[hr-wsis] Document for PrepCom2 - Input from CS

[Meryem Marzouki <marzouki@ras.eu.org>]

Dear all,

Here is the current, almost final, document which will be sent as input 
from the civil society to PrepCom2. The dealine has been extended until 
Dec. 25.
I've send some more minor modifications, and will ask you for 
endorsement by your organizations if you're willing to do so when the 
final document will be ready.

Since the last version I've posted on this list, the document has been 
edited/modified with comments received by various NGOs and/or caucuses. 
I've myself proposed modifications - which have been included in the 
following version - after a stay abroad, with no easy email access, so 
I'm sorry not having been able to keep you regularly informed of the 
changes.

If any of you wants a formatted version, please let me know.
Meryem.
===========
World Summit on the Information Society

Document [number]
[date]
Original: English

Civil Society Statement to Prepcom 2 (DRAFT)

[Title]

Proposed by Civil Society Sub-committee on Content and Themes
December 17, 2002

The undersigned civil society organisations are contributing the 
following statement to Prepcom-2 on the vision, principles, themes and 
process for the World Summit on the Information Society

1. OUR VISION OF INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION SOCIETIES

Our vision: Information and communication societies based on human 
rights and sustainable human development.

Our vision is of information and communication societies based on the 
recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable 
rights of all human beings as articulated in the Universal Declaration 
of Human Rights and other International Human Rights instruments. The 
developments that shape such information and communication societies 
should pursue goals of social, political, gender and economic justice, 
sustainable human development, and support for democracy, participation, 
and empowerment.

We aspire to build information and communication societies where 
development is focused on fundamental human needs and clear social, 
cultural, economic, and environmental goals; where priority is given to 
the alleviation of poverty and other inequalities in a way that is 
environmentally sustainable. We support the creation of societies where 
human knowledge, values, beliefs, communication and organisation are 
considered core elements; where every citizen has the opportunity to not 
only access information, but also to produce it and exercise their 
creativity in environments that are free from violence and hatred. 
Further, we support the creation of societies where not only individual 
action, but also collective cleverness and innovation, based on 
cooperative work can be promoted.

The forces that drive developments in the field of information and 
communication should be guided by human rights standards such as 
equality and freedom, by recognition of information and communication 
resources as “commons”, by the ambition to create a dialogue among 
civilizations and by concern for ecological implications of 
technological waste.

Building people-centred and inclusive information and communication 
societies implies taking into account citizens and communities and 
involving them as participants and decision makers in shaping policies 
and frameworks.   .  It also means enabling the engagement and 
commitment of all generations and ensuring the involvement of diverse 
social and linguistic groups, cultures, the disabled, and  peoples in an 
environment of gender equality -- particularly those who are the most 
excluded, discriminated against, and disadvantaged.

Finally, considering that it is through processes of globalization that 
conceptions of Information and Communication Societies have evolved, 
most participants of WSIS are convinced that information and 
communication technologies can play a major part in the solutions to the 
major global problems articulated in the UN Millennium Declaration. To 
realize this vision, an efficient and democratic system of good 
government for information and communication societies is needed. Such a 
system must be people-centred and guided by human rights principles.

2 GUIDING PRINCIPLES

The following principles should guide the strategies for developing 
information and communication societies that respond to this vision.

2.1 Centrality of human rights and sustainable human development

Human rights and sustainable human development must be the cornerstone 
of all developments in information and communication societies. The 
principles of the United Nations Millennium Declaration, and especially 
those laid down in its sections III, IV and V (Development and Poverty 
Eradication, Protecting our Common Environment and Human rights, 
democracy and good governance) constitute the framework for evaluating 
these developments.

Building information and communication societies from a rights 
perspective implies putting human dignity, sustainable human development 
and the rights of today’s global citizens and future generations above 
technological considerations or the commercial producer-consumer 
relationship. In information and communication societies, democracy, 
participation, and empowerment must be supported.  Therefore, the goal 
of WSIS should be achieved in reference to the human rights framework 
established by the United Nations and regional protection systems, as 
articulated in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the 
International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, the 
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the Convention on 
the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, and other 
international instruments adopted by member states. WSIS should explore 
the full range of tools, strategies and perspectives for achieving 
sustainable development, in accordance with guidelines such as those 
agreed upon in the Earth Charter, Agenda21 and the Johannesburg 
Declaration.

