Recognizing WSIS Impacts

WTDC RESOLUTION 30 (Rev. Hyderabad, 2010)

Role of the ITU Telecommunication Development Sector in implementing the outcomes of the World Summit on the Information Society

The World Telecommunication Development Conference (Hyderabad, 2010),

• recalling
  • a)Resolution 30 (Rev. Doha, 2006) of the World Telecommunication Development Conference;
  • b)Resolution 140 (Antalya, 2006) of the Plenipotentiary Conference, on ITU’s role in implementing the outcomes of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS);
  • c)the documents adopted by both phases of WSIS:
    • – the Geneva Declaration of Principles and Geneva Plan of Action;
    • – the Tunis Commitment and Tunis Agenda for the Information Society,
• recognizing
  • a)that WSIS stated that the core competenciesof ITU are of crucial importance for building the information society, and identified ITU as a moderator/facilitator for implementing Action Lines C2 and C5, and as a partner in Action Lines C1, C3, C4, C6, C7 and C11, as well as Action Line C8 as stated in Resolution 140 (Antalya, 2006);
  • b)that it was recently agreed among the parties to follow up the Summit outcomes to appoint ITU as moderator/facilitator for the implementation of Action Line C6, in which it was previously only a partner;
  • c)that the Telecommunication Development Sector (ITU-D), in view of its purposes and objectives, the nature of the existing partnership among Member States and ITU-D Sector Members, its accumulated experience over many years in dealing with different development needs and implementing a range of projects, including infrastructure projects and telecommunication/information and communication technology (ICT) infrastructure projects specifically, financed by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and various funds and through possible partnerships, the nature of its six existing programmes, adopted at this conference to meet the needs of the telecommunication/ICT infrastructure and achieve the WSIS goals, and the presence of its authorized regional offices, is a key partner in the implementation of WSIS outcomes, especially in respect of Action Line C2 which is the cornerstone of the Sector’s work pursuant to the ITU Constitution and Convention,
• resolves to invite the ITU Telecommunication Development Sector
  • 1 to continue working in cooperation with the other ITU Sectors and with development partners (governments, specialized agencies ofthe United Nations, relevant international and regional organizations, etc.), through a clear plan and appropriate mechanisms for coordination among the different partners concerned at the national, regional, interregional and global levels, having particular regard to the needs of the developing countries1 , including in the field of building the telecommunication/ICT infrastructure, building confidence and security in the use of telecommunications/ICTs, and implementation of the other WSIS goals;
    • 1 These include the least developed countries, small island developing states, landlocked developing countries and countries with economies in transition.
  • 2 to continue to encourage the principle of non-exclusion from the information society and to devise appropriate mechanisms to this end (§§ 20-25 of the Tunis Commitment);
  • 3 to continue to facilitate an enabling environment encouraging ITU-D Sector Members to give priority to investing in the development of the telecommunication/ICT infrastructure, encompassing rural, isolated and remote regions, through different technologies;
  • 4 to assist Member States infinding and/or improving innovative financial mechanisms to develop telecommunication/ICT infrastructure (such as the Digital Solidarity Fund and others mentioned in § 27 of the Tunis Agenda, and partnerships);
  • 5 to continue to assist developing countries in advancing their legal and regulatory frameworks in order to further the goal of building the telecommunication/ICT infrastructure and achieve the other WSIS goals;
  • 6 to pursue its activities in the field of statistical work for telecommunication development, using the indicators required to evaluate progress in this area with a view to bridging the digital divide, inter alia, within the framework of the Partnership on Measuring ICT for Development and consistent with §§ 113-118 of the Tunis Agenda, acting on the content of Resolution 8 (Rev. Hyderabad, 2010) of this conference;
  • 7 to develop and implement the ITU-D strategic plan, taking into account the need to give priority to building the telecommunication/ICT infrastructure at the national, regional, interregional and global levels and to achieve the other WSISgoals related to the activities of ITU-D;
  • 8 to continue to propose at the forthcoming plenipotentiary conference appropriate mechanisms for funding the activities flowing from the WSIS outcomes that are relevant to the core competencies of ITU, specifically those to be adopted in relation to:
    • i) Action Lines C2, C5 and C6, in which ITU is now identified as a moderator/facilitator;
    • ii) Action Lines C1, C3, C4, C6, C7 including itseight sub-action lines, C8 and C11, in which ITU is identified as a partner,
• calls upon Member States
  • to continue to give priority to the development of the telecommunication/ICT infrastructure, including in rural, remote and underserved areas, in order to build the information society,
• requests the Secretary-General
  • to transmit this resolution to the Plenipotentiary Conference (Guadalajara, 2010) for consideration and appropriate action in this regard when reviewing Resolution 140 (Antalya, 2006), in order to specify ITU-D’s clear role in this areaand the provision of the necessary funding.