overview

This profile considers United Nations involvement with the governance of cyberspace, debate about the New World Information & Communication Order (NWIC) and the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS). 

     contents of this profile

The following pages cover

the United Nations and the net - key statements, international agreements, major initiatives and the activities of agencies such as the ITU, UNESCO and UNCITRAL

the NWICO - debate about NWICO and the New World Information Order, illustrating the nature of policymaking, globalisation and spin in the digital environment

the WSIS - an examination of global summit rhetoric and reality

They supplement the discussion of the Governance and Networks & Global Information Infrastructure guides on this site.

There is a profile regarding the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), a UN agency with global telecommunications standards and policy coordination responsibilities that is sometimes suggested as a replacement for ICANN. 

















   next page  (the UN, the GII and cyberspace)