2.2 The Right to Communicate

Communication - understood as a participatory and interactive process 
essential to human coexistence, social organization, organization of 
human experience, democracy, human formation and citizenship and 
community building - should be granted as a right in information and 
communication societies.

Communication is a basic human need, indispensable for the organization 
of societies, and therefore must be at the centre of definitions for 
building information and communication societies. Facilitating active 
citizenship  through increased possibilities for human interaction and 
the production and exchange of information should be a priority in this 
process. The focus should be on people, as citizens, and the services 
they require, rather than on services and their “users” or “consumers”. 
We affirm the concepts of participation, communication and effective use 
in this context. Technology should be at the service of communication 
and information needs, not an end in itself. We refer in this context to 
the submission by  the CRIS Campaign of a Declaration on the Right to 
Communicate.

2.3 The global information commons

Securing and extending the public domain, or global commons, is a major 
way of bridging the digital divide and of ensuring the minimal equitable 
conditions for the overall development of intellectual creativity, 
technological innovation, effective technology use and successful 
participation in information and communication societies. These are the 
necessary pre-conditions for actualizing the values and principles of 
freedom, equality, solidarity and shared responsibility adopted in the 
United Nations Millennium Declaration.

Extending the global information commons is a means of achieving both 
the reduction of inequalities and the minimal equitable conditions for 
the stimulation of intellectual creativity and technological innovation 
in information and communication societies. Indigenous peoples' 
aspirations to protect and develop cultural and specific intellectual 
property rights must also be supported. Furthermore, it should be 
recognized that the global commons, developed as it is by means of 
public funding and deriving from our shared physical environment, 
constitutes a public resource, which should not be sold for private 
profit.


2.4 Access to information and the means of communication

Access to information and the means of communication as a public and 
global commons should be participatory, universal, inclusive and 
democratic.

In order for everyone to be able to participate in the benefits, 
achievements, and potentials of information and communication societies, 
the digital divide issue should be tackled in its broadest sense. This 
means addressing both the North/South digital divide and the enduring 
inequities within both developed and less developed nations, and 
generally speaking the political, cultural, ethnic, social and age 
barriers, along with technical, educational, gender and economic ones, 
that are major causes of marginalization. Embedded in all of these are 
inequitable gender relations. It means ensuring universal access to 
information essential for human development as well as to infrastructure 
and the most appropriate forms of information and communications 
technology, and encouraging social appropriation of this technology. 
Democratic access implies differentiating the needs of different 
collectivities and seeking appropriate solutions.  It involves in each 
case determining the most appropriate communication tools and 
applications, including traditional communications media and 
community-based initiatives as well as the newest information and 
communication technologies.  It also means developing and providing the 
means for the effective use of ICTs by different groups. This implies 
addressing diverse realities of social groups such as indigenous 
peoples, diasporas, migrants, those workers who have the right of 
mobility within large trade zones, as well as specific needs of groups 
such as older persons and the disabled. It also implies giving priority 
to community initiatives, developed in response to local needs and under 
community control.

If universal access to information and communication is to be realized 
as a means of enhancing human empowerment and development, ownership of 
infrastructure, ICTs, nor information and knowledge must be monopolized. 
The regulatory and legal framework in all information and communication 
societies must then be strengthened to support broadbased sharing of 
technologies, information, and knowledge.

2.5 Promoting cultural and linguistic diversity

Respect for and promotion of multilingualism and diversity, which are 
fundamental to human conviviality and peace, must be at the centre of 
information and communication societies. In such societies there is 
great potential for promoting cultural and linguistic diversity and 
exchange, but also for imposing homogeneity. Culture is alive and 
evolving, therefore linguistic diversity and cultural identity do not 
only need to be preserved, but also actively fostered. ICTs may provide 
a means of sustaining languages and cultures. ICTs should also be able 
to support the use of local and indigenous languages. In addition, the 
Internet should not only be seen as a  medium where messages are carried 
by the written word.  There is also a place for ICT development to 
support communication through iconography and voice recognition 
technology, in order to help reduce illiteracy, while not excluding 
illiterates from information and communication societies.

2.6 Incorporating a gender perspective

Gender-based analyses and perspectives must be introduced into all 
proposals, action plans and follow-up programmes, so that gender 
equality can be guaranteed in information and communication societies, 
as enshrined in the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of 
Discrimination against Women and the Beijing Platform for Action 
(including, but not limited to Section J).

