President Ben Ali emphasises the role of civil society and the private sector in preparing for Tunis 2005 World Summit on the Information Society

Geneva, 12 December 2003 (TunisiaOnline)

Addressing the closing session of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS), Tunisian President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali emphasized the role that should be assumed by civil society and the the private sector, in coordination with governmental parties during the preparation of the Tunis Summit, scheduled for November 2005.

"I also would like to lay particular emphasis," he said, "on the role that we hope will be assumed by the components of civil society and the representatives of the private sector, so that they contribute, with their customary sense of initiative and creativity, to coordinating and unifying efforts with governmental parties during the preparation of the Tunis Summit."

The World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) is structured in two phases. The first phase was hosted by Switzerland, from 10 to 12 December 2003. The second phase will be hosted by Tunisia in November 16-18, 2005.

In the speech that was read on his behalf by minister of foreign affairs Habib Ben Yahia, President Ben Ali added that during the preparatory process for the Tunis Summit a focus will be put "on consultation among all the concerned parties, for it is the only path that can lead us to achieve consensus on the themes included in the agenda."

The President of Tunisia reiterated his invitation to the Summit meeting in Tunis "to all parties : states, governments, international and regional organizations, civil society and the private sector" and his hope that "the Tunis meeting will constitute a historic landmark materializing our aspirations for progress and welfare for all humanity".

Tunisian President Ben Ali, who had attended Wednesday he opening session of the WSIS in Geneva, said, the challenges posed by the development of the information and communication technologies sector in our contemporary world "require us to adopt a wise approach, to exert joint efforts so as to pursue action for the achievement of the objectives we have set since the call we made in 1998 for the holding of this Summit, and to make optimum use of this sector for the stimulation of the development pace especially in less developed countries."

He also said the results of the Geneva summit "consecrate our determination to further anchor the principles of strategic partnership based on solidarity, in the comprehensive sense, between developed countries and developing ones."

The Tunisian President thanked the Swiss Confederation and its President Mr. Pascal Couchepin "for having provided the best of conditions for our proceedings."

Tunisia had taken the initiative of calling for a world summit under the United Nations auspices, in 1998, in Minneapolis, Minnesota (USA).

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