Internet Governance to dominate agenda at PrepCom-3

News:
Internet Governance (IG) issues will dominate the agenda of the forthcoming third Preparatory Committee Meeting (PrepCom-3) on the World Summit on the Information Society, scheduled to hold in Geneva in September.

Communication Officer, at the WSIS secretariat, Sanjay Acharya revealed this much and said that it is expected to be the main focus of attention for the PrepCom-3 to be held from 19 to 30 September 2005.

PrepCom-3 is also billed to complete the output document on financing, continued negotiations on the political part of the Tunis document as well as look at implementation and follow-up mechanisms on the road ahead.

According to Acharya, other issues slated for discussion at the meeting, include the chapter containing the political component of the Tunis document, as it stood at the conclusion of PrepCom-2, together with a compilation of all written comments and proposals made during PrepCom-2 and contributions received from all stakeholders since PrepCom-2.

Other proposals from the group of the Friends of the Chair for implementation and follow-up mechanisms for the WSIS Action Plan and post-Summit phase, together with a compilation of all written comments and proposals made during PrepCom-2 and contributions received from all stakeholders since PrepCom-2.

WSIS secretariat also said the report of the Working Group on Internet Governance (WGIG) together with a compilation of all written comments and proposals to be submitted by governments and other stakeholders following the release of the WGIG report up to the deadline of mid-August would equally receive attention.

While the revised chapter on financial mechanisms which contains some outstanding text that needs to be agreed upon, whereas the reports from regional conferences and WSIS-related thematic meetings held in the period between PrepCom-2 and PrepCom-3 will feed into the WSIS process at PrepCom-3.

These include the WSIS regional conferences held in Tehran, 31 May - 2 June 2005, in Rio de Janeiro, 8-10 June 2005 and several thematic meetings.

Organizers said, that in keeping with multi-stakeholder participation in the WSIS process, observers from international organizations, civil society and the private sector would also have the opportunity to speak and provide inputs at PrepCom-3.