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| New - A
number of documents have been recently posted to the site. They
include Modalities for Civil Society Participation in the
WSIS, prepared for the recent UNESCO/WSIS NGO Consultation,
and a report from that consultation. More information on the DOCUMENTS
page.
New - A forum has been
opened up for online comments and discussion of modalities of
civil society participation in the WSIS. More information on the
FORUM page. |
The World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS)
The WSIS is a two-phase UN summit scheduled for December 2003 in Geneva and 2005 in Tunis. The
International Telecommunications Union (ITU) has the lead role as organiser of the Summit.
The aim of the Summit is "to develop a common vision and understanding of the Information Society, to better understand its scope and dimensions and to draw up a strategic plan of action for successfully adapting to the new society". The concrete outputs of the Geneva phase are to be a Declaration and an Action Plan.
Civil Society in a Government PLUS summit
The WSIS will bring together Heads of States, representatives of government, parliament, international organizations, local authorities, the private sector and civil society in a government PLUS summit. To this end, the Executive Secretariat has three divisions: one supporting the participation of governments and international agencies; one working with the private sector; and a third to facilitate civil society participation.
The website of the Civil Society Division is www.geneva2003.org.
PrepCom 1 - Geneva, July 1-5, 2002
The first major activity in the WSIS preparatory process is PrepCom 1, the first of three major preparatory meetings (the others will take place in 2003). PrepCom 1 will deal with a number of key issues including:
- election of the president of the preparatory process;
- selection of the themes to be discussed at the Summit
- adoption of the procedural rules governing the participation of civil society and other participating sectors.
Obviously, what is decided at PrepCom 1 will have a tremendous impact on the form and effectiveness of civil society participation in the WSIS process and, ultimately, on the shape of the Summit and what visions of the information society will be reflected in the Summit outcomes.
Comunex and the Civil Society Division of the WSIS Secretariat
Leading up to PrepCom 1, the Civil Society Division has asked Comunex to:
- Develop and elaborate proposals for effective civil society participation in the WSIS process and outcomes;
- Guide these, working with the Civil Society Division, through the key events leading up to PrepCom 1, refining them until the Prepcom itself;
- Make recommendations for the modification and implementation of the proposals after PrepCom 1.
This project will involve formulating innovative ideas for and approaches
to:
- The process of accreditation of civil society organisations to the WSIS;
- The process of designation of civil society representatives to the WSIS;
- Civil society participation in the WSIS planning and decision making process, including the Prepcoms, Regional consultations, and drafting of the WSIS Declaration and Plan of Action;
- Flexible instruments to secure the ongoing effective cooperation of all partners, and ensure that outcomes translate into an agreed vision of the Information Society.
These ideas will be the result of civil society consultation and validation, and will as much as possible reflect its diversity at all levels.
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"Without the active participation of civil society,
local authorities, and the private sector, an equitable Information Society cannot exist. This means that a new form of dialogue must take place between governments and the partners concerned:
. community & citizens' networks
. professional associations
. development and solidarity associations
. multi-stakeholder coalitions
. academics
. trade unions
. media
To meet this challenge a new process has been established to explore creative ways of interaction that will allow everyone to provide input towards the decision-making process. In this way, the Summit will act as a testing ground for future negotiations at a global level as well as pave new ways of governance in the Information Society.
But much depends on the strong mobilization of all stakeholders to come together and take part in the preparatory process leading up to the Summit."
WSIS Civil Society Division website
http://www.geneva2003.org/
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