progress made in WSIS implementation and As part of its activities, GAID will also feed into the work of the CSTD
organised for one day in May, prior or parallel to the yearly session of advise the Council on recommendations thereon. It also provides and ECOSOC, providing one of the multi-stakeholder inputs in the
the Commission on Science and Technology for Development more flexible participation modalities for civil society, including WSIS WSIS follow up.
(CSTD). Between the yearly gatherings of stakeholders, some action accredited entities, and the private sector.


* * *
line facilitators have also developed on line working modalities and The CSTD meets once a year in May for 5 working days. It also The Tunis outcome documents, agreed at the conclusion of the two
information sharing tools.
holds an annual inter-session panel in November-December. It

WSIS phases, provided a very complex implementation and follow
As a multi-stakeholder process, the implementation by action line is directly reports to ECOSOC.
up structure. All institutional actors have been recognised a role in
open to all actors engaged in achieving the WSIS goals. All
their field of competence as the result of this negotiated compromise.
interested civil society entities, not only those accredited to WSIS, Which articulation between implementation and follow-up?
Some recent developments have tended to strengthen the overall
are allowed to participate in Action Line Facilitators' meetings. Focal The Tunis Agenda for the Information Society, as well as ECOSOC coherence between the various mechanisms. But this structure in
points have so far been identified as follows2 :
Resolution 2006/46, did not establish any clear relationship between which post-WSIS tasks were spread out among a rather high number

implementation and follow-up. Even though the CSTD was mandated of UN actors still makes inputs from various stakeholders much more
1 Other UN Summits generally provided a single international body with the task to support

difficult on the long term.
the implementation and perform the follow up to the Summit's decisions (see follow up to
3 More information at www.ungis.org.
the UN Earth Summit or to the Beijing Platform for Action).
4 See www.unctad.org/cstd.

2 More information at http://www.itu.int/wsis/implementation/facilitators.html
5 See http://stdev.unctad.org/docs/e2006-46.pdf.
6 See CSTD-10 Report, p.1: http://www.unctad.org/en/docs//ecn162007d4_en.pdf.