[WSIS CS-Plenary] UNICT TF => Global Alliance => CS-PS dialogue

Sun Feb 20 18:11:57 GMT 2005

Hi,

Thanks Rik for this reminder, especially since the meeting is not listed on the WSIS side-event page http://www.itu.int/wsis/preparatory2/pc2/parallel/index.html.  Perhaps it should be added that while the room is reserved for three hours, the meeting has a pretty minimalist agenda and hence is likely to be shorter---there will only be brief opening remarks, and then discussion for as long as people want to talk.  So anyone thinking of popping in might want to shoot for the 10-11am range, or they could arrive and find things are breaking up or even over.

Also on the subject of meetings not listed on the side-event page (not my doing or preference), another reminder related to my original message below.  There will be a meeting on Wednesday 23rd from 13:00-15:00 in room XXII on promoting dialogue between civil society and the private sector.  The agenda for this one is as follows:

1. Procedural and institutional issues regarding the conduct of ICT global policymaking, e.g. the importance of transparency, accountability and inclusion (most notably, the participation of PS and CS actors):

a) within the context of WSIS
b) within the broader global policy arena (e.g. ITU, OECD, etc...)

2. Substantive issues where CS and the PS may have common or divergent perspectives, separating:

a) the "low hanging fruit," e.g. issues like freedom of speech and open standards where some broad concordance of view is likely
b) the more difficult issues where we probably disagree on some things, e.g. trade and intellectual property.

3. How CS and PS could build out a dialogue going forward, in particular making sure that we don't get bogged down or locked into legacy dynamics from WSIS---the need to look beyond.

Hope interested people will attend.

Best,

Bill

PS:  Also, anyone interested in ICT4Peace is invited to http://www.ict4peace.org/meeting_EN/ Tuesday 22nd, 12-1pm, room XI.

  -----Original Message-----
  From: plenary-admin at wsis-cs.org [mailto:plenary-admin at wsis-cs.org]On Behalf Of Rik Panganiban
  Sent: Friday, February 18, 2005 8:27 PM
  To: plenary at wsis-cs.org
  Cc: Governance
  Subject: Re: [WSIS CS-Plenary] UNICT TF => Global Alliance (WSIS side meeting, Feb. 21)

  Further to the message from Bill Drake about the open consultation on the Global Alliance, on Monday February 21, from 10:00-13:00 in Salle XXI, Palais des Nations.

  There is a background note posted on the UN ICT TF, which I reproduce below.

  Rik Panganiban
  CONGO
  ---------------------------------------------------------------------------

  Global Alliance for ICT Policy and Development
  Note on issues for stakeholder consideration

  The UN Millennium Summit, the G8 Digital Opportunity Task Force (DOT-Force), the UN ICT Task Force, the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS), and others, have launched a process of bringing stakeholders from government, business and civil society together for global policy debate on the Millennium Development Goals and ICT policy and development. A truly effective and sustainable collaboration among the principal stakeholders will be essential for follow up after the end of the mandate of the UN ICT Task Force and the completion of MS + 5 and WSIS-Tunis in 2005 if the potential of ICT to promote development is to be effectively harnessed.

  Indeed, recent discussions, including those within the context of the WSIS, have reiterated the need to sustain and strengthen substantive dialogue in a global, multi-stakeholder, open, inclusive and transparent manner. The concept of an open global platform has also been raised within the UN ICT Task Force, and the Secretary General of the United Nations, endorsing such a global networking approach, has asked the Task Force to develop, in consultation with all stakeholders, concrete proposals for a global alliance on ICT policy and development.

  At this stage it is probably not feasible to outline the precise features of any global alliance that may emerge. The note therefore does not reflect any position of the UN ICT Task Force or its members but suggests some issues for consideration and poses some questions to be asked all relevant stakeholders
  . 
  In designing the concept and modalities of a global alliance issues and questions will most likely center on the global context, the window of opportunity, mission and value add, modus operandi, membership, governance, and funding, and the relationship with MS+5, WSIS and the United Nations of any emerging entity - all posed via rigorous critical analysis of prior experience and in open consultation. 

  Global Context – With the Millennium Project and the Millennium Summit + 5 the international community will this year lend unprecedented focus to the issues of poverty and security confronting the developing world, but many regions, groups and economies are falling short of the internationally agreed development goals

  If the Millennium Development Goals provide the compass, what policies and changes are needed to unleash the ubiquitous, adaptable and increasingly cost effective nature of ICTs to chart an accelerated course toward their achievement by 2015?

  Window of opportunity – The coincidence of MS+5 and WSIS provides a unique and virtuous opportunity to develop policy approaches, to identify bottlenecks and gaps and build bridges, and to strengthen synergies and inter-linkages between the ICT and the broader development community.

  Post-2005, how can an open and credible platform be created post-2005 to keep ICT at the forefront of the global political and development agenda, avoiding a damaging policy hiatus, and taking advantage of a truly catalytic opportunity for achieving the MDGs?

