[governance] WSIS 10+

[parminder]

Hi Wolfgang,

Losing even what we had in the form of the WSIS format is a huge huge 
loss, and it saddens me a lot. It is such a set back for participatory 
democracy at the global level. Yes, we must write a letter about it.

But, wait a minute. Let us for a moment also look at the IG civil 
society's role in getting us to this unfortunate pass.... Did we ever 
ask for the WSIS model (of course with evolutionary improvements) for 
WSIS plus 10 review. No, no one did. What was being asked for instead is 
as follows:

1. Dont do WSIS review, just forget it. Multistakeholderism (MS ism) has 
caught on, and NetMundial kind of MS events are the best way to move 
forward.

2. Ok, if you just must do something of a review, merge it with SDG 
(Sustainable Dev Goals) review, which really is another way to make the 
most important global IG issues disappear.

3. Next, do the review at as low a level as possible... Let the 
bureaucracy (and not political) level UN processes like those led by 
UNESCO and ITU stand as 'the' review.

4. Now, if you indeed must do a full WSIS plus 10 review, have it on an 
'equal footing' MS pattern, so everyone participates as equal in 
decision making processes throughout...


Further, at UN processes which did attempt some real multistakeholder 
participation like the WG on Enhanced Cooperation, all kinds of highly 
obstructionist methods and attitudes were displayed by many if not most 
non gov actors which really did not allow things to go anywhere. Because 
of which reason the WG work collapsed and it folded up without giving 
any recommendations, as it was supposed to do. The internal working of 
the WG, to which I was witness, was a real testimony to how highly 
resourced non gov actors can network, in fact gang up, so effectively to 
stop any useful policy process.

Do you think the above kinds of things contribute to giving confidence 
to governments that greater stakaeholder participation, under the 
conditions in which IG MSism works, is useful in taking forward the 
important agenda of providing the (very) necessary and urgent global 
political responses to the myriad challenges and opportunities that the 
Internet is throwing/ opening up. I very much doubt it. So as we write a 
letter, lets also examine our own role in all this.

parminder




On Monday 04 August 2014 02:16 PM, "Kleinwächter, Wolfgang" wrote:
> http://www.outlookindia.com/news/article/UN-Adopts-Resolution-on-Bridging-Digital-Divide/852511
>
> Outlook India:
> The resolution decided that the overall review will be concluded in December 2015 by a two-day General Assembly high-level meeting to be preceded by an inter-governmental preparatory process that also takes into account inputs from all relevant stakeholders of WSIS.  The intergovernmental negotiation process would begin in June 2015 and lead to an inter-governmentally agreed outcome document for adoption at the UNGA meeting. The process retains the ownership of the preparatory meetings and the final outcome document with member states alone. Mukerji said the resolution ensures that leaders, "at the highest possible level" will meet at the high-level plenary meeting in December next year to adopt the outcome of the intergovernmental negotiations.
>
> Wolfgang:
> One of the big achievements in the WSIS process was that civil society got a voice in the process. A Milestone was the CS WSIS Declaratzion from December 2003 which was handed over to the president of the first summit, WSIS 1. It became an official document. The Tunis Agenda confirmed and enhanced the role of civil society. As you can see from the text above, ten years later this process is back in the hands of "governments only". The final outcome document will be with member states only by taking into account inputs from all relevant stakeholders (which sounds like a joke with the experiences of a enhanced communicartion and cooperation over the last ten years, including the UNCSTD WGs. Should civil society write a letter to UN Secretary General Ban Kin Moon?

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