2.7 Taking a Democratic Perspective on Information and Communication 
Societies

A democratic perspective on information and communication societies, in 
which information is crucial for citizens, is necessary in order to make 
choices grounded on the awareness of alternatives and opportunities. 
Information and communication are the foundation for transparency, 
debate and decision-making. They can contribute to a culture and a 
practice of cooperation, basis for a renewal of democracy. Information 
and communication technologies offer potential benefits to the world’s 
communities that will only be exploited if there is a political will to 
do so.

In this spirit, the aim of WSIS “to develop a common vision and 
understanding of the Information Society”, and the methods to achieve 
such a vision, requires shared communication values and mechanisms 
including the right to communicate, respect for freedom of opinion and 
expression in all of its dimensions, and a commitment to transparency , 
accountability, and democracy.

2.8 Incorporating a youth perspective

All proposals, action plans, and follow-up programmes should incorporate 
the needs and contributions of youth, and young people should be engaged 
as participants throughout the process, as set forth in the World 
Programme of Action for Youth to the Year 2000 and Beyond.


3. THEMES

We propose the following categories and issues discussed therein as a 
comprehensive framework for WSIS themes, along with our identified 
guiding principles.

3.1 Understanding the Foundations and Building the Framework

In this category, WSIS would develop a shared definition and 
understanding of the information society: what do we mean by it, who 
will benefit and what purposes will be served by its development, on 
what ethical bases it should function. The primary emphasis here would 
be on defining the role of human rights and the concept of sustainable 
development in information and communication societies in the context of 
the United Nations system in coordination with regional human rights 
protection systems. Integral to this, the distinct roles, priorities and 
responsibilities of governments, civil society, and the private sector 
would also be established in order to develop an efficient system of 
good government in information and communication societies. . The 
diverse realities of different types of communities would also be 
addressed here.

3.1.1 Contributions of information and communication technologies to the 
opportunities for
human and social development

As a basis for building a better understanding of the potential and 
risks of information and communication societies, WSIS would examine the 
particular roles and responsibilities the information society has to 
play in contributing to development and would consider and evaluate its 
social and environmental impacts. WSIS would also identify the means to 
ensure the broadest distribution of opportunities for human and social 
development and environmental protection through effective technology 
use within an information and communication society and the emerging 
technology environment on which it is based.

Themes would include: the creation of economic opportunities, including 
informal ones and those that are part of a third sector economy; the 
role of ICTs in health, agriculture, and other life-critical sectors; 
the role of ICT-based communication for development; training workers 
for Information and Communication Societies; the realities and dangers 
of labour exploitation in ICT-based sectors; the roles and impacts of 
investment and speculation in ICT-based development; and the role and 
limits of E-commerce in development; the impact of ICTs on employment 
and migration; environmental risks and potentials of ICTs, such as 
electronic waste, positive and rebound effects of dematerialization, and 
unsustainable extraction of minerals and other resources required for 
their manufacture; and the role of ICTs in the reclamation, preservation 
and future development of indigenous knowledge.

3.1.2 Bridging Divides to Information and Communication Societies

In this category, WSIS would address barriers to citizens and countries 
in accessing the Information Society. Here, WSIS would explicitly 
recognize a complex of different types of barriers, not just a 
monolithic concept of the “digital divide.” Major emphasis would be 
placed on addressing barriers facing the least developed countries 
(LDCs).  Particular attention would be given to Indigenous peoples that 
experience a reduced socio-economic status, in most nations where they 
reside, even within developed nations.  Other themes addressed here 
would include: social, economic, cultural, and educational barriers; 
political and social barriers; gender roles and relationships; 
requirements for achieving universal and equal access; information as a 
public good, with due consideration for and in relation to an evolution 
of various intellectual and cultural property; freedom of expression and 
of the media; supporting cultural and linguistic diversity in 
circumventing barriers; and the distinct roles of governments, civil 
society, and the private sector in bridging barriers to information and 
communication Societies.

3.1.3 Knowledge Society

In this category, WSIS would address themes that recognize the creation 
and management of, and access to knowledge as the key benefit to 
humankind of Information and Communication Societies.

