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

[Elizabeth Carll, PhD]

Amali,

Setting up a website to showcase WSIS - NGO achievements as a result of
Phase 1 for both Northern and Southern NGOs is an interesting idea.  It
would be very useful information to share.

Elizabeth

Dr. Elizabeth Carll
Focal Point
International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies;
Chair Media/ICT Working Group,
NGO Committee on Mental Health, New York
Tel: 1-631-754-2424
Fax: 1-631-754-5032
ecarll at optonline.net

-----Original Message-----
From: plenary-admin at wsis-cs.org [mailto:plenary-admin at wsis-cs.org]On Behalf
Of Amali De Silva
Sent: Wednesday, May 19, 2004 7:32 PM
To: plenary at wsis-cs.org; lac at wsis-cs.org; t.naughton at iafrica.com
Cc: busaniche at caminandoutopias.org.ar
Subject: Re: [WSIS CS-Plenary] [Fwd: Re: Information note to the CSB]


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 al l
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

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

Chhre Tracey,

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

Depuis dicembre 2003, nous avons gardi une discussion ouverte avec les
autoritis tunisiennes responsables du Sommet, afin de trouver des
arrangements qui puissent garantir la pleine participation de la sociiti
civile au processus SMSI. Nous avons maintenu une petite iquipe
travaillant durant cette piriode de transition, ce qui est la preuve de
notre engagement et de notre confiance.

Nous avons igalement fait des propositions trhs concrhtes au Secritariat
exicutif et aux autoritis tunisiennes sur les priparations de substance
du Sommet, afin dinclure la sociiti civile ` tous les niveaux,
particulihrement dans les groupes de travail thimatiques qui devraient
jtre itablis.

Cepen dant, aujourdhui, six mois aprhs le Sommet de Genhve, il semble
quil nexiste aucune volonti de dimarrer la dynamique pour la Phase II,
et par consiquent aucun engagement doffrir ` la sociiti civile les
conditions et les moyens dinfluer sur les risultats du Sommet.

Dans ces conditions, la Division Sociiti Civile du SE ne peut pas jtre
maintenue et mise au service de la sociiti civile de la manihre dont
elle a opiri pendant la Phase I. Dans notre opinion, divelopper une
nigociation viritablement tripartite sur des questions complexes en 12
mois nest pas rialiste. Si cela nest pas bien pripari, cela pourrait
mjme mettre en piril les risultats 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 appuyi limplication de lAfrique et nous continuerons
certainement ` le faire dans diffirents contextes.

Avec nos meilleures salutations,


Alain Clerc






Tracey Naughton a icrit:

>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 th at 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 i n 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