The high-level opening session will celebrate partnerships and collaborations amongst WSIS Stakeholders while working together towards 2015. The WSIS Process is a multi-stakeholder process and its success in achieving the internationally agreed goals depends on successful, win-win partnerships. The goal of WSIS is to work together in multi-stakeholder set ups to achieve a common vision, desire and commitment to build a people-centric, inclusive and development-oriented Information Society where everyone can create, access, utilize and share information.

The high-level opening session will set the tone for the dialogues and interactive sessions schedules over 5 days.

Interactive Moderator: Dr Tim Unwin, Royal Holloway, University of London

Welcome Note: Mr Houlin Zhao, Deputy Secretary-General, ITU

HLD No 1 will provide an interesting blend of an expert panel and audience interaction on the Right to Communication: New social media and social transformations

Access to information and the capacity to be able to enjoy the “right to communication” are essential to the realization of greater equity in a global society. That is, information and communication are both “resources” whose ethical usage and distribution create the conditions for democracy and greater well-being. Communication and information are not, however, “givens.” The right to communication and the free access to information can be impacted by various actors through diverse array of objectives, including political control, technical initiatives, right-oriented campaign, industrial policy and regulation, security, users, and etc. The global digital divide is therefore the site from which new core-periphery relations emerge and find themselves contested. In other words, ICTs and the formation of responsible cyber-citizens are intrinsically ethical issues and ethics, which has long occupied itself with what constitutes “good” social behavior, stands to inform our relationship to ICTs and our virtual social behavior.

The high-level debate will bring together stakeholders from all over the world ranging from technology experts, policy specialists, to users and cyber-activists to provide insight into the “right to communication” and its ethical implications. In turn, this debate will offer the means to reconsider humanity’s immersion in a socio-eco-techno apparatus that compels mankind to communicate in new ways. The panel will also encourage brainstorming and debates on burning issues of the “right to communication” related to the WSIS Plan Actions.

The discussion will ultimately inform the ongoing implementation process of WSIS and contribute to building inclusive knowledge societies that put the potential of ICTs at the service of ethical conduct and cyber-citizenship.

HLD No. 2 will provide an interesting blend of an expert panel and audience interaction on Innovation for Digital Inclusion.

The ICT industry undergoes fast changes, as has been noted in several examples from all across the world that innovation plays a big role in ensuring Digital Inclusion. Innovative technologies can turn the “digital divide” into a “digital opportunity” bringing the benefit of ICTs to all segments of the population, in particular those in underserved communities and developing countries. Future applications and services have the potential to build the ubiquitous society, and several components make important ingredients in achieving digital inclusion. Thus enabling universal, sustainable, ubiquitous and affordable access to ICTs by all.

In order to provide equal telecommunications access to villages, schools and health centers in remote areas, various innovative broadband models have recently been developed jointly by multi-stakeholders. These innovative technologies will help bring the benefits of ICTs to all segments of the population, in particular those in underserved communities and developing countries. This HL Dialogue brings together innovators, implements and end users to discuss and debate the role of innovation for digital inclusion and its application in different parts of the worlds.

Moderator: Dr Reinhard Scholl, Deputy Director, Telecommunication Standardization Bureau, ITU

HLD No. 3 will provide an interesting blend of an expert panel and audience interaction on ICTs as Enabler for Development in LDCs

New information and communication technologies (ICTs) have become critical enablers for sustained human development. There are now numerous examples as to how ICTs have contributed to eradicate poverty, bring to the most vulnerable and marginalized populations basic services for the first time in history, and giving them voice in governance processes. Least developed countries (LDCs)confront extreme poverty and pervasive social exclusion. They also have to deal with limited access to education, health and other key social services, depletion of natural resources; and poor infrastructure and access to ICTs.

But to a large extent, LDCs also have the benefit of the rapid diffusion of new technologies. In particular, the explosive growth of mobile phones has also taken place in most if not all LDCs. This has mainly been due to improved political stability, the low-cost and ease of use of wireless technologies, and an open and competitive environment in the sector. In the last 10 years several developing countries have graduated out of the LDC category. ICTs have played a key role in the general development of most of the LDCs as they can be a catalyst not only for economic growth but also for human development. For instance, ICTs can assist in tackling extreme poverty, structural weaknesses, climate change issues, and the overall vulnerabilities that populations in LDCs are frequently exposed to, such as natural disasters and famines.

This high-level dialogue will share these emerging trends, best practices and lessons learned, and attempt to identify obstacles and constraints that may frustrate socio-economic development in LDCs. Views will be shared by the LDCs themselves and development partners. The discussions of this dialog will also carry forward the discussions at the UNGIS side event during the LDC IV Conference at Turkey.

Moderator: Mr Cosmas Zavazava, Chief, a.i. Project Support and Knowledge Management Department and Head of LSE Division

HLD No. 4 will provide an interesting blend of an expert panel and audience interaction on Confidence and Security in Cyberspace

By bringing together governments, private sector, international organizations, civil society, and academia from all over the world, the High-Level Dialogue will offer an opportunity to discuss in an interactive session the measures that can be adopted to foster an enabling environment to confidently use Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs). The growing incidence of cyberthreats and cybercrime, from financial and identity related frauds to illicit use of ICT services and applications, undermines the willingness to fully exploit the potential benefit of the Information Society, limiting the opportunity to use ICTs as enabler to improve effectiveness and efficiency of the online presence. Through the discussion, high-level panellists will introduce challenges and solutions that are undertaking to build a safer interconnected world as well as best practices and actions that make difference in the cyberspace. Thus, it will be a unique opportunity to give participants a wide view on the effective and efficient measures to be adopted.

Moderator: Dr Tim Unwin, Royal Holloway, University of London