The World Summit on the Information Society is organised by the United Nations and preparatory conferences and meetings are occurring now.
The WSIS will be held at Geneva in December 2003, and in Tunis in 2005. The key idea was to create plans to reduce the "digital divide" and so enhance economic and social development around the world. All sorts of nice ideas like protecting human rights, encouraging cultural diversity and allowing freedom of expression have been suggested as likely outcomes. It�s now obvious that the governments who are the key players at the United Nations have specialist agendas of their own. The USA is pushing digital rights, protection of intellectual property and is discouraging recognition of open source software. Pakistan and China are opposing all input from civil society. Many countries have their own agenda to ensure censorship of the Internet and are looking for ways to restrict freedom of communication. In the USA there is huge suspicion of the UN and particularly of UNESCO. In 1978 the UNESCO Declaration on Mass Media called for diversity of medial ownership. This was considered a direct attack on the USA in particular and the West in general. In 1984 the USA withdrew from UNESCO. Media interests in the USA are opposed to many of the things civil society groups are currently proposing. The best organised civil society response has come out of the World Social Forum meeting at Porto Alegro in Brazil. That group has created a manifesto, "Communication Rights in the Information Society" which has won wide support among many civil society groups, but is getting vigorous opposition in the places that count. There is no strong proposal to discuss ICANN and it�s control of the Internet, although many people believe that the present structure isn�t satisfactory as a long term solution to the governance of the Internet. The International Telecommunications Union see the WSIS as a wonderful opportunity to develop business proposals. 83 countries have less than 10 phone lines per 100 people. 61 Countries have fewer than 1% of the population who have ever used the Internet. There is a lot of wire and fibre to lay, unless wireless technology is to be used. Telcos want world bank and government funding for a huge expansion of business, but this cuts against the demands of the Millennium Summit. Eg. The Millennium Summit In September 2000, at the United Nations 147 political leaders, 3 crown princes and 8 deputy leaders, committed their countries to some solemn goals. For instance Clause 19 resolves that by 2015 they would: Reduce the number of people living on $1 a day, and those who are hungry by 50% Provide primary education for every child in the world, and equal access the education for boys and girls at all levels. To reduce maternal mortality by 75% and death of children under 5 by 66%. To halt the spread of HIV-aids malaria and other major diseases. To provide special assistance to children orphaned by HIV-aids. By 2020 to have significantly improved the lives of at least 100 million slum dwellers as proposed in the "Cities Without Slums" initiative. These are important goals, much more important than providing people with computers. Where�s the progress? Who�s making the investment? How are we going to get all the girls in the world into education? If this is the information society, that is basic information, what�s being done? Civil Society has been proposing these general ideas for WSIS. A global knowledge commons, cultural and language diversity, open standards for data on the Internet, peer to peer equality particularly gender equality. Confirmation that the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948) applies to Internet use too. Opposition to excessive surveillance on the Internet, and to prison terms for "information offences". New Zealand is sending two representatives to the WSIS meeting in December, one from the National Library and one from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade. There is no present proposal for a Minister to attend, nor for anyone representing civil society in NZ to go. There is a list of the willing, who are interested in the NZ civil society position. To join just send a blank email to <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> I hope that�s helpful, John
