Information Society

WHEREAS mindful of the importance of the forthcoming World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) to be held in Geneva (Switzerland) in December 2003 (first phase) and in Tunis in November 2005 (second phase), which will bring together various stakeholders representing governments, intergovernmental organizations, private sector and civil society, and which will offer a unique opportunity for the global community to reflect, discuss and reach a common vision of the Information Society in a era when countries and peoples are interconnected as never before through information and communication technologies WHEREAS having taken note of the reports of the IAPA representatives who were participating in the preparatory process, that is, the two Preparatory Committees (PrepCom) held in Geneva in July 2002 and February 2003, and the Latin American and the Caribbean Regional Conference held in Bavaro (Dominican Republic) in January 2003 WHEREAS concerned about the limited consideration given until now to the role of media in the information society in the documents and conclusions of PrepCom-2 THE MIDYEAR MEETING OF THE IAPA RESOLVES to reaffirm the importance which the Inter American Press Association is attaching to the forthcoming World Summit on the Information Society at a time when information and knowledge are increasingly at the core of any human activity to request that the intergovernmental bodies in charge of preparing the WSIS openly recognize the crucial role media are playing in the information society in its substantial revision of the Draft Declaration and Draft Action Plan (prepared by other media organizations) and the proposal made by the WSIS host country (Switzerland) at PrepCom-2, acknowledging the media as major stakeholders in the deliberations with official representation and active participation on drafting committees.