[WSIS CS-Plenary] Re: [ciresearchers] WSIS Research Communiqué

[Susana Finquelievich]

Hi, all,
I just got back from  Paris. I completely agree with the Communiqué. If you
think my signature can be of any use, please add it,

Best regards,

Dra. Susana Finquelievich
Directora
Programa de Investigaciones sobre la Sociedad de la Información
INFOPOLIS
Instituto de Investigaciones Gino Germani
Facultad de Ciencias Sociales
Universidad de Buenos Aires
susana at finquel.com.ar
http://www.fsoc.uba.ar/invest/iigg/index.htm
http://links.org.ar

> 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
>
>
>