[governance] IGF workshop: Internet for All (v 2.0)

Thu Jul 3 10:23:12 EDT 2008

Hello All,

Comments inserted with #symbol

Sivasubramanian Muthusamy
ISOC India Chennai.

On Thu, Jul 3, 2008 at 5:20 PM, Parminder <parminder at itforchange.net> wrote:
>

> Dear All,

>
> I have been able to get an extension, and we have 2 more days to discuss
> this proposal. I am enclosing the draft once again. Pl do indicate your
> comments and inputs.
>
>
> This proposal was prepared by a working group of the IGC. It is being
> supported by the Bill-of-Rights Dynamic Coalition. We are also exploring
> other co-sponsors and at least one UN organization has expressed interest.
> One developing country government has also given informal consent to
> cosponsor which will be confirmed in a few days.

>
> Parminder
>

> Internet for All – Exploring a Rights-based Approach"
>
> 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.

#( The reference to UNESCO's Education for All could be somewhere down below
in the body of the proposal, more as a passing reference. Too much emphasis
placed on it by talking about it at length that it sounds more like UNESCO's
Education for All is rephrased into Internet for All )
>
> 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.

# (The topic Internet for all has the core focus on 1) Right of Access to
Internet for All
and as expanded components 2) Enabling Effective Use of the Internet. The
declaration proposes to emphasize under 2)  a) Capacity Building b) Training
c) social infrastructure d) organizational infrastructure e) management
infrastructure etc which may be presented in a more coherent and easy to
discuss and act upon manner as separate passages, grouped and numbered.)

>
> 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).

( Here some more "components" of the proposal are outlined, namely content
and language. Under content, what is proposed here? It is not clear. Are we
talking about
the right to create content free of censorship ? May be stated explicitly.
On language, what is the stand taken by the Caucus ? Is it that multiple
languages are enabled ? Are there any pre-conditions such as " Multiple
languages are to be enabled without compromising on the universality of the
internet ? " )

>
> 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'.

#(The UN has a certain format for draft resolutions.  It is organized into
various sections, introductory, reference, proposal and call for action
sections - broadly spaking. This draft could be better organized into such
sections. There are references to UNESCO's Education for All, WSIS
declaration of Principles, UNESCO's documentation on the Right to learn
one's mother tongue etc. which could form part of the reference sections to
ask the policy makers / audience to recall. The proposal needs to spelt out
with greater clarity and as mentioned earlier, grouped and numbered for ease
of comments, debates and decisions.

#The proposal talks about the Digitial Divide, Network Neutrality, Security
and Privacy which are significant aspects that the deabate should pay
attention to. What is the position of the Caucus on all these aspects ?
These aspects need to mentioned more prominently)

>
> 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'.
>

# In the topic headline "Internet for All—Exploring a Rights-based
Approach",  'Exploring a Rights based Apporach' could be reworded or
altogether dropped.
>
>
>
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-- 
http://www.linkedin.com/in/sivasubramanianmuthusamy
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