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# A. Introduction

**1.** The common vision and guiding principles of the Declaration are
translated in this Plan of Action into concrete action lines to advance
the achievement of the internationally-agreed development goals,
including those in the Millennium Declaration, the Monterrey Consensus
and the Johannesburg Declaration and Plan of Implementation, by
promoting the use of ICT-based products, networks, services and
applications, and to help countries overcome the digital divide. The
Information Society envisaged in the Declaration of Principles will be
realized in cooperation and solidarity by governments and all other
stakeholders.

**2.** The Information Society is an evolving concept that has reached
different levels across the world, reflecting the different stages of
development. Technological and other change is rapidly transforming the
environment in which the Information Society is developed. The Plan of
Action is thus an evolving platform to promote the Information Society
at the national, regional and international levels. The unique two-phase
structure of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) provides
an opportunity to take this evolution into account.

**3.** All stakeholders have an important role to play in the
Information Society, especially through partnerships:

> a\) Governments have a leading role in developing and implementing
> comprehensive, forward looking and sustainable national e-strategies.
> The private sector and civil society, in dialogue with governments,
> have an important consultative role to play in devising national
> e-strategies.

b\) The commitment of the private sector is important in developing and
diffusing information and communication technologies (ICTs), for
infrastructure, content and applications. The private sector is not only
a market player but also plays a role in a wider sustainable development
context.

c\) The commitment and involvement of civil society is equally important
in creating an equitable Information Society, and in implementing
ICT-related initiatives for development.

d\) International and regional institutions, including international
financial institutions, have a key role in integrating the use of ICTs
in the development process and making available necessary resources for
building the Information Society and for the evaluation of the progress
made.

# B. Objectives, goals and targets

**4.** The objectives of the Plan of Action are to build an inclusive
Information Society; to put the potential of knowledge and ICTs at the
service of development; to promote the use of information and knowledge
for the achievement of internationally agreed development goals,
including those contained in the Millennium Declaration; and to address
new challenges of the Information Society, at the national, regional and
international levels. Opportunity shall be taken in phase two of the
WSIS to evaluate and assess progress made towards bridging the digital
divide.

**5.** Specific targets for the Information Society will be established
as appropriate, at the national level in the framework of national
e-strategies and in accordance with national development policies,
taking into account the different national circumstances. Such targets
can serve as useful benchmarks for actions and for the evaluation of the
progress made towards the attainment of the overall objectives of the
Information Society.

**6.** Based on internationally agreed development goals, including
those in the Millennium Declaration, which are premised on international
cooperation, indicative targets may serve as global references for
improving connectivity and access in the use of ICTs in promoting the
objectives of the Plan of Action, to be achieved by 2015. These targets
may be taken into account in the establishment of the national targets,
considering the different national circumstances:

a)  to connect villages with ICTs and establish community access points;

b)  to connect universities, colleges, secondary schools and primary
    schools with ICTs;

c)  to connect scientific and research centres with ICTs;

d)  to connect public libraries, cultural centres, museums, post offices
    and archives with ICTs;

e)  to connect health centres and hospitals with ICTs;

f)  to connect all local and central government departments and
    establish websites and email addresses;

g)  to adapt all primary and secondary school curricula to meet the
    challenges of the Information Society, taking into account national
    circumstances;

h)  to ensure that all of the world\'s population have access to
    television and radio services;

i)  to encourage the development of content and to put in place
    technical conditions in order to facilitate the presence and use of
    all world languages on the Internet;

j)  to ensure that more than half the world's inhabitants have access to
    ICTs within their reach.

**7.** In giving effect to these objectives, goals and targets, special
attention will be paid to the needs of developing countries, and in
particular to countries, peoples and groups cited in paragraphs 11-16 of
the Declaration of Principles.

# C. Action Lines

## C1. The role of governments and all stakeholders in the promotion of ICTs for development

**8.** The effective participation of governments and all stakeholders
is vital in developing the Information Society requiring cooperation and
partnerships among all of them.

a\) Development of national e-strategies, including the necessary human
capacity building, should be encouraged by all countries by 2005, taking
into account different national circumstances.

b\) Initiate at the national level a structured dialogue involving all
relevant stakeholders, including through public/private partnerships, in
devising e-strategies for the Information Society and for the exchange
of best practices.

c\) In developing and implementing national e-strategies, stakeholders
should take into consideration local, regional and national needs and
concerns. To maximize the benefits of initiatives undertaken, these
should include the concept of sustainability. The private sector should
be engaged in concrete projects to develop the Information Society at
local, regional and national levels.

