Hammamet, 25 June 2004 - Onsite Report from the WSIS - Tunisia Phase
PrepCom 1
CSOs Hold Emergency Plenary
by Mavic Cabrera-balleza, Isis International-Manila
Members of Civil Society held an emergency plenary today following the
45-minute suspension of the Plenary in the ongoing PrepCom 1 of the
Tunisia Phase of the World Summit on the Information Society.
The NGO delegates present tried to solve the impasse over the speaker
and text in the civil society statement on human rights issues. A number
of Tunisian NGOs strongly objected to the selection of a representative of
the Tunisian Human Rights League as speaker on behalf of the human rights
caucus and the text in the civil society statement that calls for the
$BEI(Bost country of the Summit to show exemplarity, especially in the
realisation of freedom of expression, of information, of communication, as
well as of freedom of association and the right to privacy, during the
Tunis process and beyond.”
Saida Agrebi of the Tunisian Mothers’ Association asserted that the
statement should say that all participating countries respect human rights
rather than singling out Tunisia. She also emphasized the need for another
African delegate (who is not from the host country) to speak during the
plenary. Other Tunisians concurred, with many of them dominating the first
half of the discussion.
Ambassador Janis Karklins, president of the Prepcom, came to the civil
society emergency plenary and asked the group to resolve its differences.
$BE8(Be cannot intervene in the decision making process of NGOs, but we can
give you time to sort out your internal questions,” he said.
Some speakers noted that there clearly are differences in views and
opinions amongst civil society members particularly around their positions
regarding the Tunisian government and its human rights record. They noted
that it may be necessary to present both views and give time for both to
be aired in the plenary. In addition, other speakers suggested that the
divide that exists within civil society should be acknowledged in the
plenary for the sake of openness.
Rikke Frank Joergensen, co-chair of the Human Rights Caucus, defended the
process observed by the Caucus and the Content and Themes Group. She
stressed that procedures observed in the Geneva phase were the same
procedures that they followed. She clarified that issues and the key
principles were discussed in the Content and Themes meeting the previous
day and people were invited to stay after the meeting to help draft the
statement. The resulting statement, Joergensen said, is consistent with
the statements that the Caucus had released in the past. There is a
precedent to note any human rights issues in the host country, as had been
the case in Geneva when there were problems with certain groups not being
allowed to speak and protest, she added.
In the end, despite the absence of an actual vote or consensus, the
Tunisian NGOs seemed to have succeeded in deciding on another speaker— a
woman from Africa who would leave out any reference to Tunisia and the
need for it to exhibit concrete efforts that will lead to the realisation
of freedom of expression, of information, of communication, as well as of
freedom of association and the right to privacy.
The Tunisian NGO delegates overwhelmed the room with shouting and
clapping. Additionally, the attempt at a vote was conducted without
English translation, which meant many other NGO delegates were unable to
participate.
As delegates left the meeting room, a number of shouting matches broke
out. The representative from the Tunisian Human Rights League called the
apparent decision a scandal with others shouting their opinions back and
forth.
With reports from Andy Carvin of the EDC Center for Media & Community
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