CONNECTING TO THE WSIS PLAYERS

With so many events happening around the world in connection with the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS), it could become difficult to get in touch with several key players of the WSIS and other related institutions.

Isis On WSIS would like to provide a list of key people and organisations involved in or preparing for the WSIS. Following are several important websites and persons to know:

For specific information about the Geneva Summit, the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) has set up a website about the WSIS 2003. It can be accessed at http://www.geneva2003.org/home/index01.htm.

Other WSIS information can be accessed at the official WSIS website.

The ITU secretary-general and the High-Level Summit Organizing Committee (HLSOC) chairman Yoshio Utsumi oversee the preparations for the Summit. He is assisted by:

  • Special Ambassador G.O. Segond
  • an ITU team composed of
    • Executive Director Pierre Gagne
    • his deputy Art Levin
    • M. Hedblom
    • J.Y. Besnier

Gagne's team oversees four divisions, namely:

  • Government
    (C. Geiger, C. Sgier de Cerf, J. Desaules, J.J. Castro, and T. Nakaya)
  • United Nations
    (Y. Courrier, C. Nuttall, and I. Keita)
  • Private Sector
    (two-member sector manned by H. Tokiwa and T. Dsoudy)
  • Civil Society and Non-Government Organisations
    (A. Clere, L. Lassonde, M. Thorndahl, L. Woodsworth, and M. Davary)

Contact details for the WSIS point persons are:

WSIS Executive Secretariat
World Summit on the Information Society
International Telecommunication Union
Place des Nations
1211 Geneva 20
Switzerland

Executive Secretariat - Civil Society Division
Tel: (41-22) 7306304
Fax: (41-22) 7306393

Contact for governments
E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Tel: (41-22) 7306375
Fax: (41-22) 7306393

Contact for international organisations
E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Tel: (41-22) 7306353
Fax: (41-22) 7306393

Contact for business sector entities
E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Tel: (41-22) 7306362
Fax: (41-22) 7306393

Contact for media and the press
E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Tel: (41-22) 7306039
Fax: (41-22) 7305939

Contact for other general inquiries
E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Tel: (41-22) 7306111
Fax: (41-22) 7306393

Pertinent E-Mail Addresses:

  • General Information: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
  • Registration and partnerships: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
  • Documents (sharing and receiving): This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
  • Media Relations: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

The United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has also launched a website in connection to the WSIS, detailing regional and international preparatory activities about the series of consultations launched with civil society and NGOs. The site may be accessed at: http://www.unesco.org/wsis

Several NGO point persons and contact details are also important to know such as the Communication Rights in the Information Society (CRIS) campaign. Launched in November 2001 by the Platform for Communication Rights, the CRIS campaign serves as an umbrella group of international NGOs active in media and communication which are generally representative of the developed world.

Further information about the CRIS campaign can be found on its website at http://www.comunica.org/cris/.

The point persons for the CRIS campaign are:

Bruce Girard
Comunica
E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Sean O'Siochru
NEXUS
14 Eaton Brae, Shankill, Co. Dublin, Ireland
E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Tel: (353-1) 4730599
Fax: (353-1) 4730597

Other NGO point persons and contact details are as follows:

WSIS Gender Caucus
Gillian Marcelle
E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Civil Society Gender Working Group
Susanna George
Isis International-Manila
3 Marunong St., Bgy. Central, Quezon City 1100, Philippines
Tels: (63-2) 4353405, 4353408, 4360312, 4367863
Fax: (63-2) 9241065
E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

International Women's Tribune Center
777 United Nations Plaza (3rd Floor)
New York, NY 10017 USA
Tel: (1-212) 6878633
Fax: (1-212) 6612704
E-mail This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Website: http://www.iwtc.org

More information about other NGOs participating in the Summit can be viewed at http://www.wsis.info/