Hi Patcha,
Great job! I'm for endorsement. See mine below. Thanks!
Robert Sagun
----- Original Message -----
From: "patcha" <patcha@patcha.jinbo.net>
Date: Tue, 14 Jan 2003 14:09:34 +0900
To: <communication@wsisasia.org>
Subject: [communication 280] Civil Society Observations and Response to the Tokyo Declaration
> Dear all,
>
> Below is Civil Society Observations and Response to the Tokyo Declaration.
> This one was produced by the content group of NGOs here.
> Now we are gathering the endorsement. If you want to endorse,
> please let me know, today.
>
> Name: Robert Sagun
> Organization: Young Volunteers for Sustainable Development
> Position: President
> Country: The Philippines
> Email: robsagun@consultant.com; yvsd@post.com
>
> Thanks,
> Patcha
>
> Korean Progressive Network, Jinbonet
> Website) http://www.jinbo.net
> E-mail) patcha@patcha.jinbo.net
> Tel) +82-2-7744-551
> Fax) +82-2-7744-553
>
> -----------------------------------------
> Jan 14, 2003
>
> Asia Pacific Regional Conference on the World Summit on the Information Society
> Civil Society Observations and Response to the Tokyo Declaration
>
> Preamble
> Civil society organizations have been fully committed to contributing to the promotion of information society particularly since the Prep Com I of the United Nations World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) on July 1, 2002 in Geneva.
> Despite the efforts to integrate different perspectives and views from every level of the region by most stakeholders throughout the preparation for WSIS, some government representatives have objected to the participation of the non governmental organizations in the drafting committee, which was formed to facilitate the accomplishment of official output of the Asia Pacific Regional Conference on the WSIS. This is an indication of their lack of trust towards the civil society and has undermined the reflection of multiple stakeholders¨ concerns.
> Civil society believes that, however, efficiency, economic growth, and productivity should not be the only priority of the information society. Information communication technologies (ICTs), therefore, should be regarded as merely modern instruments for the pursuit of ultimate goals, which includes the promotion of sustainable human development, empowerment of the people and human values. These perspectives have been diminished by the negotiations in the drafting committee of this regional conference.
> To adequately present the points of view of the people, or civil society, therefore, we the undersigned organizations have proposed this paper to reflect the grassroots perspectives on the Tokyo Declaration for the promotion of comprehensive and balanced evolution of the information society. These voices of civil society are inspired and built upon the previous outputs of Asian non governmental organizations, which are respectively The Declaration of the Asian Civil Society Caucus at Prep Com! in Geneva, The World Summit on the Information Society: an Asian Response and the Joint Statement from Asia Civil Society Forum Participants on World Summit on the Information Society.
> The Asia Pacific Regional Conference on the WSIS was convened by the Government of Japan (Ministry of Public Management, Home Affairs, Posts and Telecommunications and Ministry of Foreign Affairs) on 13-15, January 2003. The event was held to prepare for the year-end World Summit on the Information Society in Geneva.
> Participants invited to the event include representatives of the government of 37 countries and territories, 26 international organizations, 58 private sector entities and 199 non-governmental organizations. The event was originally designed to provide the forum for discussion for all stakeholders rather than exclusively governments and inter-governmental agencies so as to fully incorporate opinions from various communities, including the grassroots voices in the region to guarantee full-scale evolution of the information society.
> 1. Communication rights should be fully recognized as a fundamental and universal human right to be protected and promoted in the information society.
> 2. The participation of civil society in the information society at all levels should be ensured and sustained, from policy planning to implementation, monitoring and evaluation. The information society should be regarded as a collaborative effort of civil society, governments, private sector and other stakeholders.
> 3. Fundamental issues, such as poverty, democracy, gender justice, environment, and the impact of globalization should be taken into account apart from technological and economic evolution in the development of information society.
> 4. Special attention shall be given in the information society to marginalized groups, such as indigenous peoples, women, people with disabilities, older people, those who lack access to formal education and refugees and migrants.
> 5. Young people, the first Asia-Pacific generation growing up with the internet, need support in adapting to changes in education, employment and participation within society. At the same time, especially in our region, youth are at the forefront of technological development and adoption?their expertise and energy can assist in bridging the digital divide.
> 6. Transparency and accountability of the government should be enhanced in the formation of the information society.
> 7. Government must ensure that market competition is fair and that monopolies are not perpetuated.
> 8. While government should promote and facilitate infrastructure building, provide training, and create an enabling environment for ICT to be accessible for all, it should not be the regulator of information flow and content.
> 9. National compulsory projects utilizing ICTs, such as electronic national ID card initiatives and electronic health care card initiatives, should be prudently assessed with the consideration of privacy issues and government surveillance issues before the implementation.
> 10. Traditional and newer technologies should be used in parallel to promote equitable access to information at all levels of the information society.
> 11. Technological progress based on community needs, with emphasis on local content to preserve cultural and linguistic diversity, should be promoted.
> 12. Privacy and personal security should be ensured in the information society when promoting ICTs. Surveillance and censorship should never be practiced even in the context of promoting ＾counter-terrorism￣ measures.
> 13. Community based media should be supported and promoted. People¨s equitable and affordable access to information should be assured in the information society.
> 14. Civil society acknowledges its role as a major content provider in the information society. The civil society should also be active in the promotion of public awareness on the quality of content.
> 15. In the protection of intellectual property rights, priority should be given to cultural and human development instead of mere economic profit. It should not deter the free and balanced flow of ideas and innovations. Public domains, including open source technologies, should be promoted by all stakeholders in information society.
> 16. We recognize that safeguarding the environmental resources is central to achieving a healthy networked community for all. Life cycle management in the production flow of ICT related goods must be promoted and implemented by the global ICT sector.
>
> The following civil society organizations which endorse this document, hereby request the governments in the region to take into account the above principles and recommendations in their decisions and implementation of policies, in relation to information society development.
>
<< Civil Soceity statement WSIS-030114.doc >>
--
__________________________________________________________
Sign-up for your own FREE Personalized E-mail at Mail.com
http://www.mail.com/?sr=signup
Meet Singles
http://corp.mail.com/lavalife