← Back to home

World Summit On The Information Society

Right. You want me to take this dry, factual account of a UN summit and... make it less of a chore to read. Fine. But don't expect sunshine and rainbows. This is about networks, policy, and the endless, tiresome dance of global politics. I'll give you the facts, but I'll wrap them in something that doesn't feel like it was written by a committee of beige-suited bureaucrats.

Consider this a "Midnight Draft" of Wikipedia.

Second preliminary session of the World Summit Information Society, plenary meeting, 18–25 February 2005, UN building, Geneva, Switzerland.

This whole affair, the "World Summit on the Information Society," was a two-phase UN-backed extravaganza. It happened in Geneva, Switzerland in 2003, then again in Tunis in 2005. They keep having these "WSIS Forums" periodically, because apparently, talking about the future of information never really ends. The grand ambition? To close the gaping global digital divide – that chasm separating the haves from the have-nots in the digital realm – by dragging the developing world into the light of internet accessibility. As a small, almost forgotten footnote, they managed to designate May 17th as World Information Society Day. How quaint.

Then there was this "WSIS+10 Process," a decade-long look back at the 2005 summit. It culminated in a high-level meeting at the UN General Assembly in New York in late 2015. And now, they're gearing up for a WSIS+20 review in December 2025. Because apparently, we haven't talked enough about the same things for twenty years.

Internet history timeline

Look, the internet didn't just appear. It was a slow, messy crawl, a series of ideas scratched out in dimly lit rooms and coded into existence by people who probably drank too much coffee.

