[governance] WSIS Forum 2011

[Tracy F. Hackshaw @ Google]

I can see the headlines now ... a great opportunity for more meaningful
Caribbean participation in the global IG process? Doomed to failure once
again because of ....?

There are about 29 SIDS and LDCs in the Caribbean region who would welcome
the opportunity to finally get a chance to participate in an event where a
direct return flight might cost its Civil Society about US$400-500.

300,000 people died in an earthquake in our region this year.

We feel the brunt of the OECD's and G20's "decisions"

People, have a heart.

2010/9/6 Anriette Esterhuysen <anriette at apc.org>

> 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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