[WSIS CS-Plenary] >>>Vision section of CS Declaration - draft<<<

[Raoul Weiler]

Dear all,

This is a heavenly text, sweet and nicely formulated,
but at the edge of being naive if not more.
It cannot be used as an alternative or parallel text
to the official (political) Declaration of Principles.

Where is the vision?

Cordially,

Raoul Weiler

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Sally Burch - ALAI" <sburch at alainet.org>
To: <ct at wsis-cs.org>; <plenary at wsis-cs.org>
Sent: Friday, November 28, 2003 3:58 AM
Subject: [WSIS CS-Plenary] >>>Vision section of CS Declaration - draft<<<


> All,
>
> Here is a draft of the vision section for the civil society declaration.
> Please send any comments by early Sunday to the CT list
> (ct at wsis-cs.org), under this same message subject.
>
> Other sections will follow shortly.
>
> Sally Burch
>
> _________________________
> 1. A VISIONARY SOCIETY
>
> Our vision of information and communication societies is based on
> human rights, social justice and sustainable human development.
>
> We are committed to building people-centred, inclusive and
> equitable information and communication societies, where
> everyone can freely create, access, utilize, share and disseminate
> information and knowledge, thus empowering individuals,
> communities and peoples to improve their quality of life and
> achieve their full potential.
>
> The developments that shape such societies should be based on
> principles of social, political and economic justice, and
> peoples' participation and empowerment. They must pursue the
> objectives of sustainable development, democracy, and gender
> equality, for the attainment of a more peaceful, just and
> egalitarian world, premised on the principles enshrined in the
> Charter of the United Nations and in the Universal Declaration  of
> Human Rights.
>
> We reaffirm that communication is a fundamental social process, a
> basic human need and the foundation of all social organization.
> Everyone everywhere should have the opportunity to participate in
> and benefit from communication processes.  Communication
> rights, including freedom of opinion and expression, and the right to
> seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media
> and regardless of frontiers, to access public information and  the
> public domain of knowledge, and to employ ICTs for producing
> information and  communicating, must be actively guaranteed for
> all.
>
> We support the development of societies where human knowledge,
> creativity,  cooperation and solidarity are considered  core
> elements; societies where not only individual creativity,  but
> also collective innovation, based on  cooperative work are
> promoted. Societies where knowledge,  information and
> communication resources are recognized and  protected as the
> common heritage of humankind; societies that  foster cultural and
> linguistic diversity and intercultural  dialogue, in environments
> that are free from discrimination, violence and hatred.
>
> Building people-centred and inclusive information and
> communication societies implies involving individuals in  their
> capacity as citizens, their organizations and communities,  as
> participants and decision makers in shaping frameworks,  policies
> and governing mechanisms.  This means creating an  enabling
> environment for the engagement and commitment of  all
> generations, both women and men, and ensuring the  involvement
> of diverse social and linguistic groups,  cultures and peoples,
> without exclusion.
>
> We aspire to build information and communication societies where
> development is focused on fundamental human needs and shared
> social, cultural, economic, and environmental goals; where
> priority is given to a more equitable distribution of resources,
> leading to the elimination of poverty and other gross
> inequalities, in a way that is environmentally sustainable.  We
> are convinced that with the political will to mobilize the wealth
> of human knowledge towards this end, humanity could not only
> achieve the goals of the Millennium Declaration, but far surpass
> them.
>
>
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