Early research and development:
  • 1960–1962: Before anyone really knew what was happening, J. C. R. Licklider was already dreaming up these grand networking ideas. Like sketching constellations in the dark.
  • 1960–1964: Meanwhile, over at RAND, they were cooking up their own networking concepts. Different paths, same destination, I suppose.
  • 1962–1964: The ARPA boys were also tossing around ideas for networking. A lot of thinking, not much doing yet.
  • 1965: The NPL network concepts started to take shape. A flicker of something concrete.
  • 1966: The Merit Network was born. Another node in the nascent web.
  • 1967: Plans for ARPANET began. The beast was stirring.
  • 1967: The Symposium on Operating Systems Principles happened. A gathering of minds, perhaps before the real storm hit.
  • 1969: The NPL network, followed by ARPANET, actually started sending their first packets. The first whispers across the void.
  • 1970: The Network Information Center (NIC) was established. Someone had to keep track of the chaos.
  • 1971: Tymnet emerged, a switched-circuit network. More pathways being forged.
  • 1972: Merit Network's packet-switched network went live. It was becoming a reality, however clunky.
  • 1972: The Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) was set up. Someone had to assign the numbers, the addresses.
  • 1973: The CYCLADES network was demonstrated. Another piece of the puzzle.
  • 1973: Development on the PARC Universal Packet began. More building blocks.
  • 1974: The specification for the Transmission Control Program was published. The language of communication was being defined.
  • 1975: Telenet launched, a commercial packet-switched network. The business of connecting began.
  • 1976: The X.25 protocol was approved and rolled out on public data networks. Standards, however dreary, were taking hold.
  • 1978: Minitel made its debut. A precursor, perhaps, to the screen-obsessed world we inhabit.
  • 1979: The Internet Activities Board (IAB) was formed. The custodians of the burgeoning network.
  • 1980: USENET started using UUCP for news. Early forms of online communities.
  • 1980: The Ethernet standard was introduced. The physical pathways were getting clearer.
  • 1981: BITNET was established. Another network joining the fray.
Merging the networks and creating the Internet:
  • 1981: The Computer Science Network (CSNET) was founded. More academic connections.
  • 1982: The TCP/IP protocol suite was formalized. The lingua franca of the internet was agreed upon.
  • 1982: The Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) was developed. Email was becoming a thing.
  • 1983: The Domain Name System (DNS) arrived. No more memorizing IP addresses, thankfully.
  • 1983: MILNET split off from ARPANET. The military decided to go its own way.
  • 1984: The OSI Reference Model was released. A theoretical framework, as they like to do.
  • 1985: The first '.COM' domain name was registered. The commercialization had begun.
  • 1986: The NSFNET was established, initially with 56 kbit/s links. A backbone for research.
  • 1986: The Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) was formed. The engineers of the digital world.
  • 1987: UUNET was founded. Commercial providers started appearing.
  • 1988: NSFNET got a speed upgrade to 1.5 Mbit/s (T1). Faster, but still glacial by today's standards.
  • 1988: The infamous Morris worm wreaked havoc. The first real taste of internet insecurity.
  • 1988: The complete Internet protocol suite was finalized. The core rules were set.
  • 1989: The Border Gateway Protocol (BGP) was introduced. Routing traffic between networks.
  • 1989: PSINet was founded, paving the way for commercial traffic. The floodgates were opening.
  • 1989: The Federal Internet Exchanges (FIX East|FIXes) were established. Points of connection.
  • 1990: GOSIP was released, but notably without TCP/IP. A brief detour.
  • 1990: ARPANET was decommissioned. Its mission was complete.
  • 1990: Advanced Network and Services (ANS) was founded. More infrastructure.
  • 1990: UUNET/Alternet started allowing commercial traffic. The internet was becoming a marketplace.
  • 1990: The Archie search engine emerged. Early attempts to find things in the vastness.
  • 1991: The Wide area information server (WAIS) was developed. A way to access information.
  • 1991: Gopher arrived. A precursor to the web, a menu-driven system.
  • 1991: The Commercial Internet eXchange (CIX) was formed. Facilitating commercial exchange.
  • 1991: ANS CO+RE allowed commercial traffic. More access for businesses.
  • 1991: The World Wide Web (WWW) was released. The game-changer.
  • 1992: NSFNET got a significant upgrade to 45 Mbit/s (T3). Speed was increasing.
  • 1992: The Internet Society (ISOC) was established. A global body for the internet.
  • 1993: Classless Inter-Domain Routing (CIDR) was introduced. A way to manage IP addresses more efficiently.
  • 1993: InterNIC was established. More administrative structures.
  • 1993: AOL added USENET access. Bringing the internet to the masses, albeit in a walled garden.
  • 1993: The Mosaic web browser was released. The first widely popular graphical browser. The web became accessible.
  • 1994: The first full-text web search engines appeared. The quest for information intensified.
  • 1994: The North American Network Operators' Group (NANOG) was established. Network professionals organizing.
Commercialization, privatization, broader access leads to the modern Internet:
  • 1995: A new internet architecture emerged, with commercial ISPs connecting at NAPs. The privatization was complete.
  • 1995: NSFNET was decommissioned. The government backbone was no longer needed.
  • 1995: GOSIP was updated to finally allow TCP/IP. A belated embrace.
  • 1995: The very high-speed Backbone Network Service (vBNS) was launched. Pushing the boundaries of speed.
  • 1995: IPv6 was proposed. The next generation of IP addresses, a necessary expansion.
  • 1996: AOL shifted its pricing model from hourly to monthly. Making internet access more predictable, and for many, more affordable.
  • 1998: The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) was created. A new entity to manage the internet's core identifiers.
  • 1999: IEEE 802.11b wireless networking standards emerged. Untethering the internet.
  • 1999: Internet2/Abilene Network was established. A high-performance network for research and education.
  • 1999: vBNS+ offered broader access. Expanding the reach of high-speed networking.
  • 2000: The Dot-com bubble burst. The speculative frenzy came to an abrupt, messy end.
  • 2001: New top-level domain names were activated. Expanding the naming space.
  • 2001: The Code Red I, Code Red II, and Nimda worms caused widespread disruption. A stark reminder of the internet's vulnerabilities.
  • 2003: The UN World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) phase I took place. The genesis of this entire discussion.
  • 2003: The National LambdaRail was founded. More advanced networking initiatives.
  • 2004: The UN Working Group on Internet Governance (WGIG) was formed. The debate over control began to heat up.
  • 2005: WSIS phase II convened. The follow-up, the attempt to iron out the details.
  • 2006: The first meeting of the Internet Governance Forum was held. A platform for dialogue, however fraught.
  • 2010: The first internationalized country code top-level domains were registered. Expanding the global reach of domain names.
  • 2012: ICANN began accepting applications for new generic top-level domain names. A significant expansion of the domain name system.
  • 2013: The Montevideo Statement on the Future of Internet Cooperation was issued. More declarations, more statements.
  • 2014: The NetMundial international Internet governance proposal was put forth. Another attempt at shaping the future.
  • 2016: ICANN's contract with the U.S. Dept. of Commerce ended, and IANA oversight transitioned to the global internet community. A symbolic shift.
Examples of Internet services:

