The Global Centre for ICT in Parliament will attend the World Summit on the Information Society Forum 2013, which represents the world’s largest annual gathering of the ‘ICT for development’ community. This forum will provide structured opportunities to network, learn and participate in multi-stakeholder discussions and consultations on WSIS implementation. This event builds upon the tradition of annual WSIS May meetings, and its format is the result of open consultations with all WSIS Stakeholders. The agenda and program of the WSIS Forum is built on the basis of official submissions received during the Open Consultation Process.

WSIS Forum 2011 was held from 16th to 20th May 2011 and provided structured opportunities to network, learn and to participate in multi-stakeholder discussions and consultations on WSIS implementation. This event was built upon the tradition of annual WSIS May meetings, and its new format is the result of open consultations with all WSIS Stakeholders.

The report "Progress made in the implementation of and follow-up to the outcomes of the World Summit on the Information Society at the regional and international levels" has been prepared in response to the request by the Economic and Social Council, in its resolution 2006/46, to the United Nations Secretary-General to inform the Commission on Science and Technology for Development (CSTD) on the implementation of the outcomes of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) as part of his annual reporting to the Commission.

These contributions were prepared as an input to the report of the UN Secretary-General on “Progress made in the implementation of and follow-up to the outcomes of the World Summit on the Information Society at the regional and international levels”. Included are reports from WHO, the World Bank Group, UNIDO, WIPO, UNESCO and other organizations.

The WTISD-10 theme is juxtaposed with that of the Shanghai World Expo 2010, which is dedicated to promoting “Better Cities, Better Life” and which will showcase a number of initiatives aimed at achieving greener, safer, healthier, prosperous, inclusive and well-managed cities — where over half the world’s population resides.

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.

The World Summit on the Information Society, held in two phases, was the recognition that the digital revolution and the digital divide required a global discussion and was convened to “marshal the global  consensus and commitment required to promote the urgently needed access of all countries to information, knowledge and communication technologies for development so as to reap the full benefits of the information and communication technologies revolution, and to address the whole range of relevant issues related to the information society, through the development of a common vision and understanding of the information society and the adoption of a declaration and plan of action for implementation by Governments, international institutions and all sectors of civil society” (General Assembly resolution 56/183).

The UNDESA regional initiative "Africa i-Parliaments Action Plan" organized the International Conference on "Development of an equitable Information Society: the role of African Parliaments", hosted by the Parliament of Rwanda under the auspices of the Pan-African Parliament. The conference provided a platform for Presiding Officers of African Parliaments to dialogue on legislative issues and priorities that the legislatures have to deal with in the context of the development of an equitable Information Society.

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.

A meeting on Parliaments in the Information Age: mobilizing stakeholders around concrete initiatives was held on 24 May, at the Palais des Nations, in Geneva, as part of a cluster of events related to the implementation of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS).

The advancement of the Information Society in ways that benefit all segments of the global community calls for the involvement of diverse stakeholders, including international organizations; national, regional, and local governments; the private sector; and groups representing civil society.

Key among those stakeholders are the parliaments of the world. There is a growing awareness that legislatures must strengthen their role in ensuring the realization of the diverse and inclusive environment articulated through the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) process. Parliaments can help establish a firm legislative foundation that promotes broad information and communications societal goals, pass laws that address specific issues arising from the implications of a “wired” society, oversee the implementation of related regulations and programmes initiated by the executive branch of government, and foster innovation and investment in information and communication technologies (ICT) by the private sector.

The Global Centre for ICT in Parliament intends to provide a platform through which parliaments and parliamentarians can share information and experiences, discuss issues related to the WSIS implementation process at the global level, and contribute to the advancement of the Information Society.