Date: Tue, 16 Sep 2003 23:13:20 +1000 From: Chat Garcia Ramilo <chat@apcwomen.org> Subject: [communication 887] [wsis-pacific] Fw:WSIS Report To: communication@wsisasia.org Message-Id: <5.2.0.9.0.20030916231219.02b9eda0@pop.gn.apc.org> X-Mail-Count: 00887Geneva, 15/9/03 by Johnson Honimae, Solomon Islands Broadcasting Corporation Pacific Islands Leaders have been strongly urged to attend the World Summit for the Information Society (WSIS) to be held in Geneva, Switzerland, 10 - 12 December 2003 "because this is where the islands special problems would be addressed." In an interview with PACNEWS and PINA Nius Online in Geneva after the opening of the third meeting of the Preparatory Committee for WSIS, President of the Committee, Adama Samassekou said, "its very important, its very crucial that Pacific Islands leaders attend the Summit." "It is very important that they attend because the Summit will try to put the benefits of the digital age to the developmental aspirations of the Pacific Islands." "It is at the Summit that the special needs of the Pacific Islands will be addressed with the use of Information and Communication Technologies,"said Mr Samassekou. Swiss Government officials have indicated that only two Pacific Islands, Cook Islands and Tonga have confirmed that their Government leaders will attend the Geneva Summit. Pacific Islands participation has been lacking during the preparatory process with only two countries, Fiji and Samoa consistent in their attendance of the Preparatory Committee meetings so far. Earlier, the United Nations Secretary General's Special Representative to the WSIS, Nitin Desai told a press conference that island countries were the first to be considered for ICTs because of their isolation. When asked what is it in the WSIS for Pacific Islands countries some of which are struggling to provide basic drugs or educational materials, Mr Desai said: "For ICT's to appeal there is a need to connect them to health, education and other developmental areas." "Let us not think of ICT's as a science but how can we use them in better connectivity in our societies." ENDS. (Editors, PACNEWS and PNO, please include background sent in earlier stories) Do you Yahoo!? <http://us.rd.yahoo.com/evt=10469/*http://sitebuilder.yahoo.com>Yahoo! SiteBuilder - Free, easy-to-use web site design software ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Chat Garcia Ramilo Project Manager Association for Progressive Communications Women's Networking Support Programme, (APC WNSP) http://www.apcwomen.org http://www.apc.org chat@apcwomen.org Manila, PHILIPPINES887_2.html (attatchment)(tag is disabled)