[governance] [bestbits] Remarks at UNESCO Closing Ceremony of "Connecting the Dots Conference"

[JOSEFSSON Erik]

Can it really mean so many different things?

Which meanings are you using at your research centre?

http://www.wzb.eu/en/search/apachesolr_search/democracy


Please also describe the normative substance of the term democracy (or provide a link).

Then let's make sure it is not lost!

//Erik


-----Original Message-----
From: bestbits-request at lists.bestbits.net [mailto:bestbits-request at lists.bestbits.net] On Behalf Of Jeanette Hofmann
Sent: 07 March 2015 16:11
To: governance at lists.igcaucus.org; best Bits
Subject: Re: [bestbits] [governance] Remarks at UNESCO Closing Ceremony of "Connecting the Dots Conference"

+1

Isn't it amazing that civil society seems to have adopted the language 
games we observed governments playing over years during WSIS? So much 
waste of time and energy spent on terms that can mean so many different 
things.

Paradoxically, the normative substance of the term democracy may get 
lost by (mis-)using it strategically.

Jeanette


(...)

  I
> have no problem with appeals to democratic values, but I'm aware that the
> concept of democracy has also been misused a lot in history, take the
> examples of the former German Democratic Republic(GDR), the Democratic
> Republic of Congo (DRC) or the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea. It
> would be good to work for a consensus on the understanding and role of
> democracy in the context of the internet among civil society and academia
> first before forcing it into international documents.
>
> Wolfgang Benedek
>
>
>
>
> Am 07.03.15 14:01 schrieb "Michael Gurstein" unter <gurstein at gmail.com>:
>
>> And to be very clear, in the case of "democracy"  it wasn't simply a
>> matter of the concept "not making it into the final document" but rather
>> that those involved made the clear political choice to promote
>> "multistakeholderism" and suppress "democracy".
>>
>> M
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: governance-request at lists.igcaucus.org
>> [mailto:governance-request at lists.igcaucus.org] On Behalf Of Norbert Klein
>> Sent: March 7, 2015 3:45 AM
>> To: governance at lists.igcaucus.org
>> Subject: Re: [governance] [bestbits] Remarks at UNESCO Closing Ceremony
>> of "Connecting the Dots Conference"
>>
>>
>> On 03/07/2015 02:30 PM, Benedek, Wolfgang (wolfgang.benedek at uni-graz.at)
>> wrote:
>>> As a participant and speaker in the UNESCO conference Connecting the
>>> dots: Options for future action  in Paris I think it is important to
>>> put the record straight: the main purpose of the conference was to
>>> give feedback to the UNESCO draft Internet study and advise on the
>>> future priorities in this field. This was done in several plenary and
>>> 16 breakout sessions in a MSH-approach quite successfully.
>>> The fact that two concepts important to some did not make it into the
>>> outcome document should not be overestimated as this is all work in
>>> progress. Also other concepts dear to others were not or only partly
>>> included. I also do not remember that these concepts were elaborated
>>> on during the sessions or panels in any significant way in order to
>>> deepen their understanding.
>>>
>>> Wolfgang Benedek
>>>
>>
>> Dear Mr. Benedek,
>>
>> thanks for this, for this type of, clarification - using only formalities
>> like "Also other concepts dear to others were not or only partly
>> included."
>>
>> I cannot easily imagine what kind of "other concept" of a similar
>> importance and weight could be lined up with "democracy." I would
>> appreciate it if you, as a participant in this UNESCO conference, could
>> share some of these "other concepts" which were also not, or only
>> partially, included.
>>
>> Thanks in advance,
>>
>> Norbert Klein
>> Cambodia
>>
>>
>>
>>
>
>
>
>
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