[WSIS CS-Plenary] Update on the GAID Steering Committeemeeting (NY, 19 September 2007)

Wed Oct 10 10:46:55 BST 2007

Je vous annonce la création officielle du réseau TIC pour la société civile arabe ICT Arab Association for Civil Society  ( la rabta).
  Ce mécanisme da la shabaka prend la relais du Caucus arabe qui a accompagné le processus du SMSI.
  Prière nous communiquer le calendrier des prochaines réunions de la société civile concernée par les TICs et auxquelles il serait opportun d’assurer la présence de ce nouveau réseau. 

  Coordinateur  de caucus arabe
  Facilétateur du réseau arabe
  Mustapha Masmoudi.

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

Click http://wsis.funredes.org/plenary/ to access automatic translation of this message!
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      v\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);}  o\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);}  w\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);}  .shape {behavior:url(#default#VML);}        st1\:*{behavior:url(#default#ieooui) }                Dear all, 

  Before the official summary of the GAID Steering Committee (19 September 2007) meeting is released by the GAID Secretariat, find below some preliminary information on the progress made during the discussion. 

  Communities of Expertise
  The Steering took a more flexible approach than proposed by the GAID Secretariat, and only discontinued one CoE which already had unilaterally terminated its activities.

  All other CoEs are continued, and members of those CoEs not active enough will be contacted by the GAID Secretariat; those CoEs will be looked at and supported for better progress. 

  Connect Africa
  Dr Hamadoun Touré, ITU SG, gave an update on the organisation of the Summit ‘Connect Africa’ (Kigali, Rwanda, 29-30 October 2007), organised by the ITU, the African Union, the World Bank and GAID. This meeting is planned to be done in a result oriented nature, with the support of the presence of the ITU SG and a number of Heads of States in Africa. 

  GAID Business Plan for 2008
  Comments made on the CS Plenary List were forwarded to the Steering Committee. The two additional proposed focus themes (Connectivity and Access and Financing for Development). On FfD, the main comment focused on how GAID can have a specific value in the Follow up Conference on FfD to review the implementation of Monterrey Consensus (Doha, 2008) and to the UNGA High Level Segment on Financing for Development (New York, 23-24 October 2007). The need to consider not only innovative ways, but also traditional and additional ways of financing mechanisms for ICT4D was also stressed, as well as the need for both quantity and quality of aid.

  The Flagship Partnership Initiative ‘Open training platform’ proposed by UNESCO was supported by the Steering Committee. See proposal paper attached. 

  An additional idea discussed was that Switzerland expressed the wish to act to connect all schools free. ITU expressed the interest to take as one of its operational points so that a focal point will be set up on that at the ITU.

  Budget
  The Steering Committee reiterated its call for contribution to the GAID budget to all members of the Strategy Council and Steering Committee (except civil society). There was an agreement that fundraising strategies should be linked with GAID specific activities and that all contribution made should be published. 

  Renewal of GAID structures membership
  It was agreed that more consultation was needed within the various stakeholders groups in the process of renewing the membership of the Steering Committee and the Strategy Council. Therefore the deadlines for the nominations and appointment processes are as follows:

    GAID Steering Committee
    GAID Strategy Council
      Deadline for new nominations for membership 

  30 November 2007

  30 November 2007
      Announcement of the Appointment of new members

  End of December 2007

  End of December 2007
      Office taking of the new members

  1 April 2008

  1 April 2008
      Date of the GAID structure with its renewed membership
    May 2008
  Kuala Lumpur
    May 2008
  Kuala Lumpur

  Next GAID meetings
  The Steering Committee supported the invitation by the Government of Malaysia to host the next GAID Strategy Council and Global Forum meeting in May 2008, in conjunction with the World Congress on Information Technology (18-22 May 2008). The dates of the Steering Committee meeting will be confirmed soon, even though it was recognised that there is a risk of conflicting with some ALF meetings in Geneva.

  We will of course forward you any documentation coming from GAID in this regard.
  Feel free to get back to us for any other question.

  Philippe
    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 

  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

---------------------------------

  De : plenary-bounces at wsis-cs.org [mailto:plenary-bounces at wsis-cs.org] De la part de CONGO WSIS - Philippe Dam
Envoyé : vendredi, 14. septembre 2007 19:44
À : plenary at wsis-cs.org; governance at lists.cpsr.org
Objet : [WSIS CS-Plenary] Preparations for the next GAID Steering Committeemeeting (NY, 19 September 2007)
Importance : Haute

  Dear all, 

  This is to remind you the up-coming GAID Steering Committee meeting taking place in New York on 19 September 2007. As you know, Renate will participate in this Steering Committee meeting, and we would be happy to forward your view and feedback on some of the issues to be discussed, in particular:
  - New focus themes of GAID to be included in the 2008 GAID Business Plan (Connectivity and Financing for Development);
  - Preparations for the GAID Strategy Council and Global Forum in 2008;
  - Updates on the GAID Strategy Council and Steering Committee membership renewal;
  - Up dates on the GAID outreach and media strategy.

