[WSIS CS-Plenary] Re: [Bureau] John Gagain's note: Does Civil Society Plenary not exist?
Alan G. Alegre
alalegre at fma.ph
Fri Jul 25 12:18:48 BST 2003
Hello to all.
Sorry for my silence--but don't worry, I have been reading all the interesting posts from Paris and after, and have been in fact forwarding quite a bit of the messages in CSB, CT, and "Plenary" (in quotes now :-), to our Asia list. (Not all Asian CSO stakeholders are on the aforementioned lists for some reason or another, and this function is inherent to the articulated role of the CSB focal points, to facilitate transparency and participation of all stakeholders.)
I am supportive of Sean's articulation (his five points), based on actual experience as Asian Civil Society convenor in PrepCom1, Asia Pacific Regional PrepCom (Tokyo), and PrepCom2. I also do so as one of the two focal points for our Asian Family in the CSB (the other one being Angela Kuga Thas). As one of the original drafters of the Terms of Reference of the CSB (during PrepCom2), I am sure that the spirit of the five points is in the original and subsequent drafts.
In all of the WSIS related processes I have been involved with, it has always been my understanding that the CS Plenary, though not perfect, is the best way in which CSOs can organize themselves and achieve the best consensus that can be forged.
Thanks.
Al Alegre
P.S. Congratulations and thank you to all of you who have worked hard in Paris. Hopefully, I can come to Geneva for PrepCom3 and contribute again directly in some way.
----- Original Message -----
From: Sean O Siochru
To: plenary at wsis-cs.org ; ct at wsis-cs.org
Cc: bureau at wsis-cs.org
Sent: Thursday, July 24, 2003 8:57 PM
Subject: [Bureau] John Gagain's note: Does Civil Society Plenary not exist?
Hi everyone
I think John's surprising note, and the position he takes in it on civil society structures, offers us an opportunity to remind ourselves of the basic progress we have made so far in civil society. This note is seeking your support on five basic point below.
At 15:27 23/07/2003 -0400, John R. Gagain Jr. wrote [my bold]:
Concerning the modalities of the CS mechanisms at the WSIS:
1.. CS Information Session and Debriefing. There does not exist a forum at the WSIS referred to as "Civil Society Plenary", nor was there ever one at any other U.N. sponsored Summit in the past. A Plenary signifies a fixed group of members or member states and the actual official definition is: 1. Complete in all respects, unlimited or full: a diplomat with plenary powers, 2. Fully attended by all qualified members: a plenary session of the council. As you can see, Civil Society does not fulfill this definition or its prerequisites. ....
2.. [snip] ... , as I mention above, there is no CS Plenary; and especially not one that makes decisions on behalf of Civil Society. T
In one sense, it is refreshing to hear such definitive, authoritative, statements about how Civil Society is organised at the WSIS. (Why didn't someone tell us this two years ago?)
More seriously, though, I cannot accept that the 'Civil Society Plenary' meetings that I attended at Prepcom 1 at PrepCom 2, and that were held in Paris, did not in fact take place as such, and that these meetings had no authority to take decisions on behalf of civil society at the WSIS. Such a claim, especially from a member of the Civil Society Bureau, really must be refuted. As a member of the Bureau myself, this is certainly not an official view and this is the first time I have heard it aired.
(By the same token, John could even define the Bureau out of existence on the basis that one has never previously existed at Un conferences. Even more, since in reality, the SOLE source of legitimacy for the Bureau is the Civil Society Plenary, and since the Bureau itself has explicitly agreed it is subject to the Civil Society Plenary, then surely the Bureau cannot exist!)
Nice and all as it is to fantasize, there are some important facts and achievements of civil society in the WSIS process that I think are worth reaffirming.
1. Civil Society has constituted itself into a Plenary at every convening of the WSIS, PrepComs, Intercessional, Summits. It is open to all of civil society members and of course any organisations is free not to participate. But the great majority have chosen to. It is the ultimate decision making body of civil society in relation to the WSIS.
2. It has endorsed the existence of the Bureau, and the Bureau has agreed explicitly that it is subject to the Civil Society Plenary Meeting and must report to it regularly.
3. The CS Plenary Meeting has endorsed the Content and Themes Group, which also reports to it. And it has endorsed most if not all of the various caucuses, working groups and so forth.
4. The Civil Society Division of the Secretariat serves the Civil Society Plenary Meeting and anything the Plenary sets up, although it can also provide support to any groups who choose not to associate with the Plenary.
5. Regarding the (currently important) operation of the CS Plenary between physical meetings, the following was agreed by the Civil Society Plenary at PrepCom 2 (extract from the Description of the plenary at wsis-cs.org list) http://mailman.greennet.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/plenary
"The Civil Society Plenary Meeting, when convened, is the source of legitimacy for all civil society activities in the WSIS.
Between PrepComs a 'Virtual CS Plenary Group' has been created (plenary at wsis-cs.org), comprising organisations and other entities accredited and registered at both PrepComs to date, from civil society, although organisations with a key interest in the issues but that are not part of the Summit process should also have the opportunity to participate.
The list will not be a decision-making space, in the sense that no voting will be called for, but a space to promote greater debate and transparency in the organisation of Civil Society during the summit." [my bold]
The CS-Plenary list (plenary at wsis-cs.org) was subsequently set up and now has over 250 registered, all of whom in the interests of accountability an transparency have registered their names when joining the list. Thus, the CS-Plenary list is a space to promote debate and transparency in civil society overall in between physically convened Civil Society Plenary groups. I believe all major issues and proposals should be openly debated there before any decisions are taken by other groups, such as the Bureau and the Content & Themes Group. I also believe that many decisions must be reaffirmed at the opening Civil Society Plenary at PrepCom 3, if there have been widely different views expressed on it.
This structure may not be perfect, but it is all we have, it has wide support, and has been endorsed at all major civil meetings and venues at the WSIS. I really think at this point that we all have to be working from the same basics. There are too many important issues facing us right now to run the risk of destroying the structures we have so painstakingly put together.
I am seeking support for the above five points from those on this list as I believe we cannot be continually reinventing the past and must move forward. I will also be communicating on these matters within the Bureau.
Very best
Sean
___________________________________________________
Seán Ó Siochrú Central office: tel: +353 1 473 0599 fax: +353 1 473 0597
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