Civil Society doc 1 - contribution to declaration

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

Hi all,

I received two draft documents from the civil society content and themes 
group. Here is the first one, the second one is sent to you in a 
companion message.
Could you please try to send ASAP (i.e. today) precise 
comments/modification on these documents, so that we can compile them 
and provide the group with the human rights caucus comments.
Meryem

World Summit on the Information Society
PrepCom-2 - Geneva, February 2003

25 February 2003  16:00

WSIS- Civil Society Working Group on Content and Themes -- Drafting 
Committee

Contribution on Common Vision and Key Principles for the Declaration

DECLARATION

A. Preamble

Recognizing the efforts of governments for developing the Compilation of 
the Outcomes of the Regional Conferences (Document 
WSIS/PC-2/DT/1(Rev.1)-E), the Civil Society Working Group on Content and 
Themes contributes this document.

This document includes input from over twenty thematic caucuses.

B. Comments on Common Vision

Visions:
We particularly welcome and underline the following references in the 
compilation document and recommend their inclusion in the declaration:

• “Freedom of opinion and expression” fundamental to the information 
society (as embodied in article 19 of the UDHR); “the right to 
communicate and the right to access information”
• “Knowledge and information constitute fundamental sources of 
well-being and progress”
• Recognition that the digital divide “reflects and is a factor in the 
differences that exist between and within countries”
• Development of an information society based on “respect for human 
rights…, democracy, environmental protection, the advancement of peace, 
the right to development, fundamental freedoms, economic progress and 
social equity”.
• Pursuing the Millennium Declaration goals: “reducing poverty and 
unemployment, raising levels of education, improving health services, 
enhancing empowerment and minimising loss of environmental resources”; 
also the aim to pursue “goals of promoting sustainable economic and 
social development, improve quality of life for all, alleviate hunger 
and facilitate participatory decision-making processes”.
• Serving “the needs of developing countries” and their “opportunity to 
harness ICTs for shaping their future without the risk of losing 
cultural identity.”
• “The process of transformation into an information society should be 
sustainable and equitable.”
• The “need for a people-centred approach”
• Harnessing “the knowledge and experience of citizens” as the “driving 
force behind the Information Society”
• The “genuine participation of all stakeholders”
• “Women's equal access to information and knowledge as well as equal 
opportunities as participants and decision-makers in (…) shaping ICT 
policies and frameworks”

  In addition we propose to include the following ideas:

  We envision inclusive information and communication societies founded 
on human dignity, human rights and intercultural dialogue for the 
advancement of world peace, in an environment free from violence and 
hatred.

  The right to communicate should be a fundamental right in the 
information society. It includes and extends freedom of opinion and 
expression, with no obstacles to free speech and press freedom. It is 
based on the right to create, innovate, research and impart information 
and knowledge freely.

  Societies where every citizen has the opportunity not only to access 
information but also to produce it and exercise their creativity.

  Societies that mobilise global solidarity to overcome social and 
geographic inequities and contribute to a more equitable distribution of 
technological and information resources.

  Knowledge and creativity are at the heart of the information society.  
The diversity and plurality of knowledge plays a crucial role.

  Knowledge is the heritage of all humanity. It is an unlimited resource, 
that grows and is enriched as it is shared.  Extending and protecting 
the information in the public domain (global information commons) is a 
major way of bridging the digital and information divide within and 
between countries and ensuring conditions for intellectual creativity, 
technological innovation and participation in the information society.
  The personal and public domain knowledge shall be shared between people.

  In a democratic society, Information and communications are the 
foundation for transparency, debate and decision-making and for informed 
choice of an active citizenry.


  C. Comments Key Principles

  General Principles:
  We welcome and underline the following issues in the compilation 
document and recommend their inclusion in the declaration:

• Communication as “the basis of individual and societal existence”, and 
its contribution to securing “the fair, balanced and harmonious 
development of all people of the world”, particularly “the most 
disadvantaged”.
• Addressing “the interests of all nations, most particularly the 
interests of developing countries”, as well as the “special 
circumstances of regional, small island developing states”.
• Centrality of “social and economic progress of countries and the 
well-being of persons and communities’ well being; use and benefit of 
ICTs in order to satisfy needs of individuals, communities and society.
• “Pooling global and regional available resources” to “extend the 
benefits of ICTs to all inhabitants of the world”.
• Attention to overcoming “unequal power relations” and “the use of ICTs 
for  empowerment of women”.
• “Averting new forms of exclusion and reducing disparities between 
developed and developing countries.”
• “Ensuring equal opportunities for access to information and 
communication technologies.”
• “Invoking use of ICTs as a tool for environmental preservation and 
sustainability, (and…) disaster mitigation and prevention.”
• Promoting “appropriate and affordable technologies.”

