Internet Press Freedom Conference

The World Summit on the Information Society
Background, Organization and Goals

by Mr. Guy-Olivier Segond
Special Ambassador for the World Summit on the Information Society

I would like to thank you for giving me this opportunity to speak to this Forum "Press Freedom on the Internet," sponsored by the World Press Freedom Committee and the Association of the Bar of the City of New York.

This meeting is a great opportunity for the WSIS to inform and to discuss with on-line publishers and journalists, Internet service providers, media lawyers, political leaders and all others wishing to protect the free flow of information on the Net.

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 What Is The Summit?

The WSIS has been decided by the UN General Assembly. It is convened under the patronage of UN Secretary General. And it will be held in two phases, in Geneva in December 2003 and in Tunis in November 2005.

The WSIS will look at the profound changes being wrought by the Information Society in all aspects of human life. It will examine ways to put this revolution at the service of human development. And it will study the ways and means to narrow the Digital Divide.

In December 2003, in Geneva, the core intergovernmental Summit - the World Assembly of Heads of States and Heads of Governments - will include a series of high-level roundtables and will be complemented by other Summit events on subjects ranging from the World Electronic Media Forum to Information and Communication technologies for Development. These events will serve as a platform for dialogue between Heads of States and Government and leaders from the private sector, civil society and international organizations.

One of the main outcomes of the Summit will be the adoption of a visionary political Declaration of Principles and a comprehensive Action Plan.

So, the WSIS will provide a unique opportunity to meet at the highest political level to forge a global consensus and a strong commitment to the policies and actions required to promote the access of all peoples and all countries to information, knowledge and communication technologies, thereby helping to advance the goals of the UN Millennium Declaration and to build a truly inclusive, global and fair Information Society.

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 Where Are We With The Preparation Of The Summit?

The Summit is prepared by an intergovernmental process, under the direction of the Preparatory Committee (PREP-COM), which consists of 191 national delegations representing the 191 members States of the UN.

From the beginning, this intergovernmental process is open to the participation of international organizations, private sector and civil society. It is following a “bottom-up” process, starting at the national level, following at the regional level and ending at the global level.

At the regional level, all the regions of the world have had their regional conference:

 - in Bamako (Mali), in May 2002, for Africa ;

 - in Bucharest (Romania), in November 2002, for Europe and North America ;

 - in Tokyo (Japan), in January 2003, for Asia and Pacific ;

 - in Bavaro (Santo Domingo), in January 2003, for Latin America and Caribbean.

 - in Cairo (Egypt), in June 2003, for the Arab league States.

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At the global level, we have had in Geneva, in July 2002, PrepCom I - mostly on procedure - and, in February 2003, PrepCom II - mostly on substance.

PrepCom II has produced two working papers to be used as a basis for Draft Declaration of Principles and Action Plan.

Prior to the Summit, there will be an “Intersession Meeting” in Paris, in July 2003, at UNESCO, and a final PrepCom III, in Geneva, in September 2003 (15-26.9).

The first phase of the Summit will then open in Geneva, in December 2003 (10-12.12).

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On the institutional side, for the first time in the history of the United Nations, there is not only an Intergovernmental Bureau, but also an International Bureau of the Business and an International Bureau of the Civil Society.

The Bureau of the Civil Society has 21 members, representing the 21 families of the Civil Society. It is intended to facilitate the participation of the Civil Society to the intergovernmental process and to the WSIS, and to give a greater importance to its contribution.

It is also important to note that the media are one of the 21 families of the Civil Society. So, you are represented in the Bureau of the Civil Society by a delegate, who is your European Representative, Mr. Ronald Koven.

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What Are The Goals Of The Summit?

The WSIS has three main goals:

1. To use ICT to achieve the Millennium Development Goals - adopted in September 2000 by the largest ever gathering of Heads of State and Government - and to reverse the growing Digital Divide - 91% of the Internet users are living in the part of the world where are 19% of the population -.

