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President Thabo Mbeki to Lead South African Delegation to the
World Summit on Information Society (WSIS), Tunis, Tunisia, 16-18 November 2005 Tshwane
- South African President Thabo Mbeki will today Tuesday 15 November 2005 depart
for Tunis, Tunisia where he will together with Minister of Communications Dr Ivy
Matsepe-Casaburri, lead a senior South African delegation to the World Summit
on Information Society (WSIS) scheduled from Wednesday - Friday, 16-18 November
2005. The WSIS aims to build a global, inclusive and development-orientated
Information Society. This objective is in line with Africa's socio-economic
development plan, NEPAD that highlights as one of its five priority areas, the
development of information and communication technology (ICT). In addition, ICT
development has been identified by the United Nations (UN) as an instrument that
can help to achieve the Millennium Development Goals. The World Summit on
the Information Society is therefore the response of the international community,
and the developing world in particular, to the challenge of providing access to
communication and information technologies globally, through the most efficient
use of available resources. The first phase of the WSIS took place in Geneva
in December 2003 and laid the foundations for achieving this inclusive information
society through the Declaration of Principles and Plan of Action. The Plan
of Action outlined internationally agreed development goals and targets to be
achieved by 2015. The Plan of Action also recommended that priority should be
given to developing countries and recommended the creation, through multi-stakeholder
fora, of national strategies for the development of the Information Society. South
Africa is in this respect developing a national Information Society and Development
Plan, designed to accelerate the socio-economic development of our country through
the use of ICTs. The Tunis phase of the WSIS will focus on the implementation
and follow up processes with respect to the decisions taken during the first phase
of the Summit in Geneva in 2003, in order to chart the way ahead. It is expected
that, for the first time, there will be a global agreement that addresses the
crucial issue of internet governance as an important part of public policy. South
Africa has been an active participant in this unique two phased summit, and has
remained committed to working with other developing countries, to ensure that
measures are undertaken to bridge the digital divide and to utilize ICTs as a
powerful tool for socio-economic development. President Mbeki will return
to South Africa on Thursday, 17 November 2005. Issued by Ronnie Mamoepa
on 082 990 4853
Department of Foreign Affairs
Private Bag
X152
Tshwane
0001 15 November 2005 | 
