The WSIS team would like to acknowledge the tremendous contributions of governments, international organizations, private sector, civil society and other stakeholders in providing information on ongoing projects and initiatives to the WSIS Stocktaking Platform. WSIS Stocktaking Report is based on the contributions provided by stakeholders in response to the ITU official call for update and new entries.

It is with great pleasure that I present the fourth edition of the Report on WSIS Stocktaking, 2012.

The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) remains committed to the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) process, and to implementation of the WSIS goals by 2015. I therefore recognize and highly appreciate the extremely valuable contributions made by stakeholders to enable the continuation of WSIS monitoring and reporting. There can be no doubt whatsoever that, in today’s fast-moving world, innovation and efficiency are vital to success. Accordingly, I am pleased to share with you the most recent updates and success stories in the WSIS stocktaking process.

United Nations General Assembly Resolution 56/183 (21 December 2001) endorsed the holding of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) in two phases. The first phase took place in Geneva, from 10 to 12 December 2003, and the second phase took place in Tunis, from 16 to 18 November 2005. The objective of the first phase was to develop and foster a clear statement of political will and take concrete steps to establish the foundations for an Information Society for all, reflecting all the different interests at stake and the objective of the second phase was to put the Geneva Plan of Action into motion as well as to find solutions and reach agreements in the fields of Internet governance, financing mechanisms and follow-up and implementation of the Geneva and Tunis documents.

This chapter presents some examples illustrating the role of stakeholders in the promotion of ICTs for development.

As stated in the Geneva Plan of Action, ICT infrastructure plays an important role in achieving WSIS objectives. The construction and development of essential infrastructure within countries continue to contribute to progress towards WSIS targets such as digital inclusion, and encourage the creation of universal, sustainable and affordable access to ICTs for all. This chapter illustrates some of the initiatives relevant to this field.

Information and communication technologies (ICTs) can help improve education systems and work practices through the development of skills that are particularly beneficial within the information society. Thus, the process of capacity building through delivery of education, training of teachers, lifelong-learning programmes and professional training is essential for the integration of ICT practices in these areas. This chapter cites examples of projects that reflect volunteering activities. If conducted in harmony with national policies and local cultures, volunteering can be a valuable asset for raising human capacity to make productive use of ICT tools and build a more inclusive information society. Stakeholders are also working increasingly hard to remove the gender barriers to ICT education and train and promote equal training opportunities in ICT-related fields for women and girls.

Confidence and security play an essential role in the information society. Governments, in cooperation with the private sector, are working to prevent, detect and respond to cybercrime and misuse of ICTs by: developing guidelines that take into account ongoing efforts in these areas; considering legislation that allows for effective investigation and prosecution of misuse; promoting effective mutual assistance efforts; strengthening institutional support at the international level for preventing, detecting and recovering from such incidents; and encouraging education and raising awareness. Thus, the projects reported on in this chapter showcase how stakeholders are contributing on an ongoing basis to building confidence and security in the use of ICTs, based on the following work areas: legal measures, technical and procedural measures, organizational structure, capacity building and international cooperation.

Integration in the information society can yield many social, economic and environmental benefits. In order to facilitate this process, governments and other agencies recognize the importance of creating an enabling environment with transparent and non-discriminatory policy and regulation.

ICT applications can support sustainable development in different sectors such as public administration, business, education and training, health, employment, environment, agriculture and science, within the framework of national e-strategies. This chapter illustrates how ICT applications can maximize social and economic benefits for the society.

According to Geneva Plan of Action, cultural and linguistic diversity is essential to the development of an information society. Stakeholders continue to work on creating the policies that support the respect, preservation, promotion and enhancement of cultural and linguistic diversity and cultural heritage within the information society.

The media have an essential role in the development of the information society. In this chapter, recent activities are reflected to demonstrate the role that media — print and broadcast, as well as new media – are indeed playing. Of late, stakeholders have stepped up their efforts to encourage the development of domestic legislation related to the media; taken appropriate measures — consistent with freedom of expression — to combat illegal and harmful media content; and encouraged traditional media to bridge the knowledge divide. UNESCO, as the lead facilitator for Action line C9: Media, has continued to work on a whole range of activities.

According to the Geneva Plan of Action, the information society should be subject to universally held values and promote the common good, and prevent abusive uses of ICTs. Stakeholders are working to promote respect for peace and to uphold the fundamental values of freedom, equality, solidarity, tolerance, shared responsibility and respect for nature. A number of entities in the information society continue to take appropriate actions and preventive measures, as determined by law, against abusive uses of ICTs such as illegal and other acts motivated by racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance, hatred, violence, all forms of child abuse, including paedophilia and child pornography, and trafficking in, and exploitation of, human beings.

International cooperation among all stakeholders is vital for implementation of the WSIS outcomes. This chapter describes ICT projects that have been carried out in response to requests for international cooperation and assistance from developed countries and international financial organizations for infrastructure development projects.

The WSIS Stocktaking Report 2012 reflected numerous ICT related activities for the period 2010-2012 in response to the ITU official call 2010 and 2011 for update and new entries. The information was submitted by different stakeholders including governments, private sector, international organizations, and the civil society. Core facilitators and other UN agencies have also actively contributed to this report in their respective area.