|
There is no doubt that today's world is the outcome of science and technology; and there is a huge gap between the North and South in communications and information science and technologies.
Therefore, the Arab world must interact with the information society to narrow that gap because the world community speaks only one language through those technologies.
On the occasion of holding the high-level preparatory conference for the second phase of the World Summit on the Information Society-- entitled "An Arab Regional Dialogue", I have the honor to send my message to all people, who are concerned with the communications and information society in the Arab world.
This conference aims at presenting an Arab document to the second phase of the summit, which will be held in Tunisia from 16th to 18th of November 2005.
The document is a complementary one to an earlier document presented by the Arab group at the first phase of the summit, which was held in Geneva in December 2003.
At that time, the Arab group was hailed thanked to its achievements in preparing for the summit through its two phases, as well as its objectivity and seriousness, which added to its importance at international preparatory summits.
The Arab leaders praised the exerted effort through the latest Algeria summit in March 2005,which was supervised by the Arab Telecommunications and Information Council of Ministers.
In parallel to preparing for the World Summit on the Information Society , which will be held in Tunisia, an Arab strategy for communications society and information technology is undergone.
That strategy had been adopted by the Arab summit held in Amman in March 2001, which put specific projects according to six principal axes (the human development- infrastructure- electronic applications - information environment- knowledge transfer- and enhancing Arab digital contents).
In fact, this strategy is considered a real Arab leap towards the information society, as a number of projects had been chosen to represent Arabs.
Those projects discuss significant issues like the Arabic content on the Internet, Internet management, activating Geneva plan, Arab stance on digital gap indicators and means of financing it, as well as a number of other important issues and the Arab domain names in Internet , which are being discussed on Arab, regional and international levels.
It is worth mentioning that the ongoing Arab efforts help widening the chances of an Arab cooperation and integration, as it paves the way for creating more integrated economic projects.
The Arab efforts also lead to the foundation of modern channels for information exchange among Arab decision-makers.
Through the upcoming summit, the Arab efforts will be bolstered by an African coordination, which in turn will boost it regionally and will strengthen the Arab group in that important event.
The extensive participation of Arab leaders and senior officials at the first phase of the summit in Geneva proved the keenness of Arab countries to benefit from the "Knowledge Economy" and the sharing in the information era.
This will be reflected in the second phase of the summit in Tunisia, which confirms to the world how Arab countries are deeply concerned with that key event.
I hope that the second phase of the World Summit on the Information Society would witness more exerted efforts to achieve the scheduled plan, which emerged from the first phase.
I call all partners in the field of communications and information - the key sector in the economic and social developments in the Arab world - to participate in the Tunisia summit, whether representing the civil society or the private sector.
I also hope that Arab women would take part in the summit, especially those experts on regional and international levels.
And finally, I wish that the summit would acquire the practical and developing shape.
May God bless you for all good in joint Arab action.
|
