World Summit on the Information Society and its Follow-ups

The UN General Assembly Resolution 56/183 (21 December 2001) endorsed the holding of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) in two phases. A High-Level Summit Organizing Committee (HLSOC) was established under the patronage of the UN Secretary-General to coordinate the efforts in the preparation and holding of WSIS; while the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) was assigned the leading role in the organization of the Summit.
The first phase took place in Geneva (10-12 December 2003) and the second phase took place in Tunis, from 16 to 18 November 2005. The objective of the first phase was to develop and foster a clear statement of political will and take concrete steps to establish the foundations for an Information Society for all, reflecting all the different interests at stake. More than 11,000 participants from 175 countries attended the Summit and related events. A Declaration of Principles and a Plan of Action were adopted, alongside a number of documents submitted by different stakeholders.
The objective of the second phase was to put Geneva's Plan of Action into motion as well as to find solutions and reach agreements in the fields of Internet governance, financing mechanisms, and follow-up and implementation of the Geneva and Tunis documents. More than 19,000 participants from 174 countries attended the Summit and related events. A Commitment and Tunis Agenda for the Information Society were adopted.
In July 2006, the ECOSOC adopted a Resolution entitled ‘Follow-up to the World Summit on the Information Society and review of the Commission on Science and Technology for Development’, to indicate how it will oversee the system-wide follow-up of the Summit outcomes via annual consideration and with assistance of the Commission on Science and Technology for Development (CSTD) as the focal point in the system-wide follow-up of WSIS.