Such themes would include: educational goals, distance learning, 
facilitating both formal and life-long learning processes, the 
development of information literacy, access to knowledge, support for 
cultural and linguistic diversity, support for the reclamation, 
preservation and future development of indigenous knowledge, and the 
needs of young people in the knowledge society. Capacity building in 
academia to support the knowledge society would also be addressed as 
well as local and diverse knowledge systems. Media in general and mass 
media in particular are recognized as having critical roles and 
responsibilities in the knowledge society.

3.1.4 People, Communities, and Rights

In this category, WSIS would address themes specific to citizens and 
communities that are not addressed by commercial perspectives on the 
Information Society. The main emphasis here is, on the one hand, to 
articulate support for people’s empowerment and for their full 
participation in their countries and communities; and on the other, to 
promote community-driven and community-based enabling initiatives 
including traditional and innovative uses of communication as well as 
information management and processing tools at the community level.

Major thematic subcategories here include: the creation of an electronic 
commons which would guarantee universal access to information and 
capacity to produce information essential to human development, free 
public spaces and technical resources that can be used to meet human 
needs; community control of ICT infrastructures; continuing support for 
free software and open source technologies; capacity building; and the 
multiplicity of dimensions of diversity. Specific themes here would 
include: the empowerment of communities through ICTs; promotion of 
cultural and linguistic diversity; support for oral information and 
cultures; support for independent, community controlled media and other 
forms of communication; the needs of people with disabilities; needs of 
the young and the elderly; support for cross-cultural communications; 
stemming the technological “brain drain” from developing countries; 
content dumping, and geographic-specific themes.

3.1.5 Gender Perspectives

In accordance with the Millennium Declaration and other instruments 
adopted by the UN, WSIS must address gender perspectives within the 
information society as a cross-cutting issue in all aspects of the 
agenda and in relation to each of the themes outlined in this document. 
In addition, in this specific category, WSIS would focus on the broad 
themes of reducing gender discrimination and improving participation of 
women in the Information Society, capacity building and training for 
women, equal access, and the use of ICTs to improve the lives and 
livelihoods of women worldwide.

Specific themes would include: supporting wide participation by women 
ICT specialists and gender analysis specialists in policy formation and 
decision making at all levels in the ICT sector; supporting women’s 
greater access to and control over resources necessary for their 
empowerment; encouraging women to explore the convergence and between 
cultural and traditional forms of communication with the technologies 
currently available; enhancing the possibilities for women at all levels 
to use ICT tools for the transformation of gender hierarchies in society 
and to challenge stereotyped roles that women and men are expected to 
fulfill; using new and alternative forms of ICTs to counter the negative 
portrayal of women in the media, examining and addressing old and new 
forms of exploitation and violence against women in information and 
communication societies.

3.1.6 Youth

Youth in Information and Communication Societies should be a theme in its
own right. In accordance with the World Programme of Action for Youth to 
the Year 2000 and Beyond, youth perspectives should be incorporated 
within all themes. In addition, Youth should be actively encouraged to 
speak and submit input to WSIS. Young people represent the hope for the 
world's future and they must be included at all levels of 
decision-making that will impact on their lives and those of generations 
to come.

Young people have been at the forefront of almost every innovation in the
development of Information and Communication Societies. However, it is 
only recently that we have begun to formally recognize their potential 
in a development context. The world's largest untapped resource in 
creating Information and Communication Societies is not technology, but 
young people. Youth are a huge and growing demographic, making up more 
than two-thirds of the population of some developing nations. Yet, young 
people have too often been seen as a burden rather than an asset, a 
group to be taught but not to teach, and to receive but not to give. We 
must commit to working with youth to change this paradigm. Young people, 
the first generation to have grown up with ICTs, have a great deal of 
energy, enthusiasm, and expertise to offer in the development of 
Information and Communication Societies. Youth need to be part of 
decision-making processes related to Information and Communication 
Societies. We must commit to supporting youth efforts and engaging young 
people as participants in all proposals, action plans and follow-up 
programmes.

3.2 Developing the Framework

In this category, WSIS would establish a shared understanding of how the 
information society should function, be regulated, and evolve.

