WHEREAS
the 2nd phase of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) will take place in November 2005 in Tunisia, a country known for its poor record on human rights and particularly on freedom of expression and freedom of the press

WHEREAS
this record was borne out during the first Preparatory Committee meeting in Hammamet (June 2004), where civil society was treated by the Tunisian authorities in a discriminatory way, not allowing all its members, including the independent Tunisian groups, to express themselves freely

WHEREAS
more than 30 free speech and media organizations expressed their grave concern in Baku, Azerbaijan in June 2004 regarding the conditions under which the Tunis summit will take place

WHEREAS
Article 1 of the Declaration of Chapultepec states, “No people or society can be free without freedom of expression and of the press. The exercise of this freedom is not something authorities grant, it is an inalienable right of the people”

THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE IAPA RESOLVES
to share its concerns about the status of human rights and freedom of expression in Tunis

to express its concerns about the conditions under which the Tunis summit is being organized, particularly regarding the discriminatory treatment of groups representing civil society

to support, therefore, the Baku Declaration and call upon the governments of the Western Hemisphere and other stakeholders to emphatically protest any discriminatory measures that are in total contradiction with the rules and spirit of the WSIS, otherwise there will be no guarantees for a free and open summit in Tunis.