[WSIS CS-Plenary] KOFI ANNAN APPOINTS SPECIAL ADVISER FOR WORLD INFORMATION SUMMIT

[Ralf Bendrath]

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Date: Mon, 21 Jul 2003 14:00:46 -0400
From: UN News Service <UNNews at un.org>
To: news6 at list.un.org
Subject: ANNAN APPOINTS SPECIAL ADVISER FOR WORLD INFORMATION SUMMIT

ANNAN APPOINTS SPECIAL ADVISER FOR WORLD INFORMATION SUMMIT
New York, Jul 21 2003  2:00PM
United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan today appointed Nitin Desai,
Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs, as his Special
Adviser for the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS), which
aims to bridge the digital divide between rich and poor.


The WSIS is the first summit to deal with the information society,
including critical issues in the use and dissemination of information
and communications technology in development programmes and policies.
Taking place in two phases – first in Geneva starting 10 December, then
in Tunis in November 2005, it is being held under Mr. Annan’s patronage
and has been welcomed by the UN General Assembly.


“The existing digital divide threatens to exacerbate the gaps between
rich and poor, within and among countries,” Mr. Annan said in a
statement issued by a spokesman. He called on “leaders from the
developed and developing world, private sector and civil society to use
the unique opportunity provided by the Summit to forge an action plan
that will put technology at the service of human development.”


Mr. Desai was the Secretary-General of the World Summit on Sustainable
Development in Johannesburg last year.


“We are delighted Mr Desai has agreed to assist us in the successful
completion of WSIS,” Yoshio Utsumi, Secretary General of the
International Telecommunication Union (ITU), said. The General Assembly
has invited the ITU to take the lead responsibility in organizing the
WSIS, with full support from the UN family.


A WSIS intersessional meeting, underway in Paris this week, has gathered
700 delegates in preparation for the Summit. It is an important step
toward a meaningful declaration of principles and action plan to bridge
the digital divide and address key policy issues and objectives of the
Millennium Development Goals, which aim to cut poverty and hunger around
the globe in half by 2015 and improve access to education and health
services.
 2003-07-21 00:00:00.000