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<DIV><SPAN class=885163515-19022005>Hi,</SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=885163515-19022005></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=885163515-19022005>Thanks Rik for this reminder, especially
since the meeting is not listed on the WSIS side-event page <A
href="http://www.itu.int/wsis/preparatory2/pc2/parallel/index.html">http://www.itu.int/wsis/preparatory2/pc2/parallel/index.html</A>.
Perhaps it should be added that while the room is reserved for three hours, the
meeting has a pretty minimalist agenda and hence is likely to be shorter---there
will only be brief opening remarks, and then discussion for as long
as people want to talk. So anyone thinking of popping in might want
to shoot for the 10-11am range, or they could arrive and find things are
breaking up or even over.</SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=885163515-19022005></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=885163515-19022005>Also on the subject of meetings not listed
on the side-event page (not my doing or preference), another reminder related to
my original message below. There will be a meeting on Wednesday 23rd from
13:00-15:00 in room XXII on promoting dialogue between civil society and
the private sector. The agenda for this one is as follows:</SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=885163515-19022005></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=885163515-19022005>1. Procedural and institutional issues
regarding the conduct of ICT global policymaking, e.g. the importance of
transparency, accountability and inclusion (most notably, the participation of
PS and CS actors):<BR><BR>a) within the context of WSIS<BR>b) within the broader
global policy arena (e.g. ITU, OECD, etc...)<BR><BR>2. Substantive issues where
CS and the PS may have common or divergent perspectives, separating:<BR><BR>a)
the "low hanging fruit," e.g. issues like freedom of speech and open standards
where some broad concordance of view is likely<BR>b) the more difficult issues
where we probably disagree on some things, e.g. trade and intellectual
property.<BR><BR>3. How CS and PS could build out a dialogue going forward, in
particular making sure that we don't get bogged down or locked into legacy
dynamics from WSIS---the need to look beyond.</SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=885163515-19022005></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=885163515-19022005>Hope interested people will
attend.</SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=885163515-19022005></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=885163515-19022005>Best,</SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=885163515-19022005></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=885163515-19022005>Bill</SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=885163515-19022005></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=885163515-19022005>PS: Also, anyone interested in
ICT4Peace is invited to <A
href="http://www.ict4peace.org/meeting_EN/">http://www.ict4peace.org/meeting_EN/</A> Tuesday
22nd, 12-1pm, room XI.</SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=885163515-19022005></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=885163515-19022005></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
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<BLOCKQUOTE
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<DIV class=OutlookMessageHeader dir=ltr align=left><FONT face=Tahoma
size=2>-----Original Message-----<BR><B>From:</B> plenary-admin@wsis-cs.org
[mailto:plenary-admin@wsis-cs.org]<B>On Behalf Of </B>Rik
Panganiban<BR><B>Sent:</B> Friday, February 18, 2005 8:27 PM<BR><B>To:</B>
plenary@wsis-cs.org<BR><B>Cc:</B> Governance<BR><B>Subject:</B> Re: [WSIS
CS-Plenary] UNICT TF => Global Alliance (WSIS side meeting, Feb.
