Distr.: General
27 April 2006

Resolution adopted by the General Assembly

[without reference to a Main Committee (A/60/L.50 and Add.1)]

60/252. World Summit on the Information Society

The General Assembly,

Recalling its resolutions 56/183 of 21 December 2001, 57/238 of 20 December 2002, 57/270 B of 23 June 2003 and 59/220 of 22 December 2004,

Recalling also the Declaration of Principles and the Plan of Action adopted by the World Summit on the Information Society at its first phase, held in Geneva from 10 to 12 December 2003,¹ as endorsed by the General Assembly,²

Recalling further the 2005 World Summit Outcome,³

Recognizing that the implementation and follow-up of the World Summit should be an integral part of the integrated follow-up of the major United Nations conferences and summits in the economic, social and related fields and should contribute to the achievement of the internationally agreed development goals, including the Millennium Development Goals, and should not require the creation of any new operational bodies,

Acknowledging the urgent need to bridge the digital divide and to assist developing countries, including least developed countries, landlocked developing countries and small island developing States, and countries with economies in transition to benefit fully from the potential of information and communication
technologies,

Reaffirming the potential of information and communication technologies as powerful tools to foster socio-economic development and contribute to the
realization of the internationally agreed development goals, including the Millennium Development Goals,

Stressing the importance of the contribution of the Summit to the building of a people-centred, inclusive and development-oriented information society so as to enhance digital opportunities for all people in order to help to bridge the digital divide,

Acknowledging with appreciation the role played by the International Telecommunication Union in the organization of the two phases of the Summit,

1. Expresses its gratitude to the Government of Tunisia for having hosted the second phase of the World Summit on the Information Society in Tunis from
   16 to 18 November 2005;
    
2. Takes note of the note by the Secretary-General transmitting the report of the Secretary-General of the International Telecommunication Union on the second phase of the Summit;⁴
    
3. Endorses the Tunis Commitment and the Tunis Agenda for the Information Society adopted by the Summit at its second phase;⁴
    
4. Welcomes the contribution of Member States, relevant United Nations bodies and other intergovernmental organizations, non-governmental organizations, civil society and the private sector to the success of the Tunis phase of the Summit;
    
5. Also welcomes the strong development orientation of the outcomes of both the Geneva and the Tunis phases of the Summit, and urges their full
   implementation;
    
6. Further welcomes progress achieved by the Summit towards a multistakeholder approach in building a people-centred, inclusive and development-oriented information society, and acknowledges that Governments could play an important role in that process;
    
7. Welcomes the Digital Solidarity Fund, established in Geneva as an innovative financial mechanism of a voluntary nature, open to interested stakeholders, with the objective of transforming the digital divide into digital opportunities for the developing world by focusing mainly on specific and urgent needs at the local level and seeking new voluntary sources of “solidarity” financing;
    
8. Reiterates that the process towards enhanced cooperation to be started by the Secretary-General will involve all relevant organizations and all stakeholders in their respective roles, as mentioned in paragraph 71 of the Tunis Agenda;
    
9. Invites the Secretary-General, in an open and inclusive process, to convene a new forum for multi-stakeholder policy dialogue called the Internet
   Governance Forum, in accordance with the decisions made at the Tunis phase of the Summit;
    
10. Welcomes the importance attached by the Summit, as reflected in the Tunis Agenda, to multi-stakeholder implementation at the international level, which should be organized taking into account the themes and action lines in the Geneva Plan of Action ¹ and moderated or facilitated by United Nations agencies, where appropriate;
     
11. Urges Member States, relevant United Nations bodies and other intergovernmental organizations, as well as non-governmental organizations, civil
    society and the private sector, to contribute actively, inter alia by initiating actions, where appropriate, to the implementation and follow-up of the outcomes of the Geneva and Tunis phases of the Summit;
     
12. Requests the Economic and Social Council to oversee the system-wide follow-up of the Geneva and Tunis outcomes of the Summit, and to that end
    requests the Council, at its substantive session of 2006, to review the mandate, agenda and composition of the Commission on Science and Technology for Development, including considering strengthening the Commission, taking into account the multi-stakeholder approach;
     
13. Decides to proclaim 17 May annual World Information Society Day to help to raise awareness of the possibilities that the use of the Internet and other
    information and communication technologies can bring to societies and economies, as well as of ways to bridge the digital divide;
     
14. Also decides to conduct an overall review of the implementation of the Summit outcomes in 2015;
     
15. Requests the Secretary-General to submit to the General Assembly through the Economic and Social Council, by June 2006, a report on the modalities
    of the inter-agency coordination of the implementation of the Summit outcomes, including recommendations on the follow-up process, for consideration at the substantive session of the Council.

74th plenary meeting
27 March 2006

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¹ See A/C.2/59/3, annex.
² See resolution 59/220.
³ See resolution 60/1.
⁴ See A/60/687.