At the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS)UN Secretary-General, Kofi Annan, reminded delegates that, "From trade to telemedicine, from education to environmental protection, we have in our hands, on our desktops and in the skies above, the ability to improve standards of living for millions upon millions of people. But an open, inclusive information society that benefits all people will not emerge without sustained commitment and investment."
The WSIS, organised by the International Telecommunication Union and held under the patronage of the UN Secretary-General, will take place in two stages. Last week's meeting addressed a broad range of themes concerning the Information Society and ended with the adoption of a Declaration of Principles and a plan of action to address the whole range of issues. A second summit will be held in Tunisia in November 2005 to assess progress and the need for any further action.
Preventing the 'digital divide'
ESA was represented both at the Summit as well as the conference on the Role of Science in the Information Society (RSIS) immediately preceding it. In addressing the RSIS Conference, Josef Aschbacher, of ESA's Earth Observation Programmes, spoke of the contribution that Europe's satellites make to safeguarding our environment.
One example is the ESA/European Commission Global Monitoring for Environment and Security (GMES) initiative. This uses the continuous flow of reliable quantitative and qualitative information supplied by satellites to help improve the management of natural resources, mitigate the impact of disasters an
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Contact: Jean Charles Bigot
jean-charles.bigot@esa.int
33-153-697-738
European Space Agency
15-Dec-2003