Geneva hosted last 24-25 November the second meeting of the group of experts preparing for the 2009 World Telecommunications Policy Forum (WTPF-09). The group comprising members appointed by the member States will help the Secretary General prepare his report, the only forum working document containing factual information on the agenda points, and whose various versions have been including the contributions from member States, sector members and associates. The fourth WTPF is scheduled for 22-24 April 2009 at the Lisbon Congress Centre.
The meeting's main agenda point was to revise the third version of the secretary general's report; the participants suggested various editorial changes in order to improve and harmonise the report. The group also focused on preparing the opinions contained in the recommendations to be issued by the Forum. Some of the experts' proposals were examined; it was concluded that same were still in a very early phase, lacking the more thorough analysis that should take place at the group’s third meeting. Some of those present suggested that opinions should be submitted on cyber-security, climate changes and access. The experts were then asked to send in their contributions by 19 January 2009.
The meeting also discussed the information session planned for the day before the Forum opens. On this point it was stressed that four or five speakers, as proposed, would be too much and that an attempt should be made to achieve geographic balance. Also, some participants said the information session should be as dynamic as possible, to positively contribute towards the Forum's own activity. Based on these contributions, the secretariat will prepare a revision of the information session’s framework to be studied at the next group of experts meeting.
As occurred with the information session's framework, the first meeting was also unable to agree on the structure of the Forum itself. For this reason it was again one of the agenda points. Although to make best use of the available time and improve the discussions' quality it was proposed that the second day's debates should be held in two parallel sessions, general opinion was that parallel sessions should be avoided to facilitate the delegations' participation. Based on the received contributions, a new Forum framework proposal will therefore be produced.
The group will next meet on 26-27 January 2009 in Geneva.
