[WSIS CS-Plenary] [Fwd: Re: Information note to the CSB]

Thu May 20 00:31:50 BST 2004

Dear All.

On reading emails to the plenary and caucuses over the past few weeks I hear both optimism and fatigue from some.

I would be really interested in hearing about initiatives as a result of Phase 1 from Southern NGOs. 

Could a website be set up to showcase WSIS - NGO acheivements as a result of Phase 1 for both Northern and Southern NGOs ? 

This would also provide a useful tool for the sharing of ideas, histories and practices for our individual communities. It would be a community of communities. 

Thank you.

Amali De Silva - Mitchell
President Vancouver Community Network

Beatriz Busaniche <busaniche at caminandoutopias.org.ar> wrote:
-----Mensaje reenviado-----
From: Liliane Ursache 

To: bureau at wsis2005.org
Subject: Re: Information note to the CSB
Date: Mon, 17 May 2004 16:21:06 +0200

Dear Tracey,

We took good note of your mail and would like to add the following 
comments.

Since December 2003 we have maintained an open discussion with the 
Tunisian authorities responsible for the Summit, in order to find 
arrangements that would guarantee the full participation of civil 
society in the WSIS process. We have maintained a small team working 
through this transition period, which is a proof of our commitment and 
our trust.

We have also made some very concrete proposals to the Executive 
Secretariat and the Tunisian authorities regarding the substantive 
preparations of the Summit, in order to include civil society at all 
levels, in particular in the different thematic working groups to be 
established.

However, today, six months after the Geneva Summit, we have to face the 
fact that there seems to be no will to really kick of the dynamic for 
Phase II, and consequently no commitment to provide civil society with 
the conditions and the means to influence Summit outcomes.

Under these conditions, the Civil Society Division of the ES  as it 
operated during phase I  is not sustainable and cannot service civil 
society as we think it should. In our view, 12 months to develop a truly 
tripartite negotiations on complex issues, is not realistic. If it is 
not well done, it could even jeopardise the results of the first phase.

Regarding African participation in the Summit, we are certainly not 
afropessimists. Since 1998 we have been very strong supporters of 
African involvement, and we will certainly continue to do so in 
different contexts.

With best wishes,

Alain Clerc

**************************************************

Chère Tracey,

Nous avons pris bonne note de votre réponse et nous voudrions faire part 
de nos commentaires ci-après:

Depuis décembre 2003, nous avons gardé une discussion ouverte avec les 
autorités tunisiennes responsables du Sommet, afin de trouver des 
arrangements qui puissent garantir la pleine participation de la société 
civile au processus SMSI. Nous avons maintenu une petite équipe 
travaillant durant cette période de transition, ce qui est la preuve de 
notre engagement et de notre confiance.

Nous avons également fait des propositions très concrètes au Secrétariat 
exécutif et aux autorités tunisiennes sur les préparations de substance 
du Sommet, afin dinclure la société civile à tous les niveaux, 
particulièrement dans les groupes de travail thématiques qui devraient 
être établis.

Cependant, aujourdhui, six mois après le Sommet de Genève, il semble 
quil nexiste aucune volonté de démarrer la dynamique pour la Phase II, 
et par conséquent aucun engagement doffrir à la société civile les 
conditions et les moyens dinfluer sur les résultats du Sommet.

Dans ces conditions, la Division Société Civile du SE ne peut pas être 
maintenue et mise au service de la société civile de la manière dont 
elle a opéré pendant la Phase I. Dans notre opinion, développer une 
négociation véritablement tripartite sur des questions complexes en 12 
mois nest pas réaliste. Si cela nest pas bien préparé, cela pourrait 
même mettre en péril les résultats de la Phase I.

En ce qui concerne la participation de lAfrique au Sommet, nous ne 
sommes certainement pas de « afropessimistes ». Depuis 1998, nous avons 
fortement appuyé limplication de lAfrique et nous continuerons 
certainement à le faire dans différents contextes.

Avec nos meilleures salutations,

Alain Clerc

Tracey Naughton a écrit:

>HELLO ALL
>
>I thank Lillian for her recent note on the WSIS Civil Society Secretariat's
>position on the Tunis Phase of the Summit.
>
>I am extremely concerned that this position has been put without any prior
>consultations or information provided on the negotiations that were
>apparently underway in the last months. Is this position up for debate? Of
>course it is!! We are civil society aren't' t we?
>
>The African Civil Society grouping recently met in Tunis and conducted
>discussions with a number of people in the WSIS Tunis Secretariat, civil
>society organisations, The Secretary of State for Telecommunications and
>Information, the Executive Secretary of the Tunis WSIS Secretariat and
>members of the state press.
>
>Independently I also met with the Manager of the independent radio station
>in Tunis, the assistant At tourney General, a human rights lawyer and the
>Secretary General of the Tunis WSIS Secretariat. I also went into the
>countryside and attended a voter education meeting attended by very rural
>folk. I did this in an attempt to develop a broader view of the Tunisian
>perspective on the Second Phase of the Summit and to test the official line
>against Tunisian reality, as much as one can in a seven day visit as a
>foreigner.
>
>What I can say now is that Tunisia is considered by other Arab States to be
>relatively liberal, that the commitment to civil society in Tunisia is
>strong and obvious, though defined in a different way to a northern NGO
>approach, and that the commitment to WSIS Phase 2 as a multi-stakeholder
>process (as per Millenniums Development Goals) was also clearly and
>consistently stated.
>
>I would also say that in creating the Civil Society Fund, I don't believe
>the Tunisians were necessarily anticipating having to fill the coffer
>themselves. Tunisia isn't a wealthy country and it practices a solidarity
>approach internally, and perhaps expected the same in relation to this fund,
>from other nations.
>
>As with any negotiation, there are always two sides to the story and I have
>put out a call to the Tunisian / African Colleagues, on behalf of the
>African Civil Society group of which I am a participant, to provide the
>African CS Caucus with their views on the proposal for civil society to
>participate in a conference in Europe at the end of 2005. I believe the
>appropriate first response to the news of focusing civil society input on
>another conference process, is to seek other views.
>
>This should at least be a discussion. From the African perspective we have
>long felt an Afro-pessimism in relation Phase 2 and a divide between the
>topics of concern to developed and less developed contexts. Patience is an
>African virtue and we hoped that in holding the next Summit on African soil,
>that a more practical and grounded outcome would be possible. Certainly this
>was confirmed by the input at our recent Tunis meeting, by the Tunisian WSIS
>people. 
>
>I am most concerned that the tone of the position of the Geneva secretariat
>is so vastly different from the tone of the Tunisian secretariat.
>
>I hope that other viewpoints will be forthcoming to enable us all to make a
>considered decision on this matter.
>
>Regards
>
>Tracey Naughton
>
>
>
>
>
> 
>Nyaka - Communication & Development
>Tracey Naughton
>Consultant
>201 Somerset Hall
>239 Oxford Road
>Illovo 2196
>South Africa
>
>Phone/fax: +27 (0) 11 880 5030
>cell: +27 (0) 82 821 1771
>Email: t.naughton at iafrica.com
>
>
>
>
> 
>

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Amali De Silva-Mitchell  AAT,BSc.(Econ)Warwick,MSc.(Int.Acc/Fin)LSE

Tel: 1-604-736-9012 & Email: amalidesilva at yahoo.com

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