Dear all
A Prepcom 3A civil society drafting group was convened this morning to =
look at
the civil society "non-negotiables" and the civil society vision =
document. We
agreed to work towards releasing an updated version this week of civil =
society
key non-negotiables to act as a benchmark for the Summit and for civil =
society
assessment of the final intergovernmental Declaration and Action Plan. =
It was
agreed this should be based on existing CS texts and consensus position =
rather
than introducing new proposals.
The main reference docs are the CS statement on the Draft Declaration at =
Prepcom 3 and the CS list of "seven musts" produced at Prepcom 2. We =
will also
take into account any issues which have been included in the most recent =
version of the civil society priorities document (3 August) and the =
latest
detailed CS submission on the draft declaration (30 October, in response =
to the
Samassekou non-paper of 24 October).
We need to share the drafting work on this and specifically to have =
input from
thematic caucuses. The input that is required should follow a standard =
format
as follows:
- Title and description of the non-negotiable point(s)
- Justification as to why this is necessary
- The principle(s) and action(s) that should be included
This needs to very clear and concise, not more than 100 words per non-
negotiable. We are aiming to complete a first draft by Wednesday 12 =
November,
so inputs required by 12.00 noon on 12 November (Geneva time). A draft =
will be
released on Wednesday for comments on this list (within 24 hours). The =
final
version will be tabled at the CS plenary on Friday.
We noted that convenors of the following caucuses should input as =
indicated:
Overarching concerns - human rights, media
Community media - community media working group
Literacy, education and research - Academia and education caucus
Capacity building - Academia and education caucus
Free and open source software - PCT group
Enabling environment - ??
Intellectual property rights - PCT group
Internet governance - ICT governance caucus
Building confidence, trust and security - privacy and security group
Women - NGO gender strategies working group
Below are the texts with the "seven musts" and "10 core concerns" and =
reference
URLs to the CS priorities doc and CS response to the Samassekou =
non-paper.
Please send inputs to this list with copy to steve@commedia.org.uk
Steve Buckley
//
World Summit on the Information SocietyPrepCom-2
Geneva, February 2003
25 February 2003 16:00
WSIS- Civil Society Working Group on Content and Themes -- Drafting =
Committee
"Seven Musts": Priority Principles Proposed by Civil Society
The following seven principles reflect the issue areas that the Civil =
Society
working group on contents and themes, created by the civil society =
plenary,
feels should be prioritized:
1. Sustainable Development
An equitable Information Society needs to be based on sustainable =
economic and
social development and gender justice. It cannot be achieved solely =
through
market forces.
2. Democratic Governance
ICTs should facilitate democratic governance and foster participation by =
citizens. Transparent and accountable government structures at local, =
national
and international levels should be established.
3. Literacy, Education, and Research
Only an informed and educated citizenry with access to the means and =
outputs of
pluralistic research can participate in and contribute to Knowledge =
Societies.
Access to tools and facilities that enable lifelong learning need to be
created, extended and secured.
4. Human Rights
The existing human rights framework should be applied and integrated =
into the
Information Society. ICTs should be used to promote awareness of, =
respect for
and enforcement of universal human rights standards.
5. Global Knowledge Commons
Global knowledge commons and the public domain constitute resources that =
are
cornerstones of a global public interest. They should be protected, =
expanded
and promoted.
6. Cultural and Linguistic Diversity
Recognizing cultural development as a living and evolving process, =
linguistic
diversity, cultural identity and local content need to be not only =
preserved
but also actively fostered.
7. " Information Security "
"Information security" concerns should not infringe in any way on =
people's
privacy and right to communicate freely, using information and =
communications
technologies.
This document comes out of a broad process of consultation and is a work =
in
progress, as defined in the Civil Society document "Contribution on =
Common
Vision and Key Principles for the Declaration."
Compiled by the Drafting Committee of the NGO Subcommittee on Content =
and
Themes.
STATEMENT OF CIVIL SOCIETY IN RESPONSE TO THE WSIS DRAFT DECLARATION
Presentation to Sub-Committee 2, September 22nd 2003
My name is Natasha Primo delegated by the civil society content and =
themes
group.
We, representatives from civil society, express our grave concern in =
response
to the Draft Declaration issued on 19th September 2003.
