[WSIS CS-Plenary] Opening ceremony speaker

[richard t jordan]

--

---------Bertrand, This seems like a very sound idea -- I assume that he will be reading a statement pepared by civil society.

If that is the case, and even if it is not the case, should we be looking not just at the here-and-now but pointing toward Tunisia in 2005?

I would favor a statement that is visionary and that brings in not just the issues we have been dealing with but also the metaphysical issues -- it was Teilhard de chardin who said almost 50 years ago in "The Human Phenomenon" (re-translation of the title "The Phenomenon of Man") that the Earth would be saved by telecommunication or we would all perish.

Additionally, the term "development durable" (sustainable development) was supposedly first used in a 1927 conference held at the Natural history Museum in Paris. 

Thinking in a visionary way for Tunisia -- we have 2 years -- might need that much time in planning.

Very well spoken -- or writtten -- Bertrand. And thanks.

Richard Jordan

 Original Message ---------

DATE: Mon, 10 Nov 2003 02:06:14
From: Bertrand de LA CHAPELLE <lachapelle at openwsis.org>
To: plenary at wsis-cs.org
Cc: 

>Hi all, 
>
>Choosing who will speak in the opening ceremony is important 
>to be sure our views are faithfully expressed and to enhance 
>media coverage. But it is also about strategically 
>ESTABLISHING THE RIGHT FOR CIVIL SOCIETY TO NOMINATE WHO 
>WILL REPRESENT IT.  
>
>Therefore, as the goal is to set a precedent upon which we 
>can build later, we need to choose someone reflecting CS 
>views on the Information Society that cannot be rebuffed or 
>refused by any government.
>
>For these reasons, why not invite for the opening ceremony 
>speech Tim Berners-Lee, THE inventor of the World Wide Web 
>and the Director of the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) ? 
>
>This would present many advantages, reminding participants 
>and in particular governments :
>- that the Information Society they keep talking about is 
>fundamentally organized around the World Wide Web, which was 
>invented by civil society (indeed a single human : how more 
>civil society can you be ?)
>-  that without wanting to protect or patent his invention, 
>Berners-Lee made it a gift to the whole world, showing that 
>if legal protection can help innovation, it is not always a 
>necessity;
>- that the creation of this global commons (an open 
>standard) has triggerd a multi-trillion dollar industry and 
>impacted society in a way similar only to the printing press 
>or electricity
>- that new frontiers are being explored (the so-
>called "Semantic web" of the highest importance for cultural 
>and linguistic diversity).
>
>Beyond singlehandedly inventing the Web, Tim Berners-lee 
>also designed the World Wide Web Consortium or W3C), an 
>innovative multi-stakeholder decision-making and standard-
>setting process dedicated to addressing the issues raised by 
>its development.
>
>In a nutshel, TBL did not only promote the values we defend 
>(global commons, open architectures and standards, flexible 
>frameworks for dialogue involving a wide variety of 
>stakeholders, access to information, transparency, non-
>profit approach,  ...); he also implemented them in 
>everything he did. 
>
>The very success of what he created is the best proof that 
>those principles do work. Nobody is in a better position 
>(credibility) to expose the present attacks against some of 
>the founding principles of the Internet and the Web that CS 
>cares about.
>
>Other advantage : no government in its sane mind can take 
>the risk of the public ridicule of refusing the floor in a 
>summit on the Information Society to the very man who, more 
>than anyone, helped it happen. Should Civil Society agree on 
>his nomination through the present process (and provided of 
>course he can and wants to participate), his name could be 
>given with no alternative option, thereby establishing CS 
>right to nominating its own speakers. 
>
>I hope you will find this suggestion useful and capable of 
>triggering a rapid consensus. Many things can be added.
>
>But as my view may be biased, I encourage suggestions, 
>comments and critics on this one. In particular, I recognize 
>TBL, as a white male living in the US, does not help on the 
>criterias of gender and geographical balance. 
>
>Should a decision be taken among us, I am sure many of you 
>are in a position to help contact TBL if necessary and we 
>should select the best channel . 
>
>Cheers to all
>
>Bertrand
>_______________________________________________
>Plenary mailing list
>Plenary at wsis-cs.org
>http://mailman.greennet.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/plenary
>



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