[WSIS CS-Plenary] FYI - Canadian Civil Society - WSIS Communiqué

[Robert Guerra]

English -  http://www.privaterra.org/activities/wsis/blog/canadian- 
civil-society-communiqu--.html
French - http://www.privaterra.org/activities/wsis/blog/ 
Paver_la_voie_de_Tunis.html


NEWS RELEASE
June 16, 2005
Ottawa--Canada should take global leadership in the promotion of  
Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) as a universal and  
affordable public good. This is one of the recommendations included  
in the Communiqué released today by representatives of the Canadian  
Civil Society that participated in the conference Paving the Road to  
Tunis – World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) II: The Views  
of Canada's Civil Society on the Geneva Plan of Action and the  
Prospects for Phase II organized by the Canadian Commission for  
UNESCO in May.

Representatives of civil society released the communiqué after  
spending the last weeks finalizing the document so it would include  
their major concerns pertaining to ICTs and traditional media. The  
communiqué introduces their vision and expectations in the building  
of an information society in Canada and around the world. (The full  
text of the communiqué is attached.)

The document includes sections on Human Rights, Freedom of Expression  
and Diversity; Affordability and Accessibility; Gender Equality;  
Persons with Disabilities; Indigenous Peoples; Cultural and  
Linguistic Diversity; Privacy; Access to Knowledge; Education and the  
Information Society; Internet Governance; Financing Mechanisms; Free  
& Open Source Software (FLOSS); and Partnerships.

The communiqué will be distributed through the Canadian networks of  
the organizations represented at the Winnipeg conference and at the  
international level, through the diverse civil society caucuses  
established within the WSIS structure. The Canadian Commission for  
UNESCO will also include the document as a part of the Winnipeg  
conference published proceedings that will be distributed at the 33rd  
UNESCO General Conference in October in Paris and at the World Summit  
in Tunis in November.

The conference Paving the Road to Tunis took place from May 13-15 in  
Winnipeg and brought together 200 participants from all provinces and  
territories to discuss issues related to building information  
societies in Canada. The conference was a preparatory meeting for the  
second phase of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS)
that will take place in November in Tunisia. The first phase of WSIS  
took place in Geneva in December 2003.
The role of the Canadian Commission for UNESCO is to act as a forum  
for governments and civil society, and to mobilize the participation  
of Canadian organizations and committed individuals in UNESCO's  
mandated areas: education, natural and social sciences, culture and  
communication and information.
-30-
Contact persons:
Pauline Dugré, Communication and Information Programme Officer,  
Canadian Commission for UNESCO, 613.566.4414 ext. 4558 or  
1.800.263.5588 ext. 4558
Robert Guerra, Civil society Drafting Group Facilitator, CPSR, 
+1.416.893.0377. rguerra at privaterra.org





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