There was a fair amount of disappointment with the outcomes of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS). As far as the two primary issues that were expected to be addressed by the summit, internet governance and the Digital Solidarity Fund, are concerned, nothing really happened. But, since the summit ended there have been some things trickling down the pipeline – some more interesting than others. The newest announcement related to the WSIS is the launch of the GLOBAL ALLIANCE FOR INFORMATION TECHNOLOGIES AND DEVELOPMENT. The announcement for this alliance is actually quite interesting for several reasons. First of all it emphasizes that the Millenium Development Goals (MDGs) will not be achieved unless ICTs are effectively integrated into development activities across the board. This may not seem new – the MDGs do mention ICTs and the need for ICTs in development efforts. But, this announcement goes further in stating that the success of development efforts depends on the integration of ICTs. Secondly is the makeup of the alliance. It is meant to be a “multi-stakeholder” collaboration that goes far beyond the traditional make-up of groups working on development in that it should include non- and under-represented groups and that these groups are intended to collaborate.
It will certainly be interesting to see what comes out of this.