[WSIS CS-Plenary] ECOSOC Resolution---------European meetingEthics and human rights in information society

[Dina Hov]

The European meeting will be based around four thematic round tables which are structured around three main pillars: (i) analysis of the opportunities offered by Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs); (ii) side-effects, negative impacts and possible conflicts of interest, and (iii) recommendations with the aim of contributing to Internet governance founded on the involvement of all stakeholders and the sharing of responsibilities. 
Indeed, in the information society technical tools are potentially at the disposal of every user offering each an opportunity, without precedent, to exercise and benefit from their rights and freedoms. This allows the possibility for many people to participate in the collective development of society and the universalisation of rights and freedoms. However, the pernicious or negative effects and conflicts of interests should also be borne in mind which could compromise the realization of these new opportunities which are all the more uncertain as technologies rapidly evolve(4) . 

In response, the meeting will present and discuss concrete experiences, usages and existing regulation in order to highlight, analyse and better understand the positive and negative effects of ICT use 
  and the tensions between rights, freedoms and values. 

With the purpose of optimising the opportunities resulting both from better access to information, knowledge and culture and by enabling users to be actors in the global information society (as a result of greater freedom of expression and the capacity to produce content and to create social networks) while, at the same time, protecting individual users against the effects of the misuse of ICTs, the meeting will consider the issue of security and the question of the governance of the Internet. 

As regards the latter, key questions which could be asked are: is there a need to set up a new mechanism which elaborates and implements common rules for the Internet thereby necessitating the development of a new legal, economic and societal order/model with the participation and contribution of all stakeholders? If so, what are the bases on which this should be constructed: to know, to understand, to consent and to construct – with resort to a range of tools – regulation, techniques and education? Indeed, is it possible to make conscious collective choices and to consider the issue of governance based on shared responsibilities, knowledge, understanding and thus appropriation of the issues by individual users and stakeholders? 

(1) The UNESCO Latino-American meeting took place in Santo Domingo, 6-9 December, 2006, and the UNESCO African one was organized in Pretoria, 5-7 February, 2007. 

(2) Action Line C10 of the Geneva Action Plan of the World Summit on the Information Society. 

(3) The UNESCO European regional grouping includes Western, Central and Eastern Europe as well as North America, Turkey and Israel. 

(4) For example, the Internet of things or the convergence of NBIC i.e. nano-science, biotechnology, information technology and cognitive science.

Bill McIver <Bill.McIver at nrc-cnrc.gc.ca> wrote:
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Phillippe / Ronda,

I concur with Ronda.

I have been following this thread, but I think many of 
us on behalf of our organizations would benefit from a summary -- most especially divergent views --
on the post-WSIS state of affairs.

There may be analyzes already available. If so, perhaps someone
can post pointers.


Best,

WJM


Ronda Hauben wrote:   
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---------------------------------
  
  Phillippe
   
  Thanks for posting this to the mailing list.
   
  Do you know what it represents.
   
  I am trying to understand what has happened to the impetus from the WSIS UN activities at the UN and it seems spread out at this point and hard to follow.
   
  Does this say that The Commission on Science and Technology will be surveying what the outcome of WSIS summits were and what activity is going now in connection with the UN, especially with respect to development related activities? 
   
  If this seems an appropriate interpretation, is there any indication when or how this is to happen?
   
  I welcome anyone who can help interpret what is going on or who would be able to be helpful in understanding further what is being intended.
   
  I would like to write an article for OhmyNews International at some point about the outcome of the WSIS conference in Tunis (and earlier Geneva) as I covered Tunis for OhmyNews. But it is hard to understand where to begin and how to understand what is signficiant that is happening and what is the frustration with the fact that the WSIS seemed to have been an important development, but the continuation seemed less organized and clear. 
   
  Thanks
   
  Ronda
  

 
  On 8/3/07, CONGO WSIS - Philippe Dam <wsis at ngocongo.org> wrote:     [Please note that by using 'REPLY', your response goes to the entire list. Kindly use individual addresses for responses intended for specific people]

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      For your information, find attached the ECOSOC resolution on integrated and coordinated implementation of UN conferences and summits (E/2007/L.32), adopted on 27 July. Its paragraph 4 refers to the role of the CSTD in the WSIS follow up. Paragraph 4 reads as follows: 
   
  "4. Acknowledges the efforts of the Commission on Science and Technology
  for Development, in accordance with General Assembly resolutions 57/270 B and
  60/252 and Council resolution 2006/46, to effectively assist the Council as the focal
  point in the system-wide follow-up, in particular the review and assessment of
  progress made in implementing the outcomes of the World Summit on the
  Information Society, while at the same time maintaining its original mandate on
  science and technology for development, also taking into account the provisions of
  paragraph 60 of the 2005 World Summit Outcome, and also acknowledges the
  efforts of the Commission to use the multi-stakeholder approach effectively while
  preserving its intergovernmental nature;"
   
  In addition, note that the CSTD draft resolution on the "Flow of Information for the Follow-Up of WSIS" and its draft decision on the "Multi-year work programme" were also adopted without a vote on 27 February. 
   
   
      Philippe Dam 
CONGO - WSIS CS Secretariat 
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  


   



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-- 
Netizens: On the History and Impact of Usenet and the Internet

http://www.columbia.edu/~hauben/netbook 

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--   William McIver, Jr, PhD (Bill)  Research Officer, People-Centred Technologies  National Research Council Canada -- Institute for Information Technology  E-mail: Bill.McIver at nrc-cnrc.gc.ca   
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