[governance] Re: AW: [tt-group] FW: GAID

[Michael Gurstein]

The issue is only partially one of lack of funding for ICT4D projects... In
fact, in many cases/places there are funds available for ICT4D (particularly
now with ioncreasingly widespread mobile and broadband infrastructures)
either through donor resources or from Universal Services funds but there is
an overall lack of knowledge/experience/capacity to spend this money in an
appropriate and useful/effective way.
 
Doing the assessments, building the knowledge bases, bringing together those
with the experience as developers and end users, developing the
multistakeholder issue oriented dialogues and networks is the role that is
currently lacking and has been lacking since WSIS and before. The GAID said
they would do some of this but they didn't, the IGF dilettantes at the edges
but only muddies the waters, the ITU is too clearly top-down (in current
speak non-multistakeholder...) 
 
So where to go from here...
 
Best to all for the season!
 
M

-----Original Message-----
From: Jean-Louis FULLSACK [mailto:jlfullsack at orange.fr] 
Sent: Wednesday, December 23, 2009 7:44 AM
To: governance at lists.cpsr.org; William Drake
Subject: re: [governance] Re: AW: [tt-group] FW: GAID


Hello Bill, Wolfgang and all

I think there is also another issue to be dealt with very urgently :
financing the ICT4D projects and -first of all- the WSIS Action Plan
objectives. Remember : the two "hot potatoes" of WSIS were Internet
governance and financing for "bridging the digital divide".

The fisrt one was (partly) resolved by setting-up the IGF. Therefore I was
asking for a "Financing Mechanisms Forum (FMF)" since the beginning of the
WSIS follow-up process. Without any success. 

During the the last (or better : the "first") WSIS Forum held in May my
proposal didn't recieve any support from the CS side (except from some
African grassroot orgs). Therefore I submitted a personal request to the ITU
SG for this demand to be taken in consideration, in June after recovering
from my heart attack. I was told by a person of ITU to present this proposal
as a contribution to the September meeting, convened bu the UNGIS and the
ITU, whose topic was precisely the financing mechanisms for ICT4D. But
unfortunately I couldn't go to Geneva, my surgeon having advised me against,
for medical reasons. That's why my "FMF" proposal is still pending.

As Wolfgang mentions, in 2010 we are at the halfway between Tunis and the
deadline of the WSIS Action Plan. We should take profit of this opportunity
to push this proposal in the foreground of our demand. 

With my best wishes for a merry Christmas and a happy and peaceful New Year
to all of you

Jean-Louis Fullsack   


> Message du 23/12/09 15:31
> De : "William Drake" 
> A : "Kleinwächter, Wolfgang" 
> Copie à : "Tim Unwin" , "George Sadowsky" , "Michael Gurstein" ,
"tt-group at vancouvercommunity.net" , "governance at lists.cpsr.org" 
> Objet : [governance] Re: AW: [tt-group] FW: GAID
> 
> 
> Hello
> 
> I understand George's perspective, it's hard not to be frustrated and 
> a bit cynical about the way things played out with GAID, although to 
> me it's more a matter of missed opprtunities to have a useful and 
> inclusive space in the UN for ICT4D than of wasted resources (costs 
> were a drop in the bucket, really). The fact that per Michael we 
> can't really know what's going on within the UN with the next (if any) 
> steps is symptomatic of the long standing problems. Re: Wolfgang's 
> suggestion, I would be rather surprised if the ITU were to accept 
> making it's "forum" an open multistakeholder process rather than a 
> showpiece for itself, they could have done this already and have 
> showed no inclination. And It might be risky given the stuff with IGF 
> etc. But perhaps it'd be a good way to call their bluff and feed into 
> the Plenipot discussion...?
> 
> Bill
> 
> Sent from my iPhone
> 
> 
> On Dec 23, 2009, at 3:54, "Kleinwächter, Wolfgang" 
> e> wrote:
> 
> > Dear list
> >
> > one opportunity to have a more strategic brainstorming around a 
> > reasonable Follow up of GAID could be the IGF consultations in 
> > February in Geneva. I propose to have on Wednesday, February, 10, 
> > 2010, over lunch (1315 - 1500) a meeting of people present in 
> > Geneva. We had a similar meeting last year (in the ITU Montbrillant 
> > Building) where we identified an "identity crisis of GAID" with no 
> > consequences after the meeting. The meeting was chaired by Bill and 
> > Sarbulan was online from NY.
> >
> > Any proposal?
> >
> > BTW I could imagine to move the "WSIS Forum", which is emerging from 
> > the annual meetings of the Actions Lines, into something which could 
> > absorb previous UNICTTF/GAID activities. My impression is that so 
> > far the "WSIS Forum" is mainly in the hand of the ITU and other 
> > IGOs, having the lead position in the Action Lines. The WSIS Forum 
> > could be further "multistakeholderised" and the responsibility to 
> > organoze the meeting - convened by the UN/ITU/UNESCO/FAO/ILO - could 
> > go to a MAG like group. Do not forget that 2010 makrs half way 
> > towards 2015m the dateline for the Geneva and Tunis Commitments.
> >
> > Wolfgang
> >
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