The World Summit on the Information Society and the role of Local Authorities
To promote an Information Society for all people is one of the newest and most important challenges facing our current society.
The United Nations, being aware of the significance of the social, economic and cultural changes which are taking place as a consequence of the Information Society, set the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) in motion, organised in two phases. The first phase culminated with the Geneva Summit in December 2003. The second will end with the Tunis Summit which will take place from the 16th to the 18th of November 2005.
Local Authorities(cities, regions and local governments) represent some of the main driving forces of the Information Society. To this end, local authorities have established a process of mobilisation, consensus and formulation of their vision and of proposals for plans of action through which they are developing their role as regards the Information Society.
United Cities and Local Government (UCLG)(*1), the largest local government organisation in the world, has offered its support of this initiative from the Final Declaration adopted at its Founding Congress in Paris (May 2004), committing itself to “mobilising all players in local and international development, in addition to civil society and the private sector, to take part actively in the II World Summit of Cities and Local Authorities on the Information Society which is to be organised in Bilbao in November 2005.”(*2)
United Cities and Local Governments works towards an information society of inclusive cities, where diversity in culture, languages and information for all is valued and promoted. UCLG is facilitating the local government contribution to the second phase of the World Summit on the Information Society (Tunis, 2005) to take place following the second Local Authorities Summit on the Information Society in Bilbao on November 2005.
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(*1) Launched in January 2004, UCLG brings together cities and their national associations and has members in 127 of the 191 UN member states. Its membership includes 1000 leading cities and virtually all the existing national Local Government Associations in the world. Together, its members represent over half of the world’s total population.UCLG gives a voice to every type of local government - large and small, rural and urban – representing and defending their interests at the global level, and addressing key issues for the future of cities and their citizens.
(*2) Annex to the Declaration of the Founding Congress of UCLG (Paris, May 2004)