The World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) held in Geneva from 10 to 12 December 2003 was the first international summit to focus on the global information and communication system. Ironically, the presence of 54 heads of government at the summit, including contingents from all the countries of Southasia, failed to attract much attention in the region's mass media. With a total of 10,808 participants at the summit and 176 countries signing the official declaration, the organisers hailed it as a historic step to bridge the digital divide. The reality, however, is more complex.
The WSIS traces its roots to 1998 when the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) resolved to take steps to place the prospect of holding such a summit on the agenda of the United Nations Administrative Committee on Coordination. In 2001, the UN General Assembly asked the ITU to assume leadership for the preparation of the WSIS. According to the terms of the UN General Assembly resolution, the aim of the WSIS was to bring together governments, non-governmental organisations, civil society entities, industry leaders and media representatives to shape the future of the global information society. The WSIS was officially aimed at harnessing the potential of information and communication technology (ICT) to promote the development goals of the UN General Assembly. It was to frame policies as well as practical measures to bridge the digital divide between rich and poor countries. A pre-summit press release stated that the WSIS would focus on how to close the 'digital divide' in key areas of connectivity and computerisation.
The summit in Geneva was the culmination of the first leg of a two-phase process which began over two years ago, involving international conferences at the regional level as well as preparatory committee meetings at the global level. The two years of preparatory meetings concluded in November 2003, with the advanced capitalist countries and third world countries holding conflicting views on how to bridge the 'digital divide' (The second phase of WSIS is scheduled to be held in Tunis from 16 to 18 November 2005). Political wrangling threatened the success of the summit to the extent that, as a last ditch effort, an extra preparatory session was called immediately preceding the summit to salvage the situation. The major points of discord included issues of funding, internet governance, the role of communication media in society, the limits to intellectual property rights and issues relating to copyright and free software.
The question of funding was a major cause for controversy. Senegal, leading an African delegation, had suggested that the United Nations develop a "digital solidarity fund" to finance IT projects in third world countries. Other suggestions included a token contribution of one dollar from every purchase of a computer software package or network equipment to the fund, taxing international telephone calls and the commercial use of the radio frequency spectrum. The United States and other Western countries, however, opposed any suggestion of UN involvement, preferring to channel aid for such projects through existing development schemes, or by establishing an environment in which the private sector could develop the needed infrastructure—for instance through deregulation. The European Union also proposed a "digital solidarity agenda" which, however, did not include any commitment to funding.