IGF 2023 Open Forum #4 WSIS+20 Forum High-Level Event: Open Consultation Process Meeting

Time
Wednesday, 11th October, 2023 (02:00 UTC) - Wednesday, 11th October, 2023 (03:00 UTC)
Room
WS 8 – Room C-1

Panel - 60 Min

Description

The World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) Forum 2024 Open Consultation process (OCP) aims at ensuring a participatory and inclusive spirit of the Forum. This process actively engages multistakeholder community in the preparatory process to ensure broad ownership and further improvements of the Forum. The Open Consultation Process will include a collection of inputs from regional and national WSIS related events and therefore work towards shaping the themes and format of the WSIS Forum 2024 (27-31 May, Geneva, Switzerland). During IGF-23, participants will have an opportunity to learn more about the ongoing implementation of the WSIS Process and its linkages with SDGs. Furthermore, the WSIS Forum 2024 Open Consultation Process and its phases will be presented, highlighting the new Calls for Action inviting stakeholders to share their views on the thematic aspects and innovations on the format of the forum, including hackathon, exhibition, various awards and contests, special tracks, and other related activities. The session will also discuss the WSIS Stocktaking process, also collecting input for the upcoming WSIS+20 review process. Furthermore, the WSIS Forum 2024 will provide an opportunity to serve as a platform to highlight the achievements of WSIS Action Lines in collaboration with the UN Agencies involved and to provide information and analyses of the implementation of WSIS Action Lines since 2005, towards 2025 and the second final review by UNGA. The WSIS Forum represents the world's largest annual gathering of the ‘ICT for development’ community. The WSIS Forum, co-organized by ITU, UNESCO, UNDP and UNCTAD, in close collaboration with all WSIS Action Line Facilitators/Co-Facilitators, has proven to be an efficient mechanism for coordination of multistakeholder implementation activities, information exchange, creation of knowledge, sharing of best practices and continues to provide assistance in developing multi-stakeholder and public/private partnerships to advance development goals. This Forum will provide structured opportunities to network, learn, and participate in multistakeholder discussions and consultations on WSIS implementation. The Agenda and Programme of the Forum will be built on the basis of the submissions received during the Open Consultation Process and following the outcomes of the WSIS Forum 2023 www.wsis.org/forum.

The session will be held physically with enhanced remote participation, following the extensive experience of the co-organizers who have been providing remote participations since the first annual WSIS Forum held in 2009, enriched with successful organization of events in 2022 and 2023. Hybrid format will benefit from active moderation both physically and online by the co-organizers, with equal representation opportunities provided for speakers and attendees. Besides the online conferencing tool used, the session will be livestreamed on Facebook or YouTube channel. The online networking will be provided through the LinkedIn platform.

Organizers

🔒 ITU
Gitanjali Sah, ITU UNESCO UNDP UNCTAD

Speakers

ITU, UNESCO, UNCTAD, UNDP

Onsite Moderator

Gitanjali Sah, ITU

Online Moderator

Vladimir Stankovic, ITU

Rapporteur

Vladimir Stankovic, ITU

SDGs

1. No Poverty
2. Zero Hunger
3. Good Health and Well-Being
4. Quality Education
5. Gender Equality
6. Clean Water and Sanitation
7. Affordable and Clean Energy
8. Decent Work and Economic Growth
9. Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure
10. Reduced Inequalities
11. Sustainable Cities and Communities
12. Responsible Production and Consumption
13. Climate Action
14. Life Below Water
15. Life on Land
16. Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions
17. Partnerships for the Goals

Targets: The UNGA overall review on the implementation of WSIS resulted in a UNGA Resolution A/70/125 that was adopted on 16 December 2015. The resolution provides guidance on the implementation of the WSIS Outcomes till 2025. In particular it calls for close alignment between the WSIS process and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (para.5) and requests all stakeholders to integrate ICTs into their approaches to implementing the Goals, and request UN entities facilitating WSIS Action Lines to review their reporting and work plans to support implementation of the 2030 Agenda, (para.12). ICTs are identified as targets in the SDGs for education, gender equality, infrastructure (universal and affordable access to the internet) and in the implementation goal as a cross cutting tool to be utilized for the achievement of all of the SDGs. The effective implementation of the WSIS Action Lines can help accelerate the achievement of the SDGs. To that end, the WSIS SDGs Matrix, developed by the UN Action line Facilitators, clearly shows the linkage between each Action line and the 17 SDGs and provides rationale for each: www.wsis.org/sdg The mapping exercise draws direct linkages of the WSIS Action Lines with the proposed SDGs to continue strengthening the impact of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) for sustainable development. Each UN Action Line Facilitator has analyzed the connections and relations of their respective Action Line with the proposed SDGs and their targets. This is a living document and changes can be introduced by Action Line Facilitators, if needed. The goal is to create a clear and direct link and an explicit connection between the key aim of the WSIS, that of harnessing the potential of ICTs to promote and realize the development goals, and the post 2015 development agenda, so as to contribute to the realisation of the latter.