The internet isn't just pipes and protocols; it's the services built upon them. And there have been… a lot.

  • 1989: AOL started as a dial-up service provider, offering email, instant messaging, and a web browser. The early gateway for many.
  • 1990: The IMDb (Internet Movie Database) was launched. Cataloging cinema, online.
  • 1994: Yahoo! began as a web directory. Organizing the burgeoning web.
  • 1995: Amazon launched as an online retailer. The start of e-commerce as we know it.
  • 1995: eBay started as an online auction and shopping site. Peer-to-peer commerce found a home.
  • 1995: Craigslist emerged, offering classified advertisements. Local commerce, digitized.
  • 1995: AltaVista became a prominent search engine. Another tool to navigate the digital ocean.
  • 1996: Outlook (formerly Hotmail) offered free web-based email. Making email accessible to everyone.
  • 1996: RankDex search engine was introduced. More algorithms for searching.
  • 1997: Google Search was launched. The behemoth began its ascent.
  • 1997: Babel Fish offered automatic translation. Breaking down language barriers, however imperfectly.
  • 1998: Yahoo Groups (formerly Yahoo! Clubs) provided a space for online communities.
  • 1998: PayPal established itself as an internet payment system. Facilitating online transactions.
  • 1998: Rotten Tomatoes started as a review aggregator. Collecting opinions on films.
  • 1999: 2ch launched as an anonymous textboard. A raw, unfiltered space for discussion.
  • 1999: i-mode became a mobile internet service. Bringing the web to phones.
  • 1999: Napster pioneered peer-to-peer file sharing. Disrupting the music industry.
  • 2000: Baidu search engine was founded in China. A major player in a different digital landscape.
  • 2001: 2chan emerged as an anonymous imageboard. Similar to 2ch, but with a focus on images.
  • 2001: BitTorrent revolutionized peer-to-peer file sharing. Efficiently distributing large files.
  • 2001: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, was launched. A collaborative knowledge project.
  • 2003: LinkedIn began as a business networking site. Connecting professionals.
  • 2003: Myspace became a dominant social networking site. A brief reign.
  • 2003: Skype introduced internet voice calls. Making long-distance communication cheaper.
  • 2003: The iTunes Store launched, legalizing digital music downloads.
  • 2003: 4chan became an anonymous imageboard. Known for its chaotic and often controversial content.
  • 2003: The Pirate Bay emerged as a torrent file host. A lightning rod for copyright debates.
  • 2004: Facebook launched as a social networking site. Its rise would eventually eclipse Myspace.
  • 2004: Podcast media file series became popular. On-demand audio content.
  • 2004: Flickr offered image hosting. A platform for photographers.
  • 2005: YouTube launched for video sharing. The explosion of user-generated video content.
  • 2005: Reddit introduced link voting. A community-driven news aggregator.
  • 2005: Google Earth provided a virtual globe. Visualizing the world online.
  • 2006: Twitter started as a microblogging platform. Short-form communication took hold.
  • 2007: WikiLeaks began publishing anonymous news and information leaks. A controversial player in information dissemination.
  • 2007: Google Street View launched, offering panoramic street-level imagery.
  • 2007: The Kindle, an e-reader, and virtual bookshop were introduced. Digitizing books.
  • 2008: Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2) launched, offering cloud computing services. The rise of the cloud.
  • 2008: Dropbox provided cloud-based file hosting. Simplifying file synchronization.
  • 2008: The Encyclopedia of Life was created, aiming to document all living species. A massive collaborative effort.
  • 2008: Spotify launched as a DRM-based music streaming service. The shift to streaming.
  • 2009: Bing search engine entered the market. A challenger to Google.
  • 2009: Google Docs offered web-based word processing, spreadsheets, and presentations. Collaboration online.
  • 2009: Kickstarter introduced a threshold pledge system. Crowdfunding gained traction.
  • 2009: Bitcoin, a digital currency, was introduced. The dawn of cryptocurrencies.
  • 2010: Instagram launched for photo sharing and social networking. Visual communication amplified.
  • 2011: Google+ attempted to enter the social networking space. A notable failure.
  • 2011: Snapchat debuted for photo sharing. Ephemeral messaging.
  • 2012: Coursera launched, offering massive open online courses. Education democratized, sort of.
  • 2016: TikTok emerged for video sharing and social networking. Short-form video dominance.

