US holds on to Internet management. For now.
US holds on to Internet management. For now.
Nov 18, 2005: The UN has headed off any hijacking of debate at the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) by signing an agreement to create a new Internet Governance Forum
The agreement, endorsed by the Bush government, has ensured that any showdown between the US and its critics will be delayed until the new forum sits in 2006.
It is currently unclear who will be in charge of the forum, however, a UN body the International Telecommunication Union has been mentioned as a contender, whilst Greece has offered to be the host.
UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan wasted no time addressing the issue of Internet Governence during the phase two opening speeches. "Let me be absolutely clear," he said "The United Nations does not want to 'take over', police or otherwise control the Internet."
Also speaking at the Summit's opening ceremony, Secretary-General of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), Yoshio Utsumi, who is also serving as Secretary-General of WSIS, urged world leaders to put information and communication technologies (ICTs) at the heart of their national economic and social development policies.
Speaking passionately about the unprecedented opportunities offered by new technologies, Mr Utsumi warned of the threat of increasing global inequality if access to these powerful tools for economic growth remained predominantly in the hands of the world's richest nations.
Many countries have spoken out about their wishes to play a larger part in the management of the internet since it is a global medium.
Phase two of the WSIS has more than 16,000 delegates from 176 countries meeting in Tunis to focus on forging strategies to improve the accessibility and affordability of information and communication technologies.
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