[WSIS CS-Plenary] Desai to Civil Society: What Summit Were You at?

[Robert Guerra]

<http://www.edwebproject.org/andy/blog/2003_12_01_archive.html#107115743
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Desai to Civil Society: What Summit Were You at?? 
At the closing press conference for the World Summit on the Information
Society, UN Special Advisor to the Secretary-General Nitin Desai voiced
pointed skepticism over civil society's lambasting of the Summit's
treatment of protesters and alternative media. Civil Society
representatives had released a statement criticizing the authorities for
the way they've handled the protestors: "We strongly condemn these
violations of the right to assemble and freedom of expression that have
cast a shadow of hypocrisy over the summit." 

Desai, however, shot back when asked about this by DailySummit.net's
David Steven. "I think these people were attending a different
conference," he said. "I'd like to see what they're talking about, who
they're speaking for." Yoshio Utsumi of the ITU, meanwhile, cited how
civil society had a place at the table throughout the entire preparatory
process. "All stakeholders could express their views." 

President Couchepin of the Swiss Confederation praised the event as "a
success" whose declaration and action plan will form "the constitution
of the information society." Regarding the failure of the summit to
successfully address Internet governance and the approval of a digital
solidarity fund, Utsumi added, "We couldn't set up clear measures, but
we all agreed to continue to work to the Tunisian phase" of the summit,
which takes place in November 2005. Desai seconded this, saying that the
UN needed to "maintain the momentum" generated in Geneva in order to
work out a final plan of action for Tunis. 

When asked about the lack of free expression in Tunisia, which will host
the next summit, panelists demurred. "It's not up to Switzerland to
judge," Couchepin said. Nitin Desai added, "The standard of access
within the conference will be the same" as other UN conferences. Tell
that to the dissidents standing outside the Tunisia summit's security
cordon, I thought. A representative from Tunisian state television then
jumped in and insisted that people should stop harping on Tunisia for
its record on free expression and dissent. "I think we need to put an
end to this childish debate," he declared, before being asked by the
moderator if he actually had a question to ask the panel. 

He did not. -ac