  In addition we propose to include the following principles:

Any action relating to development of information and communication 
societies should be based on human rights and sustainable human 
development, with reference to the human rights framework. This 
framework is 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 and other 
international instruments adopted by member states.
The principles of the United Nations Millennium Declaration, and 
especially those articulated in its sections I and V -- "Values and 
Principles" and "Human rights, democracy and good governance," 
respectively -- constitute the framework for evaluating these 
developments. The final Declaration and plan of action of WSIS should 
include a direct reference to the UN Human Rights framework, as proposed 
above.

  The final declaration of the WSIS should explicitly express the strong 
connection between free exchange of knowledge and preservation of peace.

  Knowledge and education are critical enabling agents in building 
information societies in which all citizens can participate on an equal 
footing.  Collective cleverness and innovation based on cooperative work 
should be promoted.

  Research and academic freedom are keystones of the information society. 
Academic and public research results should be as far as possible 
included in the public domain. The public domain plays a crucial role in 
the creation, evaluation and dissemination of knowledge.

  ICTs, communication and knowledge can play a major part in solutions to 
the major global problems articulated in the UN Millennium Declaration.

  Effective and equal participation of both women and men in the 
information society needs to be assured if countries are to achieve 
their development goals and priorities.

  Technologies should be at the service of people and their needs.  
Shaping the future cannot be left solely to market forces.

  Recognising cultural development as an alive and evolving process, 
linguistic diversity and cultural identity need to be not only preserved 
but also actively fostered. ICTs may provide a means of sustaining 
languages and cultures. Particular attention should be given to 
indigenous peoples’ needs and contributions.

  Media, whether based on digital and traditional technologies, is 
central to any conception of an information society. Policies must be 
adopted to guarantee the existence of free, independent, plural and 
diverse media, including community-owned and managed media.

  Radio, as the most widespread electronic communications device in the 
world, is an effective means of reaching the world's poorest 
communities. Community broadcasting is increasingly recognised as a 
bridge across the digital divide between those who have access to the 
world's information resources and those who do not.

  A global debate must be fostered on the future of the information 
society, and in particular on the role of ICTs in social and community 
development.  An environment should be created that supports social and 
community appropriation of technology to meet particular needs.

  The global commons, developed as it is by means of public funding and 
the will of creators, and deriving from our shared physical environment, 
constitutes a public resource that should not be sold for private profit.

  The concept of fair use should be protected to maximise the potential 
of creativity in the public sphere. Non commercial use of digital 
contents should be regarded as fair use and thus protected. Authors 
should be enabled to donate their intellectual contents to the public 
domain without technological or financial obstacles.

  Promote policies to build the infrastructure of the information society 
in developing countries through responsible re-investment of 
telecommunications profits made in those countries, whether from the 
private or public sector.

  Recognising young people as leading creators, adapters and adopters of 
ICTs, with a crucial role to play as agents of change, multi-stakeholder 
and intergenerational partnerships should be encouraged.

While harnessing the use of ICTs as a tool for environmental 
preservation and sustainability, there is a need to pay attention to: 
the energy consumption of ICTs,
the potential of ICTs to help dematerialize our economic activities, 
ecodesign and longer life cycles of electronic equipment, recycling and 
the trade in e-waste, and improved coherence of Multilateral 
Environmental Agreements (MEA) such as the Basel Convention on Toxic 
Waste (including electronic waste) with the WTO.

There must be democratic and transparent Internet Governance, including 
globally shared responsibility Root-Server management. [PPP, Public 
Private Partnership Model]

Each country should have the right to make their own rights and 
policies, including intellectual property laws for developing its own 
knowledge base and culture without any oppression from other countries.

  Priority should be given to community-driven communication initiatives, 
developed in response to local needs and under community control.

Global intellectual rights regimes should be reviewed to restore the 
balance between common interest of sharing knowledge and culture on the 
one hand and ensure continuing expansion of creation on the other. They 
should also protect the access to past knowledge, in any new format and 
media, as part of the global heritage of humanity.

Current concerns felt by many governments in the area of 'information 
security' is resulting in the formulation of policies and regulation (in 
areas such as data retention, data sharing, monitoring, surveillance, 
interception, filtering, blocking) which run the serious risk of 
infringing people's right to communicate freely using information and 
communication technologies and services. It also contributes to an 
insecure atmosphere which is incompatible with peace seeking