United Nations Member States and relevant stakeholders will meet in New York this week to review the use of information communication technologies (ICTs) for improving people’s lives and to discuss how to bridge the digital divide.

This informal interactive consultation with stakeholders from the technical community, private sector, academia and civil society will take place at UN headquarters ahead of the World Summit on the Information Society + 10 (WSIS+10) High-Level Meeting from 15-16 December.

Recognizing the importance of the revolution in ICTs as a means of shaping the future of the world, the WSIS aims to foster the use of ICTs for development, while reducing a difference in levels of access to ICTs and broadband internet between developed and developing countries. At the 2005 WSIS in Tunis, the world adopted a common vision towards a people-centred inclusive and development-oriented Information Society.

Since the inception of the WSIS, major changes have occurred. The number of mobile phone subscriptions worldwide is now almost equal to the number of people. Four out of 10 people use the internet. Innovations such as mobile money, environmental monitoring and the use of information technology in health and education have helped improve the lives of millions.

However, challenges remain. Digital divides within and between countries and between men and women are slowing the pace of sustainable development. Some 60 per cent of people globally lack internet access, the majority of them women.

This year, H.E. Mr. Mogens Lykketoft, President of the UN General Assembly, will convene WSIS+10, a High-Level Meeting to take stock of progress made in the implementation of WSIS outcomes and to address potential ICT gaps and areas for continued focus, as well as challenges, including bridging the digital divide and harnessing ICTs for development. As part of the overall review process, two meetings will take place this week.

Informal Interactive Consultation
The consultation on 19 October will provide stakeholders an opportunity to contribute their views on the zero-draft of the WSIS review outcome document in a day of interactive panel discussions with Member States.

Second Preparatory Meeting
From 20 to 22 October, the Second Preparatory Meeting will take place organized by the Co-Facilitators of the overall WSIS review process, H.E. Jānis Mažeiks, Permanent Representative of Latvia and H.E. Lana Zaki Nusseibeh, Permanent Representative of the United Arab Emirates. The first round of meetings was held in July.

The focus of the meeting will be on engaging Member and Observer States to reach consensus on critical issues such as internet governance, human rights, and building confidence and security in the use of ICTs ahead of the December 2015 UN General Assembly High-Level Meeting WSIS+10.
During the first day of the meeting general statements on the zero-draft will be delivered followed by interactive discussions on ICT for development, internet governance, human rights and building confidence and security in the use of ICTs.

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For more information, please visit: http://unpan3.un.org/wsis10/
The meetings will be live webcast: http://webtv.un.org/
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Media Contacts:
Ken Matsueda, UN Department of Public Information, T: +1 (917) 367-5418, E: matsueda@un.org
Deniz Susar, UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs, E: susar@un.org
Dan Thomas, Office of the President of the UN General Assembly, T: +1 917 225 1913,
E: daniel.thomas@un.org