Decision on the Report of the Chairperson of the Commission on the World Summit on Information Society (WSIS)

DECISION ON THE REPORT OF THE CHAIRPERSON OF
THE COMMISSION ON THE WORLD SUMMIT ON
INFORMATION SOCIETY (WSIS)
DOC.EX.CL/119 (V)

The Executive Council:

1. TAKES NOTE of the Report;

2. RECALLS Decision EX.CL/61 (III) adopted by the Assembly of the African Union held in Maputo, from 3 to 12 July 2003;

3. ALSO RECALLS Resolutions 55/2, 56/183, 57/238 and 57/295 adopted by the United Nations General Assembly within the context of the World Summit on Information Society;

4. EXPRESSES SATISFACTION at Africa’s effective participation in the first phase of WSIS held in Geneva from 10 to 12 December 2003;

5. FURTHER TAKES NOTE of the final documents adopted at the first phase of the Summit held in Geneva, from 10 to 12 December 2003, particularly the Declaration of Principles and the Plan of Action, as well as the Decision on the preparations for the second phase of the Summit scheduled to hold in Tunis, from 16 to 18 November 2005;

6. ALSO TAKES NOTE of the outcome of the first meeting of the Preparatory Committee, held in Hammanet (Tunisia), from 24 to 26 June 2004;

7. WELCOMES the offer of the Government of Ghana to host the next Regional Preparatory Committee meeting in February 2005 and URGES all Member States to actively participate in this preparatory process;

8. REAFFIRMS that the Tunis Summit constitutes a crucial stage in the process for establishing a balanced and accessible information society and in forging a strategic and interdependent digital partnership to promote economic growth and human development throughout the world, associating in a coordinated and complementary manner all stakeholders, namely Governments, International Organizations, the Civil Society and the Private Sector;

EX.CL/Dec. 118 (V)

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9. CALLS ON representatives of the Civil Society and the Private Sector, particularly African representatives to participate actively in the preparatory work, and enrich the substantive debate with their proposals and recommendations, particularly as concerns the content of the Tunis phase;

10. URGES Member States to:

Provide the appropriate conditions for consultations and coordination to the African Group in Geneva to enable the latter to participate more actively in the preparatory process and better translate African interests in the guidelines and outcome of the Tunis Summit;

ensure the massive participation of Heads of State and Government in the Tunis Summit in order to give better political visibility to African priorities and objectives;

work towards ensuring that the Tunis Summit culminates in a political document as a consensual framework of action in the post-Tunis perspective.

11. REQUESTS the Commission of the African Union to participate more effectively and visibly in the preparatory process of the Tunis Summit and submit a report thereon to the subsequent sessions of the Executive Council;

12. FURTHER REQUESTS the Chairperson of the Commission of the African Union to submit a report on the implementation of the present Decision to Council at its next session.