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Dear Rik,<br>
<br>
I know we are late, but I hope you can still consider the suggestions of
the WG on Volunteering and ICTs:<br>
<br>
<font size=3><b><i>Poverty Eradication<br>
</i></b>Poverty Eradication must be a key priority on the WSIS agenda.
Without challenging existing inequalities, no sustainable development
embracing the new ICTs can be achieved. People living in extreme poverty
must be enabled to contribute their experiences and knowledge in a
dialogue involving all parties. Challenging poverty requires more than
setting `development agendas'. It requires a fundamental commitment to
examine the current frameworks, to improve local access to information
that is of relevance for the specific context, to improve training in
ICT-related skills, and to allocate significant financial and other
resources. </font><font size=3 color="#FF0000"><i>Because volunteers are
working at the grassroots level, they play an important role of social
inclusion.<br>
<br>
</font><font size=3><b>Human Development Education and
Training<br>
</i></b>Literacy, education and research are fundamental and interrelated
components of the information exchanges necessary to build knowledge
societies. Knowledge creation and acquisition should be nurtured as a
participatory and collective process; it should not be considered a
one-way flow or confined to one section of capacity-building. Education,
in its different components - formal, informal, lifelong - is fundamental
to building democratic societies both by creating a literate citizenry
and a skilled workforce. Only informed and educated citizens with access
to empowering education, a plurality of means of information, and the
outputs of research efforts can fully participate in and effectively
contribute to knowledge societies. Therefore it is also essential to
recognize the right to education as stated both in the Declaration on the
Right to Development and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights<br>
<br>
Capacity building initiatives designed to empower individuals and
communities in the information society must include, in addition to basic
literacy and ICT skills, media and information literacy (i.e. the ability
to find, appraise, use and create information and technology). It should
be designed to stimulate the desire for general learning and respond to
specific as well as special needs: those of young and elderly people, of
women, of people with impairments, of indigenous peoples, of migrant
communities, of refugees and returnees in post-conflict situations, in a
life-long perspective. </font><font size=3 color="#FF0000"><i>Volunteers
can help transmit knowledge and enhance capacity, in particular of
marginalized groups not reached by government training institutions.
<br>
<br>
</i></font>Kind regards,<br>
<br>
Viola<br>
<br>
At 11:58 07.12.03 +0100, Rik Panganiban wrote:<br>
<blockquote type=cite cite>Dear Colleagues, <br>
<br>
Please find attached in Word and RTF formats the near final version fo
the CS visionary statement, to be presented formally on Wednesday
December 10. We request your comments to this text to the drafting
committee by TODAY, December 7, by 4pm, CET. <br>
<br>
Note that this text has already received wide input from caucuses and
working groups, has undergone several stages of consultation, and must be
ready to give to translators by Monday if we are to have it translated
and available for wide endorsement on Wednesday. The drafting
committee will do final edits this afternoon. <br>
<br>
In this light, we request that you comment only if there are SERIOUS
omissions or corrections necessary, and to submit corrected text.
It is much too late for completely new text or sections. <br>
<br>
There will be a final opportunity to discuss the text tomorrow (Monday,
December 8) at a plenary meeting at the ITU, room C, at 9am. <br>
<br>
Thanks for your consideration and rapid action on this. Apologies for the
extremely short time frame, and for only having the draft text available
in English. <br>
<br>
Regards, <br>
<br>
Rik Panganiban <br>
WFM <br>
<tt>=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=--=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= <br>
Rik
Panganiban
email: rikp@bluewin.ch <br>
Special
Adviser
Mobile: +41 76 473 3274 <br>
World Federalist Movement
<a href="http://www.wfm.org /" eudora="autourl">www.wfm.org
</a> <br>
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=--=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= <br>
</tt><br><br>
<br><br>
<br><br>
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<br>
<div>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>></div>
<div>International Conference Volunteers (ICVolunteers)</div>
<div>P.O. Box 755, 1211 Geneva 4, Switzerland</div>
<div><a href="http://www.icvolunteers.org/" EUDORA=AUTOURL>http://www.icvolunteers.org</a></div>
<div><a href="http://www.worldwidevolunteer.org/" EUDORA=AUTOURL>http://www.worldwidevolunteer.org</a></div>
<div>Phone: +41 22 800 1436</div>
<div>Fax: +41 22 800 1437</div>
<div>Email: viola@icvolunteers.org</div>
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