The 8000-member Tunisian civil society has declared it is ready to host the second phase of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS 2) in 2005.
Speaking exclusively to Highway Africa News Agency (HANA), the president of the giant society, Agrebi Saida, said it is because of the sheer political will and determination of the Tunisian government in partnership with the civil society that her country will host WSIS 2.
Saida said no other country is better placed to host the second phase of the Summit, arguing that it was Tunisia that inspired the United Nations to consider hosting a summit of this nature in the first place.
Her sentiments were supported by Ines Sammar representing the Tunisian Mothers Association, an NGO. Sammar said Tunisia proposed in 1998 that the nations of the world should hold a summit on the information society with the sole aim of agreeing on strategies of bridging the digital divide.
Sammar said Tunisia is a showcase of what an African country can achieve through political commitment. She said every family, school and university in Tunisia has access to the Internet and that this was an example of a country bridging the digital divide within its own borders.
Said Sammar, ‘Even the now-controversial Digital Solidarity Fund is an idea that was borrowed from Tunisia’s own successful national solidarity fund that caters for the development of ICTs [Information and Communication Technologies] in the country.”
Sammar dismissed accusation that Tunisia was unfit to host the WSIS 2 because it suppresses freedom of expression and women’s rights. She said Tunisia practices a system of ‘tolerance and modernisation while preserving its traditions and cultures”.
‘Tunisia is a progressive country and everyone’s human rights are respected and protected,” said Sammar.
According to Saida, Tunisia is economically and technically equipped to host a summit of such magnitude, with its civil society attempting to identify and exploit real opportunities offered by ICT for sustainable development.
‘Volunteer work, partnership and political will contribute to the success of both the first and second phase of this Summit,” said Saida.
Saida made her remarks soon after Tunisian President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali officially invited the nations of the world to his country in 2005 to consolidate the gains that will have been made following this first phase.
The World Summit on the Information Society will be held in two phases. The first phase of WSIS is taking place in Geneva hosted by the Government of Switzerland from 10 to 12 December 2003.
The second phase will take place in Tunis hosted by the Government of Tunisia, from 16 to 18 November 2005. Development themes will be a key focus in this phase, and it will assess progress that has been made and adopt any further plan of action to be taken.