  Mission and Value Add – Any kind of global alliance for ICT policy and development must necessarily build upon previous initiatives and demonstrate complementarity with and value added to existing efforts in addressing substantive issues, drawing upon the outcomes of MS+5 and WSIS.

  Will the key to success for a global alliance lie in filling the need for an open, global, multi-stakeholder platform, a “think tank” for cross-sector policy debate on key cross-cutting issues related to ICT policy and development? Should it offer a flexible framework for pre-consensus and inclusive debate on policy issues difficult to discuss elsewhere, further strengthening existing knowledge networks, as well as permitting a structured exchange of experience about monitoring progress in programmes and plans of action emerging from MS+5 and WSIS? What types of framework can be considered for a meaningful dialogue among stakeholders on substantive policy issues?

  Modus operandi, membership, governance, funding – An ICT global alliance should by its nature employ the revolutionary collaborative methods of the Internet but also be an effective advocacy platform at the highest levels of policy making. Membership of recent innovative global alliance models has been fully open and transparent to multi-stakeholder participation. Meanwhile, any global alliance must be adequately resourced from the time of its launch.

  Will the optimum mix for a global alliance be periodic high level and face-to-face interaction supported by online means? Should openness and transparency be its fundamental guiding principal? Would an appropriate and equitable funding strategy be one based, for example, on the principle of ability to pay? 

  Relationship with MS+5, WSIS and the United Nations – It is strategically important to align the MS+5 and WSIS output and a number of options are currently under discussion for the follow-up mechanisms to both summits. Meanwhile, a global alliance could be direct initiative of the United Nations Secretary-General for an open, multi-stakeholder platform for ICT policy and development within the declared timeframe of the Millennium Development Goals.

  What are the mechanisms and elements that can be identified to bring together the ICT and broader development communities that can lead to an alignment of interests in MS+5 and WSIS outputs? What should be the short, medium and long-term relationship of a global alliance with the United Nations and its member organizations? 

  Your input on these and other relevant issues will be very much appreciated. Please address your comments to [icttaskforce at un dot org]

  On Feb 4, 2005, at 2:06 PM, William Drake wrote:

    Hi Karen,

    (I'm having a problem posting to the governance list. Could you please
    forward this there?)

    The UNICT Task Force is considering a follow-up mechanism for when the TF's
    mandate has concluded. The idea under discussion is to launch an open,
    multistakeholder Global Alliance on ICT policy and development issues (there
    are various proposals on the name, unresolved). The secretariat held a
    small brainstorming meeting in New York a few weeks ago at which we
    developed various ideas on substance and modalities, and these and other
    inputs are to be discussed next by the TF bureau Feb 14.

    There will be an open consultation meeting on the global alliance concept
    during PrepCom 2. The session will be Monday 21, from 10:00-13:00, I'm told
    in in Salle XXI of the Palais (don't think it's on the website yet). Amb.
    Karklins has agreed to participate, and Mr. Ocampo may participate. Civil
    society people are very much encouraged to attend and weigh in on this.

    Separately, since the UNICT meeting in Berlin, there has been some
    discussion among a group of civil society and private sector people about
    the potential value of some ongoing dialogue between the two sides on global
    ICT policy matters in WSIS and beyond---clarifying areas of agreement and
    disagreement, etc. on substantive and procedural/institutional matters.
    This could be linked to the global alliance concept, or it could be a
    separate activity; it's an entirely fluid concept at present, which was part
    of why I suggested we might want to briefly address the general question of
    follow up mechanisms in the meeting on the 15th. Anyway, here too there's a
    need for an open consultation to see what people think. That is the lunch
    meeting currently penciled in for 23rd.

    Presumably, when both meetings are fully nailed down there will be formal
    announcements, but since everyone's schedules are filling up it's good to
    get these dates on the table now.

    Cheers,

    Bill

      -----Original Message-----
      From: karen banks [mailto:karenb at gn.apc.org]
      Sent: Thursday, February 03, 2005 1:00 PM
      To: Governance
      Subject: RE: [governance] Re: [WSIS CS-Plenary] Re: WGIG - Caucuses
      meeting?

      bill

        *A discussion of possible post-WGIG/WSIS institutional reforms/additions
        that could address, on an open global multistakeholder basis, holistic
        approaches and the horizontal institutional issues. There will be a
        meeting, probably on the 21st, on the proposed Global Alliance

      successor to

        the UNICT TF, and there are various other ideas floating around about
        reforms/new arrangements, the potential interrelationships of which are
        unclear. It might be useful to have at least a brief discussion on
        strategic orientations toward such initiatives.

      as we're trying to confirm dates of second meeting, can you
      clarify re the
      above? is this different to the informal meeting proposed by
      ayesha between
      CS and CCBI now penciled for lunch on 23rd? can you send more details - i
      don't see it in posts around the global alliance..

      karen

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  ===============================================
  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 
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