In the lead up to Phase I of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS), Canada, Australia, the United States, Norway and the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues advocated that efforts be made to ensure an appropriate role for Indigenous peoples. We were pleased that a number of states, United Nations agencies, and Swiss and City of Geneva representatives contributed to this important undertaking.

As a result, the Global Forum on Indigenous Peoples and the Information Society was held under the auspices of Phase I of WSIS in December 2003, and Indigenous perspectives were integrated in the Declaration and Plan of Action.

In the context of the WSIS process and the UN system, there now exists an excellent foundation concerning Indigenous peoples and information and communication technologies. Plans are being developed between the Government of Canada and Canadian National Aboriginal Organizations (through the Aboriginal Canada Portal Working Group - ACPWG), other states and Indigenous organizations and the Secretariat of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues to begin planning for Phase II WSIS Tunisia 2005. With only 12 months before the Global WSIS Summit in Tunisia, significant regional and international planning will be required to hold a second phase Indigenous WSIS Forum.

The United Nations Permanent Forum at its Third Session in May 2004 recommended that the UN system continue its advocacy work on Indigenous connectivity in preparation for Phase II of WSIS, taking into account the outcomes of the Global Forum on Indigenous Issues and the Information Society. The Permanent Forum applauded and supported the decision taken by WSIS to establish multi-stakeholder portals that allow communication between Indigenous peoples at the national level.

The ACPWG is proposing to co-host a two day International Indigenous Thematic Planning Conference, in conjunction with its National Connecting Aboriginal Peoples in Canada Forum, in Ottawa, Canada, in March 2005. It is hoped that such an approach will facilitate global Indigenous ICT partnerships and provide the momentum and content to begin planning and recruitment for the WSIS Phase II that will take place six months later in Tunisia.

Current plans call for Canadian stakeholders to hold their National Forum in Ottawa from March 14–16, 2005. Other states and Indigenous stakeholders are invited to join this discussion and exchange of most promising practices.

This will then be followed by two days (March 17 -18, 2005) of international dialogue, presentations and planning for a WSIS Indigenous Forum in Tunisia. All states and Indigenous ICT stakeholders are invited to assist in the planning and sharing of key issues for Tunisia. The focus of this international thematic meeting will be on:
• Reviewing implementation of WSIS Plans of Action; and,
• Planning the Indigenous theme at Phase II of WSIS in Tunisia.

In order to commence planning for the WSIS Indigenous event in Tunisia, the ACPWG extends an invitation to Indigenous peoples, states, international institutions and the private sector to join with us now in the creation of an International Steering Committee in preparation for the March thematic conference and the work that will follow. The International Steering Committee would undertake the following:

• Establishing the formal agenda for Ottawa and canvassing views for the agenda for Tunisia;
• Identifying funding requirements;
• Creating delegation selection mechanisms; and,
• Recruitment of partners and participants.

On the following pages we have included a draft, notional agenda for the International Indigenous Thematic Planning Conference in Ottawa.

Interested states and Indigenous peoples should also note that while much of the proposed effort will be aimed at developing plans for Tunisia, equal efforts will be made to foster international Indigenous ICT partnership opportunities. For the Ottawa meeting, interpretation services will be available in English, French, Portuguese, Spanish, and Russian both for the formal plenary sessions and also on a more informal basis to facilitate discussion between Indigenous ICT practitioners.