[CS Bureau] CSB Side-event...?

[Dr. Francis MUGUET]

Dear Robert,  Tracey and Renate

Merci Tracey pour ton effort pour les Francophones !.

> I gather no one raised the possibility of the CSB itself having a 
> side-event at the summit. would it not be of interest to have an 
> information session at least?
I think it is an *excellent idea* that I am fully supporting.
It is ironic that this excellent idea would
a dead-born child unless we apply for an extension.
One more reason to apply for an extension !


>> When I heard last night from Francis about the idea of deadline 
>> extension, I had sympathy for some of the difficulties he mentioned. 
>>  However, consulting with some people here and following Tracey�s 
>> arguments, I agree that we should in no way undermine CS �s position 
>> as reliable negotiating partner.
I don't think that transmitting the problems that its own constituency
is facing is undermining the CSB or the CS as a reliable negotiating 
partner.

On the contrary, if benefiting from the extension, the CS with the
CSB at the helm, can  better organize and coordinate CS proposals, with 
the help of the WSIS online site provided by Bertran,
This would reinforce the credibility of the CS in much stronger
fashion than with the current messy situation.


  (in our B2B document
Concerning this B2B document which I am reading for the first time
( it is not a criticism,
  may be I missed some previous posting about it on the CSB list )
There are some points in this nicely written document
that must be improved however.


1/ one crucial component that is missing that the
Civil Society events should be free of charge.
No charge for the room and basic necessities such as power,
internet connection and video projector (for computer & slides ),
and screen. I forget to mention in my post to the Finance
group that was forwarded to the Plenary that some Tunisian
organizers I spoke with at the Foire du Livre,
  told me that the Civil Society should
have to pay for the rooms.  I protested with high vigor,
and they told me that everything should be like in Geneva.
Since I did not want to create a controversy and since I am not
sure whether those Tunisian organizers at the Foire du Livre were
really fully informed themselves, I abstain from mentionning it.
Since the situation is fuzzy, I would strongly suggest that this
important point be mentionned in the B2B paper.

2/ Internet access : It would be better to precise full access on all 
ports. The current formulation leaves the possibility of unfiltered
but proxied access to the port 80 only ( Web ) which was
the original situation offered in Geneva.
I would add that all computers in the CS offices should have a routable
IP.

Let me remind the CSB that if the CS has been able to benefit
from a full access ( www, ssh, etc... )  from the CS offices to all 
ports in Geneva, it is because of my own efforts. I had very tense 
negotiations with the commercial provider,
even hinting at possible crack of the network by furious CS activists,
who had not router to get to the CS.  The final outcome is that
I demanded that all computers be directly on the internet with
routable IPs, and it is what has been done with the technician
and me while everybody else was eating and chatting at the Welcome
party offered by the Swiss government. Sour souvenirs....

Very vague : The virtual conferencing capabilities is a good thing
but who is going to finance it and which software is going to be chosen ?
I believe that it should be mentionned that those services should be
free and the CSB may to offer recommendations on this issue.
There has been a controversy about Vconf tools.
Because of the emergency, I am currently disclosing ( keep it for 
yourself until it is announced ) that a Thematic and Technical Group 
concerning VideoConfering Tools is under discussion and formation by 
Gabriel Rosenthal, a specialist in this domain whose first task is going 
to evaluate existing Free Software tools for this task and bring its 
recommendations to the CS.

  we ask for a
>> time until end of May, so 30 April is a compromise). I therefore hope 
>> that Francis will be able to register today for an event
I registered for several events one for the SI, one for the PCT group,
another on behalf of a colleague,
and above all for an Umbrella event.
The EDU&R , S&T families, the SI and PCT groups agreed to
work together under the framework of an Umbrella event chaired
by Adama Samassékou ( confirmed ) under the tentative title
"A Knowledge society of Shared Knowledge"
This Umbrella event request was sent in time,
however this was done too much in haste,
with not enough discussions, and absolutely not details
given in the form but a request for an extension in red characters.

Similar groupings are being envisionned by the Civil
Society in another fields.
Djilali has similar plans that has been discussed on the
Finance list ( which I translate forward & to the CSB  with Djilali
authorization ) of an Umbrella event called :
"Sustainable developemnt, Digitial Solidarity, Equitable Partnerships"
regrouping the following themes :
  Telecentres, Disability, equitable MSPs ( UNMSP & others ),
  Alternative Financing means ( DSF & others )
  ( tbc: Equitable commerce, Volunteers )
  under the aegis of a high level person such as Cardoso ( tentative ).
Seemingly the recent Digital Arts group is following
the same strategy, and some people are brainstorming about an Umbrella
grouping concerning "E-citizenship in the Information Age".
If we have some information about each other propositions
that could lead to some more efficient Umbrella groupings,
and thanks to Bertran's tools, this would certainly make a good usage
of the extension.
Each Umbrella grouping would correspond to a specific area in the
hall, bringing some degree of order instead
of the scattered anarchy in Geneva.
People would know whenever they have the leisure to hear about a 
specific theme that they could go anytime to a specific area and 
participate to whatever related event is taking place at that time.
If we want to have busy diplomats, ministers to listen to what
we have to say, this is the only way.
As I posted to the plenary, CS was only 30% of the participants
in Geneva.

May be, I should post those ideas to the plenary, but I had no time
struggling with what must done inside those groupings,
and I have really up to my eyeballs to have to re-read 2 or 3 times a 
statement before posting to the plenary, with exactly the right nuance 
in English, because I am pretty certain that somebody would give me some
flak on some phrasing I did not convey in exactly the way it
should have been.

  to which he
>> can provide more details at a later stage. 
This is what I did...
But some other important intitutional scientific stakeholders
did not have time to fill a request. They were on trips or holidays, 
etc.. This is heart-breaking, it is really a pity.

(should there be massive
>> requests from Plenary,
This is a double-edged attitude, it shows that the CSB
does not take the lead.
It certainly does not reinforce its enbattled position
within the CS.
  we still have to see..)

All the best for an extension

Francis

> 
>  
> 
> -- 
> 
> ###
> Robert Guerra <rguerra at privaterra.org>
> Privaterra - <http://www.privaterra.org>


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Francis F. MUGUET  Ph.D
World Tour of the Information Society (WTIS)
muguet at wtis.org

UNMSP project : http://www.unmsp.org

World Summit On the Information Society (WSIS)
Civil Society Working Groups
Scientific Information :  http://www.wsis-si.org  chair
Patents & Copyrights   :  http://www.wsis-pct.org co-chair
Financing Mechanismns  :  http://www.wsis-finance.org web

Director
Scientific Information Developement Laboratory :
Knowledge Networks and Information Society
ENSTA
32 Blvd Victor 75739 PARIS cedex FRANCE
Phone: (33)1 45 52 60 19  Fax: (33)1 45 52 52 82
muguet at ensta.fr   http://www.ensta.fr/~muguet

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muguet at mdpi.org       muguet at mdpi.net

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