The information society described in the document is characterized by
uniformity, technocracy and bargaining. It lacks any vision that is =
people and
citizen centered: there is little or no mention of the poor, workers and =
marginalized groups including indigenous people, refugees, people with
disabilities. The emphasis on diversity of peoples, cultures and ways of =
living
is still far from sufficient. Our contributions throughout this process =
of
shaping a common vision of an inclusive, democratic and sustainable =
information
society, have not been given serious consideration.
We have two overarching concerns:
- Although the principles of the UDHR and the Millenium Development =
Declaration
are referred to prominently at the start of the Declaration, subsequent
paragraphs do not demonstrate genuine commitment to upholding these =
principles
in the realization of an Information Society. Existing rights, such as =
Article
19, should be quoted fully and affirmed rather than cut up in pieces =
according
to individual country preferences.
- Some core concerns have been formulated in ways that fundamentally =
alter
their meaning, whilst others raised by civil society over the past 18 =
months
have been removed.
Specifically:
1. Community media as a concept is missing from the document. This =
indicates a
complete disregard of the value of such alternative media in promoting =
public
participation and strengthening cultural and linguistic diversity.
2. Literacy, education and research - fundamental components of the =
information
and knowledge society cannot be confined to one section of capacity =
building.
Universal education is a key principle for building a participative =
society.
3. Capacity Building must include not only skills to use ICT`s but also =
include
skills for creating, innovating and enabling active citizenship. It =
should also
recognize fundamental rights in the workplace and core labour standards =
for all
who work in the Information Society.
4. The value and benefits of Free and Open Source Software are not =
adequately
recognized nor promoted in this document, thus undermining their real
potential. These extend far beyond the concept of affordability.
5. The section on Enabling Environment speaks of a regulatory and =
legislative
environment that reinforces the advancement of a market-driven industry =
at the
expense of the citizenry.
6. The reference to Intellectual Property Rights manipulates the notion =
of fair
balance. It threatens innovation, the public domain, and citizens rights =
and
promotes the further concentration of wealth and power in the hands of =
the
resource rich. Legal environments and economic means should be setup for =
Public
libraries, schools and universities in order to enrich the public domain =
and
facilitate the free and open circulation of scientific publications.
7. The role of civil society in relation to Internet governance, is =
completely
negated whilst increased powers of control are extended to governments =
and the
private sector.
8. Discussions in relation to Building Confidence, Trust and Security =
have
shifted to a highly politicized agenda, characterized by language =
referring to
the integrity of the military field and the use of information resources =
for
criminal and terrorist purposes. This is at the expense of citizen's =
rights
including freedom of association, movement, expression, and privacy.
9. References to women still fail to recognize them as key actors in =
building
an information society. The Declaration must avoid language that couches =
women
as 'wards' and must focus on the importance of women as primary change =
agents.
10. In addition, references to the role of the Information Society in =
ensuring
the furthering of commitments made in previous UN conferences are given =
little,
if any, mention in this document.
The document as it currently stands reinforces the unequal balance of =
powers
and of development between and within nations, rather than redressing =
it. We
demand that governments maintain a strong human development focus and =
prevent
the growing control of international governance processes by market-led =
forces.
This is not a document that Civil society can endorse and we question =
the
degree of support that will emerge amongst all stakeholders.
As it stands, the current document will only succeed in reaching a =
consensus
amongst the elite.
Prepared by the Civil Society Content and Themes group, mandated by the =
Civil
Society Plenary on 22nd September.
Civil Society priorities document
mboom.draper.albany.edu/~mciver/WSIS/Drafting/ =
Pre-PrepCom3/WSIS-CS-CT-Prio-
083003-en.pdf
or
www.worldsummit2003.de/download_en/ WSIS-CS-CT-Prio-080303-en.rtf
Response to Draft Declaration (Samassekou non-paper)
http://www.worldsummit2003.de/download_en/comments-on-nonpaper-30-10-2003=
-
final.rtf
----------------------------------------------------------
steve@commedia.org.uk
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Civil Society Plenary: http://www.wsis-cs.org/
Content & Themes Documents:
http://bscw.fit.fraunhofer.de/pub/bscw.cgi/0/42953798