d\) Each country is encouraged to establish at least one functioning
Public/Private Partnership (PPP) or Multi-Sector Partnership (MSP), by
2005 as a showcase for future action.

e\) Identify mechanisms, at the national, regional and international
levels, for the initiation and promotion of partnerships among
stakeholders of the Information Society.

f\) Explore the viability of establishing multi-stakeholder portals for
indigenous peoples at the national level.

g\) By 2005, relevant international organizations and financial
institutions should develop their own strategies for the use of ICTs for
sustainable development, including sustainable production and
consumption patterns and as an effective instrument to help achieve the
goals expressed in the United Nations Millennium Declaration.

h\) International organizations should publish, in their areas of
competence, including on their website, reliable information submitted
by relevant stakeholders on successful experiences of mainstreaming
ICTs.

i\) Encourage a series of related measures, including, among other
things: incubator schemes, venture capital investments (national and
international), government investment funds (including micro-finance for
Small, Medium-sized and Micro Enterprises (SMMEs), investment promotion
strategies, software export support activities (trade counseling),
support of research and development networks and software parks.

## C2. Information and communication infrastructure: an essential foundation for the Information Society

**9.** Infrastructure is central in achieving the goal of digital
inclusion, enabling universal, sustainable, ubiquitous and affordable
access to ICTs by all, taking into account relevant solutions already in
place in developing countries and countries with economies in
transition, to provide sustainable connectivity and access to remote and
marginalized areas at national and regional levels.

a\) Governments should take action, in the framework of national
development policies, in order to support an enabling and competitive
environment for the necessary investment in ICT infrastructure and for
the development of new services.

b\) In the context of national e-strategies, devise appropriate
universal access policies and strategies, and their means of
implementation, in line with the indicative targets, and develop ICT
connectivity indicators.

c\) In the context of national e-strategies, provide and improve ICT
connectivity for all schools, universities, health institutions,
libraries, post offices, community centres, museums and other
institutions accessible to the public, in line with the indicative
targets.

d\) Develop and strengthen national, regional and international
broadband network infrastructure, including delivery by satellite and
other systems, to help in providing the capacity to match the needs of
countries and their citizens and for the delivery of new ICT-based
services. Support technical, regulatory and operational studies by the
International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and, as appropriate, other
relevant international organizations in order to:

i)  broaden access to orbital resources, global frequency harmonization
    and global systems standardization;

ii) encourage public/private partnership;

iii) promote the provision of global high-speed satellite services for
     underserved areas such as remote and sparsely populated areas;

iv) explore other systems that can provide high-speed connectivity.

e\) In the context of national e-strategies, address the special
requirements of older people, persons with disabilities, children,
especially marginalized children and other disadvantaged and vulnerable
groups, including by appropriate educational administrative and
legislative measures to ensure their full inclusion in the Information
Society.

f\) Encourage the design and production of ICT equipment and services so
that everyone, has easy and affordable access to them including older
people, persons with disabilities, children, especially marginalized
children, and other disadvantaged and vulnerable groups, and promote the
development of technologies, applications, and content suited to their
needs, guided by the Universal Design Principle and further enhanced by
the use of assistive technologies.

g\) In order to alleviate the challenges of illiteracy, develop
affordable technologies and non-text based computer interfaces to
facilitate people's access to ICT,

h\) Undertake international research and development efforts aimed at
making available adequate and affordable ICT equipment for end users.

i\) Encourage the use of unused wireless capacity, including satellite,
in developed countries and in particular in developing countries, to
provide access in remote areas, especially in developing countries and
countries with economies in transition, and to improve low-cost
connectivity in developing countries. Special concern should be given to
the Least Developed Countries in their efforts in establishing
telecommunication infrastructure.

j\) Optimize connectivity among major information networks by
encouraging the creation and development of regional ICT backbones and
Internet exchange points, to reduce interconnection costs and broaden
network access.

k\) Develop strategies for increasing affordable global connectivity,
thereby facilitating improved access. Commercially negotiated Internet
transit and interconnection costs should be oriented towards objective,
transparent and non-discriminatory parameters, taking into account
ongoing work on this subject.

l\) Encourage and promote joint use of traditional media and new
technologies.

