[WSIS CS-Plenary] Re Intersessionalo Negotiations Group

[conchita poncini]

This morning, we had a briefing with the Chair of the WSISII Prepcom.  This briefing will be daily from 9:15-10:00. We were told that it was a close meeting.  Nevertheless some of us were able enter the gallery.  However, this afternoon, when we were about to go to the gallery, we were told by the person responsible for checking entry that we were now allowed to enter the main room.

We also had a briefing from the ( U.K) and the Netherlands on behalf of the European Union.  This will also take place daily after the session 6:00 p.m.

I attended the whole morning session and part of the afternoon one.  Philippe Dam reported on these..

The Chair announced that tomorrow he will start first with the discussion of Chapter 2 and then proceed with what the rest of the Chapeau and what was  pending agreement on the Chapeau.  

I wish to provide my own general comments on what I felt were issues that were contentious. 

The first one was on Para. 4.  To find a balance between "freedom ôf expression" and  freedom of the media.  Onthe phrase of the text "editorially independent media in the information society".  China asked the iquestion "what is the "media" and proposed to delete it. The Chair recalled that the media was discussed at great length in the Geneva Phase and is in the Geneva Declaration of Principles.

Para. 9 on leading role of governments in patnership with other stakeholders, the Chair after listening to the many comments, took note that many wanted to see that governments play a leading role.  In line with this, the Chair proposed the following rewording,  "We reaffirm the role of each stakeholder as outlined in Para.3 of the Geneva POA.  Egypt wanted to insert after "role" the phrase "and responsibility", which the Chair felt was a good proposal and will incorporate it in the text to be submitted tomorrow..  

On the proposal of the Chair to delete Paras3-5, Norway made a long statement to support keeping para4 this on grounds that a knowledge-based society is recognized as being the key to development, which was endorsed by U.S., Egypt, Canada.

Paras 32 and 33 on the issue of trade, the Chair wanted to delete all parasm referring to this as being outside the purview of WSIS.   However,  Honduras (G77)  and Egypt expressed that there was a tight relationship between Trade and Development and ICT and many paras were in fact found in the Geneva text.. Canada was of the view that the first sentence of para 32 was certainly not for the Group to negotiate since comprehensive financial strategy that covers debt sustainability as it was within the mandate of the Finance Ministry.  It was howevere prepared to agree to 32 and 33 without this first sentence.  U.S.was prepared to look at 33..

Paras 34 and 35, Thailand wanted to make certain that cultural diversity be kept.  Egypt mentioned that UNESCO just adopted a Convention on Cultural Diversity which should be relected here as regards promotion and protetion of cultural diversity.  Mexico wanted to insert "indigenous language and the U.S. and Norway agreed that indigenous and cultural diversity should be in the language of the document.  The Chair at this late hour of the evening plead for flexibility on the part of Thailand and U.S. to accept 34.and delete  35 incorporating in 34 the two concepts of indigenous.and culotural divdersity.

The session ended at this point.

Conchita
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