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<DIV><SPAN class=123082816-15042009><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff
size=2>Charles,</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=123082816-15042009><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff
size=2></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=123082816-15042009><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2>Your
suggestion re: a global civil society ICT4D network is a very good one and
moreover is one where there has already been considerable discussion.
Also, there are a variety of networks at the national and even global level that
would usefully be part of such a global body... (several of them now function in
a somewhat similar role). </FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=123082816-15042009><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff
size=2></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=123082816-15042009><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2>The
problem from my experience with these efforts is that there is little funding
available for the establishment and maintenance of these networks.
</FONT></SPAN><SPAN class=123082816-15042009><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff
size=2>Funders are interested mostly in one off projects and rarely will provide
"establishment/overhead" funding.</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=123082816-15042009><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff
size=2></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=123082816-15042009><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2>Even
though these networks can function largely electronically they still require
maintenance and development which requires attention and effort which in turn
require resources. </FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=123082816-15042009><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff
size=2></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=123082816-15042009><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2>The
more active these networks become i.e. the more they actually engage in doing
things on the ground rather than simply functioning as discussion
vehicles/e-lists/websites the more such funding is required and as is clearly
visible in this area as in others, "he who pays the piper...</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=123082816-15042009><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff
size=2></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=123082816-15042009><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2>I
don't mean to completely discourage such an effort and particularly one that
might function under UN (or other officially sanctioned auspices) but simply to
introduce a bit of caution into the discussion. Thinking through a
funding (for example a UN trust fund) and governance model in advance
might save a lot of difficulties down the road.</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=123082816-15042009></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=123082816-15042009><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff
size=2>Best,</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=123082816-15042009></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=123082816-15042009><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff
size=2>MBG</FONT> </SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=123082816-15042009><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff
size=2></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=123082816-15042009><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff
size=2></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
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<DIV></DIV>
<DIV class=OutlookMessageHeader lang=en-us dir=ltr align=left><FONT
face=Tahoma size=2>-----Original Message-----<BR><B>From:</B>
plenary-bounces@wsis-cs.org [mailto:plenary-bounces@wsis-cs.org] <B>On Behalf
Of </B>Charles Geiger<BR><B>Sent:</B> Wednesday, April 15, 2009 3:03
AM<BR><B>To:</B> Virtual WSIS CS Plenary Group Space<BR><B>Cc:</B>
plenary-bounces@wsis-cs.org; discuss@un-gaid.org;
plenary@wsis-cs.org<BR><B>Subject:</B> Re: [WSIS CS-Plenary] Digital
Solidarity Fund in risk of disappearing: action
required<BR><BR></FONT></DIV><BR><FONT face=sans-serif size=2>Dear
Daniel</FONT> <BR><BR><FONT face=sans-serif size=2>Thanks for this note to the
WSIS Plenary Group.</FONT> <BR><BR><FONT face=sans-serif size=2>Let us be
clear: The DSF was not created by WSIS. The idea of a DSF (the basic idea came
from the President of Senegal) did not fly during WSIS 2003 in Geneva.
Governments did not want to create a new and administration-heavy
intergovernmental fund. Therefore the DSF was created in a parallel
process to WSIS by a group of persons from Geneva (+ President Wade). One of
the main mistakes was to create this as a private foundation, located in
Geneva, with an administration that paid Swiss salaries and in Swiss francs (=
very expensive). </FONT><BR><BR><FONT face=sans-serif size=2>Over the years,
the Secretariat has spent a lot of money on administration and on making the
1% Digital Solidarity Principle known, but without big success.
</FONT><BR><BR><FONT face=sans-serif size=2>Maybe the possible death of the
DSF could open up the way for something more feasible, e.g. an international
network of civil society entities focusing on democratic participation (+
right to Information), free flow of information, and equitable and affordable
access to ICTs for remote and marginalized populations.</FONT> <BR><BR><FONT
face=sans-serif size=2>These kind of networks exist locally in some countries,
e.g. the BNNRC in Bangladesh. Maybe several such initiatives could get
together and form an international network, and maybe APC would be interested
to act as Secretariat. I don't know, it is just an idea, but it could be
discussed during the WSIS Forum in May, in a parallel event.
