[WSIS CS-Plenary] Submitting comments/documents - Procedural comment...

[Robert Guerra]

Jean-Louis :

Looking at the WSIS phase I site, i too don't see the CS documents we  
produced.

Even though the document was handed, in person, to the Swiss  
president - was it officially submitted on behalf of an accredited CS  
organization? If not, then it might explain it.

Another document that also hasn't been posted at all, anywhere, is  
the bureau-2-bureau document formulated at PrepCom 2 (Tunis phase).  
Despite assurances that it would be posted by the WSIS ES, i do not  
think any NGO that forms part of the CSB officially submitted it. So,  
despite assurances (again) - a key document is missing (again)

Thus, the point is clear - CS can not just rely on assurances that  
our contributions will be posted on the "official UN" WSIS website.

The reason I raise the point is that we need to make sure that does  
not happen again. If CS groups, or an NGO want its documents to be  
included as an "official" contribution, then the "official" process  
for document submission has to be followed. The process is defined in  
Rule # 57 of the rules of procedure of the summit & prepcom.  An  
excerpt is below..

Consequently, my recommendation as member of the CSB is as follows:

If a CS caucus, working group or ad-hoc group wants to have a  
document appear as an official contribution to the prepcom and/or  
summit then the document should to be submitted (Email: wsis- 
contributions at itu.int) on behalf of one or more ALREADY accredited  
NGOs. Following this process will enable submitted documents to be  
listed under "contributions by NGOS" and not under "miscellaneous  
input" .

A possible scenario:

- At PrepCom 3, references to privacy become weak or disappear all  
together. The  privacy and security working group huddles, reacts,  
and develops a revised  paragraph that not only introduces the  
dropped references, but also adds a reference to an existing UN  
instrument that states that govts have already agreed & committed to  
something..

Next steps:

1. Start lobbying govts for it to be introduced. This includes, but  
is not limited to asking a government to table/introduce the new  
paragraph.

                         AND

2. As the privacy and security working group is not "an accredited  
entity" , but instead a "grouping of accredited entities" - it SHOULD  
ALSO submit it's proposal to the wsis ES (email address above) . How  
can it do so? Well, one or more of the members of the Working group  
submit the document "on behalf of" the working group. It's that easy


3. During the next revision of the draft document. New proposals will  
be listed, as well as the source where the text came from. If CS  
submitted it, then it gets listed as coming from the group and/or NGO  
in question.


Is this process new? No. If you look at the documents contributed to  
PC 3 you will notice that the Internet Governance Caucus has had it's  
texts and responses submitted on behalf of one or more of the  
accredited NGOs that are members.

In summary : I can't stress how important it is to follow the  
procedure that has been established. If we do follow it, we have  
grounds to launch  an official protest. If we don't follow  
procedure , then all we can do is complain - to no avail.


regards

Robert



Rules of procedure - Summit
http://www.itu.int/dms_pub/itu-s/md/03/wsis/doc/S03-WSIS-DOC-0002!! 
PDF-E.pdf

[snipped]

Rule 55
Representatives of non-governmental organizations, civil society and  
business sector entities

1. Non-governmental organizations, civil society and business sector  
entities accredited to participate in the Summit may designate  
representatives to sit as observers at public meetings of the Summit  
and its committees.

2. Upon the invitation of the presiding officer of the body concerned  
and subject to the approval of that body, such observers may make  
oral statements on questions in which they have special competence.  
If the number of requests to speak is too large, the nongovernmental  
organizations, civil society and business sector entities shall be  
requested to form themselves into constituencies, such constituencies  
to speak through spokespersons.

[snipped]


Rule 57
Written statements
Written statements submitted by the designated representatives  
referred to in rules 51 to 56 shall be distributed by the secretariat  
to all delegations in the quantities and in the language in which the  
statements are made available to it at the site of the Summit,  
provided that a statement submitted on behalf of a non-governmental  
organization or any other actor from civil society or from the  
business sector is related to the work of the Summit and is on a  
subject in which the non-governmental organization, the civil society  
or the business sector entity has a special competence.











regards,

Robert

--
Robert Guerra <rguerra at privaterra.org>
Managing Director, Privaterra <http://www.privaterra.org>





On 29-Aug-05, at 5:18 AM, Jean-Louis FULLSACK wrote:

> Dear Elisabeth and all
>
> The CS "alternative declaration of Geneva" is actually "posted on  
> the official WSIS website", but this doesn't give it the status of  
> an official WSIS document !
>
> The most compelling proof is that "our" Declaration isn't attached  
> to the two official ones when the latter are sent to official (e.g.  
> the EU) and other entities.
>
> As far as I remember, this inclusion in the "oficial WSIS doc  
> package" of our Declaration was originally asked for by the CS but  
> not followed by the WSIS Executive Secretariat. I even wonder if  
> the CS Bureau ever did what needed to be done for demanding this  
> inclusion !
>
> Best regards
>
> Jean-Louis Fullsack
>
>
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