[WSIS CS-Plenary] Fwd: [CS Bureau] Document For Inter-bureau Meeting Tomorrow.

[Robert Guerra]

CIVIL SOCIETY CONTRIBUTIONS TO PREPARATION TOWARDS THE SUMMIT AND BEYOND

Civil society is committed to the implementation of a dynamic, 
content rich, multi stakeholder Summit to conclude the negotiation 
phase of WSIS.

We acknowledge that a lot of progress has been made for Civil Society 
for the first phase of the Summit though ad-hoc and informal, and we 
look forward to continuance of the same Multi-stakeholder 
collaborations.

We have the following feedback on the Geneva Phase of the Summit:

FEEDBACK ON GENEVA SUMMIT

For the first time, Civil Society engagement in a UN World Summit was 
held via the ICT4D platform and Side Events within the same venue 
concurrently with the Governmental sessions. However the following 
where fallouts of this phase:

¢	There were a number of relevant events but due to over laps 
in the Agenda, the number of participants were dismal
¢	There was not a lot of coordination between the ICT4D 
Platform, the Side events and the main session.
¢	The Security measures taken were not shared a forehand or 
known by participants in general. Some of these felt quite strongly 
that their privacy had not been respected.

SUGGESTIONS FOR THE TUNIS SUMMIT

We recommend the following for the Tunis Phase of the WSIS:

¢	Civil Society would like to actively participate in the 
decision-thinking stages of Summit. We would like the 
multi-stakeholder process to be applied consistently throughout the 
planning and implementation processes. We are certain that we have 
valid content input to make, at expert level. Our content is the end 
result of collaborative engagement within civil society groupings, 
including as a plenary. This ensures a diversity of content.
¢	On security, Civil Society is aware of the legitimate 
security concerns around Heads of States and would like its security 
experts to be engaged in security planning to optimise the potential 
for innovative, engaging formats within the Summit. We want to 
contribute to achieving the objective of enlivening the Summit, 
whilst ensuring a secure environment.
We appreciate that the nature of security information captured on 
individuals will be made clear in public ways.
¢	Reduce the level of security barriers separating the ICT 4D 
Platforms - if one is had - and the side events from the main 
sessions particularly for Accredited and Registered participants 
irrespective of their status.
¢	We strongly support the idea of the Geneva format of having 
all events within the same venue but recommend that the main sessions 
and side events should have no security demarcations and are open to 
all accredited and registered participants of the summit.
¢	We would like to avoid the rather sterile environment created 
by the Round Table approach in Geneva, where speakers were often 
nearly alone in the Round Table rooms. We suggest a panel approach, 
with audience and interaction.

We suggest the panel sessions reflect the main themes of the second 
phase of WSIS. However, we see as critical to relevance to the 
public, an intersection between the main themes, which have been 
financing the Digital Divide and Internet Governance, and the 
groupings that have characterised Civil Society families. We believe 
that the civil society's groups are a reflection of society itself 
and that for information age issues to come to life for members of 
broader society, the issues need to be framed in ways that people 
will relate to within the framework of the summit and beyond.

For example:
-	Governance: The impact of Internet Governance on household 
access to the Internet.
-	Financing: Who will be included now? The implications for 
people on the non connected side of the digital divide, of the 
financial plans to close the divide.
-	Capacity Development: What are the mechanisms for capacity 
building and the inclusion and utilisation of groupings such as Youth 
and Volunteers
-	Media in the Info Age: Will my media diet change because of 
the Information Society?
-	What's in it for women? Gender dimensions of the WSIS.

¢	For the selection of side events and speakers in sessions 
Civil Society would like to be included in the structures that are 
set in place to facilitate these and for the Opening Ceremony suggest 
that it be more interactive, including speakers from Civil Society 
and the private sector
¢	There has been limited interaction within WSIS between the 
private sector and civil society and we would like to see this 
interaction happen in a dynamic, interactive way, at the Summit.

For example:
-	A live discussion between actual proponents (as opposed to 
representatives) of Government management of the Internet and Private 
Sector governance of the Internet.

¢	On Summit documents, Civil Society would like to make it 
clear that in the spirit of multi-stakeholder process, we would like 
to have our input reflected in one Summit document/s. However, we 
also reserve the possibility, that should our input not be clearly 
reflected in a multi-stakeholder document, of issuing a separate 
document. In this event, we would like such a document to be 
appended, as in Phase 1 of WSIS, to the Summit Declaration.

In the event of a separate document from Civil society being 
produced, we request a specific time to present this to the 
Government plenary at the Summit.

¢	We want to see clear implementation, monitoring and 
evaluation mechanisms established to ensure that the outcomes of WSIS 
are followed up in a continued multi-stakeholder environment. We 
would like to be equal participants in these mechanisms.
¢	We ask that civil society be informed of logistical 
arrangements relating to the Summit, at the same time as all 
stakeholders. It is important that the Civil Society Bureau be in a 
position to inform the Civil Society Plenary of all decisions that 
impact on the Summit in a timely manner. In this regard we would like 
to know if a decision has already been made on the relative locations 
of Government and Civil Society activities, at the Summit.
¢	The matter of financing Civil Society participation needs to 
be planned and catered for with adequate time to prepare quality 
outcomes. Civil Society participants seek assistance in advance on 
two levels - that of fellowships for attendance and participation; 
for events and projects that will enable innovation in the exhibition 
and parallel event platforms.

OUR VALUE PROPOSITIONS

On our part, we are developing mechanisms that will ensure:
-	quality content in civil society interventions based on 
hands-on experience in the ICT for development arena
-	Working towards a more definite and inclusive knowledge 
society and clearly linking it to other UN processes such as the 
Millennium Development Goals +5. This would also work towards helping 
to raise the profile of the summit within existing UN and 
governmental mechanisms
-	Meaningful and sustainable follow-up and implementation of 
the Geneva Declaration of Principles and Plan of Action (based on the 
multi-stakeholder approach) as is currently on-going within a number 
of civil society groupings and caucuses
-	fair distribution of fellowships for civil society 
participation in Regional Meetings, Prepcom 3 and the Summit itself
-	a planned process for the distribution of over passes for 
civil society members


Contributions to this document came via an informal grouping of the 
CS Bureau. It was drafted by Tracey Naughton (Media Caucus), Viola 
Krebs (Volunteer Family), Titi Akinsanmi (Youth Caucus)

Notes to CS:
Pièce de Website sur l'exécution continuant basée sur D.o.P et AP par 
des groupements de CS...  Nous devrions toujours inclure nos 
propositions de valeur dans nos documents...

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