This article may require cleanup to meet Wikipedia's quality standards. The specific problem is: This article needs some structural and tone edits. Please help improve this article if you can. (October 2025) ( Learn how and when to remove this message )

Right, so this "World Summit on the Information Society" – WSIS, they called it – was a series of UN-sponsored talks, a grand pronouncement on information and the so-called "information society." It happened in two phases: Geneva, Switzerland in 2003, and then Tunis in 2005. They still hold these WSIS Forums, a ritualistic gathering to discuss things that probably haven't changed much since the last time. Their big, shiny goal was to shrink the global digital divide, that vast gulf between developed and developing nations, by pushing internet access into the poorer corners of the world. As a tiny consolation prize, they managed to declare May 17th World Information Society Day. Cute.

They also had this thing called the WSIS+10 Process, a decade-long retrospective. It wrapped up with a High-Level meeting at the UN General Assembly in New York in December 2015. And now, they're looking ahead to a WSIS+20 review in December 2025. Apparently, the conversation is far from over, or perhaps, it’s just stuck in a loop.

Background

In the twilight years of the 20th century, Information and Communications Technology (ICT) didn't just change society; it reshaped it. They call it the digital revolution, a double-edged sword of opportunities and threats. Leaders, ever optimistic, saw ICT as a panacea for societal ills. Yet, lurking in the shadows were anxieties about the digital divide, both on a global scale and within nations. This growing disparity threatened to carve society into two distinct classes: those with access and those without.

Recognizing that such seismic shifts demanded a global dialogue at the highest echelms, Tunisia proposed, at the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Plenipotentiary Conference in Minneapolis back in 1998, the idea of a World Summit on the Information Society. This proposal then found its way to the United Nations.

In 2001, the ITU Council agreed to split the Summit into two parts: the first from December 10-12, 2003, in Geneva, and the second from November 16-18, 2005, in Tunis.

The United Nations General Assembly, through its Resolution 56/183 on December 21, 2001, officially endorsed the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS), aiming to dissect the opportunities and challenges presented by this new era. This resolution also tied the Summit's objectives to the United Nations Millennium Declaration, specifically how ICT could accelerate the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals. It stressed the importance of a multi-stakeholder approach, bringing together governments, civil society, and the private sector. The UN designated the ITU with the primary managerial role for organizing the event, in collaboration with other UN bodies, international organizations, and the host countries. Crucially, it mandated the formation of an open-ended intergovernmental Preparatory Committee – the PrepCom – tasked with defining the Summit's agenda, establishing participation modalities for stakeholders, and finalizing the draft Declaration of Principles and the draft Plan of Action.

Geneva Summit, 2003

The first act, in Geneva in 2003, saw delegates from 175 countries convene. They emerged with a Declaration of Principles – essentially a roadmap for a universally accessible, knowledge-based information society. Alongside this, a Plan of Action was drafted, setting an ambitious target: bring 50 percent of the world's population online by 2015. The specifics of how this would be achieved, however, remained frustratingly vague. The Geneva summit also punted on the more contentious issues, notably Internet governance and funding.