## C3. Access to information and knowledge

**10.** ICTs allow people, anywhere in the world, to access information
and knowledge almost instantaneously. Individuals, organizations and
communities should benefit from access to knowledge and information.

a\) Develop policy guidelines for the development and promotion of
public domain information as an important international instrument
promoting public access to information.

b\) Governments are encouraged to provide adequate access through
various communication resources, notably the Internet, to public
official information. Establishing legislation on access to information
and the preservation of public data, notably in the area of the new
technologies, is encouraged.

c\) Promote research and development to facilitate accessibility of ICTs
for all, including disadvantaged, marginalized and vulnerable groups.

d\) Governments, and other stakeholders, should establish sustainable
multi-purpose community public access points, providing affordable or
free-of-charge access for their citizens to the various communication
resources, notably the Internet. These access points should, to the
extent possible, have sufficient capacity to provide assistance to
users, in libraries, educational institutions, public administrations,
post offices or other public places, with special emphasis on rural and
underserved areas, while respecting intellectual property rights (IPRs)
and encouraging the use of information and sharing of knowledge.

e\) Encourage research and promote awareness among all stakeholders of
the possibilities offered by different software models, and the means of
their creation, including proprietary, open-source and free software, in
order to increase competition, freedom of choice and affordability, and
to enable all stakeholders to evaluate which solution best meets their
requirements.

f\) Governments should actively promote the use of ICTs as a fundamental
working tool by their citizens and local authorities. In this respect,
the international community and other stakeholders should support
capacity building for local authorities in the widespread use of ICTs as
a means of improving local governance.

g\) Encourage research on the Information Society, including on
innovative forms of networking, adaptation of ICT infrastructure, tools
and applications that facilitate accessibility of ICTs for all, and
disadvantaged groups in particular.

h\) Support the creation and development of a digital public library and
archive services, adapted to the Information Society, including
reviewing national library strategies and legislation, developing a
global understanding of the need for "hybrid libraries", and fostering
worldwide cooperation between libraries.

i\) Encourage initiatives to facilitate access, including free and
affordable access to open access journals and books, and open archives
for scientific information.

j\) Support research and development of the design of useful instruments
for all stakeholders to foster increased awareness, assessment, and
evaluation of different software models and licences, so as to ensure an
optimal choice of appropriate software that will best contribute to
achieving development goals within local conditions.

## C4. Capacity building

**11.** Everyone should have the necessary skills to benefit fully from
the Information Society. Therefore capacity building and ICT literacy
are essential. ICTs can contribute to achieving universal education
worldwide, through delivery of education and training of teachers, and
offering improved conditions for lifelong learning, encompassing people
that are outside the formal education process, and improving
professional skills.

a\) Develop domestic policies to ensure that ICTs are fully integrated
in education and training at all levels, including in curriculum
development, teacher training, institutional administration and
management, and in support of the concept of lifelong learning.

b\) Develop and promote programmes to eradicate illiteracy using ICTs at
national, regional and international levels.

c\) Promote e-literacy skills for all, for example by designing and
offering courses for public administration, taking advantage of existing
facilities such as libraries, multipurpose community centres, public
access points and by establishing local ICT training centres with the
cooperation of all stakeholders. Special attention should be paid to
disadvantaged and vulnerable groups.

d\) In the context of national educational policies, and taking into
account the need to eradicate adult illiteracy, ensure that young people
are equipped with knowledge and skills to use ICTs, including the
capacity to analyse and treat information in creative and innovative
ways, share their expertise and participate fully in the Information
Society.

e\) Governments, in cooperation with other stakeholders, should create
programmes for capacity building with an emphasis on creating a critical
mass of qualified and skilled ICT professionals and experts.

f\) Develop pilot projects to demonstrate the impact of ICT-based
alternative educational delivery systems, notably for achieving
Education for All targets, including basic literacy targets.

g\) Work on removing the gender barriers to ICT education and training
and promoting equal training opportunities in ICT-related fields for
women and girls. Early intervention programmes in science and technology
should target young girls with the aim of increasing the number of women
in ICT careers. Promote the exchange of best practices on the
integration of gender perspectives in ICT education.

h\) Empower local communities, especially those in rural and underserved
areas, in ICT use and promote the production of useful and socially
meaningful content for the benefit of all.

i\) Launch education and training programmes, where possible using
information networks of traditional nomadic and indigenous peoples,
which provide opportunities to fully participate in the Information
Society.

j\) Design and implement regional and international cooperation
activities to enhance the capacity, notably, of leaders and operational
staff in developing countries and LDCs, to apply ICTs effectively in the
whole range of educational activities. This should include delivery of
education outside the educational structure, such as the workplace and
at home.

