AW: [WSIS CS-Plenary] Re: [CS Bureau] Next GFC Meetings

[richard jordan]

Hello, list, Richard Jordan here in NY where for the last two days NGOs, private sector and civil society representatives participated, along with Member States, many at the Ambassadorial level, in the Informal Interactive General Assembly hearings on the Millennium +5 Summit for September here in NY.

The current President of the GA, Jean Ping of Gabon, stated that such hearings would become part of the institutionalized process of the UN -- whether or not he could say this unilaterally, I am not sure, but the opening plenary of the hearings was presided over by the GA President, the Deputy Secratary-General, and Chen Jina, Under-secretary-General for General Assembly affairs. 

The closing was presided over by Mr. Ping, Chen Jian, and Kofi Annan, and the outcome document will be issued as a formal General Assembly document.

Over 200 persons spoke, not including Member States, over 1000 registered from all over the world.

Point being: this should be used from now on as a point for genuine NGO-civil society inclusion in the Tunis phase. 

A Nepalese NGO brought up ICT, but I did not sit through all the hearings, so i am not sure if there were others on ICT and IT.

Cheers, Richard Jordan
----- Original Message -----
From: "Wolfgang Kleinwächter" <wolfgang.kleinwaechter at medienkomm.uni-halle.de>
To: plenary at wsis-cs.org, "CONGO - Philippe Dam" <wsis at iprolink.ch>, plenary at wsis-cs.org, "bureau wsis" <bureau at wsis-cs.org>
Subject: AW: [WSIS CS-Plenary] Re: [CS Bureau] Next GFC Meetings
Date: Sat, 25 Jun 2005 08:29:07 +0200

> 
> 
> Dier List,
> 
> if CS is excluded officially from the GFC, we should write an 
> official letter of protest to both Mr. Karkelins and Mr. Utsumi 
> (probably also to Mr. Annan), arguing, that while we recognize the 
> intergovernmental nature of the WSIS process, we insist, that 
> principle 1 of the WSIS Declaration of Principles has to be 
> implemented by all sides, and in particular by governments.
> 
> Principle 1 reads :
> 
> "1)    The role of governments and all stakeholders in the 
> promotion of ICTs for development
> 
> 1.        Governments, as well as private sector, civil society and 
> the United Nations and other international organizations have an 
> important role and responsibility in the development of the 
> Information Society and, as appropriate, in decision-making 
> processes. Building a people-centred Information Society is a joint 
> effort which requires cooperation and partnership among all 
> stakeholders."
> 
> 
> 
> Principle 1 says clearly, that CS has to be included into policy 
> development and, as appropriate, also in the decision making 
> processes. While we recognize, that in this phase, when we move 
> towards a decision making process, it can be not appropriate, that 
> CS is included (but even this is a questionsmark), we call for our 
> "right to be informed" which is part of Article 19 of the Univeral 
> Declaration of Human Rights. We can refer to the WGIG practice, 
> where "closed sessions" has been open for "onlookers", that is 
> parties who have a special interest but have no right to speak. The 
> practicie worked and did not underminde the efficiency of the work 
> of the group.
> 
> 
> 
> It would be a great step backwards, a violation of the WSIS 
> principles by the governments and a provocation which could lead to 
> (unwanted) alternative actions in the preperation of the Tunis 
> summit which could undermine the constructive involvement of all 
> stakeholders bnoth in further development of the WSIS process and 
> the implementation of the Plan of Action. And it would be in sharp 
> contrast to the emerging spirit of mutual trust and cooperation.
> 
> 
> 
> The letter should be signed officially by the President of the CS 
> Bureau and the Spokespersons we have elected during PrepCom2.
> 
> 
> 
> Best
> 
> 
> 
> wolfgang
> 
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