When the future of Internet governance remained undecided, the Working Group on Internet Governance (WGIG) was formed, a body tasked with charting a path forward.

From the civil society side, a document titled "Shaping Information Societies for Human Needs" was produced, weaving together a broad spectrum of concerns under the umbrella of human and communication rights.

According to the Geneva Plan of Action, the WSIS Action Lines were delineated as follows:

  • C1. The role of public governance authorities and all stakeholders in the promotion of ICTs for development.
  • C2. Information and communication infrastructure.
  • C3. Access to information and knowledge.
  • C4. Capacity building.
  • C5. Building confidence and security in the use of ICTs.
  • C6. Enabling environment.
  • C7. ICT Applications:
  • C8. Cultural diversity and identity, linguistic diversity and local content.
  • C9. Media.
  • C10. Ethical dimensions of the Information Society.
  • C11. International and regional cooperation.

Tunis Summit, 2005

The second act unfolded in Tunis, Tunisia, from November 16-18, 2005. This phase yielded the Tunis Commitment and the Tunis Agenda for the Information Society, and most significantly, established the Internet Governance Forum (IGF).

Just as the Tunis summit loomed, the Association for Progressive Communications (APC), a global network of civil society organizations focused on using ICT for peace, human rights, and development, laid out its position. Having participated actively in the internet governance discussions, the APC, alongside other partners from the WSIS civil society internet governance caucus, formulated a set of recommendations.

The APC advocated for specific actions in five key areas:

  • The creation of an Internet Governance Forum.
  • The transformation of ICANN into a global entity with full authority over DNS management, accountable to governments, the private sector, and civil society.
  • The initiation of a multi-stakeholder convention on internet governance and universal human rights, codifying fundamental rights applicable to the internet, with particular emphasis on clauses within the Universal Declaration of Human Rights concerning freedom of expression, association, and privacy.
  • Ensuring universal and affordable internet access, recognizing the internet as a "global public space" and a "global public good," akin to the "common heritage of humanity".
  • Implementing measures to bolster capacity building in developing countries, thereby increasing their participation in global public policy forums on internet governance.

The summit itself drew a considerable crowd: 1,500 from International Organizations, 6,200 from NGOs, 4,800 from the private sector, and 980 from the media.

Funding for this massive undertaking came from various nations, with Japan and Spain being the most generous contributors to the 2003 event. The 2005 summit received financial backing from Japan, Sweden, France, among others, and even corporate sponsors like Nokia.

Conference developments

The preparatory meetings for the Tunis Summit were, predictably, a hotbed of debate. Government representatives, the technical community, and civil society groups clashed over the conceptual, philosophical, and technical underpinnings of Internet governance. Some saw it as a purely technical matter, others as a broader digital policy issue, and still others as a fundamental question of how the Internet should be governed. At the heart of these discussions was the current and future role of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), the entity responsible for coordinating the Domain Name System (DNS).

Back in 1998, the U.S. Department of Commerce's National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) had struck a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the newly formed ICANN. This agreement outlined a process for the technical coordination of the DNS and a gradual transition of management functions to the private sector, aiming to internationalize oversight away from direct U.S. government control. However, by 2005, the Department of Commerce declared it would retain its authority over the Internet's root zone file – a critical database of top-level domains (TLDs), IP addresses, and authoritative name servers. Their justification? The need to maintain the Internet's operational reliability. This continued U.S. stewardship became a major point of contention at the Summit.

During the Summit, governments from Brazil, South Africa, and China championed alternative models for DNS oversight, proposing a multilateral body like the ITU. They argued that the existing arrangement, with the U.S. retaining control of the root zone file, represented a power imbalance and lacked global legitimacy. Critics decried it as American unilateralism, demanding a governance structure that would place governments on equal footing in managing Internet resources. Some governments and civil society groups also voiced concerns that ICANN was unduly influenced by U.S. commercial interests, questioning its transparency, accountability, and commitment to the public interest.