k\) Design specific training programmes in the use of ICTs in order to
meet the educational needs of information professionals, such as
archivists, librarians, museum professionals, scientists, teachers,
journalists, postal workers and other relevant professional groups.
Training of information professionals should focus not only on new
methods and techniques for the development and provision of information
and communication services, but also on relevant management skills to
ensure the best use of technologies. Training of teachers should focus
on the technical aspects of ICTs, on development of content, and on the
potential possibilities and challenges of ICTs.

l\) Develop distance learning, training and other forms of education and
training as part of capacity building programmes. Give special attention
to developing countries and especially LDCs in different levels of human
resources development.

m\) Promote international and regional cooperation in the field of
capacity building, including country programmes developed by the United
Nations and its Specialized Agencies

n\) Launch pilot projects to design new forms of ICT-based networking,
linking education, training and research institutions between and among
developed and developing countries and countries with economies in
transition.

o\) Volunteering, if conducted in harmony with national policies and
local cultures, can be a valuable asset for raising human capacity to
make productive use of ICT tools and build a more inclusive Information
Society. Activate volunteer programmes to provide capacity building on
ICT for development, particularly in developing countries*.*

p\) Design programmes to train users to develop self-learning and
self-development capacities.

## C5. Building confidence and security in the use of ICTs

**12.** Confidence and security are among the main pillars of the
Information Society.

a\) Promote cooperation among the governments at the United Nations and
with all stakeholders at other appropriate fora to enhance user
confidence, build trust, and protect both data and network integrity;
consider existing and potential threats to ICTs; and address other
information security and network security issues.

b\) Governments, in cooperation with the private sector, should prevent,
detect and respond to cyber-crime 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.

c\) Governments, and other stakeholders, should actively promote user
education and awareness about online privacy and the means of protecting
privacy.

d\) Take appropriate action on spam at national and international
levels.

e\) Encourage the domestic assessment of national law with a view to
overcoming any obstacles to the effective use of electronic documents
and transactions including electronic means of authentication.

f\) Further strengthen the trust and security framework with
complementary and mutually reinforcing initiatives in the fields of
security in the use of ICTs, with initiatives or guidelines with respect
to rights to privacy, data and consumer protection.

g\) Share good practices in the field of information security and
network security and encourage their use by all parties concerned.

h\) Invite interested countries to set up focal points for real-time
incident handling and response, and develop a cooperative network
between these focal points for sharing information and technologies on
incident response.

i\) Encourage further development of secure and reliable applications to
facilitate online transactions.

j\) Encourage interested countries to contribute actively to the ongoing
United Nations activities to build confidence and security in the use of
ICTs.

## C6. Enabling environment

**13.** To maximize the social, economic and environmental benefits of
the Information Society, governments need to create a trustworthy,
transparent and non-discriminatory legal, regulatory and policy
environment. Actions include:

a\) Governments should foster a supportive, transparent, pro-competitive
and predictable policy, legal and regulatory framework, which provides
the appropriate incentives to investment and community development in
the Information Society.

b\) We ask the Secretary General of the United Nations to set up a
working group on Internet governance, in an open and inclusive process
that ensures a mechanism for the full and active participation of
governments, the private sector and civil society from both developing
and developed countries, involving relevant intergovernmental and
international organizations and forums, to investigate and make
proposals for action, as appropriate, on the governance of Internet by
2005. The group should, *inter alia*:

> i\) develop a working definition of Internet governance;
>
> ii\) identify the public policy issues that are relevant to Internet
> governance;
>
> iii\) develop a common understanding of the respective roles and
> responsibilities of governments, existing intergovernmental and
> international organisations and other forums as well as the private
> sector and civil society from both developing and developed countries;

iv\) prepare a report on the results of this activity to be presented
for consideration and appropriate action for the second phase of WSIS in
Tunis in 2005.

c\) Governments are invited to:

> i\) facilitate the establishment of national and regional Internet
> Exchange Centres;
>
> ii\) manage or supervise, as appropriate, their respective country
> code top-level domain name (ccTLD);
>
> iii\) promote awareness of the Internet.

d\) In cooperation with the relevant stakeholders, promote regional root
servers and the use of internationalized domain names in order to
overcome barriers to access.

e\) Governments should continue to update their domestic consumer
protection laws to respond to the new requirements of the Information
Society.

f\) Promote effective participation by developing countries and
countries with economies in transition in international ICT forums and
create opportunities for exchange of experience.

g\) Governments need to formulate national strategies, which include
e-government strategies, to make public administration more transparent,
efficient and democratic.

h\) Develop a framework for the secure storage and archival of documents
and other electronic records of information.

