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<DIV><SPAN class=491362409-30012006><FONT face="Book Antiqua">Good
morning,</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=491362409-30012006><FONT
face="Book Antiqua"></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=491362409-30012006><FONT face="Book Antiqua">Since there was no
consensus on making a joint caucus or other CS statement on the website for the
ITU's Wednesday reform meeting, I decided I might as well type up something
short to submit on a personal basis. If anyone would like to sign on
you're more than welcome; either way, I will submit this by close of business
today, Geneva time. I don't know that we'd have time to do any text
tweaking, but if that might make this more attractive to potential signatories,
let's communicate. </FONT></SPAN><SPAN class=491362409-30012006><FONT
face="Book Antiqua">I see that Parminder made a nice submission on the cost of
ITU documentation and its nonconformity with the access to knowledge and
information principle enunciated in the WSIS Plan of Action. The below
text is on a different point and is complementary.</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=491362409-30012006><FONT
face="Book Antiqua"></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=491362409-30012006><FONT
face="Book Antiqua">-------</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=491362409-30012006><FONT
face="Book Antiqua"></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=491362409-30012006>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face="Book Antiqua">The
WSIS Principles state that Internet governance <SPAN
style="COLOR: windowtext">should be multilateral, transparent and democratic,
with the full involvement of governments, the private sector, civil society and
international organizations.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>The
ITU clearly does not meet the last criteria.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>For the overwhelming majority of civil
society organizations, the barriers to becoming </SPAN><SPAN
style="COLOR: windowtext; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt">a sector member or even an
associate are simply too high.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>In
parallel, there are no options for participating on a more flexible, ad hoc
basis in special workshops and seminars, or in the assemblies and
conferences.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>In consequence, and
unlike other UN agencies, true NGOs (as opposed to hybrid
business/user/technical organizations) are almost entirely absent and alienated
from the ITU.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>That this is
not in the ITU’s own interest was amply demonstrated by the WSIS process, in
which civil society strongly opposed the ITU playing an expanded, leading role
in Internet governance.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</SPAN><?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office"
/><o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="COLOR: windowtext; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt"><FONT
face="Book Antiqua"> <o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="COLOR: windowtext; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt"><FONT
face="Book Antiqua">With WSIS follow-up and implementation efforts forthcoming,
now would be a particularly appropriate time to make opening up to civil society
a central element of ITU reform.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</SPAN>Doing so would not in any way disrupt the work of the Union, and the
administrative cost would be negligible (we can print our own documents,
etc).<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>The ITU would not face a
stampede of hundreds of organizations seeking to participate in ongoing study
group work on frequency propagation, signaling requirements and protocols, and
other technical matters.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>A much
more likely scenario would be that a manageable number of NGOs would seek to
participate in some of the above-mentioned workshops, seminars, assemblies and
conferences.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Civil society experts
contributed significantly to the success of the February 2004 <SPAN
class=491362409-30012006>ITU </SPAN>workshop on Internet governance, and there
is every reason to believe that same constructive engagement would ensue in
other forums.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Allowing civil
society participation in events like the March 2006 meeting on NGN policies
would be a good first step, and would not require changes to the Constitution
and Convention.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>WSIS and<SPAN
class=491362409-30012006>/</SPAN>or ECOSOC accreditation would seem sufficient
for this purpose.<o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="COLOR: windowtext; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt"><FONT
face="Book Antiqua"> <o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="COLOR: windowtext; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt"><FONT
face="Book Antiqua">It is unfortunate that the ITU’s February 1 reform meeting
is closed to civil society participation.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</SPAN>Our exclusion from this and similar events has been debated extensively
on civil society Internet listservs<SPAN class=491362409-30012006> in the course
of the WSIS process and afterwards</SPAN>.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</SPAN>There was little enthusiasm for the website’s cheery invitation to “be
part of it” by submitting statements in this “open forum” for a meeting from
which we are barred.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>If however the
ITU were to initiate a genuine, open and inclusive dialogue on the matter, the
response would be rather different.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</SPAN></FONT></SPAN><SPAN
style="COLOR: windowtext"><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=491362409-30012006><FONT
face="Book Antiqua"></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=491362409-30012006><FONT
face="Book Antiqua">---------</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Book Antiqua"></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=491362409-30012006><FONT
face="Book Antiqua">Best,</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=491362409-30012006><FONT
face="Book Antiqua"></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=491362409-30012006><FONT
face="Book Antiqua">Bill</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=491362409-30012006><FONT
face="Book Antiqua"></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT
face="Book Antiqua">*******************************************************<BR>William
J. Drake </FONT><A href="mailto:drake@hei.unige.ch"><FONT
face="Book Antiqua">drake@hei.unige.ch</FONT></A></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT
face="Book Antiqua">Director, Project on the Information</FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face="Book Antiqua">
Revolution and Global Governance</FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face="Book Antiqua">
Graduate Institute for International Studies</FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face="Book Antiqua">
Geneva, Switzerland </FONT><BR><FONT face="Book Antiqua">President, Computer
Professionals for <BR> Social Responsibility</FONT><BR><A
href="http://www.cpsr.org/board/drake"><FONT
face="Book Antiqua">http://www.cpsr.org/board/drake</FONT></A><FONT
face="Book Antiqua"> </FONT><FONT
face="Book Antiqua"><BR>*******************************************************</FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"></P><SPAN
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