[governance] WSIS Forum 2011

Mon Sep 6 15:34:14 EDT 2010

I want to echo the concern expressed around having the WSIS Forum 2011
in New York. Schengen visas are not easy to get, but they are still
easier to get than US visas, and Schengen countries do not refuse visas
nearly as frequently as the US does. Swiss Schengen visas are generally
faster and easier to get than other Schengen visas. 

As far as cost of travel is concerned, while NY is cheaper for people
from the Americas it is more expensive for almost everyone else.

Aside from cost, and visas, there are also two other factors to
consider:

- synchronising and co-location with other meetings
- proximity of relevant institutions

While it is good to think of such events having rotating venues, we need
to remember that it is important to have them in places where relevant
institutions are based. The UN institutions most actively involved in
WSIS implementation are UNESCO and the ITU. Also active in their fields
have been WHO and FAO (in Rome). Add to that UNCTAD's CSTD and the IGF
secretariat, and WIPO and it makes sense to have these meetings in
Geneva, or, if UNESCO is hosting, in Paris. 

At least Paris is close enough for those of us who have to travel from
far away to then be able to also attend the CSTD and IGF events in
Geneva.

If all these events are moved to New York it will just escalate costs as
Geneva and Paris-based UN staff would have to travel en mass.

Perhaps having the WSIS forum in NY might place follow-up it higher on
the intergovernmental agenda... but I am not convinced. The UN ICT Task
Force held meetings in New York in the early 2000s, and, most of the
really engaged UN personnel (outside of the Task Force secretariat and
UNDP which is no longer really engaged) were those that traveled from
Geneva. As far as civil society was concerned.. there were loads of
North Americans, a sprinkling of Latin Americans, but very few Africans
and Asians.

It also depends what else is happening.. whether ECOSOC is sitting or
not.  

The WSIS forum has had relatively good civil society participation as
UNESCO has sponsored travel... added to that UNCTAD's efforts to bring
civil society to the CSTD has meant that there is often a substantial
community in Geneva in May. APC and some of our partners are planning to
also start attending Human Rights Council meetings.. also in Geneva. 

Why this change now?  What are the real behind-the-scenes goals?
Whatever they are... they are certainly not to maximise civil society
participation. I also doubt that it will increase developing country
government participation...we are just getting to a point where we are
able to engage with Geneva-based government representatives. It has
taken years for those government reps. who have not been part of the
WSIS-process to grasp the issues. Geneva-based developing country
representatives at UNCTAD, WTO and WIPO are increasingly focusing on ICT
issues. Let's build on this rather than move the event elsewhere.

Anriette

On Mon, 2010-09-06 at 12:47 -0300, Carlos A. Afonso wrote: 
> Adding to Wolf's quite relevant worries, let us recall as well that 
> getting a visa to the USA continues to be a challenge for citizens in 
> all developing countries.
> 
> frt rgds
> 
> --c.a.
> 
> 
> On 09/06/2010 12:33 PM, "Kleinwächter, Wolfgang" wrote:
> > Dear friends
> >
> > I disagree with the argument that a move from Geneva to to New York of the WSIS Forum 2011 would improve outreach and bring WSIS implementation forward. In contrary I am afraid that a move to NewYork will weaken in particular the involvement of civil society and the academic community as important stakeholders in the WSIS process. A large number of civil society organisations, including represenations of organisations from developing countries, are based in Geneva or not far from Geneva. Moving the event to New York would create additional costs and logistic problems for them which would result in lower participation of civil society organisations. This would certainly undermine the multistakeholder nature of the WSIS implementaiton process.
> >
> > Another risk moving the WSIS Forum 2011 to New York would be that the important WSIS issues would be discussed in the shadow of more important political and security issues which dominate the day to day UN acitvities in New York. The WSIS Forum would be just "another conference" and would have difficulties to get the needed public attention.
> >
> > Finally I want to flag that in same week the European Union has its annual Future of the Internet Week meetings under the Hungarian Presidency in Budapest.
> >
> >
> > Regards
> >
> > Wolfgang Kleinwächter
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-- 
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
anriette esterhuysen - executive director
association for progressive communications
p o box 29755 melville - south africa 2109
anriette at apc.org - tel/fax + 27 11 726 1692
http://www.apc.org

APC 1990-2010 www.apc.org
Thank you for helping make APC what it is today!
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Merci d'avoir contribué à faire d'APC ce qu'elle est aujourd'hui!

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