[WSIS CS-Plenary] Digital Solidarity Fund in risk of disappearing: action required

Wed Apr 15 13:30:33 BST 2009

Dear Colleagues,

Thank you very much Charles for bringing this possibility to the
attention. Indeed, format of the WSIS Forum 2009 does give the
possibility of having kickoff meetings as well as side events. In case
you would be interested in organizing kick off meeting (10 people max)
we will arrange room for you. If possible please fill in attached form
and send it to me. 

There is always a possibility of having a dedicated special session to
be held on 21 May 2009, the day dedicated to the thematic
workshops/sessions. The capacity of the available rooms is up to 100. 

In case you would need any further information regarding the meeting
please do not hesitate to let me know. 

http://www.itu.int/wsis/implementation/2009/forum/geneva/index.html 

With kind regards, 

Jaroslaw K. PONDER
----------------------------------------------------------
Strategy and Policy Coordinator
International Telecommunication Union
Place des Nations
1211 Geneva 20
Switzerland
Tel.: 00 41 22 730 6065
Fax.: 00 41 22 733 7256
E-mail: Jaroslaw.Ponder at itu.int <mailto:Jaroslaw.Ponder at itu.int>      
Web: http://www.itu.int/csd <http://www.itu.int/csd>  

________________________________

From: Charles Geiger [mailto:Charles.Geiger at unctad.org] 
Sent: mercredi, 15. avril 2009 12:28
To: Virtual WSIS CS Plenary Group Space
Cc: discuss at un-gaid.org; plenary at wsis-cs.org;
plenary-bounces at wsis-cs.org; Ponder, Jaroslaw
Subject: Fw: [WSIS CS-Plenary] Digital Solidarity Fund in risk of
disappearing: action required

Dear all 

With reference to the last para below, I would like to inform you that
short private meetings or short parallel meetings can take place during
the WSIS Forum, depending on room availablilty. If your organization
would need a room for such a meeting, please contact
jaroslaw.ponder at itu.int . 

Charles Geiger 

----- Forwarded by Charles Geiger/UNCTAD/GVA/UNO on 15.04.2009 12:22
----- 

Charles Geiger/UNCTAD/GVA/UNO 

15.04.2009 12:03 

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Subject

Re: [WSIS CS-Plenary] Digital Solidarity Fund in risk of disappearing:
action requiredLink
<Notes:///C1257242003CB788/DABA975B9FB113EB852564B5001283EA/0A9F43842E8A
97DCC1257599002E80EF> 

Dear Daniel 

Thanks for this note to the WSIS Plenary Group. 

Let us be clear: The DSF was not created by WSIS. The idea of a DSF (the
basic idea came from the President of Senegal) did not fly during WSIS
2003 in Geneva. Governments did not want to create a new and
administration-heavy intergovernmental fund.  Therefore the DSF was
created in a parallel process to WSIS by a group of persons from Geneva
(+ President Wade). One of the main mistakes was to create this as a
private foundation, located in Geneva, with an administration that paid
Swiss salaries and in Swiss francs (= very expensive). 

Over the years, the Secretariat has spent a lot of money on
administration and on making the 1% Digital Solidarity Principle known,
but without big success. 

Maybe the possible death of the DSF could open up the way for something
more feasible, e.g. an international network of civil society entities
focusing on democratic participation (+ right to Information), free flow
of information, and equitable and affordable access to ICTs for remote
and marginalized populations. 

These kind of networks exist locally in some countries, e.g. the BNNRC
in Bangladesh. Maybe several such initiatives could get together and
form an international network, and maybe APC would be interested to act
as Secretariat. I don't know, it is just an idea, but it could be
discussed during the WSIS Forum in May, in a parallel event. 

Best regards 

Charles   

Daniel Pimienta <pimienta at funredes.org> 
Sent by: plenary-bounces at wsis-cs.org 

13.04.2009 23:41 

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[WSIS CS-Plenary] Digital Solidarity Fund in risk of disappearing:
action required

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_______________________________________

Dear colleagues,

I shall report on the critical situation of the Digital Solidarity 
Fund (DSF) in my quality of Latin America & Caribbbean civil society 
member of the Board. I wish to report in the WSIS civil society 
plenary list as well as in G at ID discussion list, in the hope to 
trigger some positive dynamics in both communities (and I am also 
informing the DSF Board of that initiative).

The last couple of months have been of acute crisis after a change in 
the DSF Presidency and coordinated complains from the new DSF 
President and the President of Senegal (speaking as "historical 
father") on General Secretary management: basically they do not trust 
the 1% principle could be effective and wish a centering and hosting 
of the DSF on Africa, as an ICT4D project management organization.

On November 25th a stormy General Assembly was held in Lyon (France) 
and was unable to reach consensus on further steps. An extraordinary 
Assembly was then scheduled in Bamako, January 27th, 2009. More 
confused than stormy this Assembly decided that a strategical and 
finance independant audit shall be organized and its results 
presented to a last extraordinary Assembly to be scheduled prior to 
May 27th. This last Assembly would finally decide on the proposition 
of the President of Senegal to take over the management of the DSF 
(he was also given the responsibility to contract this audit and 
manage the interim period).

The investment made so far has reached some 6 millions of euros (a 
substantial part coming from developing countries) and one of the 
argument for not letting go the situation was the responsibility to 
protect that invested capital (which is no more in cash but hopefully 
some part has transformed into people and project experiences and 
institutional moves). Furthermore, it appears that the cashflow would 
allow to stand until the next Assembly but no more.

The situation as of today is that the audit has apparently not been 
launched and the risk is extremely high, due to the shortness of 
cashflow, that the DSF will just fade out without any decision taken 
and no audit results presented. This could be the worst scenario for 
one of the most concrete products the WSIS process has tried to 
launch and a shameful situation for our ICT4D community in regard to 
the lost investment...

In that context, I want to call upon global civil society to put 
pressure on stakeholders in order to try to save whatever is possible 
from the disaster. I am wondering, given the particular situation, if 
the best approach would not be to try to convince a UN related structure
to
take over the DSF, conduct an audit which appears a mandatory 
requirement (if only for accountability of public money invested!) 
and assess the situation, trying to preserve, as far as possible, the 
initial principles (multistakeholder global fund to overcome the 
digital divide based on innovative sources).

ITU, G at ID or UNDP (which has been out of that field for some years 
now) are possible options. I am not sure that any of them is eager to 
take over a project in such a difficult situation; what I am quite 
sure is that it is my duty as a civil society involved actor to 
alert, inform and contribute to the search for a solution (I shall 
also remember as a possible contribution that Agence de la 
Francophonie had offered during the DSF Board debates to take 
responsibility to contract an audit of the DSF... although it was 
decided to do it another way).

Daniel Pimienta
Networks & Development Foundation
http://funredes.org
Member of APC Network
As LA&C civil society member of the DSF Board

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