[WSIS CS-Plenary] [WSIS THETHA] Matsepe-Casaburri to attend World Summit on the Information Society

[Eric Muragana]

Matsepe-Casaburri to attend World Summit on the Information Society


By Richard Mantu, tel: (012) 314-2419

Communications Minister Ivy Matsepe-Casaburri has left for Geneva,
Switzerland, to attend the World Summit on the Information Society's (WSIS)
extra ordinary session, which will seek ways of bridging the digital divide
between developing and developed nations.

The minister will be addressing an all-general debate on Thursday at the
three-day summit due to start on Wednesday.

The WSIS is a forum of all stakeholders in the telecommunications,
broadcasting, multimedia and information and communication technologies, to
develop a better understanding of the impact of the convergence of such
technologies on the international community.

According to the Department of Communications, the meeting will address a
broad range of issues concerning the information society as well as enable
delegates to move towards a common vision and understanding of the
Information Society.

The Summit is expected to adopt a Declaration of Principles and an Action
Plan to facilitate the effective growth of the information society and help
to bridge the digital divide.

"The Summit will enable delegates to discuss a variety of critical issues,
while at the same time focusing on concrete applications, exchanging
first-hand experience and finding new ways to improve day-to-day life
through the use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT)," said the
department

Other items on the agenda include cultural and linguistic diversity in
knowledge societies, solutions to bridging the digital divide, e-learning
solutions, cultural and social impact of mobile technologies, development of
infrastructure, role of the media, e-governance challenges and developments,
impact of ICT on work and employment, amongst others.

The department said the summit was expected to bring up methods to help
developing countries in upgrading their communication infrastructure and
improve their people's quality of life.

Source: BuaNews

BuaNews is a South African news service which provides quick and easy access
to articles and stories
aimed at keeping the public informed about the implementation of
government's mandate.

For comments contact Nkosana Sibuyi at nkosana at gcis.pwv.gov.za

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