[WSIS CS-Plenary] CS Statement

[Incomindios]

Dear Ralph,

I attended the Congo WSIS-briefing on 7th December. They were distributing a 
new (?) version of the CS statement there. In this new version the Cultural Diversity Caucus contribution was still the old (and wrong) one. Below you'll find the one meant to be in the final CS statement. The Indigenous 
Caucus contribution was also the wrong one...

The WSIS process has failed to introduce cultural and linguistic 
diversity as a cross-cutting issue in the information society. The information 
society and its core elements - knowledge, information, communication and the
information and communication technologies (ICT) together with related 
rules and standards - are cultural concepts and expressions. Accordingly,
culturally defined approaches, protocols, proceedings and obligations 
have to be respected and culturally appropriate applications developed and
promoted.

In order to foster and promote cultural diversity and enable the
preservation and development of cultures in the information society, 
it is imperative to support  cultural communities to create local content in 
their own local and indigenous languages and on their own terms. Only by 
allowing these diverse voices to develop a presence and be heard, will the
predominance of information, knowledge, perceptions and existing 
approaches to development and unique cultures, by over developed nations,  be
corrected. Development of culturally appropriate elements of the 
Information Society must involve strong participation of all cultural communities.

Thank you!

Best,

Sari
Cultural Diversity Caucus
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

INCOMINDIOS SCHWEIZ
Beraterstatus als NGO beim Wirtschafts- und Sozialrat (ECOSOC) der Vereinten Nationen

Witikonerstrasse 39
8032 Zürich
Tel./Fax: 044 383 03 35
mail at incomindios.ch
www.incomindios.ch
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://mailman-new.greennet.org.uk/pipermail/plenary/attachments/20051209/f99d7604/attachment.htm