[APCPress] APC at the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS)

[Karen Higgs]

APC, APC Women's Programme (APC WNSP) and Member/Partner Activities at
WSIS
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Policy decisions being made today will impact on the peoples of the
world's ability and potential to use ICTs as tools in their work
tomorrow. At the United Nations' World Summit on the Information Society
(WSIS) held December 10-12 in Geneva - governments will sign a
declaration that will enhance or hinder access to ICTs for the vast
majority of the world's population. The Association for Progressive
Communications (APC) has been actively participating in the WSIS process
and helping others get involved by producing resources, websites and
guides. 

APC is at stand 842 in the Human Capacity & Empowerment street at the
ICT4D Platform in the Palexpo, Geneva. Come and meet us! 

Find out about some of the events we're at. Please note that this is not
a complete list. If you are in Geneva, please visit the APC stand at the
Palexpo for latest updates.


Dec 9-12: ICT4D Pavilion - Hall 4

APC/SANGONeT/RITS - Stand: 842
APC and our members SANGONeT from South Africa and RITS from Brazil
share a stand.

GenderIT: a WomenSpace - Stand: 739
This booth is where you will find comprehensive information on gender
and ICT advocacy by women's organisations in WSIS and other events.
APCWNSP, FEMNET, ISIS International, Regentic and the International
Women's Tribune Center will be exhibiting their work here.

African Media Village - Stand:	137
APC is participating in the African media Village at stand 137. APC
materials/CDs and information about the APC Africa Policy Monitor
Project will be made available here.

The village will include:
·	a telecentre with operational computers using open source software 
(APC will play a key role in hosting the telecentre)
·	a webcasting community radio station 
·	2 plasma screens for playing tapes, slides, presentations
·	18 life size figures of people telling their experiences of the
information society
·	20 story boards of the African communication experience
·	a brochure called 'Is that You' stating that the world has many
reasons to need to stay in touch with Africa
·	space for information distribution, launches


Monday December 8th:

1400-1800: NGO CSW Geneva/ Femmes Africa Solidarity: Women's Rights to
the Information Society and ICTs. 
Room A, Palexpo [meet Chat Garcia Ramilo of APC Women's Networking
Support Programme]

2000: Asia Civil Society Caucus
Place to be confirmed. 


Tuesday December 9: 

1000-1200: Latin American and Caribbean GKP Members Panel
GKP Pavilion at ICT4D,  [meet representatives from APC's Latin American
and Caribbean ICT Policy Monitor and RITS, APC member in Brazil]

1200-1330: GKP Regional Panel on Africa and the Middle East
Showcase Gallery, GKP Pavillion, [meet Alice Munyua of APC's Africa ICT
Policy Monitor]

1- 4:30 pm: Global Governance of ICT: Public Interest Considerations
Computer Scientists for Social Responsibility
Room P, Palexpo [meet Anriette Esterhuysen, APC's executive director]

3 - 6 pm : Institute at WSIS
UNDP in partnership with Association for Progressive Communications
(APC) - and other civil society groups
Room 12, ICT4D

The Institute at ... is specifically designed to provide skill-enhancing
training courses to participants of United Nations' and other large
international meetings.  Rather than training participants on
sustainable development, our courses train individuals for sustainable
development.  The Institute at ... courses are designed with a "how to"
approach and an intent to increase specific skills needed to implement
sustainable development objectives. APC will deliver two  1 ½ hour
sessions, to government and Civil Society representatives, drawing from
the APC ICT Policy Training Curriculum, on gender and ICT policy and
Internet governance.  

4 - 6PM:  Gender Caucus Multi-stakeholder Dialogues: Asia Pacific
regional roundtable
Room 7, Hall 4, ICT4D [meet Chat Garcia Ramilo of APC Women's Networking
Support programme]


Wednesday December 10: 

12-2 pm : Visibility for gender & ICT Advocacy at the Summit and Beyond
[APC Women's Networking Support Programme and GKP.]
Venue: GKP Stand (Stand No. 331) ICT4D Exhibit Area Hall 4

Held in partnership with GKP, APC WNSP will host a panel comprising the
4 winners of the Gender and ICT awards.  One element the WNSP will bring
into this panel, is an exploration of current gender mainstreaming
initiatives, generally, and specifically in relation to gender and ICT
work.
For more information, contact: mylene at apcwomen.org,
aphidalgo at apcwomen.org

2 - 3:30 pm: A GEM for ICT Initiatives: Viewing ICTs with Gendered
Lenses
[APC Women's Networking Support Programme]
Venue: Palexpo Conference Center,  Saleve Hall 2

This panel will highlight the initial findings and recommendations from
2 years of testing APCWNSP's  Gender and ICTs Evaluation Methodology
(GEM) tool for internet and ICTs, in Africa, Asia-Pacific, Latin America
and the Carribean and Central and Eastern Europe. Case studies frm
various countries like Croatia, Bulgaria, Philippines, South Africa,
Malaysia and Uganda will be presented at the panel.
For information contact: chat at apcwomen.org or cheekay at apcwomen.org

3:30 - 5 pm: Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) - The potential power
and possibilities for women's organisations and networks.  [APC WNSP,
led by the APC Africa Women network]
Venue: Palexpo Conference Center, Saleve Hall 2

Free Software, with its freedoms of use for any purpose, studying,
modification and redistribution is an essential building block for an
empowering, sustainable and inclusive information society. Free Software
has unique social, educational, scientific, political and economic
benefits and opportunities.

