AW: Re: [WSIS CS-Plenary] Statement - To be read at WSIS/ITU informal planning

[Robert Guerra]

Wolfgang:

I like the idea of an observatory, and would be keen to develop it 
further.

However, i'd like to point out that UNESCO already has had an 
Observatory on the information society for some time ..
<http://www.unesco.org/webworld/observatory/>


Would we want to expand it, make it more comprehensive? or create 
another body altogether?

While we try to elaborate that, we should also lobby to obtain one of 
the recomendations put forward by the Human Rights caucus in it's 
"Statement on Human Rights, Human Dignity and the Information Society"
<http://www.hri.ca/WSIS/html/position_Hrights.htm>

Specifically,

...establishment, within the procedures of the Commission on
Human Rights or its Sub-Commission, of a position of Special Rapporteur
on Human Rights and the Information Society, with a mandate to monitor
developments in this area, including threats to privacy, freedom of
expression, freedom from surveillance, and applications of ICT to the
realization of economic, social and cultural rights and to human rights
education and recommend measures conducive to advancing human rights in
the information society.


regards,

Robert

--On Sunday, February 22, 2004 9:30 PM +0100 wolfgang at imv.au.dk wrote:

> Dear al,
>
> there are some concrete proposals in the CS Declaration like an
> internaitonal convention against information warfare or a convention
> for cultural diversity. One key proposal was the launching of an
> independent WSIS "Observatory".
>
> The idea with the observatory was to have a multistakeholder network
> which could be something like a "clearinghouse" or, probably, also a
> "watchdog". The proposal was to evaluate internaitonal conventions and
> the work of existing intergovernmental and other organisations how the
> match with the WSIS principles.
>
> The "Obervatory" proposal is a little bit different from the proposed
> "Annual Benchmarking" report of the WSIS Action plan, but does no
> conflict. In fact, it is complementary.
>
> To base a short statement in Tunis on this already formulated
> observatory proposal could be useful.
>