[WSIS CS-Plenary] further comments on Global Alliance

[richard jordan]

Rik, Could not find the consultation. Where is it? Richard J.

----- Original Message -----
From: "Rik Panganiban" <rikp at earthlink.net>
To: governance at lists.cpsr.org, plenary at wsis-cs.org
Subject: [WSIS CS-Plenary] further comments on Global Alliance
Date: Mon, 11 Apr 2005 10:48:00 -0700 (PDT)

> 
> Dear Friends,
> 
> The following are my remarks at the Global Alliance consultation 
> that took place this morning at the UN.  They elaborate upon 
> previous comments that I have made on the Alliance, but perhaps 
> might be useful to some people.
> 
> - Rik
> 
> ==========================================
> 
> Global Alliance Recommendations
> 11 April 2005
> Rik Panganiban, Communications Coordinator,
> Conference of NGOs in consultative relationship with the United 
> Nations (CONGO)
> 
> 
> CONGO is pleased to have an opportunity to again express its views 
> on the purpose, structure and modus operandi of the proposed Global 
> Alliance for ICT Policy and Development.  We view positively the 
> fresh approach taken to following up on the WSIS as well as 
> integrating ICTs into the larger UN development agenda.  And we are 
> happy that there will be other opportunities for us to intervene in 
> the coming weeks after the UN ICT Task Force Meeting in Dublin this 
> week.
> 
> 
> 1. For us, the main purpose of having a Global Alliance is to 
> create a mechanism with the overall objective of moving more 
> effectively from goal and standard setting to implementation. Such 
> a follow-up mechanism should be established under the auspices of 
> the UN Secretary General to avoid its mandate being hijacked by any 
> group of actors, with a real multistakeholder partnership character 
> in which civil society has significant weight.
> 
> 2. It is important to recall that the main intent of traditional 
> Commissions following UN summits is to provide a  forum for 
> governments to come together periodically to report on their 
> progress in achieving the goals the committed to at the Summit. 
> NGOs traditionally attend the commission meetings to express their 
> own views on how governments are doing, to network with each other 
> and to promote their own projects related to the issue area.
> 
>   3. While the Commission process has done much to promote 
> continued NGO participation in the UN system and been an important 
> vehicle for promoting our ideas and proposals, there are definite 
> disadvantages as well. Notably, Commissions are often weak 
> mechanisms for getting governments to comply with their own 
> commitments. NGOs often are lost among the hundreds of groups that 
> show up. And the meetings are expensive and difficult for groups in 
> the developing world to attend.
> 
>   4. The purpose of the Global Alliance – to promote ICTs to 
> achieve the UN development agenda – will require a much more 
> concerted effort to get governments, in partnership with civil 
> society and the private sector, to create sound policies to 
> implement this integrated vision. An annual report to a Commission 
> meeting is not enough.
> 
>   5. One possibility is for the Global Alliance to establish a 
> central online observatory to monitor how governments around the 
> world are doing on achieving the WSIS and Millennium goals. 
> Government provided data would be presented alongside international 
> monitoring and reporting bodies like UNDP and the World Bank. NGOs 
> and the private sector could present their own reports on what is 
> happening on the ground and their recommendations for governments. 
> Thus year-round, there would be an ongoing monitoring and reporting 
> website where anyone could examine where various regions were at 
> and see where more concerted action was needed.
> 
>   6. Once a year, the Global Alliance could convene in one of the 
> developing regions of the world (Asia, Africa, Latin America, 
> Central / Eastern Europe) to bring concerted attention and support 
> to the unique problems and issues of that region. Emphasis at the 
> meeting would be capacity building for government policy makers, 
> NGO activists, and business entrepreneurs in the region to 
> jumpstart development using ICTs.
> 
> These are just a couple of ideas that may help focus our 
> discussions on what the concrete contributions of the Global 
> Alliance might be. Thank you for the opportunity to contribute to 
> this discussion, and we reiterate our willingness to assist the 
> Task Force as it further refines the concept of the Global Alliance.
> 
> 
> ===============================================
> 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
> 
> * Information on the WSIS at http://www.ngocongo.org/wsis
> * Information on Millennium+5 at http://www.ngocongo.org/mdg
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