Hello to all.
 
Sorry for my silence--but don't worry, I have = been reading=20 all the interesting posts from Paris and after, and have been in fact = forwarding=20 quite a bit of the messages in CSB, CT, and "Plenary" (in quotes now = :-), to our=20 Asia list. (Not all Asian CSO stakeholders are on the aforementioned = lists for=20 some reason or another, and this function is inherent to the articulated = role of=20 the CSB focal points, to facilitate transparency and participation of = all=20 stakeholders.)
 
I am supportive of Sean's articulation (his = five=20 points), based on actual experience as Asian Civil Society convenor in=20 PrepCom1, Asia Pacific Regional PrepCom (Tokyo), and PrepCom2. I = also do so=20 as one of the two focal points for our Asian Family in the CSB (the = other one=20 being Angela Kuga Thas). As one of the original drafters of the Terms of = Reference of the CSB (during PrepCom2), I am sure that the spirit of the = five=20 points is in the original and subsequent drafts.
 
In all of the WSIS related processes I have been = involved=20 with, it has always been my understanding that the CS Plenary, though = not=20 perfect, is the best way in which CSOs can organize themselves and = achieve the=20 best consensus that can be forged.
 
Thanks.
 
Al Alegre
 
P.S. Congratulations and thank you to all of you = who have=20 worked hard in Paris. Hopefully, I can come to Geneva for PrepCom3 and=20 contribute again directly in some way.
 
----- Original Message -----
From:=20 Sean O = Siochru
To: plenary@wsis-cs.org ; ct@wsis-cs.org
Cc: bureau@wsis-cs.org
Sent: Thursday, July 24, 2003 = 8:57=20 PM
Subject: [Bureau] John Gagain's = note:=20 Does Civil Society Plenary not exist?

Hi everyone

I think John's surprising note, and = the=20 position he takes in it on civil society structures, offers us an = opportunity=20 to remind ourselves of the basic progress we have made so far in civil = society. This note is seeking your support on five basic point = below.=20

At 15:27 23/07/2003 -0400, John R. Gagain Jr. wrote [my=20 bold]:
 Concerning the modalities of the CS mechanisms at the = WSIS:=20
  1. CS Information Session and Debriefing. There does not exist = a forum=20 at the WSIS referred to as "Civil Society Plenary", nor was there = ever one=20 at any other U.N. sponsored Summit in the past.  A = Plenary=20 signifies a fixed group of members or member states and the actual = official definition is: 1. Complete in all respects, unlimited = or full:=20 a diplomat with plenary powers, 2. Fully attended by all qualified = members: a plenary session of the council.  As you can = see, Civil=20 Society does not fulfill this definition or its = prerequisites.  ....=20
  2. [snip] ... , as I mention above, there is no CS Plenary; = and=20 especially not one that makes decisions on behalf of Civil = Society.=20 T
    In one sense, it is refreshing to hear such definitive,=20 authoritative, statements about how Civil Society is organised at the=20 WSIS.  (Why didn't someone tell us this two years ago?) =

    More=20 seriously, though, I cannot accept that the 'Civil Society Plenary' = meetings=20 that I attended at Prepcom 1 at PrepCom 2, and that were held in = Paris, did=20 not in fact take place as such, and that these meetings had no = authority to=20 take decisions on behalf of civil society at the WSIS.  Such a = claim,=20 especially from a member of the Civil Society Bureau, really must be=20 refuted.  As a member of the Bureau myself, this is certainly not = an=20 official view and this is the first time I have heard it = aired.  =20

    (By the same token, John could even define the Bureau out of = existence=20 on the basis that one has never previously existed at Un conferences. = Even=20 more, since in reality, the SOLE source of legitimacy for the Bureau = is the=20 Civil Society Plenary, and since the Bureau itself has explicitly = agreed it is=20 subject to the Civil Society Plenary, then surely the Bureau cannot = exist!)=20

    Nice and all as it is to fantasize, there are some important = facts and=20 achievements of civil society in the WSIS process that I think are = worth=20 reaffirming. 

    1. Civil Society has constituted itself = into a=20 Plenary at every convening of the WSIS, PrepComs, Intercessional, = Summits. It=20 is open to all of civil society members and of course any = organisations is=20 free not to participate.  But the great majority have chosen = to.  It=20 is the ultimate decision making body of civil society in relation to = the=20 WSIS. 

    2.  It has endorsed the existence of the = Bureau, and=20 the Bureau has agreed explicitly that it is subject to the Civil = Society=20 Plenary Meeting and must report to it regularly.

    3.  The = CS=20 Plenary Meeting has endorsed the Content and Themes Group, which also = reports=20 to it.  And it has endorsed most if not all of the various = caucuses,=20 working groups and so forth.

    4.  The Civil Society = Division of=20 the Secretariat serves the Civil Society Plenary Meeting and anything = the=20 Plenary sets up,  although it can also provide support to any = groups who=20 choose not to associate with the Plenary.

    5.  Regarding = the=20 (currently important) operation of the CS Plenary between physical = meetings,=20 the following was agreed by the Civil Society Plenary at PrepCom 2 = (extract=20 from the Description of the plenary@wsis-cs.org list) http://mailman.greennet.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/plenary"=20 = eudora=3D"autourl">http://mailman.greennet.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/plenar= y=20
    "The Civil Society Plenary Meeting, when convened, is the = source of=20 legitimacy for all civil society activities in the WSIS.=20
    Between PrepComs a 'Virtual CS Plenary Group' has been created=20 (plenary@wsis-cs.org), comprising organisations and other entities=20 accredited and registered at both PrepComs to date, from civil = society,=20 although organisations with a key interest in the issues but that = are not=20 part of the Summit process should also have the opportunity to = participate.=20
    The list will not be a decision-making space, in the = sense that=20 no voting will be called for, but a space to promote greater = debate and=20 transparency in the organisation of Civil Society during the=20 summit."  [my bold]
    The CS-Plenary list=20 (plenary@wsis-cs.org) was subsequently set up and now has over 250 = registered,=20 all of whom in the interests of accountability an transparency have = registered=20 their names when joining the list. Thus, the CS-Plenary list is a = space to=20 promote debate and transparency in civil society overall in between = physically=20 convened Civil Society Plenary groups.  I believe all major = issues and=20 proposals should be openly debated there before any decisions are = taken by=20 other groups, such as the Bureau and the Content & Themes Group. I = also=20 believe that many decisions must be reaffirmed at the opening Civil = Society=20 Plenary at PrepCom 3, if there have been widely different views = expressed on=20 it.

    This structure may not be perfect, but it is all we have, = it has=20 wide support, and has been endorsed at all major civil meetings and = venues at=20 the WSIS.  I really think at this point that we all have to be = working=20 from the same basics.  There are too many important issues facing = us=20 right now to run the risk of destroying the structures we have so=20 painstakingly put together.

    I am seeking support for the = above five=20 points from those on this list as I believe we cannot be = continually=20 reinventing the past and must move forward. I will also be = communicating on=20 these matters within the Bureau.

    Very best

    Sean=20


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