Joint session planned with Global Alliance for Information Communication and Technology for Development (GAID) on bridging "digital divide"
The United Nations Commission on Science and Technology for Development will meet from 21-25 May in Geneva to assess efforts to use Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) to expand economic growth in developing countries.
In line with efforts to meet the targets set by the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS), the meeting will review progress in WSIS implementation and monitor digital opportunity around the world, including an analysis of the digital divide. The meeting is expected to conclude that with half of the world´s population expected to have access to mobile phones by next year, mobile telephony promises to bridge the digital divide, offering greater access to ICTs, but that threats to online safety remain a concern.
WSIS was held in two phases at Geneva (2003) and Tunis (2005). Governments, international organizations, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and private businesses made commitments at the Summit intended to make ICTs much more widely available and affordable, and to use it to expand possibilities for poor nations and peoples.
In 2015, the United Nations General Assembly will meet to review whether WSIS commitments have been fulfilled. The May 21-25 meeting in Geneva will focus in particular on WSIS implementation at the regional and international levels.
Along with an opening ceremony and high-level ministerial segment on the first day, the gathering will feature on 22 May a joint session with the Global Alliance for ICT and Development (GAID), with high-level representation from the business community and civil society. The joint meeting will seek to promote the building of a broad partnership to bridge the digital divide, and will include four panel sessions chaired by representatives from prominent media networks.
Following a decision by the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), the week-long Commission -- the group´s tenth session overall -- will be open to participation by NGOs, civil society groups, and businesses accredited for participation at the WSIS.
A number of other WSIS-related events, mostly on the implementation of the various programmes adopted at the Summit, are scheduled to take place 14-25 May in Geneva. These will include the launching of a joint ITU/UNCTAD publication, "World Information Society Report 2007: Beyond WSIS".
The Commission was established in 1992 to guide the future work of the United Nations in the fields of science and technology. It has recently been enlarged by ECOSOC and designated as the focal point to assist with UN follow-up to the WSIS. The outcome of the tenth Session will be considered by the Economic and Social Council at its meeting in July 2007.
