[WSIS CS-Plenary] ITU reform and WSIS - CS
Dr. Francis MUGUET
muguet at mdpi.org
Sat Jan 28 01:03:05 GMT 2006
Dear Jean-Louis, Parminder et al.
I will be quite brief , and frankly I had not enough time
to study this very complex and important issue where Jean-Louis
is the leading CS expert. I have full confidence he will be able to
submit complete and thorough suggestions towards
drafting a CS declaration with other people.
The idea of Parminder of CS declaration is excellent, in advance
I would support its content.
Therefore I would only suggest short suggestions on
some focused issues that I would try to post
beforing catching a plane tomorrow and be incommunicado
for a while past rhe deadline. Comments are welcome to
correct things before I post.
---- 1/ ITU be organized like other other agency : one secretary general
clearly responsible, no other elected officials with equal power,
which are creating local feudalities that are fighting one another,
paralyzing the system.
Q: May be this reform will be good, may be not for CS ?
---- 2/ All iTU events that are examining WSIS recommendations and issues
should be open free of charge to all WSIS accredited NGOs.
Furthermore ITU should provide some travel grants to LDCs
representatives that
shall be managed at the procedural level with the Civil Society Bureau
( meaning no parachuted VIP there or "conocidos",
but people that have been really involved previously in advocacy at the
WSIS )
---- 3/ The ITU should open a new category of members : NGO observers
with no
charges. All WSIS accredited NGOs; upon request, should be automatically
included in this new category
( this would make point 2 seemingly redundant,
but it is not, attendance is automatic , inclusion in the new
category is
by request, and travel grants are mentioned )
---- 4/ All ITU publications and spectifications should be Open Access.
Of course ITU could still sell printed copies. ITU is co-responsible of the
C3 action lines and e-sciences !! .
This has been already noted by Parminder but Open Access is recommended
more than once :
Declaration of Princple
<http://www.itu.int/wsis/docs/geneva/official/dop.html> :
B3 Access to information and knowledge
28. We strive to promote universal access with equal opportunities for
all to scientific knowledge and the creation and dissemination of
scientific and technical information, *including open access initiatives
for scientific publishing.*
Plan of Action <http://www.itu.int/wsis/docs/geneva/official/poa.html> :
C3. Access to information and knowledge
10 *Encourage initiatives to facilitate access, including free and
affordable access to open access journals and books, and open archives
for scientific information.*
C7. ICT applications: benefits in all aspects of life
22. E-science
b) Promote electronic publishing, differential pricing and *open access
initiatives to make scientific information affordable and accessible in
all countries * on an equitable basis.
*c) Promote the use of peer-to-peer technology to share scientific
knowledge and pre-prints and reprints written by scientific authors who
have waived their right to payment.*
All those recommendations for Open Access were the results of the
advocay of the WSIS-SI group.
---- 5/ The ITU should promote awarenes of *free software*
according to :
C3. Access to information and knowledge
10 e) Encourage research and promote awareness among all stakeholders of
the possibilities offered by different software models, and the means of
their creation, including proprietary, open-source and *free software*,
in order to increase competition, freedom of choice and affordability,
and to enable all stakeholders to evaluate which solution best meets
their requirements.
10 j)Support research and development of the design of useful
instruments for all stakeholders to foster increased awareness,
assessment, and evaluation of *different software models and licences*,
so as to ensure an optimal choice of appropriate software that will best
contribute to achieving development goals within local conditions.
All those recommendations for Free Software were the results of the
advocay of the WSIS-PCT group
---- 6/ The initiative "Connect the World" by ITU should abide and
promote those recommendations outlined in 4 and 5
Best regards
Francis
>
>
> Therefore I'll put these last proposals to the ITU Reform dedicated
> website ; they will be in french for obvious reasons. I hope you'll
> read them and give your opinion each one. Maybe CS will be able at
> last to demonstrate a common understanding and to propose a common
> text to be submitted to the next ITU Council, or even better, to the
> next Plenipotentiary Conference which takes place in November in
> Antalya (Turquey), because this is the place where essential decisions
> can be taken as it is the case for CS membership in the ITU.
>
The problem is that those decisions will be taken when the Civil Society
could not assist as for the
*World Telecommunication Development Conference
7 to 15 March 2006 (Doha, Qatar) *
which is to going the play the role of a Prepcom to Antalya.
Best regards
Francis
> Best regards
>
> Jean-Louis Fullsack
>
>
>
>
>
>
> > Message du 26/01/06 16:11
> > De : "Parminder"
> > A : plenary at wsis-cs.org
> > Copie à : governance at lists.cpsr.org
> > Objet : [WSIS CS-Plenary] ITU reform and WSIS - CS
> >
> >
>
>
>
> Hi Everybody,
>
>
>
> Philippe, thanks for the information on ITU meeting on possible
> reform vis-à-vis WSIS.
