On November 16-18, Tunisia will organize the second phase of the World Summit on Information Society (WSIS), under the auspices of the United Nations, following the suggestion of the President of the Tunisian Republic, Zine El Abidine Ben Ali. The International Telecommunication Union (ITU), an organism which is dependent on the UNO, resolved, at the time of its plenipotentiary Conference in Minneapolis in 1998, to organize a World Summit on Information Society (WSIS) and to put it on the agenda of the General Assembly of the United Nations. In 2001, the council of the ITU decided that this summit would be organized in two phases: a first phase in a northern country, Switzerland (this one took place in Geneva from 10 to 12 December 2003 ), and a second phase in a southern country: Tunisia (from 16 to 18 November 2005 in Tunis).

The WSIS is the first summit to be organized by the UNO in two phases and to involve three parties, namely the government, the civil society (the different nongovernmental national and international organizations) and the private sector. This choice is in accordance with the objective of crating an information society which is inclusive and open to everybody.

The Geneva phase of WSIS was monitored by top delegates from 175 countries, among whom there were about 50 Heads of States and governments and more than 11000 participants.

The structure of the Tunis phase of WSIS will be similar to the one of Geneva . Heads of States and governments, top delegates, managers of intergovernmental and nongovernmental organizations, representatives of the private sector and of the civil society, media and academics will be present.

For more information about the WSIS Tunis 2005