Delegates make important progress in preparation for information society summit
In the run up to the World Summit on the Information Society, which begins in Geneva on 10 December, negotiators from 192 countries have resolved most of their disagreements over draft documents to be presented to Heads of State and Government at the event. Following eleventh hour discussions, sticking points such as references to human rights, media freedom, intellectual property rights and Internet governance have been overcome. The only remaining dispute centres on how to finance the development of information and communication technology (ICT) infrastructure in the developing world. A proposal by Senegal, supported by most other African countries, calls for the establishment of a new international fund for the purpose, while many richer nations would rather reallocate existing finances. Even this issue may be overcome, however, with delegates considering the wording of a compromise text that proposes further study of the issue. The results of the study would be presented at the second instalment of the summit in Tunis in 2005, where a final decision would be taken. 'The stakes are very high for everyone, but we're sure we'll reach an agreement on the text, and then everything will be agreed,' said one of the Swiss officials charged with brokering the discussions, Daniel Stauffacher. Mr Stauffacher also welcomed the willingness of all countries to make compromises: 'We got a lot of support and at the end of the day, everybody made some great concessions, while not compromising their interests.'