2. To address, at the national and international levels, policy issues relating to

- broad participation of all stake holders in ICT - related decision-making ;

- ensuring privacy and security of ICT networks while protecting the free flow of information and 
  communication ;

- protecting intellectual property and copyright while making ICT widespread and affordable for achieving
  the Millennium Development Goals.

3. To promote open and informative media, freedom of opinion and expression, and diversity of content and culture, stressing the central role of the media in the information society, as well as the role of press freedom in the context of democracy and good governance.

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The Freedom Of Expression

The World Press Freedom Committee has a strong and clear conviction : the fundamental basis for democracy is freedom of opinion, freedom of expression and freedom of the press. That is why it is willing to protect the free flow of information on the Net.

It is clear that information, freedom and democracy go together : in fact, the spread of information has a direct impact on the degree of accountability and transparency of governments around the World.

But is the World Press Freedom Committee correct or right when its Chairman sees the World Summit of Information Society as a threat to freedom of the press or as a censor of the Net?

In the Draft Declaration of Principles, the World Summit makes a clear Statement :

“The essential requirements for the development of an equitable Information Society include:

- The respect for all internationally recognized human rights and fundamental freedoms. Notably the right to freedom of opinion and expression, including the right to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers in accordance with Article 19 of the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights and to unhindered access by individuals to communication media and information sources,”

That is clear : a priority and basis for action must be the implementation of Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights on the right to freedom of opinion and expression.

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Does the freedom of the press or the free flow of information on the Net have certain limits?

Everywhere on the planet, there are limits to the freedom of expression defined by laws, regulations or judgments. These limits are different: they reflect different conceptions of government, governance and the rule of law. But they have a common point: they try to deal with problems such as protection of privacy, protection of confidentiality, child pornography, military concerns, national security, or international terrorism. It is logical that these limits, already in place on news media, will be implemented on the Net.

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There is another controversy: freedom of the press and right to communicate.

Some people in the North think that this is a new version of the so-called “new world information and communication order”, developed two decades ago and partly responsible for the US withdrawal from UNESCO.

A majority of people in the South thinks that the right to communicate is a new concept. As times changed, these rights have evolved: freedom of opinion, freedom of expression, freedom of the press, the right to information. The right to communicate is a new extension, more appropriated to globalization era.

In fact, everywhere, in the South as in the North, there is a growing concern about the possible expansion of one single global culture. That is why peoples and governments consider that cultural and audiovisual works should not be governed by general rules of free exchange for foods and services. They support the concept of cultural diversity, in order to prevent the global risk of standardization. So, the media are encouraged by specific regulatory mechanism to contribute to the preservation of identities and to the promotion of cultural diversity without destroying the positive factors of internationalism.

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Almost all the questions related to the freedom of the press and to the free flow of information on the Net are controversial.

The best way to promote your position is to participate to the preparation of the Summit - as you are already doing it - and to the Summit itself.

In December 2003, in Geneva, there will be two important occasions to make your point.

One is to participate to the World Electronic Media Forum, one of the Summit events. This forum will bring together media executives and practitioners from developed and developing countries, as well as other policy makers and representatives of the UN system, to discuss the role of the electronic media in the Information Society. The UN Secretary General will open the Forum, and the keynote speaker will be Ted Turner.

Another important occasion to make your point is to participate to the high-level roundtables that will be part of the core intergovernmental part of the Summit. This will provide you a good opportunity to discuss the crucial aspects of freedom of the press in the Information Society at the intergovernmental level.

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I know that the World Summit on the Information Society will give a continuing attention to the concerns of media organizations: their participation in the preparatory process is a key element for the Summit’s success as they are the ones who will bring the Summit to the world.

That is why one of the main goals of the Summit is to promote open and informative media, freedom of opinion and expression, and diversity of content and culture, stressing the central role of the media in the Information Society, as well as the role of press freedom in the context of democracy and good governance.