WSIS Implementation

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As for the implementation, the Tunis Agenda for the Information Society states that the WSIS implementation mechanism at the international level should be organized taking into account the themes and Action Lines in the Geneva Plan of Action. Overall, there are 11 Action Lines.

The United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA) was appointed as leading facilitator for the Action Line C.1: The role of public governance authorities and all stakeholders in the promotion of ICT for development.

At the first Consultation Meeting on the implementation of Action Line C1, convened by UNDESA in Geneva on 16 May 2006, participants requested that a subgroup on ICT and Parliaments be established to conduct consultations on the specific role of parliaments in modernization of their organizational processes.

Following this request and a series of subsequent online consultations conducted by UNDESA in June-July 2006, the Subgroup on ICT and Parliaments was established. On behalf of UNDESA, the Global Centre for ICT in Parliament is the leading force behind the facilitation of this Subgroup, whose objective is to conduct consultations on the specific role of parliaments in the promotion of ICT-related legislation and the use of ICT in parliaments for the modernization of their organizational processes.

Internet Governance Forum

As part of the implementation of the WSIS, a multi-stakeholders and democratic process called Internet Governance Forum (IGF) was established as suggested on paragraph 72 of the Tunis Agenda.

The definition of Internet Governance was developed by the Working Group on Internet Governance and corresponds to:

the development and application by Governments, the private sector and civil society, in their respective roles, of shared principles, norms, rules, decision-making procedures, and programmes that shape the evolution and use of the Internet.

Such definition highlights the concept of inclusiveness of Governments, the private sector and civil society in the mechanism of Internet governance and acknowledges that with respect to specific issues of Internet governance each group will have different interests, roles and participation, which in some cases may overlap.

In order to have a structured dialogue among all stakeholders, the IGF comes as a platform for discussion, capacity building, exchange of information and best practices and for finding solutions together. The mandate of the IGF is limited to that of a discussion forum.

The first IGF took place in Athens in 2006 and its most tangible results are a number of so-called dynamic coalitions. These coalitions are relatively informal, issue-specific groups consisting of stakeholders that are interested in a particular issue.

The Second IGF took place in Rio de Janeiro in November 2007 and focused on security issues related to the Internet, critical net resources, accessibility, diversity and openness. Around 1400 people participated in this second discussion forum and remote participants were given the opportunity to take part via blogs, chat rooms, and email.

During the IGF 2007, the Global Centre for ICT in Parliament participated in the Meeting of Parliamentarians and stressed the necessity of cooperation among parliaments.

The third IGF was held in Hyderabad, India, from the 03 to 06 December 2008 and it focused on the overall theme "Internet for All". Parliamentarians from different parts of the world attended it and highlighted the importance of the active participation of parliamentarians in such meetings.They reinforced the necessity of international and inter-parliamentary cooperation and agreed in making an effort to involve as many parliamentarians as possible in the Internet Governance process and development of the Information Society.

The fourth meeting of the Internet Governance Forum was held in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, from 15 to 18 November 2009. It focused on the overall theme of "Internet Governance - Creating Opportunities for All". Over 1800 people from 112 countries participated in the event.