[bestbits] Request for input: draft text calling for CS input into negotiations on WSIS+10 modalities

Wed Jan 29 03:45:30 EST 2014

Since this letter appears to be presented as being on behalf of "CS" (as a
whole) I believe that the Community Informatics community would be
interested in helping to "develop. a joint letter to the co-facilitators".

I would also draw your attention to my detailed comments to what appears to
have been an earlier version of the "Initialanalysis" document which does
not seem to have been taken notice of in the updated version. Nor, I should
add, have I/we been invited to comment on any of the updated versions of the
analysis.

M

From: bestbits-request at lists.bestbits.net
[mailto:bestbits-request at lists.bestbits.net] On Behalf Of Deborah Brown
Sent: Tuesday, January 28, 2014 9:23 PM
To: <bestbits at lists.bestbits.net>
Subject: [bestbits] Request for input: draft text calling for CS input into
negotiations on WSIS+10 modalities

Dear all, 

As you may be aware, negotiations over the modalities for the overall WSIS
review are resuming at the UN General Assembly in NY. After failing to reach
an agreement by their deadline in December, the General Assembly decided to
appoint two co-facilitators to convene open intergovernmental consultations
to finalize the modalities for the overall WSIS review (A
/C.2/68/L.73-attached). It was recently announced that the co-facilitators
are Finland and Tunisia. UNGA has until the end of March to adopt a new
resolution finalizing the modalities for the WSIS review. 

As you might remember, there was an earlier draft of the resolution
introduced by the G77 (A/C.2/68/L.40- attached), which called for the
formation of an inter-governmental preparatory committee to set the agenda,
finalize the outcome documents, and decide on modalities of participation of
other stakeholders (OP22) for a 10-year review summit (OP21).  This proved
to be too controversial which is in a large part why it was decided to
continue the negotiating. (See Sam Dickinson's post for more info:
http://linguasynaptica.com/unga-68-ict4d-resolution/)

Given the approach that the draft resolution initially took, I am writing to
see if there is interest developing a joint letter to the co-facilitators to
communicate a desire by members of civil society to engage in the overall
review process and establish concrete mechanisms for contributions. My sense
is that if there is an opportunity to do so it is now, while governments are
negotiating the modalities. 

I drafted some points that could serve as the basis for a joint letter (see
below) with input from a few people who have been following the WSIS review
process, including the small group (Matthew, Lea, Joana, and myself) that
worked on some initial analysis of the early draft of the ICT4D resolution
(attached). 

The goal of this letter is to demonstrate an interest and willingness of CS
to engage in the WSIS review process now, and have the opportunity to help
shape the outcome from the beginning.  We're very interested in your
thoughts on this draft and would welcome feedback, suggested edits, etc. by
the end of your day Monday, 3 February. If there's support, it would be
great to post the final letter on the Best Bits website for endorsement next
week.

Here's the draft text: 

Your Excellencies,

We are writing as members of civil society deeply engaged in Internet
governance and ICT for development issues. Some/many of us have been engaged
in this field since the inception of WSIS. At the outset, we would like to
congratulate you on your appointment as co-facilitators of the General
Assembly's open intergovernmental consultations to finalize the modalities
for the overall review of the implementation of the outcomes of the World
Summit on the Information Society.

We feel strongly that all stages of the overall WSIS review process should
be open to all interested stakeholders, and as members of global civil
society would welcome the opportunity to input into these informal
consultations . 

The modalities for the overall review must embody the spirit of WSIS and the
progress that has been made since 2005, as exemplified in the various
multi-stakeholder processes such as the Multistakeholder Preparatory
Platform for the WSIS High Level Event and the UNESCO WSIS+10 Review Event,
but also the Internet Governance Forum, the Working Group on Internet
Governance, the Working Group on IGF improvements, and the Working Group on
Enhanced Cooperation. 

We envision an overall WSIS review that renews and revives commitment to the
Geneva principles' vision of a "people-centred, inclusive,
development-oriented and non-discriminatory Information Society", is rooted
in the international human rights framework, and builds on the achievements
and addresses the challenges experienced in the 10 years since WSIS.
Additionally, we believe that the overall WSIS review should seek to find
synergies and synchronicities with the post-2015 development agenda, and in
this context we would encourage the development of more concrete, measurable
targets relating to ICTs and development. 

To conclude, we consider it critical that the modalities of the overall WSIS
review take into account the viewpoints of all stakeholders and establish
concrete mechanisms for civil society to channel its contributions,
including through remote participation. Therefore, we, as members of global
civil society, are keen to input into the informal consultations that you
are facilitating and look forward to engaging more formally in the
preparatory process to the overall review. 

Sincerely, 

xx

Kind regards, 

Deborah 

-- 

Deborah Brown

Senior Policy Analyst

Access | accessnow.org

rightscon.org

@deblebrown

PGP 0x5EB4727D

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