[WSIS CS-Plenary] report on PM session Sub-cttee B, 20 Sept

[Rik Panganiban]

WSIS Prepcom III, 20 September 2005

Sub-Committee B

1500-1800 hours



Report by Rik Panganiban, CONGO


[Note that this report and others will also be archived at http:// 
www.ngocongo.org/ngomeet/WSIS/Prepcom3/prepcom3reports.htm ]


The basis of the negotiations this afternoon in Sub-committee B were  
the compilation texts on Chapter 1 documents WSIS-II/PC-3/DT6 (rev 2)  
and WSIS-II/PC-3/DT2 (rev3).

The chair employed a unique methodology for the session, going  
paragraph by paragraph, and proposed change by proposed change.  The  
interesting thing was that contributions by governments and NGOs were  
considered equally and at the same time.  Some civil society  
contributions were deleted, others were included as bracketed text  
and others were included as non-bracketed text.

The governments were quite confused by the methodology, at first,  
unsure if they were able to propose new text or just deal with  
already proposed text.

Another important innovation was that civil society was able to  
divide up its 15 minute speaking slot into one speaker at the  
beginning and one speaker at the end of the session, allowing us time  
to respond to how the government negotiations were going.


Chair
Our goal is to by Friday have consolidated text for Chapters 1 and 4.  
I will give priority to written inputs, and then listen to inputs  
from the floor.   Let us begin with paragraph 1.


Para 1.
The proposed text from Malawi, the “informal coalition on Financing  
and the Gender Caucus” and Togo was taken up.

Para 2.
They did not take up the youth caucus language on national  
“sustainable” development.

The US , Australia and Canada had problems with the IPU wording and  
put it in brackets.

UK did not want reference to indigenous peoples. Cuba supported  
indigenous reference.  Text was bracketed.

All references to dates are bracketed.

Para 3

They added an unbracketed reference to “development-oriented”  
information society, despite UK opposition, from the World Blind  
Union text.

They added the new “South-south” language from India and Brazil.

Reference to “universal design concepts” was included, despite UK  
opposition. Probably bracketed.

“Value” was replaced with “support regional and integration efforts”.

Para 4

They added “reduce poverty” from Togo to the last sentence.

Venezuela proposed addition of “technological dependency” to last  
sentence which was  bracketed.

The language  “and Tunis” from Ghana was added to the first sentence.

Don’t take “carry out research” from youth caucus

Malawi proposal to add “resources” to sentence on implementing Geneva  
decisions was bracketed after opposition from US and UK.

IAMR’s reference to “open access to public information” was not taken  
up but they did add “among all stakeholders” to second sentence.

The “gender mainstreaming” language from the “informal coalition and  
the Gender Caucus” was taken up.

Accepted to move youth caucus language on “ICT4D” somewhere else in  
document.

They added “designing, implementation” from Malawi proposal.


The meeting adjourned at 1800 hours.  They will begin with paragraph  
5 tomorrow.


===============================================
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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