[WSIS CS-Plenary] Re: [CS Bureau] Review of CS Bureau - long overdue and much needed

Tue Oct 17 00:02:16 BST 2006

Dear Robert

> Dear colleagues:
> 
> Several months ago I asked a simple question, one that for some reason
> has generated little discussion and comment - that being the future of
> the Civil Society Bureau (CSB) as a structure and those elected (or
> appointed) to serve on the body.
> 
> 
> Much like the governance caucus has, I think the CSB must clearly
> pronounce itself on how it sees its role, and how  its representatives
> are selected .
> 
> Personally I believe the CSB has, in all extents and purposes served its
> role - and is not longer providing any type of useful role. Perhaps I am
> wrong.
It is not perhaps...
it is an obvious certainty.
the CSB is a very usefull interface for procedural issues,
and it is going to be even more usefull as new
procedural issues concerning implementation and follow-up
with many different UN agencies and international organisation.
are now arising.

For exemple to get rooms of CS, during current
action lines meetings at UNESCO, without the CSB, it is not sure
we would have been granted a room.

My question : What the CS would stand to gain from the
destruction of the CSB ?

The WSIS was not social event, but is continuing process,
and it would be foolish not to follow closely the
implementation of recommendations that were so hard
to get.  The party is over, lets go back home...
this would betray our mission to bridge
the digital divide, the main goal of the Summit.

CS should be to able to strongly defend the multistakehdolder
process in many areas and with a variety of stakeholders.
The CSB is an invaluable asset.
The CSB does not need to live all its life,
in the underskirts of governements, to have a legitimacy
of its own in regards to governements and internal organization.

Adama Samessékou made a great speech today, as a guest of the
Civil Society meeting, supporting the continuation of
current efforts; and urging Civil Society to organize itself now at
regional and national  levels to help implement the WSIS.

>.but i just can't agree with a structure that sees its represented
> at entrenched in their positions.

This is another issue.

It is true that the CSB membership must be reviewed to
adapt to the current situation, that new representatives
must be chosen concerning inactive families.
It is not acceptable that a current CSB member
  could declare that a certain regional
family does not wish to follow the WSIS anymore.
Simply somebody else must be chosen instead.

The CSB has been revised in CapeTown at the end of the
first phase, removing inactive families,
it is quite logical it should be
revised at the end of the second phase.

As for me, I prefer to keep focused on the negotiations
of the following days at UNESCO, instead of starting
a discussion concerning the procedure that could be followed
to renew the CSB.
The discussiom could be started after the IGF, and
revision could be finalized in 2007 during the cluster
of WSIS events during the internet week.

Best regards

Francis

  If the body is to represent in some
> way CS, then it needs to periodically open itself for renewal and/or
> elections.
> 
> I thus call for the members of the CSB to start an open
> nomination/election process. The call needs to be preceded with a clear
> statement on how the election will be run - specifically how transparent
> it will be, and what specific "seats" are available.
> 
> Three key issues that need to be resolved :
> 
> 1. What to do with the  "host country liaison" seat ? Is there a need to
>  have such a position when there is no summit host country to dialogue
> with ?
> 
> 2. How many regional "seats" are to be allocated. Do we use the existing
> structure ? If not, then a consensus must be reached on the # of regions
> to be allocated. Possible bodies to use an example - UN, FIFA, ICANN,
> Olympics, etc..
> 
> 3. How can the election be overseen and run in a fashion that is
> consistent with the core values of Civil Society @ WSIS ?
> 
> An election for the CSB seats is NO small task, but nonetheless -
> something that is long overdue and much needed. How to proceed, well,
> something that needs to be discussed..
> 
> regards
> 
> Robert
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> _______________________________________________
> Bureau mailing list
> Bureau at wsis-cs.org
> http://mailman.greennet.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/bureau
> 

-- 

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Francis F. MUGUET Ph.D

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ENSTA   Paris, France
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