Resumed PrepCom-3 back to back to the Tunis Summit

(13-15 November 2005)

Joint contribution concerning

the coordination of the

Implementation and Follow-Up process.

By the representatives of the families & groupings present at

the Civil Society Bureau meeting on November 14.

Monday 14 November 2005

Version 1 / Draft

It is proposed that the implementation and follow-up be conceived as natural continuation of the WSIS process, operating both at the procedural level at the content level concerning assessment and stocktaking issues, without re-negotiation of substantive issues.

At the procedural level, a multi-stakeholder coordinating entity should be conceived as the continuation of the WSIS multi-stakeholder process, composed with a Governmental Bureau in Geneva, assisted by a Civil Society Bureau and a Business Bureau, while the ITU could continue to assume its leading managerial role, vis-à-vis the coordinating body, in the spirit of UN General Assembly Resolution 56/183 - 90th plenary meeting, 21December 2001.

It must be underlined that such a multi-bureau coordinating entity is not an operational body per se. The operational bodies, operating at the content level, are the UN specialized agencies that have been selected to implement and facilitate Action Lines and Cross-Cutting Themes as well as all other entities that are willing to implement the WSIS recommendations.

For all practical purposes, the tasks of the proposed multi-stakeholder coordinating body could be tentatively envisionned according to the following approach : The executive secretariat collects, within a inclusive bottom-up process, with inputs from all stakeholders, information updates concerning the WSIS implementation by all operational units, most notably from the UN system, but also from all stakeholders, whether from governements ( who never ceased to underline their leading roles ), other International Organizations, Business sector or Civil Society through the proposed forum. In order to manage this process, it appears required that all reporting operational units adopt an itemized implementation of the WSIS Geneva and Tunis plan of action in order to simplify the coordination process at the procedural level. It could be envisionned that the coordinating body, could meet once every two months in Geneva. For governements, this would be a low cost operation since the Governemental Bureau can be easily staffed by their permanent missions in Geneva. The Civil Society Bureau would welcome support from the Secretariat and/or make use of teleconferencing tools.

Concerning content issues, we suggest the creation of a forum whereby the existing thematic working groups could continue to be involved with the continuation of the WSIS process and interact with the all operational units that are commited to implement the WSIS recommendations.

The follow-up features both a procedural level and a content level, it appears both logical and legally consistent that the multi-stakeholder coordinating body operating at the procedural level be constituted by a gouvernemental bureau, assisted in an effective advisory capacity by the Civil Society Bureau and the Business Bureau (CCBI). completed by a representative of each United Nation specialized agencies and programs. ITU and UNESCO might therefore be present as such, not withstanding their different roles in the executive secretariat.

Another great practical advantage is that we are relying on known existing entities that have become acquainted to each other, and that are familiar to the WSIS process.

Another good point is that our proposal falls in line with the call for the Reform of the UN system as it is hoped that a lean but yet efficient and flexible coordination process should contribute to avoid the much criticized UN bureaucratic inefficiencies and to avoid a waste of the scarce existing ressources within the UN system.

Therefore the following language is proposed.

We attach great importance to a coordinated multi-stakeholder implementation and follow-up at the international level, which would help to avoid duplication as well as omission of activities. organized along the Action Lines of Geneva Plan of Action, completed by Cross-Cutting themes, and facilitated by UN agencies (as outlined in the Annex). To achieve such a coordination, an overall coordination entity is formed that is composed from a governmental bureau in Geneva, assisted by, a civil society bureau, a business bureau, as well as representatives of all UN specialized agencies and programs. We request the UN Secretary-General to nominate a chair of the overall coordination body. The coordination body shall be not conceived as an operational body, but as a facilitator between various existing operational bodies in the UN system and elsewhere as needed. The overall coordination body submits regular reports to the UN General Assembly, following its existing rules of procedure and in the spirit of 57/270, reports to, and coordinates with ECOSOC concerning the cooperation with other UN Summits follow-up. ITU and UNESCO assume jointly the leading managerial role in the executive secretariat of the coordinating body and the follow-up process of the WSIS.

27a The number of members of the Governmental bureau is xxx, the number of members of the Civil Society Bureau and the Business Bureau shall not exceed this number, respectively.

27b An open virtual multi-stakeholder forum shall be created that would facilitate the interaction of the WSIS accredited Civil Society with the operational entities that are committed to implement the WSIS recommendations.

28. To insure a better coordination between all stakeholders, and notably the UN agencies and programs, we invite all stakeholders and notably the heads of the UN agencies and programs to prepare draft budgets, to be presented to their respective governing bodies, according to an itemized implementation of the WSIS recommendations of the Geneva and Tunis plan of Actions, in their respective fields of expertise. In establishing drafts budgets, the outcomes of the various WSIS regional and thematic meetings, should also be quoted and taken into consideration.

2005-05-15T22:48:09