5/15/03

Two meetings are going to be conducted as run-ups for the December phase of the WSIS.

The first is the conference entitled "Building the Information Commonwealth: Informational Technologies and Prospects of Development of the Civil Society Institutions in Countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States" (BIC2003) which will take place in St. Petersburg, Russia from 30 June - 02 July 2003. The main purpose of this conference is to achieve a critical understanding of the current state and prospects for using modern information and communication technologies (ICTs) to support the formation of civil society institutions within the territories of the commonwealth of independent states (CIS). The conference will be focused on the creation of a networking structure for non-profit and civil society organisations currently undertaking ICT projects in the CIS countries; the creation of a research network in this field; and on planning common activities and positions within the frame of the WSIS preparatory process.

The second event is the World Forum on Communication Rights, which was proposed to be held alongside the WSIS in Geneva, Switzerland. The civil society networks in CRIS campaign (Communication Rights in the Information Society) are launching the initiative as a collaborative event. This forum is an open event and welcomes those from civil society, activists, NGOs, agencies, governments, intergovernmental organisations and the private sector who accept the need to address communication rights in the information society and who want to work together to achieve the proposed goals. It will take place alongside the first WSIS Summit in December 2003. The provisional date is 11 December 2003, midway through the three-day Summit.

The forum will focus on information and communication rights issues that surround the emergence of an information society. These are not limited to concerns regarding the 'digital divide' and access to ICTs but will draw on a more profound understanding of the role of information and communication in society and current dynamics and trends. They encompass areas such as the public domain and intellectual property rights, the public sphere and media and communication, and the commercialisation and closure of the Internet.

The outcomes of the Forum are expected to be threefold:

1. A Portrayal of Communication Rights Globally: To explore and define the dimensions of information and communication rights that must underpin any claim of an information society to enrich the lives of all people. To portray the denial of these rights in different contexts using concrete examples and analyses, and demonstrating novel examples of such rights being secured.
2. A 'Declaration on Communication Rights in the Information Society': To jointly formulate and agree on a succinct statement that: - Notes existing human rights relating to information and communication; - Sets down the conditions and environment necessary for people to exercise these; and - Explores obstacles to achieving such an environment, identifying priority areas for intervention.
3. A Set of Actions: To engage multi-partner participation in a set of voluntary collaborative actions to implement such rights in a manner meaningful to people in their everyday lives, and to define appropriate follow-up. These will comprise targeted actions, each contributing to communication rights in the context of the information society, and that in practice are beyond the scope of the WSIS Summit. They might include for instance alternatives to intellectual property rights, promotion of open source software, innovation in governance and regulation, grassroots technologies, or new fund-raising mechanisms.

Women's advocates have long been analysing the WSIS process, and one of the weaknesses of the process, they point out, is the absence of deep critique of the issues being thrown back and forth within conferences and forums like these ones. According to the CRIS Campaign, the WSIS itself is constrained in the manner and depth to which the issues mentioned could be addressed. They pointed out that some countries and corporate interests have already demonstrated their determination to prevent certain matters from reaching the agenda. Furthermore, they say that many issues are the domain of existing international organisations and entities, and these are reluctant to cede territory to the WSIS. They see that it is essential that communication rights in the information society be considered as a coherent, and interrelated, set of concerns.

With objectives that centre on civil society efforts and participation, perhaps these forthcoming conference and forum will be helpful for advocates to push their advocacy forward, in the hopes of establishing a stronger civil society voice in the WSIS process.

For further information about the conference, please contact:
BIC2003 Organising Committee
E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Website: http://www.communities.org.ru/conference

And for further information about the day forum, please contact the following CRIS Campaign persons:
Sean O' Siochru
E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Myriam Horngren
E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.