3.2.1 Regulatory  Framework

Themes would include areas such as: freedom of expression; data 
protection; data access; privacy and network security; privacy in the 
workplace; consumer protection, especially with regard to spamming and 
profiling; intellectual and cultural property rights; universal access 
to information essential to human development, as well as public domain 
issues and fair use; access to public services; developing regulatory 
mechanisms that promote democratic participation by people; the 
establishment of appropriate policy , market structures and regulations 
for media and telecommunications ownership and concentration; and 
extending the rights of workers and their trade-unions to the use of the 
internet and intranets of companies for purpose of communications and 
solidarity. Defining on-line rights for on-line workers is a necessity 
and includes provisions to protect workers in very intrusive workplaces 
and under unprecedented monitoring and surveillance conditions. A 
regulatory framework must also address the management of communications 
development funds that have been established in several countries as a 
means of extending the deployment of ICTs to non income-yielding areas. 
Finally, given the borderless characteristics of ICTs, an appropriate 
framework for establishing the competence of jurisdictions should also 
be elaborated.

3.2.2 Public Policies

Themes addressing the development of information and communication 
societies would include: policies for autonomous development of national 
and regional information societies; securing and extending the global 
information commons as a major way of bridging the digital divide; 
sustainable and environmentally responsible development of ICTs as well 
as the use of ICTs to enable sustainable and environmentally responsible 
development and conservation efforts worldwide; development of 
alternative and community-based technologies; determining the 
appropriate use of new and traditional ICTs; capacity building in 
governments, civil society, and the private sector; financing and 
deployment of technology; and examination of social and regulatory 
impacts of this framework. Recognizing participatory design as an 
indispensable tool for ICT development, this category should also 
establish as an integral part of this framework a continuing process for 
the implementation and review of summit themes and principles, and 
mechanisms for the implementation, monitoring and enforcement of rights 
recognized in the information society by WSIS.

3.2.3 Rights, Responsibilities, and Governance

In this category, WSIS would address the rights of citizens and 
communities in the information society as well as the particulars of 
governing the Information Society. Themes would include: governance of 
information and communication societies in a globalized world, 
democratic management of international bodies dealing with ICTs, 
including Internet governance, with emphasis on developing and securing 
the global information commons and a right of universal access; 
democratic management of the Internet Domain Name and IP Address System, 
including the political as well as technical issues of the management 
process; a broad awareness of the societal and ethical implications 
throughout information and communication societies of the introduction 
of Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6);information and communication 
rights; access to public information; privacy; the role of the media; 
the use of ICTs for government and decentralization; and media ownership 
and concentration. Effective legal mechanisms must also be made 
available to provide enforcement of rights and means of seeking legal 
remedies for violations. The main emphasis here is to articulate support 
for the empowerment of citizens and the reform and strengthening of 
democracy through the use of ICTs at all levels, from the local to the 
national and international. For each theme in this category would be the 
consideration of their social impacts.

3.2.4 Building the Infrastructure

In this category, WSIS would focus on the technical aspects of evolving 
information societies from their present state. The objective is that 
each community and each village in the world should have an access to 
the Internet. Themes would include: the extension of Internet 
connectivity, the development of regional backbones, wireless 
technologies, and other advanced ICTs to meet outstanding human needs in 
all societies; infrastructure needed to extend participation of the 
developing world in information and communication societies; continuing 
support for free software and open source technologies; better balanced 
and lower cost international route and hub repartition; building bridges 
between different types of media, including radio, television, print and 
the Internet; addressing the needs of rural communities; the use of ICTs 
in  emergency situations, as articulated in the Tampere Convention; and 
supporting the deployment of community radio and television broadcasting 
sectors. Close cooperation between research actors and community 
networks should also be promoted, in order to foster new technological 
developments that can address social needs.

3.2.5 Tools, Services and Applications

In this category, WSIS would examine tools, services, and applications 
in the Information Society that should be pursued in addressing human 
needs. Major thematic subcategories here would include technologies that 
facilitate active citizenship and improved government; support for 
universal access to knowledge and global communication and cooperation; 
and the improvement of the standard of living adequate to the health and 
well-being of all citizens. Specific themes include: the building of 
bridges between the media: radio, television, press and Internet; ICTs 
for E-government, including e-governance and citizen input into 
political processes; support for disaster mitigation and relief 
operations; support for long-term data archiving for cultural 
preservation; and tools to facilitate cross-sector co-operation.

3.2.6 Environmental Stewardship

Recognizing that  information and communication societies must be built 
on a foundation of sustainable development, safeguarding the global 
environmental resource is central to achieving a healthy networked 
community for all. Life cycle management in the production flow of 
ICT-related goods and services must be promoted and implemented by the 
global ICT
sector.