</FONT><BR><BR><FONT face=sans-serif size=2>Best regards</FONT> <BR><BR><FONT
face=sans-serif size=2>Charles </FONT><BR><BR><BR><BR><BR><BR>
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<TD width="40%"><FONT face=sans-serif size=1><B>Daniel Pimienta
<pimienta@funredes.org></B> </FONT><BR><FONT face=sans-serif
size=1>Sent by: plenary-bounces@wsis-cs.org</FONT>
<P><FONT face=sans-serif size=1>13.04.2009 23:41</FONT>
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<DIV align=center><FONT face=sans-serif size=1>Please respond
to<BR>Virtual WSIS CS Plenary Group Space
<plenary@wsis-cs.org></FONT></DIV></TR></TBODY></TABLE><BR></P>
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<DIV align=right><FONT face=sans-serif size=1>To</FONT></DIV>
<TD><FONT face=sans-serif size=1>plenary@wsis-cs.org,
discuss@un-gaid.org</FONT>
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<TD>
<DIV align=right><FONT face=sans-serif size=1>cc</FONT></DIV>
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<DIV align=right><FONT face=sans-serif size=1>Subject</FONT></DIV>
<TD><FONT face=sans-serif size=1>[WSIS CS-Plenary] Digital
Solidarity Fund in risk of disappearing: action
required</FONT></TR></TBODY></TABLE><BR>
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<TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><BR></TR></TBODY></TABLE><BR><BR><BR><FONT
size=2><TT>[Please note that by using 'REPLY', your response goes to the
entire list. Kindly use individual addresses for responses intended for
specific people]<BR><BR>Click http://wsis.funredes.org/plenary/ to access
automatic translation of this
message!<BR>_______________________________________<BR><BR>Dear
colleagues,<BR><BR>I shall report on the critical situation of the Digital
Solidarity <BR>Fund (DSF) in my quality of Latin America & Caribbbean
civil society <BR>member of the Board. I wish to report in the WSIS civil
society <BR>plenary list as well as in G@ID discussion list, in the hope to
<BR>trigger some positive dynamics in both communities (and I am also
<BR>informing the DSF Board of that initiative).<BR><BR>The last couple of
months have been of acute crisis after a change in <BR>the DSF Presidency and
coordinated complains from the new DSF <BR>President and the President of
Senegal (speaking as "historical <BR>father") on General Secretary management:
basically they do not trust <BR>the 1% principle could be effective and wish a
centering and hosting <BR>of the DSF on Africa, as an ICT4D project management
organization.<BR><BR>On November 25th a stormy General Assembly was held in
Lyon (France) <BR>and was unable to reach consensus on further steps. An
extraordinary <BR>Assembly was then scheduled in Bamako, January 27th, 2009.
More <BR>confused than stormy this Assembly decided that a strategical and
<BR>finance independant audit shall be organized and its results <BR>presented
to a last extraordinary Assembly to be scheduled prior to <BR>May 27th. This
last Assembly would finally decide on the proposition <BR>of the President of
Senegal to take over the management of the DSF <BR>(he was also given the
responsibility to contract this audit and <BR>manage the interim
period).<BR><BR>The investment made so far has reached some 6 millions of
euros (a <BR>substantial part coming from developing countries) and one of the
<BR>argument for not letting go the situation was the responsibility to
<BR>protect that invested capital (which is no more in cash but hopefully
<BR>some part has transformed into people and project experiences and
<BR>institutional moves). Furthermore, it appears that the cashflow would
<BR>allow to stand until the next Assembly but no more.<BR><BR>The situation
as of today is that the audit has apparently not been <BR>launched and the
risk is extremely high, due to the shortness of <BR>cashflow, that the DSF
will just fade out without any decision taken <BR>and no audit results
presented. This could be the worst scenario for <BR>one of the most concrete
products the WSIS process has tried to <BR>launch and a shameful situation for
our ICT4D community in regard to <BR>the lost investment...<BR><BR>In that
context, I want to call upon global civil society to put <BR>pressure on
stakeholders in order to try to save whatever is possible <BR>from the
disaster. I am wondering, given the particular situation, if <BR>the best
approach would not be to try to convince a UN related structure to<BR>take
over the DSF, conduct an audit which appears a mandatory <BR>requirement (if
only for accountability of public money invested!) <BR>and assess the
situation, trying to preserve, as far as possible, the <BR>initial principles
(multistakeholder global fund to overcome the <BR>digital divide based on
innovative sources).<BR><BR>ITU, G@ID or UNDP (which has been out of that
field for some years <BR>now) are possible options. I am not sure that any of
them is eager to <BR>take over a project in such a difficult situation; what I
am quite <BR>sure is that it is my duty as a civil society involved actor to
<BR>alert, inform and contribute to the search for a solution (I shall
<BR>also remember as a possible contribution that Agence de la
<BR>Francophonie had offered during the DSF Board debates to take
<BR>responsibility to contract an audit of the DSF... although it was
<BR>decided to do it another way).<BR><BR>Daniel Pimienta<BR>Networks &
Development Foundation<BR>http://funredes.org<BR>Member of APC Network<BR>As
LA&C civil society member of the DSF
Board<BR><BR>_______________________________________________<BR>Plenary
mailing
list<BR>Plenary@wsis-cs.org<BR>http://mailman-new.greennet.org.uk/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/plenary<BR></TT></FONT><BR>!DSPAM:2676,49e5b0e725631076117148!
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