Policy Analysis

Did WSIS Miss the Point? An information society vision disconnected from sustainable development

By Maja Andjelkovic on January 10, 2006
The second phase of the World Summit on the Information Society was held in Tunis in November, with virtually no mention of sustainable develop­ment. Negotiations between the first phase in 2003 and this phase of the Summit centred on three main subjects: Internet governance; financing strategies; and implementation mechanisms for the Geneva Action Plan. While there were some "positives" resulting from the summit, writes IISD Associate Maja Andjelkovic, "the lack of focus on sustain­able development in the WSIS process is worrisome: without some clear, broader societal goals in mind, the information society may turn out to be unsustainable.