ESCWA holds a conference entitled Follow-up to the Implementation of WSIS Outcomes in Western Asia in Damascus between 16 and 18 June 2009, to track and revise the implementation of the outcomes of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS), and update the regional plans of action to build the information society in Western Asia. During the Conference, the Arab Region Network of the Global Alliance for ICT and Development (GAID) will be launched. The GAID is an initiative that aims at finding innovative ways of harnessing the power of ICT for development.
The conference will review developments in the ICT sector from a regional point of view, namely those concerning the implementation of WSIS outcomes, the Regional Plan of Action (RPoA) for Building the Information Society in Western Asia, and the Arab ICT Strategy. It will give prominence to such issues as the promotion of the digital Arabic content industry and the online Arabic cultural heritage, as well as the progress and prospects on the Arabic Domain Names (AND).
Participants in the conference include ministers, policy-makers and decision-makers who are directly involved in the implementation of WSIS action lines as well as regional and national plans in Arab countries in general, and particularly in the ESCWA member countries. Experts in ICT policies, applications and services, as well as representatives of the private sector, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), regional and international organizations will also be in attendance.
The conference represents a forum where various WSIS stakeholders in the ESCWA region will meet to put their experiences and knowledge at the service of enhancing and updating ICT strategies and action plans. Conferees will discuss issues directly related to the recommendations, resolutions and action lines of the two WSIS phases (Geneva 2003 and Tunis 2005) and of similar national and regional strategies and plans of action. They will also identify new projects for inclusion in the RPoA and in other plans of action, including the updated Arab ICT Strategy. The conference is expected to underline ICT use for regional development and empowering marginalized groups.
ESCWA is holding the conference under the patronage of the Government of the Syrian Arab Republic, and in partnership with the two main WSIS coordinators, the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Other partners include the League of Arab States (LAS), the Arab ICT Organization (AICTO), the Arab Institute for Training and Research in Statistics (AITRS), the Global Alliance for ICT and Development (GAID), Cisco, the International Development Research Center (IDRC), Microsoft, the Syrian Computer Society (SCS), and Syrian Telecom (STE), and Talal Abu Ghazale Organization (TAG-Org).
