U.S. Delegation Urges Progress in Tunisian Reform, Human Rights

Statement comes with thanks for Tunis role as information summit host

U.S. DELEGATION TO WSIS [World Summit on the Information Society]
PRESS NOTE
(Tunis, Tunisia)

For Immediate Release
November 18, 2005

As the second phase of the World Summit on the Information Society draws to a close, the U.S. delegation wishes to express its thanks to the Tunisian organizers and the Tunisian people for having succeeded in the considerable logistical challenges of hosting the event. The World Summit on the Information Society provided the world with an opportunity to discuss two vitally important issues – how to bring the benefits of information technology to the developing world and how to ensure a free flow of information that is critical to the success of the Internet. 

Internet stakeholders have underlined in both the official meetings and in parallel events during WSIS the critical necessity of an open dialogue between governments, private sector, and civil society representatives.  In hosting this Summit, the government of Tunisia had an opportunity and responsibility to demonstrate clearly its commitment to freedom of the press and its commitment to freedom of expression.  Indeed, in a statement by the Western European and others Group (WEOG), during the Geneva Prepcom in September 2005, Tunisia, as host of the Summit, was called upon to demonstrate that it strongly upholds and promotes the right to freedom of opinion and expression necessary to promote the building of the global information society and ensure a successful second phase of the World Summit.  We are therefore obliged to express our disappointment that the government of Tunisia did not take advantage of this important opportunity to demonstrate its commitment to freedom of expression and assembly in Tunisia. We hope that the successful outcome of the second phase of the World Summit on the Information Society in Tunisia will provide additional incentive to the government in Tunisia to match its considerable economic and social accomplishments with comparable progress in political reform and respect for the human rights of its people.