i\) Governments and stakeholders should actively promote user education
and awareness about online privacy and the means of protecting privacy.

j\) Invite stakeholders to ensure that practices designed to facilitate
electronic commerce also permit consumers to have a choice as to whether
or not to use electronic communication.

k\) Encourage the ongoing work in the area of effective dispute
settlement systems, notably alternative dispute resolution (ADR), which
can promote settlement of disputes.

l\) Governments, in collaboration with stakeholders, are encouraged to
formulate conducive ICT policies that foster entrepreneurship,
innovation and investment, and with particular reference to the
promotion of participation by women.

m\) Recognising the economic potential of ICTs for Small and
Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs), they should be assisted in increasing
their competitiveness by streamlining administrative procedures,
facilitating their access to capital and enhancing their capacity to
participate in ICT-related projects.

n\) Governments should act as model users and early adopters of
e-commerce in accordance with their level of socio-economic development.

o\) Governments, in cooperation with other stakeholders, should raise
awareness of the importance of international interoperability standards
for global e-commerce.

p\) Governments, in cooperation with other stakeholders, should promote
the development and use of open, interoperable, non-discriminatory and
demand-driven standards.

q\) ITU, pursuant to its treaty capacity, coordinates and allocates
frequencies with the goal of facilitating ubiquitous and affordable
access.

r\) Additional steps should be taken in ITU and other regional
organisations to ensure rational, efficient and economical use of, and
equitable access to, the radio-frequency spectrum by all countries,
based on relevant international agreements.

## C7. ICT applications: benefits in all aspects of life

**14.** ICT applications can support sustainable development, in the
fields of public administration, business, education and training,
health, employment, environment, agriculture and science within the
framework of national e-strategies. This would include actions within
the following sectors:

**15. E-government**

a\) Implement e-government strategies focusing on applications aimed at
innovating and promoting transparency in public administrations and
democratic processes, improving efficiency and strengthening relations
with citizens.

b\) Develop national e-government initiatives and services, at all
levels, adapted to the needs of citizens and business, to achieve a more
efficient allocation of resources and public goods.

c\) Support international cooperation initiatives in the field of
e-government, in order to enhance transparency, accountability and
efficiency at all levels of government.

**16. E-business**

a\) Governments, international organizations and the private sector, are
encouraged to promote the benefits of international trade and the use of
e-business, and promote the use of e-business models in developing
countries and countries with economies in transition.

b\) Through the adoption of an enabling environment, and based on widely
available Internet access, governments should seek to stimulate private
sector investment, foster new applications, content development and
public/private partnerships.

c\) Government policies should favour assistance to, and growth of
SMMEs, in the ICT industry, as well as their entry into e-business, to
stimulate economic growth and job creation as an element of a strategy
for poverty reduction through wealth creation.

**17. E-learning** (see section C4)

**18. E-health**

a\) Promote collaborative efforts of governments, planners, health
professionals, and other agencies along with the participation of
international organizations for creating a reliable, timely, high
quality and affordable health care and health information systems and
for promoting continuous medical training, education, and research
through the use of ICTs, while respecting and protecting citizens' right
to privacy.

b\) Facilitate access to the world's medical knowledge and
locally-relevant content resources for strengthening public health
research and prevention programmes and promoting women's and men's
health, such as content on sexual and reproductive health and sexually
transmitted infections, and for diseases that attract full attention of
the world including HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis.

c\) Alert, monitor and control the spread of communicable diseases,
through the improvement of common information systems.

d\) Promote the development of international standards for the exchange
of health data, taking due account of privacy concerns.

e\) Encourage the adoption of ICTs to improve and extend health care and
health information systems to remote and underserved areas and
vulnerable populations, recognising women's roles as health providers in
their families and communities.

f\) Strengthen and expand ICT-based initiatives for providing medical
and humanitarian assistance in disasters and emergencies.

**19. E-employment**

a\) Encourage the development of best practices for e-workers and
e-employers built, at the national level, on principles of fairness and
gender equality, respecting all relevant international norms.

b\) Promote new ways of organizing work and business with the aim of
raising productivity, growth and well-being through investment in ICTs
and human resources.

c\) Promote teleworking to allow citizens, particularly in the
developing countries, LDCs, and small economies, to live in their
societies and work anywhere, and to increase employment opportunities
for women, and for those with disabilities. In promoting teleworking,
special attention should be given to strategies promoting job creation
and the retention of the skilled working force.

d\) Promote early intervention programmes in science and technology that
should target young girls to increase the number of women in ICT
carriers.

