Damascus Call Towards Partnership for Building the Arab Information Society

From the Second Regional WSIS Preparatory Conference in Damascus. States the importance of the free movement of information, sustainable socio-economic development, and ICTs. Considers the Millennium Development Goals, the League of Arab States’ “Framework for Collaborative Action”, and the ESCWA Regional Plan of Action as frameworks towards strengthening the ICT sector in the Arab region. Calls upon Arab states to provide enabling investment and legal environments for the growth of ICTs, support regional action plans, and collaborate with other governments and the United Nations. Calls upon society non-governmental organizations and the business community to focus on regional projects that build the Arab information society, particularly those that develop digital Arabic content and the Arabic language. Calls upon financing institutions to prioritize projects of the adopted Regional Plan of Action. Calls upon ESCWA, the General Secretariat of the League of Arab States, and the ITU for partnership and to adopt an Arabic Domain Name System on the Internet.