Geneva, WSIS: the cities and local authorities from around the world present their Declaration and Action Plans for a fair and sustainable information society
World Summit of Cities and Local Authorities on the Information Society - Press Release, Lyon
The success of the first World Summit of Cities and Local Authorities on the Information Society organised at Lyon on 4 and 5 December (500 local authorities, 2,000 participants from all over the world) marks a major turning point in international political life. It responds to the desire of Mr Kofi Annan, Secretary General of the United Nations, to associate cities, local authorities and civil society in the UN’s projects and activities. Cities are major actors that participate concretely in the daily lives of citizens everywhere, whether in education, knowledge, culture, the combat against social exclusion, participation or involvement in democracy.
The Declaration of Cities and Local Authorities on the Information Society was unanimously adopted at the end of the Lyon World Summit. It asserts the basic rights of citizens that cities and local authorities want to have taken into consideration at the Summit in Geneva. The information society must strengthen:
- Democracy, freedom of expression and respect for human rights;
- Freedom to communicate and equal access to knowledge;
- Education, particularly in setting up universal primary education;
- Access to knowledge, to facilitate research and for cultural diversity;
- Digital solidarity to combat exclusion and the digital divide in cities in developed and developing countries, with four possible orientations:
- Develop the use of free software;
- Develop decentralised cooperation programmes between cities and regions; o Support actions in favour of digital solidarity between developed and developing countries;
- Relay the proposals of Abdoulaye Wade, President of Senegal and Vice-President of NEPAD on digital solidarity.
The Declaration will be presented to Mr Kofi Annan on 10 December, and to the Heads of State and Government on 12 December (WISI, 10-12 December, Geneva) by Gerard Collomb, Mayor of Lyon and Christian Ferrazino, Mayor of Geneva.
Forever concerned with making proposals a reality, cities and local authorities are now formulating an action plan, stemming from the synthesis of the debates held during the Lyon Summit. This action plan will be presented at the congress held to found the first World Association of Cities and Local Authorities, "United Cities and Local Authorities", at Paris in May 2004.
For Gerard Collomb, Mayor of Lyon, "The great success of the World Summit of Cities relies on wide-ranging consultation, strong mobilisation of local actors and authorities, and above all concrete commitments to build a fairer and more united world, particularly between developed and developing countries."
Christian Ferrazino, Mayor of Geneva declares, "The Lyon Summit marks a major turning point in the history of international relations. Our municipalities show that they can play an international role, since they are the best placed to make known the needs and hopes of their citizens."
Cities and local authorities from around the entire world have developed international networks that permit collective expression and actions. At the end of the Lyon Summit, Mercedes Bresso, President of CAMVAL (Coordination of World Associations of Cities and Local Authorities) announced the "creation of the first World Association of Cities at Paris in May 2004 that we hope will be the first representative organisation of cities and local authorities to sit at the UN."
The exemplarity of cities and local authorities in the information society: Several hundred projects, actions and initiatives were presented at the Lyon World Summit and can be consulted on http://www.cities-lyon.org. They are also exhibited at the WISI at the City of Geneva/City of Lyon stand, Forum ICT4D, Palexpo Hall 4.
Press contact:
France:
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Philippe d'Espine
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