What Is WSIS+10? WSIS Is Not ISIS, but ICANN Is From Switzerland!

2015-12-14

What Is WSIS+10? WSIS Is Not ISIS, but ICANN Is From Switzerland!

WSIS+10 UNGA high-level meeting, Dec 15-16, New York City

Tomorrow is the opening of the UN General Assembly (UNGA) high-level meeting commonly referred to as the culmination of WSIS+10. What is WSIS+10?

First, WSIS is the "World Summit on the Information Society" [2003-2005], and it has no connection, real or imagined, with the group commonly referred to as ISIS or the "Islamic State in Iraq and Syria."

Second, WSIS+10 or #WSIS10 references the overall review of the implementation of the WSIS outcomes in 2015:

2015 | WSIS Review: "Paragraph 111 of the Tunis Agenda [2005], endorsed by the General Assembly in resolution 60/252, requested the General Assembly to undertake the overall review of the implementation of the WSIS outcomes in 2015. In response, the General Assembly in resolution 68/302, decided that the overall review will be concluded by a two-day high-level meeting of the General Assembly, to be preceded by an intergovernmental process that also takes into account inputs from all relevant stakeholders of the World Summit on the Information Society."

UPDATE: LIVE video Tue-Wed - WSIS+10, World Summit on the Information Society, New York, Dec 15-16

What are the issues? According to the Internet Society:

Internet governance: "Overall a discussion on the benefits and challenges of the multistakeholder approach in implementing the WSIS Action Lines is expected. In this context, the renewal of the mandate of the IGF [Internet Governance Forum] will be discussed ... The notion of “enhanced cooperation” (paragraph 69, Tunis Agenda) will also be addressed. At the heart of the issue are very different views on whether “enhanced cooperation” is specifically about enhancing the role of governments in Internet governance, or whether it is about enhancing cooperation between all stakeholders, including governments."
The role of ICTs (Information and Communication Technologies) in development;
Privacy, Security and Human Rights. (emphasis added)

WSIS+10 Links:
1. The WSIS+10 UN website: https://publicadministration.un.org/wsis10/
2. Outcome Document (pdf) of the HighLevel Meeting of the General Assembly on the Overall
Review of the Implementation of WSIS Outcomes

3. Live coverage of the WSIS+10 High-level Meeting and Side Events is available on UN Live Web TV for the following:

United Nations General Assembly High-level Meeting, 15-16 December 10AM – 6PM EST
Side event: Strengthening the Impact of WSIS Action Lines for Sustainable Development: Showcasing Best Practices, Transferring Know-How, Fostering Partnerships. 14 December, 1:15PM EST, Conference Room11
Side event: Women’s Empowerment in the Digital Age: Implementing WSIS Outcome and Agenda 2030. 15 December, 1PM EST, Conference Room 6
Side Event: Enabling a Trusted Connected World. 16 December, 1:15PM EST, Conference Room 7

The stakeholders who are attending are varied, but of course governments will have a dominating presence. One surprise though, ICANN (the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, a California non-profit corporation) listed its domicile/residence as "Switzerland"--