**20. E-environment**

a\) Governments, in cooperation with other stakeholders are encouraged
to use and promote ICTs as an instrument for environmental protection
and the sustainable use of natural resources.

b\) Government, civil society and the private sector are encouraged to
initiate actions and implement projects and programmes for sustainable
production and consumption and the environmentally safe disposal and
recycling of discarded hardware and components used in ICTs.

c\) Establish monitoring systems, using ICTs, to forecast and monitor
the impact of natural and man-made disasters, particularly in developing
countries, LDCs and small economies.

**21. E-agriculture**

a\) Ensure the systematic dissemination of information using ICTs on
agriculture, animal husbandry, fisheries, forestry and food, in order to
provide ready access to comprehensive, up-to-date and detailed knowledge
and information, particularly in rural areas.

b\) Public-private partnerships should seek to maximize the use of ICTs
as an instrument to improve production (quantity and quality).

**22. E-science**

a\) Promote affordable and reliable high-speed Internet connection for
all universities and research institutions to support their critical
role in information and knowledge production, education and training,
and to support the establishment of partnerships, cooperation and
networking between these institutions.

b\) Promote electronic publishing, differential pricing and open access
initiatives to make scientific information affordable and accessible in
all countries on an equitable basis.

c\) Promote the use of peer-to-peer technology to share scientific
knowledge and pre-prints and reprints written by scientific authors who
have waived their right to payment.

d\) Promote the long-term systematic and efficient collection,
dissemination and preservation of essential scientific digital data, for
example, population and meteorological data in all countries.

e\) Promote principles and metadata standards to facilitate cooperation
and effective use of collected scientific information and data as
appropriate to conduct scientific research.

## C8. Cultural diversity and identity, linguistic diversity and local content

**23.** Cultural and linguistic diversity, while stimulating respect for
cultural identity, traditions and religions, is essential to the
development of an Information Society based on the dialogue among
cultures and regional and international cooperation. It is an important
factor for sustainable development.

a\) Create policies that support the respect, preservation, promotion
and enhancement of cultural and linguistic diversity and cultural
heritage within the Information Society, as reflected in relevant agreed
United Nations documents, including UNESCO\'s Universal Declaration on
Cultural Diversity. This includes encouraging governments to design
cultural policies to promote the production of cultural, educational and
scientific content and the development of local cultural industries
suited to the linguistic and cultural context of the users.

b\) Develop national policies and laws to ensure that libraries,
archives, museums and other cultural institutions can play their full
role of content---including traditional knowledge---providers in the
Information Society, more particularly by providing continued access to
recorded information.

c\) Support efforts to develop and use ICTs for the preservation of
natural and, cultural heritage, keeping it accessible as a living part
of today's culture. This includes developing systems for ensuring
continued access to archived digital information and multimedia content
in digital repositories, and support archives, cultural collections and
libraries as the memory of humankind.

d\) Develop and implement policies that preserve, affirm, respect and
promote diversity of cultural expression and indigenous knowledge and
traditions through the creation of varied information content and the
use of different methods, including the digitization of the educational,
scientific and cultural heritage.

e\) Support local content development, translation and adaptation,
digital archives, and diverse forms of digital and traditional media by
local authorities. These activities can also strengthen local and
indigenous communities.

f\) Provide content that is relevant to the cultures and languages of
individuals in the Information Society, through access to traditional
and digital media services.

g\) Through public/private partnerships, foster the creation of varied
local and national content, including that available in the language of
users, and give recognition and support to ICT-based work in all
artistic fields.

h\) Strengthen programmes focused on gender-sensitive curricula in
formal and non-formal education for all and enhancing communication and
media literacy for women with a view to building the capacity of girls
and women to understand and to develop ICT content.

i\) Nurture the local capacity for the creation and distribution of
software in local languages, as well as content that is relevant to
different segments of population, including non-literate, persons with
disabilities, disadvantaged and vulnerable groups especially in
developing countries and countries with economies in transition.

j\) Give support to media based in local communities and support
projects combining the use of traditional media and new technologies for
their role in facilitating the use of local languages, for documenting
and preserving local heritage, including landscape and biological
diversity, and as a means to reach rural and isolated and nomadic
communities.

k\) Enhance the capacity of indigenous peoples to develop content in
their own languages.

l\) Cooperate with indigenous peoples and traditional communities to
enable them to more effectively use and benefit from the use of their
traditional knowledge in the Information Society.

