[WSIS CS-Plenary] WSIS Research Communiqué

[Michael Gurstein]

WSIS Research Communiqué, key points

Prato, 15 September 2003

In the words of UN Secretary-General, Kofi Annan, in 2003, the World
Summit on the Information Society offers 
o	a unique opportunity to shape the future of the information
society’ so that all people can enjoy its benefits ; and 
o	a platform for developing a shared vision of ways to create a
truly inclusive information society that serves and empowers all
people.(1)

Researchers and practitioners in ICT-enabled community practice met at a
recent international colloquium “Many Voices, Many Places --
Electronically Enabling Communities for An Information Society”
organised in Prato, Italy, by Monash University, Australia and New
Jersey Institute of Technology, USA <http://www.ccnr.net/prato2003/>.
The Colloquium noted that government and private sector stakeholders
have been much better able to articulate their views and resource their
participation in WSIS processes than have civil society and those with
scholarly interests and expertise. 

They expressed concern at the relatively low levels of civil society
participation in decision making about community needs and priorities
and slow progress in delivering digital dividends to the world’s poor
and marginalized.

o	Community Informatics is fundamentally about empowerment of
individuals, communities and societies by effective use of information
and communication technologies appropriate to their social environments.

o	It involves continuous cycles of action and reflection,
especially in view of the ever-changing nature of ICTs.  To date,
information society project designs have focussed primarily on
demonstrating the potential of the technology, rather than reflecting a
fine-grained assessment of community needs. 

o	We seek that the WSIS processes provide a strong charter for
action research conducted collaboratively at the local, regional and
international levels, leading to an ever-improving body of shared
evaluative knowledge.

o	Such research should focus on grounded models of social action,
reflecting the diversity of societal conditions and needs in order to
support culturally appropriate community learning and practices.

(1) 
  Timely access to news and information . . .to promote trade,
education, employment, health and wealth, with ‘openness’ a crucial
ingredient of democracy and good governance and ‘information and
knowledge’ at the heart of efforts to strengthen tolerance, mutual
understanding and respect for diversity (Message to ‘The Net World
Order: Bridging the Global Digital Divide’ Conference, New York, 18 June
2003.

Signed

Barbara Craig, Victoria University, Wellington: NZ
Peter Day, University of Brighton: UK
Tom Denison, Monash University, Melbourne: AU
Michael Gurstein, New Jersey Institute of Technology: USA
Beris Gwynne, Foundation for Development Co-operation, Brisbane: AU
Graeme Johanson, Monash University, Melbourne: AU
Susan Kretchmer, John Hopkins University, Baltimore: US
Michel Menou, City University, London: UK
Scott Robinson, Universidad Metropolitana, Mexico:
Don Schauder, Monash University, Melbourne: AU
Larry Stillman, Monash University, Melbourne: AU
Wal Taylor, Central Queensland University, Rockhampton: UK 
Steve Thompson, University of Teesside, Middlesbrough: UK