Conversely, those opposing a more intergovernmental model – including various civil society groups, technical experts, and academics – warned that increased state control could jeopardize the Internet's open nature. While acknowledging ICANN's governance shortcomings, they feared a shift towards greater state power. Human rights advocates, in particular, worried that transferring authority to a multilateral body could open the door to censorship and stifle freedom of expression. The technical community also emphasized the Internet's success stemmed from its distributed, bottom-up coordination, cautioning that centralizing control could undermine its resilience and capacity for innovation.

Faced with this impasse, then-Secretary-General Kofi Annan established the Working Group on Internet Governance to foster "an open dialogue on Internet Governance... and to bring recommendations on this subject to the second phase of the Summit." The WGIG presented several potential models for ICANN's oversight, but none gained traction at the Summit, largely due to U.S. diplomatic maneuvering. As a compromise, the Tunis Agenda acknowledged the "need for enhanced cooperation" among governments on "Internet-related public policy issues," while explicitly stating this cooperation should not extend to "day-to-day technical and operational matters." This effectively preserved ICANN's existing mandate. The notion of "enhanced cooperation" remained deliberately ambiguous, with some stakeholders interpreting it as a potential avenue for a new, centralized intergovernmental mechanism. The creation of the IGF was also part of this compromise, establishing a multi-stakeholder platform for dialogue without granting it binding decision-making powers.

The summit itself was overshadowed by criticism directed at Tunisia for alleged attacks on journalists and human rights defenders in the days leading up to the event. The Tunisian government reportedly attempted to block a scheduled session, "Expression Under Repression." Robert Ménard, president of Reporters sans frontières (Reporters Without Borders), was denied entry to Tunisia for the second phase. A French journalist for Libération was assaulted and injured after reporting on local human rights protesters. Representatives from the Human Rights in China NGO were denied entry due to pressure from the Chinese government. A Belgian television crew reported harassment and forced confiscation of footage depicting Tunisian dissidents. Local human rights defenders were reportedly roughed up and prevented from organizing a meeting with international civil society groups.

Stocktaking process

The WSIS stocktaking process serves as a follow-up mechanism, cataloging activities undertaken by governments, international organizations, the business sector, civil society, and other entities to track progress since the summit. As stipulated in § 120 of TAIS, the ITU maintains the WSIS Stocktaking database, a public repository of ICT-related initiatives and projects aligned with the 11 WSIS Action Lines.

ECOSOC Resolution 2010/12, concerning the assessment of progress in implementing WSIS outcomes, underscored the importance of a coordinated, multi-stakeholder approach to WSIS follow-up. It encouraged all stakeholders to contribute to the WSIS Stocktaking database. The regular reporting on WSIS Stocktaking, initiated after the Tunis phase, aims to update stakeholders on activities related to the 11 Action Lines outlined in the Geneva Plan of Action.

Platform

The WSIS stocktaking platform, launched in February 2010, was designed to enhance existing functionalities and evolve the database into a dynamic portal highlighting ICT projects and initiatives. It offers interactive networking opportunities through Web 2.0 applications. Features like the "Global Events Calendar," "Global Publication Repository," and "Case Studies" aim to foster networking and partnerships.

Since its inception in 2005, biannual reporting has been central to monitoring progress. The 2012 report documented over 1,000 WSIS-related activities from May 2010 to 2012.

Forum and follow-up

The WSIS follow-up efforts are geared towards achieving the targets set in the Geneva Plan of Action. The goal is to establish a global benchmark for improving connectivity and ensuring universal, equitable, non-discriminatory, and affordable access to and use of ICTs by 2015, ultimately leveraging ICTs to attain internationally agreed development goals, including the Millennium Development Goals.

Since 2006, the WSIS Forum has been held annually in Geneva around World Information Society Day (May 17th). Organized by WSIS facilitators like the ITU, UNESCO, UNCTAD, and UNDP, and hosted by the ITU. While initially held at the ITU building, it moved to the International Labour Organization building in 2010.

