[WSIS CS-Plenary] Additional Prepcom 3 information

[Rik Panganiban]

Dear Colleagues,

We received a number of important bits of information about what is  
likely to happen at the Prepcom for the next two weeks during the  
Civil Society Orientation Session today.  Among the tidbits I noted:

The main drafting and negotiating work will take place in two sub- 
committees.  Subcommittee A will meet in the mornings and focus on  
the Chapter on Internet Governance (Chapter 3).  Ambassador Khan of  
Pakistan will chair.  Sub-committee B will meet in the afternoons and  
focus on “all other issues” including the Political Chapeau,  
Implementation (Chapter 1), Financing Mechanisms (Chapter 2), and The  
Way Ahead (Chapter 4) and will be chaired by Amb. Lyndall Shope- 
Mafole of South Africa.
The draft texts pertaining to implementation and They Way Ahead  
prepared by the Group of the Friends of the chair will be introduced  
on Tuesday.  If accepted by delegations, it will become part of the  
new draft text of Chapters 1 and 4.  On Thursday and Friday there  
will be a consolidated reading of the new Chapters 1 and 4.  In the  
second week, sub-committee B will focus on Chapter 2, financing  
mechanisms.
WIFI access will be available in the conference rooms and the  
meetings will be webcast, at least in audio and perhaps with video.
Other stakeholders should have opportunities to intervene  
periodically during the prepcom.  The first opportunity will be on  
Monday afternoon, to sub-committee A, with 15 minutes allotted to  
civil society, 15 minutes to the private sector and 15 minutes to  
international organizations.
An official press conference will take place on Friday, 30  
September.  The decision on the holding of a civil society press  
conference has not been taken yet.

We also received some practical information about the Tunis Summit:
Free shuttles will be available to transport participants between  
some hotels and the conference facility, as well as from the airport  
to the conference.
Charles Geiger noted that hotels in Tunis are charging the “high  
season” rates.
The Tunis hosts will do their best to facilitate invitation letters  
to participants so that they can obtain visas.  Charles Geiger noted  
that participants travelling through the Charles de Gaulle airport in  
Paris might experience more difficulties entering Tunisia than those  
entering via London, Hamburg or other European airports.
The Host Country Agreement was still being finalized.  Once it is  
signed by the Tunisian host country, Charles Geiger will report to  
the civil society on the relevant parts of the agreement as it  
relates to them.
Wifi access will be available during the Summit, although it was  
still not clear if it would be free.
  The next civil society meeting scheduled is the CS plenary,  
tomorrow morning from 0900-1000 in Conference Room XXII, Palais des  
Nations.  Participants are advised to arrive at the security office  
much earlier to get your badge if you have not registered already.

- Rik Panganiban


===============================================
RIK PANGANIBAN       Communications Coordinator
Conference of NGOs in Consultative Relationship with the United  
Nations (CONGO)
web: http://www.ngocongo.org
email: rik.panganiban at ngocongo.org
mobile: (+1) 917-710-5524

* Information on the WSIS at http://www.ngocongo.org/wsis
* Information on Millennium+5 at http://www.ngocongo.org/mdg

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