APC and APC WNSP Critique the Draft Declaration and Action Plan=20 Prepared
for
the UN "World Summit on the Information=20 Society"

Critical issues are not addressed sufficiently, if at=20 all


JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, June 2 2003 -- In detailed=20 documents
submitted
to the secretariat of the United Nations' = World Summit=20 on the
Information
Society (WSIS), APC and the APC Women's = Programme=20 recognised the efforts
of
the WSIS drafting committee to include = the=20 concerns and interests of the
many governments, private sector and = civil=20 society stakeholders taking
part
in the process which will = culminate in=20 the first ever UN Summit
dedicated to
communications in Geneva in=20 December.
However, say the ICT activists, "there are critical issues = [that]=20 are
not
addressed sufficiently, if at all".

APC and WNSP = criticised=20 the draft documents - which include a
declaration
and action plan = -=20 for:

* their reluctance to explicitly confront the fact that=20 fundamental
political, social and economic inequalities shape our=20 world

* a lack of acknowledgment that gender inequality is = central in=20 broader
social inequality

* not acknowledging that without = greater=20 access to power and
decision-making
and equitable redistribution = of=20 available resources, we are unlikely to
reduce the gap between the = powerful=20 and the powerless

* lacking awareness on proposals around the=20 'information security
agenda'
that threaten to further harm = already=20 weakened human rights in areas
such as
privacy and data=20 protection

* their scant reference to the impacts on the = environment in=20 the
information
society resulting from new technologies and=20 infrastructure

* their insufficient acknowledgement of the = negative=20 impact of
Intellectual
Property Rights on access to information = and=20 knowledge, and on
technological
innovation.

Read full = article:=20 <http://www=">http://www.apc.org/english/news/index.shtml?x=3D12235">http://www= .apc.org/english/news/index.shtml?x=3D12235>
APC=20 Comments: <http://www=">http://www.apc.org/english/news/index.shtml?x=3D12209">http://www= .apc.org/english/news/index.shtml?x=3D12209>
APC=20 WNSP Comments: <http://www=">http://www.apc.org/english/news/index.shtml?x=3D12233">http://www= .apc.org/english/news/index.shtml?x=3D12233>

Links=20 to original WSIS documents and all submitted comments:
<http://www.itu.int/wsis/documents/listing-all.asp?lang=3Den&c= _event=3Dpci|1">http://www.itu.int/wsis/documents/listing-all.asp?lang=3D= en&c_event=3Dpci|1
&c_t
ype=3Dall|>=20 (there are currently some errors in the attribution = of
articles)

To=20 contact APC or APC WNSP about the World Summit on the = Information
Society:=20 Write to Karen Banks <karenb@gn.apc.org>