21)<BR><BR></FONT></DIV>Further to the message from Bill Drake about the open
consultation on the Global Alliance, on Monday February 21, from 10:00-13:00
in Salle XXI, Palais des Nations.<BR><BR>There is a background note posted on
the UN ICT TF, which I reproduce below.<BR><BR>Rik
Panganiban<BR>CONGO<BR>---------------------------------------------------------------------------<BR><BR><?flushboth><B><?fontfamily><?param Arial>Global
Alliance for ICT Policy and Development<BR>Note on issues for stakeholder
consideration<BR><?/fontfamily></B><?fontfamily><?param Arial><BR>The UN
Millennium Summit, the G8 Digital Opportunity Task Force (DOT-Force), the UN
ICT Task Force, the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS), and
others, have launched a process of bringing stakeholders from government,
business and civil society together for global policy debate on the Millennium
Development Goals and ICT policy and development. A truly effective and
sustainable collaboration among the principal stakeholders will be essential
for follow up after the end of the mandate of the UN ICT Task Force and the
completion of MS + 5 and WSIS-Tunis in 2005 if the potential of ICT to promote
development is to be effectively harnessed.<BR><BR>Indeed, recent discussions,
including those within the context of the WSIS, have reiterated the need to
sustain and strengthen substantive dialogue in a global, multi-stakeholder,
open, inclusive and transparent manner. The concept of an open global platform
has also been raised within the UN ICT Task Force, and the Secretary General
of the United Nations, endorsing such a global networking approach, has asked
the Task Force to develop, in consultation with all stakeholders, concrete
proposals for a global alliance on ICT policy and development.<BR><BR>At this
stage it is probably not feasible to outline the precise features of any
global alliance that may emerge. The note therefore does not reflect any
position of the UN ICT Task Force or its members but suggests some issues for
consideration and poses some questions to be asked all relevant
stakeholders<BR>. <BR>In designing the concept and modalities of a global
alliance issues and questions will most likely center on the global context,
the window of opportunity, mission and value add, modus operandi, membership,
governance, and funding, and the relationship with MS+5, WSIS and the United
Nations of any emerging entity - all posed via rigorous critical analysis of
prior experience and in open consultation. <BR><BR>Global Context – With the
Millennium Project and the Millennium Summit + 5 the international community
will this year lend unprecedented focus to the issues of poverty and security
confronting the developing world, but many regions, groups and economies are
falling short of the internationally agreed development goals<BR><BR>If the
Millennium Development Goals provide the compass, what policies and changes
are needed to unleash the ubiquitous, adaptable and increasingly cost
effective nature of ICTs to chart an accelerated course toward their
achievement by 2015?<BR><BR>Window of opportunity – The coincidence of MS+5
and WSIS provides a unique and virtuous opportunity to develop policy
approaches, to identify bottlenecks and gaps and build bridges, and to
strengthen synergies and inter-linkages between the ICT and the broader
development community.<BR><BR>Post-2005, how can an open and credible platform
be created post-2005 to keep ICT at the forefront of the global political and
development agenda, avoiding a damaging policy hiatus, and taking advantage of
a truly catalytic opportunity for achieving the MDGs?<BR><BR>Mission and Value
Add – Any kind of global alliance for ICT policy and development must
necessarily build upon previous initiatives and demonstrate complementarity
with and value added to existing efforts in addressing substantive issues,
drawing upon the outcomes of MS+5 and WSIS.<BR><BR>Will the key to success for
a global alliance lie in filling the need for an open, global,
multi-stakeholder platform, a “think tank” for cross-sector policy debate on
key cross-cutting issues related to ICT policy and development? Should it
offer a flexible framework for pre-consensus and inclusive debate on policy
issues difficult to discuss elsewhere, further strengthening existing
knowledge networks, as well as permitting a structured exchange of experience
about monitoring progress in programmes and plans of action emerging from MS+5
and WSIS? What types of framework can be considered for a meaningful dialogue
among stakeholders on substantive policy issues?<BR><BR>Modus operandi,
membership, governance, funding – An ICT global alliance should by its nature
employ the revolutionary collaborative methods of the Internet but also be an
effective advocacy platform at the highest levels of policy making. Membership
of recent innovative global alliance models has been fully open and
transparent to multi-stakeholder participation. Meanwhile, any global alliance
must be adequately resourced from the time of its launch.<BR><BR>Will the
optimum mix for a global alliance be periodic high level and face-to-face
interaction supported by online means? Should openness and transparency be its
fundamental guiding principal? Would an appropriate and equitable funding
strategy be one based, for example, on the principle of ability to pay?
