Thanks Al, for keeping us updated.
The UNGIS group is important, as a hook around which further UN based
information society governance related developments can take place.
But an essentially apologetic attitude to such issues underscores the
dominant anti-policy pro-market orientation of everything information
society.
For example, in modalities of action it reads (in the TOR given on the
website)
6. UNGIS will make maximum use of electronic working methods and will
physically meet not more than once annually.
Now, I have heard provisions like - will meet at least once a year,
(whereby, busy and stretched that everyone is, one hardly ever overdoes it).
But what is the meaning of 'will meet no more than once annually'.
It actually means that if UNGIS has already met in the year, but an
emergency arises which may call for its urgent response, and that may need a
physical meeting, such a meeting will actually be ILLEGAL as per this TOR.
Regards
Parminder
________________________________________________
Parminder Jeet Singh
IT for Change, Bangalore
Bridging Development Realities and Technological Possibilities
91-80-26654134
www.ITforChange.net
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Alan Alegre [mailto:alalegre@fma.ph]
> Sent: Monday, July 31, 2006 5:31 AM
> To: psis-cs@fma.ph; apc-wsis@lists.apc.org; communication@wsisasia.org
> Subject: [communication 1736] Fw: UNGIS - United Nations Group on the
> Information Society
>
> * UNGIS - United Nations Group on the Information Society
>
> In April 2006, UNGIS was endorsed by the UN-Chief Executives Board (CEB)
> as the new inter-agency mechanism with the main objective to coordinate
> substantive and policy issues facing the United Nations' implementation of
> the outcomes of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS).
>
> UNGIS will gather CEB members (UN agencies, programs and funds as well as
> other specialized agencies such as the World Bank, the International
> Monetary Fund or the World Trade Organization) and is designed to promote
> policy and programme coordination and coherence as well as overall
> guidance to the UN system.
>
> To achieve this objective UNGIS will:
>
> - Contribute to the implementation of the Geneva Plan of Action and the
> Tunis Agenda for the Information Society, primarily at the international
> level, by mainstreaming the Information Society Agenda into the activities
> and programmes of CEB members. In this context, the UNGIS would be closely
> coordinated with the mechanisms for national and regional implementation
> established in the Tunis Agenda (paragraphs 100 and 101), as well as the
> multi-stakeholder implementation process (paragraphs 108-110).
>
> - Facilitate synergies between organizations belonging to the UN system to
> maximize joint efforts, avoid duplication and enhance effectiveness in
> achieving the WSIS outcomes; and
>
> - Promote public awareness about WSIS implementation by the UN system.
>
> http://www.ungis.org/