[Values-ethics] Notes from Values and Ethics Workshop, WSIS December 2003

[Bahiyyih Chaffers]

Subject: Notes from WSIS Values and Ethics Workshop, WSIS December 2003


Dear Friends of the Values and Ethics Caucus,

I do apologize for this long overdue email. Here are the notes from our
session in Geneva this past December 2003, at the World Summit on
Information Society.

For anyone, who is going to the Prepcom later this month, June 2004, there
was definately an interest from the participants to delve deeper into the
discussion about Ethics & Values and their place at WSIS.

Warm regards,

Bahiyyih Chaffers

----------------------------


WSIS Ethics and Values Caucus Workshop – Dec. 2003, Geneva, Switzerland

The workshop consisted of:

*20-minute reflection/meditation with images of nature projected onto a
screen
*Group discussion on values and ethics experienced at the Summit

1.  What was it like to spend these last few minutes reflecting in silence?
(For those of you who were there, you can remember the room had no ceiling!
We could hear everything going on outside the room.)

Response from the participants:
      Surprised, frustrating, at home, connected, harmony, disjointed,
	disappointed, peaceful and familiar, moment of peace
      to see self, reality, changed, focus, disoriented, expanding.

2.  What are some successful moments or positive experiences you’ve had over
the last few days?

Response from the participants:

·	Diverse people coming together to talk about the issues.
·	Making an effort to make people feel valued.
·	Amazing projects
·	Virtual connection vs. meeting in person
·	Give each other respect and dignity.
·	Conscious of mankind has a long way to go
·	Not the Summit itself, but collaboration efforts
·	Use ITC to make something happen
·	Fascinating different projects
·	Difference between civil society and governments
·	Rational discussion on values
·	Prepcoms more productive, Summit disempowering
·	Valuable that this has been discussed over a long period of time
·	Concept of e-government, more connection
·	Community – sharing experience with love, well chosen
·	Moved by children who created program/pictures that children created
thinking about what we are doing here
·	World going too fast and not focusing on family, ethics and values.

3.	What values did you draw upon from yourself or see in others during the
Summit?

Responses from the participants:

Love, perseverance, passion, peace, religion,empowerment, openness,
motivation, service to others, fellowship, struggle, hopeful, respect,
determination, connection, listening to others, creativity, responsibility,
dedication, empathy, enthusiasm, companionship, honesty, power and
possibilities, lack of prejudice, understanding, vision of bonding,
generosity, volunteering, justice, acceptance, solidarity, compassion,
tolerance, cross-vision – seeing what’s beneath the surface