  Business plan of GAID in 2008:
  Proposed focus on Connectivity and access and Financing for ICT4D

  The current proposal of the GAID Business Plan for 2008 is mainly to update the 2007 Business Plan. Among the noticeable changes, it is proposed to add, in addition to the existing focuses on Education, Health, Entrepreneurship and Governance, a focus on:

  - Connectivity and Access: this follows the agreement at the Santa Clara meeting (February 2008) to have a stronger focus on Connectivity (in particular in Africa). The Steering Committee will therefore discuss how GAID should develop its activities in this area. (Fyi, the draft text to be added in the 2008 Business Plan reads as follows: “It was decided at the February 2007 meeting of the Steering Committee in Santa Clara, that, in 2008, significant attention will be paid to the topics of connectivity and access, with special consideration given to Africa, with the intention of taking a global view of connectivity issues in developing regions in the following period”). 

  - Innovative mechanisms for financing for ICT for Development: in the context of the 5-year review of the UN Monterrey Conference on Financing for Development, to be held in Doha (August 2008), such a GAID focus would help to feed into the preparations of the Doha Review Conference. (Fyi, the draft text to be added in the 2008 Business Plan reads as follows: “Specifically, GAID could make an important contribution in the area of innovative mechanisms of financing, including microfinance. Members may note that in August 2008, a major conference – a five-year review of the Monterrey Conference on Financing for Development (FfD) – will be held in Doha, Qatar. Innovative mechanisms of financing will be one of the important issues on the agenda, as significant initiatives in this area have been taken by several countries as well as by other stakeholders. Some of these initiatives also pertain to innovative financing mechanisms for ICT for development. This issue will be a
 significant theme at the 2008 session of the Strategy Council. The outcomes of these deliberations will be fed into the preparations for the Doha review conference on FfD as a contribution of GAID”)

  We would be happy to have some feedback from you on those two proposals, based on the proposed inclusions to be included in the 2008 Business Plan.

  Next Strategy Council and GAID Global Forum meeting (May 2008)

  It is proposed that the next Strategy Council and Steering Committee meeting will be held in Kuala Lumpur in May 2008, following an offer by the Government of Malaysia. This would take place in conjunction with the World Congress on Information Technology (WCIT).

  Find attached the preliminary concept paper outlining the proposed format and content of the two meetings. It was proposed in Santa Clara that the 2nd GAID Global Forum in 2008 would focus on the issue of Connectivity.

  We will of course stress the need to find financial support for a number of grassroots NGO representatives to join these meetings. We will also call for a needed coordination with the CSTD Secretariat and the Secretariats of international organisations involved in WSIS implementation, to avoid conflicting dates with the IS week in Geneva! 

  Please send us some comments and feedback that could be forwarded to the Steering Committee meetings.

  Renewal of GAID Strategy Council and Steering Committee membership:
  Postponement of the deadlines for new nominations

  It seems that the various categories of stakeholder had difficulties to reply to the GAID Secretariat summer call for candidates. Therefore, it is currently proposed that the deadlines for nominations and consultations within stakeholders’ groups be extended until 30 November 2007.

  This would give CS constituencies a chance to engage in a timely self-selection process between now and 30 November. The new membership of both the Steering Committee and the Strategy Council would be announced by the UN SG in December this year and would enter in function in April 2008 (before the May 2008 proposed meetings).

  Any comment on that?

  Let me remind you here that the deadline for current members of the Strategy Council to announce their interest to serve in the Council is 1 October 2007.

  Progress Report:
  Review the progress of Flagship Partnership Initiatives and Communities of Expertise

  The Steering Committee will consider looking at the work achieved by the various GAID Communities of Expertise, and see whether some inactive CoEs should be disconnected from GAID.

  The GAID Steering Committee might at this stage consider only discontinuing those CoEs having announced to the GAID Secretariat that they are not willing or not able to continue their engagement.

  GAID Media Strategy and Outreach

  Find attached also a draft note on GAID outreach activities. 
  We did not yet consider it, but would also be interested in getting your feedback in this regard.

  Feel free to ask us any question in this regard.
  Attached documents:
              - Draft Agenda of the Steering Committee meeting.
              - Preliminary concept paper on the proposed next GAID Strategy Council and Global Forum.
              - Draft note on GAID outreach activities

  Sorry for the rather long message

  Philippe

    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 

  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

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