>
>
>
> I think this is an important time for WSIS – CS to take up some
> important post WSIS advocacy work.
>
>
>
> ITU lobbied hard to be the main body for WSIS implementation, and
> has been able to get itself named as ‘possible coordinator’ for
> most of the action lines. ( see Annex to Tunis agenda). So it is
> important for us to watch now how ITU acts, and reforms. And
> though its membership policies have been quite exclusionary for
> CS, by taking up WSIS implementation roles ITU has certainly made
> itself accountable to the CS associated with the WSIS (and outside).
>
>
>
> So, I went to the link in your mail for open online consultation
> and found only one message posted there. Since the physical
> processes of the ITU meeting will be closed to us, we need to use
> the online platform to voice our concerns.
>
>
>
> Yesterday, I posted the following message on the online
> consultation but I still do not find it listed after 24 hours (the
> consultation is moderated). So I thought I will share it with the
> list.
>
>
>
> (posting begins)
>
> I am unable to understand how does ITU reconcile its role in
> initiating and hosting the WSIS, and also being the 'possible
> moderator' of the action line on 'access to information and
> knowledge' (tunis agenda), with complete non-compliance of the
> WSIS recommendation on 'access to information and knowledge'.
>
>
>
> The relevant part of Geneva Pan of Action (10 i) reads -
> 'Encourage initiatives to facilitate access, including free and
> affordable access to open access journals and books, and open
> archives for scientific information.'
>
>
>
> ITU publications which are of great value for organizations like
> ours that do research on ICT and ICTD issues are not only priced,
> the prices are exorbitant.
>
>
>
> Even a download of the WSIS Stock-taking report, prepared from
> information gathered 'free' from various stakeholders on various
> WSIS related initiatives is priced.
>
> (ends)
>
>
>
> What is interesting is that the same WSIS stock-taking report is
> available for free download from the WSIS website.
>
>
>
> *So, the WSIS practices that ITU (temporarily?) adopted with
> regard to WSIS are clearly quite different from standard ITU
> processes. The question is – now that WSIS is over, which
> processes will ITU carry forward.* And what influence it will have
> on WSIS implementation since ITU has maneuvered itself into a
> driving seat for this purpose.
>
>
>
> (The fact that 2003 Geneva POA does not seem to be implemented
> internally by ITU, in terms of open access, and that was the time
> when the WSIS spot-light was on, does not give us much confidence
> that ITU will reform according to the WSIS letter and spirit.)
>
>
>
> And there some other things which are as funny about ITU’s WSIS
> schizophrenia.
>
>
>
> While it calls the above to be an open consultations with
> stakeholders on ITU reform, and also lists ITU resolution 1244 as
> the main document on ITU reform, when you try to open the link to
> this doc you reach a page beyond which you need an ITU membership
> id. So, basically one cannot access this document. But this is
> supposed to be an open forum for people to give inputs on the
> forthcoming meeting on ITU reform for which this particular
> document is a base document….
>
>
>
> Is this a joke or something !!!!
>
> (see http://www.itu.int/reform/index.html )
>
>
>
> However, I could read the document by following the link on
> Philippe’s email – so apparently the same doc is freely accessible
> on WSIS website – but on the ITU website right on the page that is
> devoted to ‘open online consultation’ access to this document is
> restricted.
>
>
>
> So we have an ITU which has some very bad internal practices which
> militate against all that WSIS stands for and all that CS fought
> for at WSIS ( these though are really the very basic things, but
> if this is how ITU behaves on these basic issues, what confidence
> do we have on it leading WSIS implementation)
>
>
>
> And of course there is also the often raised issue of CS
> membership of ITU.
>
>
>
> I propose that WSIS-CS, as represented through this list, makes a
> representation to the 1st Feb meeting raising these serious
> concerns. And ITU got to listen to us, because it means to reform
> itself as per WSIS outcomes. It has no excuse not to engage with
> the WSIS-CS.
