AW: [governance] WSIS 10+

Sun May 19 11:51:10 EDT 2013

Jean Louis,

thanks for your quick reply and first comments. 

I agree fully that the WSIS++ has to go far beyond the areas where the IGC is active. I think it is a great idea to revitalize the wsis-cs list. I have no idea whether this list is still alive. In case not, we have to open a new list. 

I also fully agree that in the WSIS 10+ process, as it is pushed forward at the moment by the "triumvirat" ITU, UNESCO and UNDP, civil society is totally sidelined and pushed back to a pre-Geneva situation were some handpicked CS individuals or representatives were invited to make a statement just to give the illusion that all stakeholders are included. I was also shocked to hear that Adama went back to a "public-private partnership" model! Where is his memory? 

This is unacceptable. But it needs an organized CS. We learned some lessons on the road to Tunis, but we have to push now the re-start button. 

Where is CONGO? Do we have somebody like Renate Bloem who could do this both in NY and Geneva as a recognized platform which can link hundredes of NGOs and CS to the process? Will (and can) APC play this role? Somebody else? This needs resources. 

My idea for the moment - after this week in Geneva - was that the IGC kick-starts the process and sends a statement to the UNCSTD meeting early June 2013 just to flag that we have here a problem and the UN (UNCSTD, ECOSOC, UNGA) has to fix it.

And again, it is not enough to call for a seat on the table, we have to demonstrate that we deliver content, we deliver substance to the process and we have our own set of values and principles. That is the reason why I gave the link to the CS WSIS Declaration from 2003. And again, it goes beyond Internet Governance, although the Internet and its governance is linked now much deeper to all the various issues raised by the WSIS Action Lines as ten years ago. 

Wolfgang    

________________________________

Von: governance-request at lists.igcaucus.org im Auftrag von Jean-Louis FULLSACK
Gesendet: So 19.05.2013 16:59
An: governance at lists.igcaucus.org; Kleinwächter, Wolfgang; FouadBajwa; CarlosA.Afonso
Cc: AndreaGlorioso; McTim; Parminder
Betreff: re: [governance] WSIS 10+

Dear Wolfgang and all

Whereas I agree with Wolfgang's opinion and suggestions that call out the CS for a thorough reflection upon the future of the WSIS process ("WSIS ++") I'd like to make some short comments on the past Geneva week (WSIS Forum 2013), while proposing that the debate suggested by Wolfgang should be carried out on the wsis-cs list (to be revitalized !) ; possibly, goverance list should be in copy e.g. for the starting phase.

- Despite its obvious presence in the WSIS corridosrs and rooms, CS is completely absent from the topics discussed during the WSIS Fora. Instead of that only some selected CS organisations or members are expressing their own views on the issues dealt with during the "Panels"and thematic sessions. Hence, they are less "audible" and the stakeholder role of CS is minimized if not ignored. There was not a single meeting nor a call for such an event by the CONGO or by another representative org (e.g. APC).

- Some sponsors of the 2013 Forum and "strategic partners" (sic) are at least questionable about their democratic foundation : Oman, United Arab Emirates, Azerbaidjan, Kazakhstan, Kuweit, Saudi Arabia, ....

- As far as orientation for the future of WSIS activities and focus, no comment was made by the members of this (governance) list on the respective very divergent positions of the ITU SG leading the process and Adama Samassekou both in priorities and in policy aspects, e.g. Adama's sentence of PPPs and their replacement by MSP (Multistakeholder Partnership) where CS is playing its full role.

Other comments will come later

Best regards

Jean-Louis Fullsack

CESIR       

	> Message du 19/05/13 14:18thereofof the CS 
	> De : ""Kleinwächter, Wolfgang"" 
	> A : governance at lists.igcaucus.org, "Fouad Bajwa" , governance at lists.igcaucus.org, "Carlos A. Afonso" 
	> Copie à : "Andrea Glorioso" , "McTim" , "Parminder" 
	> Objet : [governance] WSIS 10+
	> 
	> Hi everybody,
	> 
	> I want to kick-start a discussion how to prepare for the next phase in the WSIS 10+ process, as it was discussed at length during the recent Geneva meeting.
	> http://www.itu.int/wsis/implementation/2013/forum/documents/outcomes.html
	> 
	> The overall plan - pushed forward by the ITU - is to have a high level (ministerial) meeting in April 2014 in Sharm el Sheikh followed by an another high level event in 2015.. The 2015 event has to be decided by the next UN General Assembly in December 2013. One recommendation from Geneva was to link the WSIS 10+ process in a not yet specified way to the UN Milleniums Development Goals Summit which will take place also in 2015. Janis Karklins from UNESCO proposed to do the WSIS 10+ event (WSIS III?) before the Millenium Summit to clear how ICT can help to achieve MDGs. 
	> 
	> Furthermore a discussion has started for the "Beyond 2015 strategy" for the further development of the information society, something like WSIS++. The first push came from UNGIS, a platform of now about 30 intergovernmental organsations. UNGIS presents itself as a more technical (internal) UN body which just facilitates information exchange. However in its joint statement it has already framed how 2015+ should be discussed and it has the potential to become a policy body.
	> 
	> The process ahaed of us raises numerous issues, both with regard to substance as well as to procedures. And CS should start to form as quick as possible a similar structure which guided CS through the two phases of WSIS between 2002 and 2005 with a Plenary, a Bureau, a Content & Themes Group and various WGs and Caucuses. 
	> 
	> So far the process is driven mainly by the UN organisations with ITU, UNDP and UNESCO in the drivers sead. They "consult" with stakeholders but this consultations does not really look like a full inclusion on equal footing. There is on the one hand a general commitment for multistakeholderism on all levels, on the other hand there are no procedures in place how the MS should be operationalized in the preparation of the events in 2014 and 2015 and in draftting the 2015+ strategy. UNGIS sits in closed meetings. The ministerial meetings are not open to the public. There is no - as we had in WSIS I & II - Preparatory Committee (PrepCom) with interacting buereaus of the three stakeholder groups. 
	> 
	> My expecation is that the UNCSTD will discuss this in its June 2013 meeting and send some recommendations to the UNGA. The 2nd Committee will prepare probably a resolution which include principles and procedures for both the 2014 and 2015 events. 
	> 
	> The 2014 event in Sharm el Sheikh is back-to-back to the ITU World Telecommunication Development Conference (WTDC) which will be prepared by a series of regional development conferences within the coming months. While there is no direct formal link between WTDC and WSIS 10+, one can expect that this process will be steered primarily by the ITU. 
	> 
	> What civil society should do now is to draft a formal statement with the aim to clarify the procedures for the full and equal involvment of CS into the preparatory process for the two events in 2014 and 2015 as well as into the drafting of a 2015+ strategy. This statement should refer also to the CS Declaration from 2003 and reiterate basic CS values as still relevant in 2013++. 
	> http://www.itu.int/wsis/documents/doc_multi.asp?lang=en?&id=1179%7C1208
	> 
	> Wolfgang
	> 
	> 
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