Each year, the Forum attracts over 1,000 stakeholders from more than 140 countries, including ministers, ambassadors, CEOs, and civil society leaders. Remote participation is a significant component, with thousands connecting globally. Networking is facilitated through platforms like imeetYouatWSIS.

WSIS Forum meetings in Geneva included:

  • WSIS Forum 2006: May 9–19
  • WSIS Forum 2007: May 14–25
  • WSIS Forum 2008: May 13–23
  • WSIS Forum 2009: May 18–22
  • WSIS Forum 2010: May 10–14
  • WSIS Forum 2011: May 16–20
  • WSIS Forum 2012: May 14–18
  • WSIS Forum 2013: May 13–17
  • WSIS+10 High-Level Event: June 9–12, 2014
  • WSIS Forum 2015: May 25–29, 2015
Prizes

Responding to calls for recognizing successful implementation of development-oriented ICT strategies, the WSIS Project Prizes were established in 2012. These prizes offer recognition for excellence in implementing WSIS outcomes, open to all stakeholders. The 18 prize categories align with the WSIS Action Lines. The annual contest involves project submission, voting, compilation of success stories, and a prize ceremony. The WSIS Project Prizes are integral to the WSIS Stocktaking Process.

WSIS+10

The WSIS+10 High-Level Event, an expanded version of the WSIS Forum, took place June 9-13, 2014, in Geneva, Switzerland. It reviewed progress on WSIS outcomes and assessed developments over the preceding decade. The event culminated in the endorsement of the "WSIS+10 Statement on Implementation of WSIS Outcomes" and the "WSIS+10 Vision for WSIS Beyond 2015," documents developed through an inclusive preparatory process.

The WSIS+10 open consultation process involved extensive multistakeholder dialogue to prepare for the High-Level Event. Eight consultation meetings were held between July 2013 and June 2014, leading to two draft outcome documents:

  • Draft WSIS+10 Statement on the Implementation of WSIS Outcomes.
  • Draft WSIS+10 Vision for WSIS Beyond 2015.

The final WSIS+10 High-Level Meeting of the General Assembly convened on December 15-16, 2015, in New York, adopting an Outcome Document reviewing the implementation of WSIS outcomes.

WSIS+20

The WSIS+20 is slated for July 7-11, 2025, in Geneva, Switzerland, and will focus on key trends, challenges, and opportunities since the 2003 Geneva Plan of Action.

Civil society

A significant contingent of non-governmental organizations (NGOs), scientific institutions, and community media participated as "civil society." They championed human rights, people-centered development, freedom of speech, and press freedom.

Youth representatives played a crucial role throughout the WSIS process, forming caucuses in countries like Canada, Tunisia, and Pakistan, and actively participating in both Geneva and Tunis phases. Youth Day was a feature, showcasing projects and organizing events. Young leaders also contributed to the drafting of the WSIS Declaration and Plan of Action.

In Germany, a WSIS working group, initiated by the Network New Media and the Heinrich Böll Foundation, has been meeting since 2002. In Pakistan, PAK Education Society/Pakistan Development Network spearheaded efforts to build a knowledge economy, participating in the Geneva summit and organizing an ICT4 Development Platform seminar.

A notable outcome of civil society participation in the first WSIS phase was the inclusion in the final declaration of a distinction between three societal models: proprietary, open-source, and free software-based models. This was largely attributed to the work led by Francis Muguet as co-chair of the Patent, Copyrights and Trademark working group.

Concerns were raised by some civil society groups about holding the 2005 WSIS phase in Tunisia, a country with a documented record of human rights abuses. A fact-finding mission by the Tunisia Monitoring Group (TMG), a coalition of 14 organizations from the International Freedom of Expression Exchange, reported serious restrictions on freedom of expression, the press, publishing, and the Internet. The TMG published a report detailing necessary reforms for Tunisia to align with international human rights standards. An update released in September 2005 found no improvements.

The Digital Solidarity Fund, established to address the digital divide, emerged from discussions during the 2005 Tunis summit.

Digital divide and digital dilemma

The UN World Summit on the Information Society in Tunis grappled with two primary concerns: the digital divide and the "digital dilemma."

