[WSIS CS-Plenary] Statement RT III Wolfgang
Adam Peake
ajp at glocom.ac.jp
Wed Dec 17 15:48:38 GMT 2003
Catching up on a backlog of mail. Just came to read the statement
Wolfgang read during one of the roundtables at WSIS last week.
I think it's exceptional. It captures not just the differences
between CS and govt declarations, but my whole impression of Palexpo:
from the vibrancy and vision of the ICT4D hall, and drudgery of the
plenary space.
Wolfgang, very well done.
Thanks,
Adam
>Round Table III: ICT and the Goals of the Millenium Declaration
>Geneva, December, 11, 2003
>
>
>Statement by
>Wolfgang Kleinwaechter
>University of Aarhus, Member of the Civil Society WSIS Bureau
>
>
>
>Dear Mr. Moderator,
>
>Last night I heard the first WSIS joke. Three Heads of State are
>coming to WSIS in Geneva. The first one says Yes. The second one
>says No. And the third one says I agree. Here we have the
>consensus.
>
>What this joke tells us? The Governmental WSIS Declaration is a
>consensus document on the lowest level. But to reach the aims of the
>Millenium Declaration, you need more than the lowest level. While it
>is understandable, that governments has to follow to principle of
>consensus, it becomes also evident, that, when governments are
>unable to agree, other stakeholders, private industry and civil
>society, has to step in to move things forward. People can and will
>not wait.
>
>Civil society can play an tremendous role in achieving the goals of
>the Millenium Declaration, reducing poverty and promoting
>sustainable development. They have the knowledge and the expertise,
>they have the networks and they have the linkage to the day-to-day
>problems of the people on the ground. Governments should invite,
>encourage and enable civil society organisations to take a lot of
>the WSIS issues in their own hands to let things grow bottom up.
>Only such a bottom up approach will lead to sustainable development.
>If it comes top down, it will fail.
>
>The interesting thing here in WSIS is, that at the end of the Summit
>we have two declarations. The Governmental WSIS Declaration, which
>is signed tomorrow, and the Civil Society WSIS Declaration, which is
>signed today. If you compare the two documents, you will find, that
>the Governmental WSIS Declaration says what could be done, while the
>Civil Society WSIS Declaration says what should be done. With other
>words, the two declarations mark the distance between todays
>realities and tomorrows expectations.
>
>To take only one example, the question of Human Right. The
>governments celebrate the consensus on Article 19 of the Human
>Rights Declaration of 1948 as the basis for the global information
>society. Certainly, the reaffirmation of the status quo is better
>than a status quo minus. But Article 19 was drafted in the
>Industrial Age. We are living now in the Information Age. Civil
>Society expected from the summit a status quo plus. It expected,
>that the right to freedom of expression, enshrined in Article 19 of
>the Human Rights Declaration, will be further developed with access
>and participation rights for information and communication in the
>cyberspace. No word about this in the Governmental WSIS Declaration.
>
>The Civil Society WSIS Declaration is not an Anti-Governmental
>Declaration, it is complementary. It says what governments are
>unable to say and it offers constructive engagement.
>
>This signals also a new relationship between Civil Society and
>Governments in the WSIS process, probably one of the most important
>side effects oif WSIS. Geneva is not Seattle. Civil Society does not
>throw stones, it produces papers. Civil Society has moved from
>turmoil to trust. And there is an opportunity, that continues input
>on the road to Tunis will lead to growing impact.
>
>
>
>
>_______________________________________________
>Wsis Mailingliste
>JPBerlin - Mailbox und Politischer Provider
>Wsis at ilpostino.jpberlin.de
>http://listi.jpberlin.de/mailman/listinfo/wsis
--
More information about the Plenary
mailing list