<span id="result_box" class="" lang="en"><span class="hps"> </span></span><span id="result_box" class="" lang="en"><span class="hps">Anriette</span> <span class="hps">great</span><span>, I</span> <span class="hps">totally agree</span> <span class="hps">with you</span> <span class="hps">regarding</span> <span class="hps">the</span> <span class="hps">quality of participation</span><span class="">, especially</span> <span class="hps">with regard to</span> <span class="hps">the preparation.</span> <span class="hps">But there is also</span> <span class="hps">another</span> <span class="hps">major factor</span> <span class="hps">is</span> <span class="hps">the local level</span> <span class="hps">where it</span> <span class="hps">often lacks</span> <span class="hps">a</span> <span class="hps">working</span> <span class="hps">synergy</span> <span class="hps">between the actors in</span> <span class="hps">public institutions</span><span class="">, private sector</span> <span class="hps">and</span> <span class="hps">civil</span> <span class="hps">society entities</span> <span class="hps">with expertise</span> <span class="hps">in the field</span> <span class="hps">of ICT.</span> <span class="hps">Locally</span><span class="">, the debate</span> <span class="hps">is hardly any</span> <span class="hps">between them</span><span>,</span> <span class="hps">the official part</span> <span class="hps">of</span> <span class="hps">that</span> <span class="hps">not content</span> <span class="hps">to pocket</span> <span class="hps">the</span> <span class="hps">travel</span> <span class="hps">expenses.</span> <span class="hps">It is often difficult</span> <span class="hps">to organize</span> <span class="hps">feedback sessions</span> <span class="hps">or meetings</span> <span class="hps">preparatory</span> <span class="hps">before the</span> <span class="hps">sub-regional</span><span class="">, regional or international </span></span><span id="result_box" class="" lang="en"> <span class="hps">meetings</span></span><span id="result_box" class="" lang="en"><span class="">. </span></span><span id="result_box" class="" lang="en"><span class="hps">Thank you</span> <span class="hps"></span><span class="hps">Anriette</span> to <span class="hps">pin</span> <span class="hps">these problems</span> <span class="hps">that haunt us</span> <span class="hps">for many</span> <span class="hps">many years</span> <span class="hps">and yet it is</span> <span class="hps">the reality</span> <span class="hps">in our</span> <span class="hps">country.</span></span><span id="result_box" class="" lang="en"><span class=""></span><span class=""><br>
<br clear="all"></span></span><span id="result_box" class="" lang="en"><span class="hps"></span></span>SCHOMBE BAUDOUIN<br> <br>Téléphone mobile:+243998983491<br>email : <a href="mailto:b.schombe@gmail.com">b.schombe@gmail.com</a><br>
skype : b.schombe<br>blog : <a href="http://akimambo.unblog.fr">http://akimambo.unblog.fr</a><br>Site Web : <a href="http://www.ticafrica.net">www.ticafrica.net</a><br> <br>
<br>
<br>
<br><br><div class="gmail_quote">2011/8/3 Anriette Esterhuysen <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:anriette@apc.org">anriette@apc.org</a>></span><br><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="border-left: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); margin: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex; padding-left: 1ex;">
Hi all<br>
<br>
Late response to this thread.<br>
<br>
Applying for ECOSOC status and being approved is not all that difficult.<br>
Filling in the 4-yearly reports is a lot of work though! And if you<br>
don't, then you lose your status.<br>
<br>
I would encourage people to apply for ECOSOC status if they have the<br>
institutional infrastructure. It does make participation in the UN<br>
system easier.. not in the WSIS spaces so much, but in others. It also<br>
links you to broader civil society outside of our fairly narrow internet<br>
circles.<br>
<br>
But I am not advocating that ECOSOC status should be a requirement for<br>
participation in WSIS follow up processes.<br>
<br>
Re. CSTD.<br>
<br>
The rules are imperfect, yes. But they don't block civil society<br>
participation in any significant way from my perspective. If you don't<br>
have WSIS accreditation then it is very easy to register as a member of<br>
one of the NGOs that are accredited under WSIS or under ECOSOC. Civicus,<br>
APC, IT for Change, IISD, and there are many more.<br>
<br>
In the longer term we should definitely support more inclusive<br>
participation. But I don't think that is the primary barrier right now.<br>
<br>
At the first CSTD session in 2007 APC proposed that CSTD makes use of<br>
MAG to plan meetings. I still feel this would be useful. The secretariat<br>
does include civil society in panels, but we should have more influence<br>
on the actual agenda, e.g. participate in a Bureau discussion on<br>
upcoming sessions.<br>
<br>
I feel that the main problem has been that civil society has just not<br>
participated EFFECTIVELY even when they get to be in the room. We cannot<br>
really blame the CSTD for this. For example, very few organisations<br>
attend. Many more go to ICANN meetings, or to IGF open consultations.<br>
Why? When the CSTD requested civil society to submit input on the WSIS<br>
review, very few did.<br>
<br>
And then, those CS people that do attend meetings say very little. They<br>
tend to home in on issues narrowly.. e.g. IGF or multi-stakeholder<br>
participation. An issue like, for example, the importance of open source<br>
software for development is raised by governments, not by CS. Some CS<br>
present would support them, but most of us don't make substantial<br>
interventions. Not to mention national science and technology<br>
policies.. a key theme at every CSTD. Perfect opportunity for CS to<br>
participate, and to make an impression.<br>
<br>
Our problem is not lack of accreditation in my view, but lack of<br>
preparation.<br>
<br>
ICC Basis comes prepared with a statement on very topic on the agenda.<br>
If business and the tech communities participates more effectively, I<br>
believe this can be attributed to organisation rather than accreditation<br>
rules.<br>
<br>
The fact that there are only 2 or 3 regular CS voices in the CSTD<br>
creates the impression that civil society is just not that interested.<br>
CSTD is far more open than other UN spaces (e.g. you don't have limited<br>
numbers of speaking slots as in the Human Rights Council for example and<br>
you don't have pre-apply for speaking slots).<br>
<br>
My suggestion is work on improving the quality and scope of our<br>
participation and then it will be much easier to challenge the rules,<br>
which are not really that restrictive. Of course this not easy as we<br>
lack time and resources.. but that in turn means we should use what time<br>
we do have wisely.<br>
<br>
I was thinking of recommending to CSTD that they run an orientation for<br>
civil society before each session. I had the impression that those CS<br>
people who were at the CSTD for the first time did not know what the<br>
rules of procedure were.<br>
<br>
Anriette<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
-----------------------------------------------------<br>
<font color="#888888">anriette esterhuysen <a href="mailto:anriette@apc.org">anriette@apc.org</a><br>
executive director, association for progressive communications<br>
<a href="http://www.apc.org" target="_blank">www.apc.org</a><br>
po box 29755, melville 2109<br>
south africa<br>
tel/fax +27 11 726 1692<br>
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