Archbishop John P. Foley, in his address and in the Vatican document "Ethics in the Internet," highlighted the digital divide as the disparity in access to digital communications between developed and developing countries, emphasizing the need for a collective international effort. He characterized it as a form of discrimination, an updated version of the persistent gap between the information rich and the information poor, arguing that nations must have access to new technologies to share in globalization's benefits.

Senator Burchell Whiteman from Jamaica stressed Jamaica's commitment to bridging the digital divide, seeing it as crucial for social and economic development in the 80% of countries still struggling with its impact. Mr. Ignacio Gonzalez Planas, Minister of Informatics and Communications of Cuba, echoed concerns about privileges concentrated in a few countries, noting that over half the world's population lacked basic telephone access. Vice Premier Huang Ju of China advocated for a people-centered information society where all nations share its benefits.

The "digital dilemma," as emphasized by the Holy See, represented a potential disadvantage to the information society, urging caution. While strongly supporting freedom of expression, the Holy See stressed the need to respect moral order and the common good, approaching technology with sensitivity to diverse values and beliefs, and protecting cultural distinctiveness.

Whiteman from Jamaica agreed, acknowledging that readily available information and technology hold the power to transform the world for better or worse. Croatian President Stjepan Mesic cautioned against being overwhelmed by accessible data, warning that the information society, while a blessing, could devolve into a nightmare.

The Holy See's cautionary stance resonated with other nations present in Tunis. Echoing "Ethics in the Internet," the statement acknowledged the internet's potential to foster prosperity, peace, and understanding, but cautioned against unbridled progress.

A press statement from a Civil Society group on November 14, 2003, warned of a deadlock, noting governments' inability to agree even on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights as a foundational document. Key issues included:

  • Governments' disagreement on a financial commitment to overcome the "digital divide," the summit's stated objective.
  • Lack of consensus on basic human rights standards, particularly freedom of expression, as the basis for the Information Society.

The concept of the "digital divide" itself faced criticism from some civil society groups, such as the Foundation for a Free Information Infrastructure (FFII).

Internet governance

The WGIG's definition of Internet governance, adopted at the Tunis Summit, is noteworthy: "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." This definition expanded the scope beyond mere technical management of the DNS to encompass broader normative questions about stakeholder roles, reflecting the difficulty in separating ICANN's technical functions from their political implications.

The Tunis Agenda further outlined stakeholder responsibilities: states hold "[p]olicy authority for Internet-related public policy issues," the private sector plays "an important role in the development of the Internet," and civil society has "an important role on Internet matters, especially at community level." It championed a multi-stakeholder approach as "essential to the successful building of a people-centred, inclusive and development-oriented Information Society." This marked a departure from the U.S.-backed, private sector-led approach.

WSIS played a role in embedding the concept of multi-stakeholder Internet governance across policy, academic, and institutional spheres. However, the WSIS definition is debated: it treats Internet governance as a monolith, overlooking the diverse mechanisms at play, and some argue it has become a legitimizing force for greater private sector influence, obscuring underlying power asymmetries.

Selected media responses

Brenda Zulu, writing for The Times of Zambia, noted that a resolution from Dakar generated debate, differing from an Accra resolution that advocated for change from the status quo. The Dakar resolutions, she observed, largely supported the status quo, though they didn't explicitly address the internationalization of ICANN.

The Jamaica Observer published a column framing Cyberspace as a new frontier for the 'Monroe Doctrine'.

From India, The Financial Express interviewed Nitin Desai, special advisor to the UN Secretary General. Desai stated the goal was to improve internet access for developing countries, bridging the digital gap and enhancing living standards. An APC critique of Desai's view pointed out that while India excelled in IT exports, these skills were not adequately applied to tackle domestic challenges.

The South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) reported on concerns raised by rights groups regarding Tunisia hosting the WSIS, citing the IFEX Tunisia Monitoring Group's stance on free speech and media freedom issues in the host country. The report questioned the irony of an information summit being held in a place with restrictions on information.