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<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Hello everyone,</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>First, my apologies for writing such a long e-mail.
I feel obliged to write and apprise everyone of what's happening right now. I
have seen a lot of e-mail expressing frustration around the final selection of
fellowships under the CS Facility Fund. As you recall, during the last days of
Prepcom 3 in September, Amir Bamarki, focal point for Western Asia and Middle
East and Chairperson at the time, informed all of you of the plans we had in
ensuring an efficient database of applications which would allow full
transparency in terms of decisions around fellowships vis-a-vis issue
(caucus/family) and geographic representation, as well as other criteria of
LDCs, DCs, etc. etc. </FONT><FONT face=Arial size=2>Unfortunately, that plan
fell through as the CSD made the decision on 29th September not to follow the
proposal of the sub-working group on Finance after discussing the proposal quite
extensively in a CSB meeting citing budgetary constraints. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>I think Amir at this point would have updated all
of you in plenary and content and themes on this, but had probably wanted to
give the process of the CSD a chance to prove itself. I won't go into the
details of the CSD's process of selection and final decision-making since I
don't seem to have all the information myself, except to say that some of the
CSB members have taken the lead in drafting a letter to SDC as the main funder
for WSIS, and to ask for additional funding, raising issues around the rigidity
of the LDC vs DC requirement and the fact that a number of active civil society
participants come from DCs and Countries in Transition. We have of course also
highlighted the appaling results of this rigidity, leaving women very much
under-represented in the granting of fellowships.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>So far, CSB members who are willing to sign this
letter come from:</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Youth</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>NGOs<BR>Asia and the Pacific</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Western Asia and Middle East</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Education and Academia<BR>North America and
Europe</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>We have not received a response from the gender
caucus/CSB focal point, nor from Africa or Latin America. It is two days now
since the letter was drafted. Would leaders of caucuses not represented by the
families in the CSB like to add their names to this letter as well? This support
is urgently needed if we are to be able to move now. Hence, the letter is not
open for further editing on content, but just for endorsement. Time is short and
flights to Geneva seem to be full. Renate Bloem has agreed to send this letter
on behalf of Civil Society and the Bureau.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>The letter is below.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Warm regards,</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Angela</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial
size=2>*******************************************************************************</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV>Dear Sir/Madam,<BR><BR>We are writing on behalf of civil society actors in
the World Summit on<BR>the Information Society to seek your urgent assistance in
ensuring basic<BR>representation of NGOs at the Geneva Summit this December
10-12th. As<BR>you are aware, the WSIS is the major United Nations Summit of
2003, with<BR>more than 50 world leaders and almost ten thousand people
from<BR>government, business and civil society expected to participate
to<BR>explore the impact of information and communications technologies
for<BR>development.<BR><BR>It has just now come to the attention of the Civil
Society Bureau (the<BR>formal structure coordinating civil society involvement
with<BR>representatives from more than 20 groupings such as Gender,
Trade<BR>Unions, Youth, NGOs, Community Media and the five major regions of Asia
and<BR>the Pacific, Latin America and the Caribbean, Europe and North
America,<BR>Middle East and Western Asia, and Africa) that the Civil
Society<BR>Fellowship Fund administered by the WSIS Executive Secretariat
is<BR>severely under-financed. It was expected (and communicated to us)
that<BR>almost 100 fellowships would be available civil society to physically
attend the WSIS in<BR>Geneva this December, but we have less than half the
expected budget, and we are<BR>left with only a little over 30 fellowships
possible. In addition, the<BR>stipulation of the major donor, SDC, requires that
more than 60% of<BR>available funds are spent on Least Developing Countries. We
deeply<BR>appreciate the commitments already made and the priority to LDCs, but
we<BR>are concerned that unless more financial support is pledged towards
civil<BR>society participation, this major stakeholder will be forced to play
only a<BR>marginal role in the Summit.<BR><BR>Many Civil Society actors are now
in a difficult position - some of the<BR>most active participants who have
expected fellowships were there<BR>a slightly larger amount are now likely to
miss out on funds to attend<BR>the Summit. The reality is that the majority
of<BR>those most active around WSIS have come from Developing Countries
and<BR>Countries in Transition, rather than<BR>Least Developed Countries. Their
presence will be sorely missed and will<BR>very much limit the ability of our
groups to coordinate activities such as<BR>presentations at side events,
speaking slots, and the brokerage of partnerships that should be the culmination
of a long process, which WSIS has committed to strive for.<BR>The wanting
financial situation has also resulted in severe under-representation of women to
the Summit.<BR><BR>We are therefore urgently seeking:<BR>- 150,000 CHF for 35
additional fellowships.<BR>- 75% of those selected will be female.<BR>- All will
be from Developing Countries/Countries in Transition or Least<BR>Developed
Countries.<BR>- All will have played key roles within civil society in the
leadup to<BR>the Summit at a national, regional or international
level.<BR><BR>All the processes are already in place to identify the
participants and<BR>to arrange their travel and logistics. We believe this is a
modest<BR>number of fellowships overall considering the importance of the
World<BR>Summit and the key role of civil society groups in this
field.<BR><BR>Yours truly,</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT>
<DIV><BR>Civil Society Bureau</DIV>
<DIV>on behalf of the following civil society groups and caucuses<BR><BR>Name,
family/caucus<BR>Name, family/caucus<BR>Name, family/caucus<BR>etc.
etc.<BR></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
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