<BR><BR>Relationship with MS+5, WSIS and the United Nations – It is
strategically important to align the MS+5 and WSIS output and a number of
options are currently under discussion for the follow-up mechanisms to both
summits. Meanwhile, a global alliance could be direct initiative of the United
Nations Secretary-General for an open, multi-stakeholder platform for ICT
policy and development within the declared timeframe of the Millennium
Development Goals.<BR><BR>What are the mechanisms and elements that can be
identified to bring together the ICT and broader development communities that
can lead to an alignment of interests in MS+5 and WSIS outputs? What should be
the short, medium and long-term relationship of a global alliance with the
United Nations and its member organizations? <BR><BR><?/fontfamily><?/flushboth><?fontfamily><?param Arial>Your input on
these and other relevant issues will be very much appreciated. Please address
your comments to [icttaskforce at un dot org]<BR><?/fontfamily><BR>On Feb 4,
2005, at 2:06 PM, William Drake wrote:<BR><BR>
<BLOCKQUOTE>Hi Karen,<BR><BR>(I'm having a problem posting to the governance
list. Could you please<BR>forward this there?)<BR><BR>The UNICT Task Force
is considering a follow-up mechanism for when the TF's<BR>mandate has
concluded. The idea under discussion is to launch an
open,<BR>multistakeholder Global Alliance on ICT policy and development
issues (there<BR>are various proposals on the name, unresolved). The
secretariat held a<BR>small brainstorming meeting in New York a few weeks
ago at which we<BR>developed various ideas on substance and modalities, and
these and other<BR>inputs are to be discussed next by the TF bureau Feb
14.<BR><BR>There will be an open consultation meeting on the global alliance
concept<BR>during PrepCom 2. The session will be Monday 21, from
10:00-13:00, I'm told<BR>in in Salle XXI of the Palais (don't think it's on
the website yet). Amb.<BR>Karklins has agreed to participate, and Mr. Ocampo
may participate. Civil<BR>society people are very much encouraged to attend
and weigh in on this.<BR><BR>Separately, since the UNICT meeting in Berlin,
there has been some<BR>discussion among a group of civil society and private
sector people about<BR>the potential value of some ongoing dialogue between
the two sides on global<BR>ICT policy matters in WSIS and
beyond---clarifying areas of agreement and<BR>disagreement, etc. on
substantive and procedural/institutional matters.<BR>This could be linked to
the global alliance concept, or it could be a<BR>separate activity; it's an
entirely fluid concept at present, which was part<BR>of why I suggested we
might want to briefly address the general question of<BR>follow up
mechanisms in the meeting on the 15th. Anyway, here too there's a<BR>need
for an open consultation to see what people think. That is the
lunch<BR>meeting currently penciled in for 23rd.<BR><BR>Presumably, when
both meetings are fully nailed down there will be formal<BR>announcements,
but since everyone's schedules are filling up it's good to<BR>get these
dates on the table now.<BR><BR>Cheers,<BR><BR>Bill<BR><BR>
<BLOCKQUOTE>-----Original Message-----<BR>From: karen banks
[mailto:karenb@gn.apc.org]<BR>Sent: Thursday, February 03, 2005 1:00
PM<BR>To: Governance<BR>Subject: RE: [governance] Re: [WSIS CS-Plenary]
Re: WGIG - Caucuses<BR>meeting?<BR><BR><BR>bill<BR><BR>
<BLOCKQUOTE>*A discussion of possible post-WGIG/WSIS institutional
reforms/additions<BR>that could address, on an open global
multistakeholder basis, holistic<BR>approaches and the horizontal
institutional issues. There will be a<BR>meeting, probably on the 21st,
on the proposed Global Alliance<BR></BLOCKQUOTE>successor to<BR>
<BLOCKQUOTE>the UNICT TF, and there are various other ideas floating
around about<BR>reforms/new arrangements, the potential
interrelationships of which are<BR>unclear. It might be useful to have
at least a brief discussion on<BR>strategic orientations toward such
initiatives.<BR></BLOCKQUOTE><BR>as we're trying to confirm dates of
second meeting, can you<BR>clarify re the<BR>above? is this different to
the informal meeting proposed by<BR>ayesha between<BR>CS and CCBI now
penciled for lunch on 23rd? can you send more details - i<BR>don't see it
in posts around the global
alliance..<BR><BR>karen<BR><BR><BR><BR></BLOCKQUOTE><BR><BR>_______________________________________________<BR>Plenary
mailing
list<BR>Plenary@wsis-cs.org<BR>http://mailman.greennet.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/plenary<BR><BR><BR></BLOCKQUOTE><?fontfamily><?param Arial>===============================================<BR>RIK
PANGANIBAN Communications Coordinator<BR>Conference of NGOs in Consultative
Relationship with the United Nations (CONGO) <BR>web:
http://www.ngocongo.org<BR>email: rik.panganiban@ngocongo.org<BR>mobile: (+1)
917-710-5524 <?/fontfamily><BR></BLOCKQUOTE></BODY></HTML>