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GENEVA, Dec 10: Top UN officials upbraided Western leaders on Wednesday for cold shouldering the world’s first summit on the information society as critics hit out at press repression under many governments taking part.
The conference sets out to bring poorer nations of the world into the so-called information age and speed their economic development by boosting access to information technology such as mobile phones and the Internet.
Organised by the UN’s International Telecommunications Union, the three-day meeting has attracted officials from 175 countries, but few of the 60 heads of state or government attending come from Europe or North America.
“For those who did not come, all I can say is you have missed an opportunity,” said Shasi Tharoor, United Nations Under Secretary-General for Communications and Public Information, who played a key role in organising the event.
“This summit is meant to address (the issues) from a policy level, not just a technological level,” he added.
Roughly 90 percent of the world’s population remains unconnected to the Internet, depriving them of a vital 21st century resource and spurring fears of a growing “digital divide” between rich and poor.
Poorer countries, particularly from Africa, had been pressing for the launch of a “Digital Solidarity Fund” to help finance the infrastructure they say is needed to close the gap.
But the idea was opposed by richer countries and the summit declaration to be approved formally at the close of proceedings on Friday merely commits states to concluding a study on the issue before a second summit due to be held in Tunis in 2005.
HOBBLING THE MEDIA: Other topics range from how to battle the spread of spam and pornography on the Internet to whether administration of the Worldwide Web should be put under international control.
The latter idea, backed by Brazil and other developing countries, but again opposed by the richer states, was also effectively put on hold after negotiators agreed to set up a committee to review Internet management.
But the growing role of the Internet as a vehicle for news and views has focused attention on press freedom and the fact that many governments present are widely accused of hobbling their media and restricting access to the Web.
Among leaders due to address the inaugural session on Wednesday afternoon was Zimbabwe’s President Robert Mugabe, who in September closed his country’s leading privately owned daily newspaper after accusing it of operating illegally.
Apart from Mugabe, whose bodyguards scuffled with journalists and cameramen as he left his hotel on Wednesday for the summit, others include presidents Hosni Mubarak of Egypt and Mohammed Khatami of Iran.
UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, who was to open the conference, has warned of the dangers of harassing and censoring journalists, saying this put everyone’s rights at risk.
“Many of the principal barriers and obstacles to development of the Internet as a platform for free expression have been erected by the very governments who are in attendance,” said Timothy Balding, director general of the World Association of Newspapers.—Reuters
