International Relations News Portugal Participates in the World Summit on the Information Society Portugal Participates in the World Summit on the Information Society
- 15/11/2005
Harnessing the benefits from the digital revolution and fostering worldwide discussion of the spread of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) are the objectives of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS), being held from 16th to 18th November in Tunis in the scope of the United Nations’ activities.
Portugal will be represented at the work at this United Nations’ World Summit by a delegation headed by the Minister for Science, Innovation and Higher Education, José Mariano Gago, representing the Prime Minister.
Minister Mariano Gago will address the Summit plenary on 17th November and on the same day will take part in a round table on the topic of From pledges to action – implementing the Tunis recommendations.
The Knowledge Society Agency (UMIC) is organising a parallel conference on 16th November, entitled “Building the Information Society in Portugal:specific cases”, where it will also unveil the Connecting Portugal Programme, which was approved in July 2005 and which outlines the national Information Society plan for the period 2005-2010.
UMIC will also be organising a stand at the ICT for Development Exhibition, which is running at the same time as the Summit, from 15th to 19th November, and where various Information Society development initiatives in Portugal will be depicted through videos and pamphlets.
Experts at the Tunis Summit will hold discussions about an Information Society that is inclusive and accessible to all citizens, including those with special needs and less financial means or educational resources.
The United Nations’ world summits were set up to deal with particularly important and difficult long-term problems, such as poverty, human rights, environmental pollution or social development, with the aim being to place them at the top of the world agenda. The Information Society thus joins these huge global issues, as it is seen as a major opportunity for world development.
The Tunis Summit is the first two-phase United Nations summit – one held in Geneva in December 2003, which produced declarations of principles and an action plan, and another that will be staged between 16th and 18th November to monitor progress and to set the future agenda.
The Information Society has been progressing in Portugal for approximately ten years through, inter alia, connecting schools to the worldwide web, which was accomplished in 1997 for 7th to 12th year schools, then increased to all schools in 2000 and which is currently being upgraded to broadband, and opening more than 260 Internet Spaces throughout the country. Today there is www.portaldocidadao.pt (site in Portuguese), which is the digital gateway to public services, which complements the Lojas do Cidadão (Citizens’ Bureaux).