[governance] Canada Statement read in PrepCom 3 plenary - Sept 30

[Robert Guerra]

Copied from the written text made available at the Canada desk after  
the statement was read. TThe text below is an unofficial copy.

The authentic text will shortly be available on the WSIS/ITU site.



WSIS Preparatory committee 3
Second phase, Tunis
Geneva, 19-30 September 2005

      Statement
Delivered by Canada


Mr. Chairman,

I take the floor on behalf of the 25 member states of the European  
Union as well as Romania, Bulgaria, Croatia, Serbia and Montenegro,  
Switzerland, Norway, New Zealand, Iceland, Monaco, Australia, the  
United States of America and Canada in order to emphasize that our  
governments are dedicated to achieving a successful World Summit on  
the Information Society (WSIS), as demonstrated by our active  
involvement in the first phase and our continued engagement in the  
preparations for the second phase in Tunis.

We believe that the subject matter of the Summit is key to  
development for all members of the United Nations, whether developing  
or developed. Therefore, we wish to work closely with Tunisia, as  
host of the Summit in November, to ensure a successful outcome.

We find it necessary to make this statement because of several  
incidents which occurred during the Preparatory Committee, raising  
concerns about the participatory nature of the summit.

Our Governments expect the Governments, Institutions and non-State  
actors taking part in the WSIS process to respect fully the  
Declaration of Principles agreed on the 10 to 12 December 2003.

The Geneva Declaration reaffirms the right to freedom of opinion and  
expression, including the right to hold opinions without interference  
and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any  
media regardless of frontiers. These rights must be upheld in all  
countries in order to promote the building of the global information  
society and ensure a successful second phase of the World Summit. We  
expect Tunisia, as host of this UN Summit, to demonstrate that it   
strongly upholds and promotes these rights.

As the Government of Tunisia will know, the Summit envisages and  
important and inclusive role for the Private sector, civil society,  
international organizations, institutions of knowledge production and  
of editorially independent media both for the preparations and in the  
final summit itself. We expect Tunisia,as host country, to do all it  
can to eliminate any grounds for concern and to ensure that  
arrangements for the Summit take account of and guarantee the  
unhindered participation of Non Governmental Organizations and their  
members.

This is the only way to make sure that this will be a Summit in  
Tunisia, not a Summit on Tunisia.

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