m\) Exchange knowledge, experiences and best practices on policies and
tools designed to promote cultural and linguistic diversity at regional
and sub-regional levels. This can be achieved by establishing regional,
and sub-regional working groups on specific issues of this Plan of
Action to foster integration efforts.

n\) Assess at the regional level the contribution of ICT to cultural
exchange and interaction, and based on the outcome of this assessment,
design relevant programmes.

o\) Governments, through public/private partnerships, should promote
technologies and R&D programmes in such areas as translation,
iconographies, voice-assisted services and the development of necessary
hardware and a variety of software models, including proprietary, open
source software and free software, such as standard character sets,
language codes, electronic dictionaries, terminology and thesauri,
multilingual search engines, machine translation tools,
internationalized domain names, content referencing as well as general
and application software.

## C9. Media

**24.** The media---in their various forms and with a diversity of
ownership---as an actor, have an essential role in the development of
the Information Society and are recognized as an important contributor
to freedom of expression and plurality of information.

a\) Encourage the media---print and broadcast as well as new media---to
continue to play an important role in the Information Society.

b\) Encourage the development of domestic legislation that guarantees
the independence and plurality of the media.

c\) Take appropriate measures---consistent with freedom of
expression---to combat illegal and harmful content in media content.

d\) Encourage media professionals in developed countries to establish
partnerships and networks with the media in developing ones, especially
in the field of training.

e\) Promote balanced and diverse portrayals of women and men by the
media.

f\) Reduce international imbalances affecting the media, particularly as
regards infrastructure, technical resources and the development of human
skills, taking full advantage of ICT tools in this regard.

g\) Encourage traditional media to bridge the knowledge divide and to
facilitate the flow of cultural content, particularly in rural areas.

## C10. Ethical dimensions of the Information Society

**25.** The Information Society should be subject to universally held
values and promote the common good and to prevent abusive uses of ICTs.

a\) Take steps to promote respect for peace and to uphold the
fundamental values of freedom, equality, solidarity, tolerance, shared
responsibility, and respect for nature.

b\) All stakeholders should increase their awareness of the ethical
dimension of their use of ICTs.

c\) All actors in the Information Society should promote the common
good, protect privacy and personal data and 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.

d\) Invite relevant stakeholders, especially the academia, to continue
research on ethical dimensions of ICTs.

## C11. International and regional cooperation

**26.** International cooperation among all stakeholders is vital in
implementation of this plan of action and needs to be strengthened with
a view to promoting universal access and bridging the digital divide,
*inter alia*, by provision of means of implementation.

a\) Governments of developing countries should raise the relative
priority of ICT projects in requests for international cooperation and
assistance on infrastructure development projects from developed
countries and international financial organizations.

b\) Within the context of the UN's Global Compact and building upon the
United Nations Millennium Declaration, build on and accelerate
public-private partnerships, focusing on the use of ICT in development.

c\) Invite international and regional organizations to mainstream ICTs
in their work programmes and to assist all levels of developing
countries, to be involved in the preparation and implementation of
national action plans to support the fulfilment of the goals indicated
in the declaration of principles and in this Plan of Action, taking into
account the importance of regional initiatives.

# 

# D. Digital Solidarity Agenda

**27.** The Digital Solidarity Agenda aims at putting in place the
conditions for mobilizing human, financial and technological resources
for inclusion of all men and women in the emerging Information Society.
Close national, regional and international cooperation among all
stakeholders in the implementation of this Agenda is vital. To overcome
the digital divide, we need to use more efficiently existing approaches
and mechanisms and fully explore new ones, in order to provide financing
for the development of infrastructure, equipment, capacity building and
content, which are essential for participation in the Information
Society.

*D1. Priorities and strategies*

a\) National e-strategies should be made an integral part of national
development plans, including Poverty Reduction Strategies.

b\) ICTs should be fully mainstreamed into strategies for Official
Development Assistance (ODA) through more effective donor
information-sharing and co-ordination, and through analysis and sharing
of best practices and lessons learned from experience with
ICT-for-development programmes.

