[WSIS CS-Plenary] Re: oldcomer's angst

[west]

 Dear All,

I think this is an issue that should be raised in the next working group 
discussion to find a solution for it, we are dealing with a UN process and 
according to it rules and procedures, its not an outside UN process, which 
enables everyone's contribution directly or even participation.Only 
accredited entities, we like or not,are allowed to get involved in the 
process and it's very political. I think we did the very correct thing to 
organize ourselves in a way to deal with this bureaucratic process in most 
efficient way possible (and avoid the prepcom 1 mess!!). Accredited entities 
are allowed to cover individuals to attend the meetings, but there is an 
obligation to follow the policy of that entity, which even in case of our 
colleague, she was forced to follow her commitments with Govt. same applies 
for NGOs, if our NGO registered someone, fur sure it will control or direct 
what he/she is saying and it should be in line with general policy of the 
group. Imagine someone registered by a human rights groups and start 
defending the execution law in a UN process.  I still insist on my first 
words, than this is a serious process for all of us and we are using a lot 
of resources, which could be used for other good things, so we should be 
careful for not wasting our limited time and achieve most possible. To my 
personal point of view, opening every debate for every person who joins the 
process, is a very time consuming and we should think of a solution. Govt 
have structure who briefs people before they join a mission, what we have?

We live in reality and a real world, we should face it, like it or not this 
is a UN Inter-Governmental process with all of its characteristics. If 
someone don't like this way of work, should suggest realistic alternates and 
solutions. What we could and should do? come up with recommendations.

regards
Amir

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Vittorio Bertola" <vb at bertola.eu.org>
To: "west" <westasiaregion at hotmail.com>
Cc: "Avri Doria" <avri at acm.org>; "WSIS Plenary" <plenary at wsis-cs.org>; 
<workingmethods at wsis-cs.org>
Sent: Sunday, October 02, 2005 1:48 PM
Subject: oldcomer's angst


> Dear all,
>
> this started as a reply to the Working Methods list, where how to deal 
> with newcomers to the process was being discussed, but as it grew it 
> became a general reflection on where do we go from here, so I'm sharing it 
> with everyone.
>
> west ha scritto:
>> Dear Avri
>>
>> I agree with you in principle, but I should also say that the new comers 
>> should also behave and be more careful when getting into meetings of the 
>> groups who are seriously working on issues for a long time and investing 
>> time , energy, money to do something.
>
> I was not present when the episode you and Avri refer to, so I cannot talk 
> about that specifically. However, now that the PrepCom is finished, I feel 
> the need to share my personal angst towards this kind of view that 
> surfaces every now and then in our discussion: the idea that civil society 
> meetings are "meetings of the groups who are seriously working on issues 
> for a long time", and everyone else who shows up in the room is, by 
> definition, a nuisance to them that needs to be "damage controlled".
>
> At this PrepCom, I missed many of the Civil Society gatherings. I did so 
> not because I wanted to, but because my only practicable option to attend 
> the PrepCom was to get my government fund me, and my government accepted 
> provided that they get help back from me, which means, having me attend 
> drafting groups and other meetings on their behalf. So, I quite often had 
> other commitments I could not skip, overlapping with civil society 
> meetings.
>
> However, I fought hard to be able to attend the Plenary session where the 
> new Charter of the Plenary was being discussed. I had already voiced my 
> concerns to the mailing lists, and I was looking forward to a discussion 
> in person. So I went there, I sat, and when the agenda item came, I 
> listened to some speakers, then I thought of raising my hand, and I 
> waited... I waited... I waited... and then the Chair said "we don't have 
> time to hear all comments, so let's stop speaking: are you in favour of 
> adopting this document? yes? (show of hands) ok, fine, approved".
>
> The Chair did not even bother to ask whether there was anyone contrary in 
> the room. I would have voted against, but I couldn't: apparently, voting 
> in favour was the only allowed option.
>
> Personally, I found my government delegation much more friendly and open 
> to me and my ideas than the official civil society structures outside of 
> the IG Caucus. While keeping a lot of respect for people that work hard 
> for substantial objectives that I share, I find their procedural approach 
> bureaucratic, exclusionary, obsolete, illegitimate, and closed minded.
>
> Especially when you talk about the Internet, people are not used at 
> Bureaus, accreditations, and the likes. When we tried them, they 
> substantially failed. If anyone thinks that they can be used as a model 
> for civil society participation in Internet Governance, think again. 
> Internet activists are used to subscribing to a mailing list and speaking 
> up freely without having to explain which NGO they belong to - if any, as 
> usually there's none. Trying to push this kind of approach onto a well 
> established and lively community of this nature will only create an 
> insanable fraction inside civil society.
>
> Now, according to the new charter, I will have no voting rights in the 
> Plenary from now on. I must confess that I don't really feel like 
> attending Plenary meetings any more. I would like to have a more 
> constructive message, as I did plenty of times in the past, but I 
> exhausted my options and my energy.
>
> But I don't think that any statement coming out of this kind of processes 
> can in any way be said to represent civil society.
>
> Regards,
> -- 
> vb.             [Vittorio Bertola - v.bertola [a] bertola.eu.org]<-----
> http://bertola.eu.org/  <- Prima o poi...
>