[WSIS CS-Plenary] Baseline CS requirements for Tunis Summit

Rik Panganiban rikp at earthlink.net
Wed Dec 1 21:09:12 GMT 2004


Adam,

Your point raises a larger issue of what are the basic civil society 
requirements for our meaningful participation at the Tunis Summit, 
which as you say is a Bureau issue.  Ideally the bureau should 
facilitate a consultation process with all relevant caucuses and 
working groups to get their views on this, since these rules and format 
will be set at Prepcom II.

Just some quick thoughts on what practical things we will need in Tunis:

*	facilities: meeting spaces, exhibition spaces, tables to distribute 
literature, press conference facilities
*	services: internet access, including WIFI and cybercafes; printing 
and photocopying; remote viewing areas to observe the official 
plenaries; cell phones that we can rent for a week
*	accommodations: lower cost options for developing country and lower 
income participants
*	cost issues: cost for civil society use of facilities and services 
should be significant less than the cost for the private sector and 
governments, ideally on a sliding scale based on organization budget or 
other fair criteria

Perhaps our security / privacy working group could make a 
recommendation on reasonable security measures that don't violate the 
right to privacy?

It also might be helpful to list what we don't really need: i.e. 
expensive gift bags and souvenirs, cultural programs, tokenistic 
"multi-stakeholder" dialogues without substance.

Regards,

Rik	


On Dec 1, 2004, at 4:01 AM, Adam Peake wrote:

> Rik,
>
> Thank you for this.  Very helpful.
>
> One comment, not about financing.  You describe Mr. Geiger saying that 
> all participants at the Tunis Summit would need badges.  I think we 
> should ask that the RFID system used in Geneva *not* be used again. 
> Perhaps something for the CS bureau to take up?
>
> Thanks,
>
> Adam
>
>
>
>
> At 2:01 PM -0500 11/30/04, Rik Panganiban wrote:
>> Task Force on Financing Mechanisms
>> 29 November 2004
>> UNDP Headquarters, New York, USA
>> Unofficial Report on Proceedings
>> Rik Panganiban, Conference of NGOs
>>
>>
>> INTRODUCTION
>> The Task Force on Financing Mechanisms had its final meeting at UNDP 
>> headquarters on 29 November 2004.  The following is an unofficial 
>> report on the proceedings and should not be considered minutes or an 
>> official record of the meeting or its outcomes.
>>
>> The morning meeting began with a welcome by the Administrator of UNDP 
>> Mr. Mark Malloch Brown, followed by reports from the Secretariat on 
>> the draft report, from Charles Geiger on the WSIS process, and from 
>> Sarbuland Khan on the recent UN ICT Task Force meeting.  The 
>> afternoon was spent discussing the substance of the report, 
>> particularly ³access² and ³content and applications² issues.  The 
>> meeting concluded with discussing the process forward for the Task 
>> Force.
>>
>>
>> WSIS PROCESS
>> Charles Geiger of the WSIS secretariat gave a ³state of play² report 
>> on the WSIS.  He noted that the Group of Friends of the Chair would 
>> ideally like to receive even a draft of the report of the TFFM for 
>> its meeting from 16-17 December.  He clarified the status of the 
>> Digital Solidarity Fund as not being created ³by² the WSIS but 
>> created ³in conjunction² with the Summit, since it emerged  from the 
>> parallel WSIS Cities Summit which occurred in Lyon in December 2003. 
>>
>> Mr. Geiger also noted that Prepcom II in February would decide on the 
>> format and structure of the Tunis Summit.  In general he felt that 
>> the Tunisian host country is planning on a similar format to the 
>> Geneva Summit, with a main official summit and several parallel or 
>> side-events happening around the same time. However he noted that 
>> because of security considerations, all participants at the side 
>> events would have to have badges, i.e. some form of accreditation, to 
>> attend.
>>
>>
>
>
>
===============================================
RIK PANGANIBAN       Communications Coordinator
Conference of NGOs in Consultative Relationship with the United Nations 
(CONGO)
web: http://www.ngocongo.org
email: rik.panganiban at ngocongo.org
mobile: (+1) 917-710-5524

** Please note CONGO's new mailing address: CP 50, 1211 Genéve 20, 
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