***D2. Mobilizing resources***

a\) All countries and international organizations should act to create
conditions conducive to increasing the availability and effective
mobilization of resources for financing development as elaborated in the
Monterrey Consensus.

b\) Developed countries should make concrete efforts to fulfil their
international commitments to financing development including the
Monterrey Consensus, in which developed countries that have not done so
are urged to make concrete efforts towards the target of 0.7 per cent of
gross national product (GNP) as ODA to developing countries and 0.15 to
0.20 per cent of GNP of developed countries to least developed
countries.

c\) For those developing countries facing unsustainable debt burdens, we
welcome initiatives that have been undertaken to reduce outstanding
indebtedness and invite further national and international measures in
that regard, including, as appropriate, debt cancellation and other
arrangements. Particular attention should be given to enhancing the
Heavily Indebted Poor Countries initiative. These initiatives would
release more resources that may be used for financing ICT for
development projects.

d\) Recognizing the potential of ICT for development we furthermore
advocate:

i)  developing countries to increase their efforts to attract major
    private national and foreign investments for ICTs through the
    creation of a transparent, stable and predictable enabling
    investment environment;

ii) developed countries and international financial organisations to be
    responsive to the strategies and priorities of ICTs for development,
    mainstream ICTs in their work programmes, and assist developing
    countries and countries with economies in transition to prepare and
    implement their national e-strategies. Based on the priorities of
    national development plans and implementation of the above
    commitments, developed countries should increase their efforts to
    provide more financial resources to developing countries in
    harnessing ICTs for development;

iii) the private sector to contribute to the implementation of this
     Digital Solidarity Agenda.

e\) In our efforts to bridge the digital divide, we should promote,
within our development cooperation, technical and financial assistance
directed towards national and regional capacity building, technology
transfer on mutually agreed terms, cooperation in R&D programmes and
exchange of know-how.

f\) While all existing financial mechanisms should be fully exploited, a
thorough review of their adequacy in meeting the challenges of ICT for
development should be completed by the end of December 2004. This review
shall be conducted by a Task Force under the auspices of the
Secretary-General of the United Nations and submitted for consideration
to the second phase of this summit. Based on the conclusion of the
review, improvements and innovations of financing mechanisms will be
considered including the effectiveness, the feasibility and the creation
of a voluntary Digital Solidarity Fund, as mentioned in the Declaration
of Principles.

g\) Countries should consider establishing national mechanisms to
achieve universal access in both underserved rural and urban areas, in
order to bridge the digital divide.

# E) Follow-up and evaluation

**28.** A realistic international performance evaluation and
benchmarking (both qualitative and quantitative), through comparable
statistical indicators and research results, should be developed to
follow up the implementation of the objectives, goals and targets in the
Plan of Action, taking into account different national circumstances.

a\) In cooperation with each country concerned, develop and launch a
composite ICT Development (Digital Opportunity) Index. It could be
published annually, or every two years, in an ICT Development Report.
The index could show the statistics while the report would present
analytical work on policies and their implementation, depending on
national circumstances, including gender analysis.

b\) Appropriate indicators and benchmarking, including community
connectivity indicators, should clarify the magnitude of the digital
divide, in both its domestic and international dimensions, and keep it
under regular assessment, and tracking global progress in the use of
ICTs to achieve internationally agreed development goals, including
those of the Millennium Declaration.

c\) International and regional organizations should assess and report
regularly on universal accessibility of nations to ICTs, with the aim of
creating equitable opportunities for the growth of ICT sectors of
developing countries.

d\) Gender-specific indicators on ICT use and needs should be developed,
and measurable performance indicators should be identified to assess the
impact of funded ICT projects on the lives of women and girls.

e\) Develop and launch a website on best practices and success stories,
based on a compilation of contributions from all stakeholders, in a
concise, accessible and compelling format, following the
internationally-recognized web accessibility standards. The website
could be periodically updated and turned into a permanent
experience-sharing exercise.

f\) All countries and regions should develop tools so as to provide
statistical information on the Information Society, with basic
indicators and analysis of its key dimensions. Priority should be given
to setting up coherent and internationally comparable indicator systems,
taking into account different levels of development.

# F) Towards WSIS phase 2 (Tunis)

**29.** Recalling General Assembly Resolution 56/183 and taking into
account the outcome of the Geneva phase of the WSIS, a preparatory
meeting will be held in the first half of 2004 to review those issues of
the Information Society which should form the focus of the Tunis phase
of the WSIS and to agree on the structure of the preparatory process for
the second phase. In line with the decision of this Summit concerning
its Tunis phase, the second phase of the WSIS should consider, *inter
alia*:

a\) Elaboration of final appropriate documents based on the outcome of
the Geneva phase of the WSIS with a view to consolidating the process of
building a global Information Society, and reducing the Digital Divide
and transforming it into digital opportunities.

b\) Follow-up and implementation of the Geneva Plan of Action at
national, regional and international levels, including the United
Nations system, as part of an integrated and coordinated approach,
calling upon the participation of all relevant stakeholders. This should
take place, *inter alia*, through partnerships among stakeholders.

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