| FACT
SHEET
The
Summit: Preparatory Process
The
Summit in Geneva (10 to 12 December 2003) will be the outcome of a wide
variety of inputs, including from previous meetings, existing Action
Plans of the various partners involved and inputs from the Preparatory
Committees of the Summit (PREPCOMs) *(see Chart below). Regional, conferences
and thematic and expert meetings will be organized to consider a specific
subject. Regional conferences will be organized to address the specific
concerns, needs and priorities of the various regions. They will, most
likely, be organized at ministerial level. PREPCOMs will be attended
by governmental representatives and other parties concerned, including
representatives of the UN specialized agencies, the private sector,
civil society and NGOs.
Key dates
Preparatory Committee Meetings
PrepCom 1 - Geneva 1-5 July 2002
PrepCom 2 - Geneva 17-28 February 2003
PrepCom 3 - 15-26 September 2003
Regional Conferences
Africa - Bamako 28-30 May 2002
Europe - Bucharest 7-9 November 2002
Asia Pacific - Tokyo 13-15 January 2003
Latin America & Caribbean - Bávaro, Dominican Republic, 29-31
January 2003
Western Asia - Beirut, Lebanon, 4 - 6 February 2003
The Facilitating
Mechanisms
High-Level
Summit Organizing Committee
A High-Level Summit Organizing Committee (HLSOC) has been established
under the patronage of Kofi Annan, UN Secretary-General and Chairman
of the United Nations System Chief Executive Board for Coordination
(CEB formally ACC).
The HLSOC is composed
of a Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General and Executive
Heads of the following UN specialized agencies: FAO, IAEA, ICAO, ILO,
IMO, ITU, UNCTAD, UNDP, UNEP, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO,
WMO. It comprises also the Director General of WTO, the Executive Director
of UNITAR, the Executive Secretaries of the UN Regional Economic Commissions
and the President of the World Bank. The Secretary-General of the International
Telecommunication Union serves as Chairman of the HLSOC.
Its purpose is to
coordinate the efforts of the international United Nations family in
the preparation, organization and holding of WSIS. All the members of
the HLSOC have engaged to provide specific information about their work
that will help develop the Summit themes. The HLSOC reports directly
to the CEB and oversees the work of the Executive Secretariat
Executive Secretariat
Executive Director: Mr. Pierre Gagné
Deputy Executive Director: Mr. Arthur Levin
The Executive Secretariat
of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS/ES) was established
under the authority of the HLSOC to assist in the preparation of the
Summit. It is based at the ITU headquarters in Geneva, with the following
mandate and terms of reference:
Mandate
The mandate of the ES is as follows:
o Advise on all aspects of Summit preparation
o Prepare progress reports on the preparation if the Summit
o Develop an operation plan and a timetable for preparation of the Summit
o Obtain sponsorship and funding
Composition
A number of different organizations, including government ministries,
private companies, UN agencies and NGOs have sent experts to the WSIS
Executive Secretariat on a full or part-time basis. The composition
of the ES is as follows:
o Staff from Member States
o Staff from the UN specialized agencies participating in the HLSOC
o Staff from the private sector
o Staff from NGOs and Civil Society
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