>
>
>
> For this purpose
>
>
>
> 1. we can submit a short statement to the Feb 1 meeting raising
> concerns on the issues of ITU membership for CS entities, and on
> its poor record on ‘open access’ principle recommended by WSIS
> outcome documents*. We can ask for greater CS inclusiveness for
> ITU activities, and urge ITU to immediately apply open access
> principle to its documents, as a proof of its intention to
> implement WSIS in letter and spirit.*
>
>
>
> 2. we can also use the period available till 30th to put a few
> posting to this effect on the open online forum for the
> forthcoming ITU meeting which will consider the reform agenda. (at
> http://www.itu.int/reform/index.html)
>
>
>
> best regards
>
>
>
> Parminder
>
>
>
> ________________________________________________
>
> Parminder Jeet Singh
>
> IT for Change
>
> Bridging Development Realities and Technological Possibilities
>
> 91-80-26654134
>
> www.ITforChange.net
>
>
>
>
>
> -------- Original Message --------
>
> Subject: [CS Bureau] On-line Consultation on ITU Reform
>
> Date: Mon, 23 Jan 2006 17:31:02 +0100
>
> From: CONGO - Philippe Dam
>
> Organization: CONGO
>
> To: ,
>
> CC: ,
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Dear all,
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Just for your information, I’d like to draw your attention to the
>
> *on-line consultation* organised on the ITU website, on the issue
> of the
>
> *ITU reform* in the perspective of WSIS follow-up. NGOs, including
>
> non-ITU members, and academicians can participate. ITU* *mentioned
> that*
>
> deadline for on-line input is 25 January*.
>
>
>
> This on-line consultation is intended to provide ground for the ITU
>
> Reform Meeting (convened by the ITU Council WG on WSIS) to be held on
>
> the 1st February 2006.
>
>
>
> More information at: http://www.itu.int/reform/index.html
>
>
>
> ITU Council Resolution 1244:
>
> http://www.itu.int/wsis/docs/background/resolutions/itu2005/1244.doc
>
>
>
> Best regards,
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> *Philippe Dam
>
> ******11, Avenue de **la Paix**
>
> CH-1202 **Geneva**
>
> Tel: +41 22 301 1000
>
> Fax: +41 22 301 2000
>
> E-mail: **wsis at ngocongo.org* *
>
> Website: **www.ngocongo.org ** *
>
>
>
> * *
>
>
>
> *The Conference of NGOs (**CONGO) is an international, membership
>
> association that facilitates the participation of NGOs in United
> Nations
>
> debates and decisions. Founded in 1948, CONGO's major objective is to
>
> ensure the presence of NGOs in exchanges among the world's governments
>
> and United Nations agencies on issues of global concern. For more
>
> information see our website at www.ngocongo.org
>
> ***
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> --
>
>
>
> ------------------------------------------------------
>
> Francis F. MUGUET KNIS/ENSTA
>
>
>
> Pôle de Développement pour l'Information Scientifique
>
> "Réseaux de la Connaissance et Société de l'Information"
>
> Scientific Information Development Laboratory
>
> "Knowledge Networks & Information Society" (KNIS)
>
>
>
> ENSTA
>
> 32 Blvd Victor 75739 PARIS cedex FRANCE
>
> Phone: (33)1 45 52 60 19 Fax: (33)1 45 52 52 82
>
> muguet at ensta.fr http://www.ensta.fr/~muguet
>
> mirror http://www.muguet.org
>
>
>
> MDPI Foundation Open Access Journals
>
> Associate Publisher
>
> http://www.mdpi.org http://www.mdpi.net
>
> muguet at mdpi.org muguet at mdpi.net
>
>
>
> World Summit On the Information Society (WSIS)
>
> Civil Society Working Groups
>
> Scientific Information : http://www.wsis-si.org chair
>
> Patents & Copyrights : http://www.wsis-pct.org co-chair
>
> Financing Mechanismns : http://www.wsis-finance.org web
>
>
>
> UNMSP project : http://www.unmsp.org
>
> WTIS initiative: http://www.wtis.org
>
> ------------------------------------------------------
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Liens Yahoo! Groupes
>
>
>
> <*> Pour consulter votre groupe en ligne, accédez à :
>
> http://fr.groups.yahoo.com/group/wsis-finance/
>
>
>
> <*> Pour vous désincrire de ce groupe, envoyez un mail à :
>
> wsis-finance-desabonnement at yahoogroupes.fr
>
>
>
> <*> L'utilisation de Yahoo! Groupes est soumise à l'acceptation des :
>
> http://fr.docs.yahoo.com/info/utos.html
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
--
------------------------------------------------------
Francis F. MUGUET Ph.D
MDPI Foundation Open Access Journals
Associate Publisher
http://www.mdpi.org http://www.mdpi.net
muguet at mdpi.org muguet at mdpi.net
ENSTA Paris, France
KNIS lab. Director
"Knowledge Networks & Information Society" (KNIS)
muguet at ensta.fr http://www.ensta.fr/~muguet
World Summit On the Information Society (WSIS)
Civil Society Working Groups
Scientific Information : http://www.wsis-si.org chair
Patents & Copyrights : http://www.wsis-pct.org co-chair
Financing Mechanismns : http://www.wsis-finance.org web
UNMSP project : http://www.unmsp.org
WTIS initiative: http://www.wtis.org
------------------------------------------------------
More information about the Plenary
mailing list