[WSIS CS-Plenary] Statement RT III Wolfgang

[Adam Peake]

Catching up on a backlog of mail.  Just came to read the statement 
Wolfgang read during one of the roundtables at WSIS last week.

I think it's exceptional.  It captures not just the differences 
between CS and govt declarations, but my whole impression of Palexpo: 
from the vibrancy and vision of the ICT4D hall, and drudgery of the 
plenary space.

Wolfgang, very well done.

Thanks,

Adam




>Round Table III: ICT and the Goals of the Millenium Declaration
>Geneva, December, 11, 2003
>
>
>Statement by
>Wolfgang Kleinwaechter
>University of Aarhus, Member of the Civil Society WSIS Bureau
>
>
>
>Dear Mr. Moderator,
>
>Last night I heard the first WSIS joke. Three Heads of State are 
>coming to WSIS in Geneva. The first one says “Yes”. The second one 
>says “No”. And the third one says “I agree”. Here we have the 
>consensus.
>
>What this joke tells us? The Governmental WSIS Declaration is a 
>consensus document on the lowest level. But to reach the aims of the 
>Millenium Declaration, you need more than the lowest level. While it 
>is understandable, that governments has to follow to principle of 
>consensus, it becomes also evident, that, when governments are 
>unable to agree, other stakeholders, private industry and civil 
>society, has to step in to move things forward. People can and will 
>not wait.
>
>Civil society can play an tremendous role in achieving the goals of 
>the Millenium Declaration, reducing poverty and promoting 
>sustainable development. They have the knowledge and the expertise, 
>they have the networks and they have the linkage to the day-to-day 
>problems of the people on the ground. Governments should invite, 
>encourage and enable civil society organisations to take a lot of 
>the WSIS issues in their own hands to let things grow bottom up. 
>Only such a bottom up approach will lead to sustainable development. 
>If it comes top down, it will fail.
>
>The interesting thing here in WSIS is, that at the end of the Summit 
>we have two declarations. The Governmental WSIS Declaration, which 
>is signed tomorrow, and the Civil Society WSIS Declaration, which is 
>signed today. If you compare the two documents, you will find, that 
>the Governmental WSIS Declaration says what could be done, while the 
>Civil Society WSIS Declaration says what should be done. With other 
>words, the two declarations mark the distance between today’s 
>realities and tomorrow’s expectations.
>
>To take only one example, the question of Human Right. The 
>governments celebrate the consensus on Article 19 of the Human 
>Rights Declaration of 1948 as the basis for the global information 
>society. Certainly, the reaffirmation of the status quo is better 
>than a status quo minus. But Article 19 was drafted in the 
>Industrial Age. We are living now in the Information Age. Civil 
>Society expected  from the summit a status quo plus. It expected, 
>that the right to freedom of expression, enshrined in Article 19 of 
>the Human Rights Declaration, will be further developed with access 
>and participation rights for information and communication in the 
>cyberspace. No word about this in the Governmental WSIS Declaration.
>
>The Civil Society WSIS Declaration is not an Anti-Governmental 
>Declaration, it is complementary. It says what governments are 
>unable to say and it offers constructive engagement.
>
>This signals also a new relationship between Civil Society and 
>Governments in the WSIS process, probably one of the most important 
>side effects oif WSIS. Geneva is not Seattle. Civil Society does not 
>throw stones, it produces papers. Civil Society has moved from 
>turmoil to trust. And there is an opportunity, that continues input 
>on the road to Tunis will lead to growing impact.
>
>
>
>
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