This workshop will explore how African women are using free software,
what possibilties free software offers in terms of design, development
and use of ICT applications, and will provide information about the
first Women Led Free Software Camp (early 2004).

1600-1800: WSIS Gender Caucus Regional Roundtable: Europe, CIS and Nth
America
Room 7k, Hall 4, ICT4D [meet Central European members of APC Women's
Networking Support programme]

5 - 5:30 pm : Asia-Pacific Women's Electronic Network Training (WENT)
Awards
[APC WNSP, led by the Asia-Pacific Network, with APWINC and UNESCAP]
Venue: Palexpo Conference Center, Saleve Hall 2

The WENT Award is being given to an outstanding graduate of the Women's
Electronic Network Training workshop, a pioneering regional training
initiative for women and their organizations in Asia and the Pacific.
WENT was also replicated at the national level, and in Africa. The
outstanding graduate was selected from among the workshop's more than
160 regional and national alumnae, and will be recognized at this
special ceremony.

5 - 6.30pm: Building Partnership among the Stakeholders of the 
Information Society: Best Practice in Involving Business and Civil
Society
[ECOSOC]
Venue:  Room Jura (Palexpo, Geneva)

The focus will be on the mechanisms and processes aimed at  establishing
a sustainable partnership among Governments, the  private sector and
civil society. Best practice will also address  cooperation between
national and local government, as well we with all stakeholders at the
domestic level. 

6-8 pm: Networking for Women's Empowerment and Change since 1993
[APC WNSP]
Venue: Palexpo Conference Center, Saleve Hall 2

APC WNSP celebrates its 10th Anniversary this year, and will host a
panel/discussion at the Summit to commemorate. It  will overview it's
work for the past 10 years; outlining key challenges and achievements
for the APC WNSP in relation to policy, research, evaluation,
information faciliation and network building  - internationally,
regionally and nationally - as well as charting the work of the larger
gender an ICT advocacy movement in the last 10 years. It will also
include an anlaysis of Gender and ICT advocacy during the WSIS process
and make recommendations for phase II work of the process.


Thursday December 11:

9 - 5pm: World Forum on Communication Rights
Communication Rights in the Information Society
http://www.communicationrights.org
Venue: Salle Mont-Blanc, Palexpo, Geneva, Switzerland
The World Forum on Communication Rights, brings together civil society
organisations, NGOs, governments and others in a civil society-driven
event to be held alongside the Summit, not in opposition to it but to
highlight and make practical progress in spheres the Summit fails to
cover. It welcomes all stakeholders committed to ensuring such rights
are integral to an information society.
APC is facilitating one of the four themes: Communication at War,
Communication For Peace.

5 pm - 8 pm: Cultural and Social Impact of Mobile Technologies
Room S, Hall II, Geneva Palexpo, [Adam Peake and Izumi Aizu (Glocom
Japan) with FMA]

6 - 8 pm: Gender and ICT Awards Night
[APCWNSP in partnership with GKP]
Venue: Main Market Place, ICT4D Platform, Hall 4 

To address the gender aspect of the "digital divide," many initiatives
are being implemented around the world that aim to empower women and
promote gender equity in access to ICTs, as well as in their design,
implementation, and use. The APC WNSP and GKP Gender and ICT Awards aim
to honor and bring international recognition to the innovative and
effective projects by women to use ICTs for the promotion of gender
equality and/or women's empowerment. 
 

Friday December 12:

Friday 12th December 2003 (whole day): Community Media Forum
Salle Salève, Palexpo, Geneva, Switzerland (MJ Kim)

12 noon - 2 pm : "ICT4D & The Power of Networks: What We have Learned
Since GK97 & GKII".
Venue: GKP Pavilion, Showcase Gallery, Hall 4, Stand #331,
Communications Street 
Palexbo [Anriette Esterhuysen, APC Executive Director]

3 - 6 pm : Institute at WSIS: Internet governance and ICT in trade
UNDP in partnership with Association for Progressive Communications
(APC) - and other civil society groups.
Room 12, ICT4D [Anriette Esterhuysen, Bill Drake of CPSR]

The session will explore specific issues that different stakeholders are
seeking to address as well as some of the mechanisms that can be useful
in doing so. Governance issues related to spectrum management and
intellectual property rights with a view to finding cost-effective and
sustainable access solutions may also be considered.

4-4.10pm Storytelling session: The APC Betinho Communications Prize in
2003 - Recognising people-centred technology initiatives in Latin
America and the Caribbean

In 2003, for the first time, the Association for Progressive
Communications awarded the Betinho Prize to recognise remarkable
information and communication technology (ICT) initiatives that are
improving the lives of people and communities in Latin America. 

Over 140 projects applied for the prize which was offered in Latin
America and the Caribbean only for the first time. The stories from the
twelve winners and finalists have now been translated into Spanish,
Portuguese and English so that more people can find out about these
outstanding ICT initiatives.  

APC will talk about the background behind the prize in 2003 and
highlight the work of the three winners - an indigenous network from
Mexico, an agricultural and municipal government initiative from the
Peruvian altiplano, and an Argentinian library for the visually
impaired.

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APC: The Association for Progressive Communications is an international
network of civil society organisations whose mission is to empower and
support organisations, social movements and individuals in and through
the use of information and communication technologies for social
justice, development and environmental sustainability. APC's vision is
of a world in which all people have equal and affordable access to the
creative potential of ICTs to improve their lives and create more
democratic and egalitarian societies.  
http://www.apc.org