PRESS BRIEFING BY PRESIDENT OF ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COUNCIL

Press Briefing

PRESS BRIEFING BY PRESIDENT OF ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COUNCIL

It was a historic moment for the Economic and Social Council, the Council's President, Makarim Wibisono of Indonesia, told correspondents this afternoon at a Headquarters press briefing. As negotiations on the Ministerial Declaration of the Economic and Social Council high-level segment on information technology continued, Mr. Wibisono said that the high-level segment was just the beginning of what would be an ongoing process on a very complex issue.

As the high-level segment entered its final session, Mr. Wibisono told correspondents that the general debate was expected to end on time and that the Ministerial Declaration -- the end result of months of intergovernmental discussions and private-public sector exchanges -- would then be adopted. With the adoption of the Declaration, preparations for a global task force to link the work of the United Nations system in the field of new information technologies with the private sector would commence.

The high-level segment of the Economic and Social Council, which opened at United Nations Headquarters on 5 July, was historic for several reasons, Mr. Wibisono said. It was the first time that Heads of State had attended an Economic and Social Council high-level segment. The Summit meeting was also attended by a number of heads of international agencies, including the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and the World Trade Organization (WTO). Representatives of the private sector had also taken part in deliberations for the first time. The participation of governments, international organizations as well as the private sector was essential to address the issue of the digital divide.

"We find ourselves in a very unique situation", he said. The Economic and Social Council Summit on information and communications technology would be followed just a couple months later by the General Assembly's Millenium Summit. Information technology was one of the items found in the Secretary-General's Millenium Report. "There was a sequential process with regard to the involvement of the United Nations on the important issue of information technology", he said.

Mr. Wibisono asked for the support not only of stakeholders in the area of information technology, but also of the press and media. "If we correctly project the issues of information technology, it would also encourage the participation and support of the stakeholders in that area", he said.

Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs Nitin Desai, present at the briefing, also commented on the level and quantity of participation at the Summit both from Member States and the private sector. Representatives from the private sector included the Chief Executive Officers of Nokia, the largest mobile telephone company in the world; S.A.P., the largest Software Company in Europe, and WorldTel, the largest telecommunications financing officers. The legendary figure -- Vint Cerf -- one of the founders of the original Internet society, had also participated in the dialogue at the Summit, as had Jay Naidoo, political activist and former South African Minister of Communications.

Economic and Social Council Briefing - 2 - 7 July 2000

In his mind, the focus of the high-level segment had been to identify what exactly the United Nations could do to help the developing world, Mr. Desai said. The sense that had emerged in the last few days was that the United Nations could play a crucial role in providing an interface between the information technology community and the development community. What they had been discussing at the Summit after all, was how information technology could be used to enhance the developing world. While information technology aficionados had been concerned about entering the world of information technology policy, the United Nations provided that interface.

Tim Wall of the Department of Public Information said that negotiations on the Ministerial Declaration were continuing. The final adoption of that Declaration this afternoon had not taken place as anticipated. Several detailed points were still being discussed.

A correspondent asked why adoption of the Ministerial Declaration was being delayed. Mr. Wibisono said that the draft declaration had been agreed to. The problem was one of communication between the negotiator and the person who had the authority to endorse.

Would it be possible to hold an information technology summit every 10 years? a correspondent asked. That was a good suggestion that merited serious consideration, Mr. Wibisono said. The issue of information technology was a strategic one.

"Imagine trying to forecast what was going to happen over the next decade with information technology", Mr. Desai added. The dialogue was still at an early stage. The first step had been taken. The issues of the information technology community were now entering into the wider development dialogue. The Economic and Social Council had shown in the last few days its capacity to provide that wider platform. The Ministerial Declaration -- when it was approved -- would provide some more specific proposals on how to guide the issue forward.

Would the Ministerial Declaration include the recommendation of the Panel of Experts that everyone have connectivity by 2004, and what would the task force do? a correspondent asked. Mr. Wibisono said that the draft reflected the intention to have universal connectivity, but it did not mention a specific time-frame. On the task force, it would provide the Secretary-General with modalities to follow up on the issue of information technology in the future.

Mr. Wall said that information on the adoption of the Ministerial Declaration would be made available through the Office of the Spokesman for the Secretary-General. Correspondents could also contact him directly at 212-963-5851.

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