[governance] IGC Workshop: Internet for all - exploring a rights-based approach

[Anja Kovacs]

[apologies for cross-postings]

Dear all,

This is to invite you to the workshop titled "Internet for All - 
Exploring a Rights-based Approach', organised by the Internet Governance 
Caucus (IGC) at the Internet Governance Forum in Hyderabad. The workshop 
will take place tomorrow, 6 December 2008, in room number 3, from 11.30 
until 13.00h. Hope to see you there.


Details:

Internet for All is the proposed theme for the IGF, Hyderabad and is 
adapted from UNESCO’s ‘Education for All’ initiative. ’Education for 
All’ takes a rights based approach to education and presents nuanced 
view the enabling conditions for providing education for all 
(http://portal.unesco.org/education/en/ev.php-URL_ID=47044&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html). 


The proposed “Internet for All—Exploring a Rights-based Approach” 
workshop will explore what a ‘Rights-based’ approach to Internet for All 
(including other related concepts such as e-Inclusion and ‘Universal 
Service’) would mean and whether it could provide the basis for Internet 
policy in this area.

Universal service and universal access are widely accepted telecom 
policy principles. However, these are less clear in area of the Internet 
where the Internet involves areas of much more active ‘use’ and 
multi-layered types of interaction and development than the simple 
connection’ with the telephone. To mention only one aspect of this a 
draft resolution recommended for ECOSOC by the 11th session of the CSTD 
(http://www.unctad.org/sections/wcmu/docs//ecn162008_r004_en.pdf) 
recently noted that ‘a new form of digital divide is emerging in terms 
of difference in quality and speed of access to ICTs’ (the OECD has also 
been grappling with definitional issues regarding universal access in 
terms of the Internet (http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/32/57/40629067.pdf ).

Other issues to be explored from a ‘rights’ perspective include a 
determination of the enabling conditions for realizing effective use of 
the available ‘access’ and the characteristics of the Internet to which 
one has access. A rights based approach to “Internet for All’ or what 
may be referred to as a ‘right to the Internet’ may include issues that 
go beyond mere access as for example the enabling conditions such as 
training, capacity building and the development of the social, 
organizational, and managerial infrastructure that can make access 
meaningful and useful. The “Education for All’ movement recognizes that 
conditions such as these are pertinent to ensuring education for all 
beyond simple access to schools.

This corresponds to quality and appropriateness of the substantive 
content and presentation of the Internet – language including use of 
non-Roman scripts are of particular significance here and correspond in 
the ‘education for all’ context to what is spoken of in a recent UNESCO 
document as ‘the right to learn in the mother tongue’ 
(http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0012/001297/129728e.pdf).

The WSIS declaration of Principles speaks of an “information society 
where everyone can create, access, utilize and share information”. Does 
this translate into a right to do so? What would be the implications of 
a right on Internet policies, for instance with respect to the network 
neutrality debate. Similarly, issues such as online security, privacy 
and FoE may be possible to explore from a rights perspective in the 
context of the possible significance in enabling or restricting an 
‘Internet for all’.

A further set of issues more directly linked to an e-Inclusion 
definition of ‘Internet for all’ would include groups needing special 
consideration such as people with disabilities, whose right to access to 
‘new information and communications technologies and systems, including 
the Internet’ as is recognized by the recently concluded ‘International 
Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities’.

Panelists include:

Ms. Radhika Lal – United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)
Mr. Ravi Shankar – Ministry of Communications and Information 
Technology, Government of India
Mr. Abdul Waheed Khan - United Nations Educationl, Scientific and 
Cultural Organisation (UNESCO)
Dr. Michael Gurstein - Global Telecentre Alliance (GTA) & Community 
Informatics Research Network (CIRN)
Mr. Brian Longwe – Kenya ICT Action Network
Ms. Katerina Batzeli – European Union Parliament member
Participant from APC to be confirmed.

-- 
Dr. Anja Kovacs
Senior Research Associate

IT for Change
Bridging Development Realities and Technological Possibilities
Tel: (00-91-80) 2665 4134, 2653 6890

www.ITforChange.net
www.IS-Watch.net
http://India.IS-Watch.net 

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