Fwd: sign-on letter: Get de Mello to attend Sept Prepcom!

[Meryem Marzouki <marzouki@ras.eu.org>]

We've received this call for signing a letter in order to get the High 
Commissioner for HR participate to next WSIS PrepCom. The call comes 
from Rik Panganiban, World Federalist Movement.
Please comment and indicate if you would sign. A collective signature 
from the HR caucus (with list of members) would be good.

Début du message réexpédié :

> WFM MEMO
>
> TO:		Meryem Marzouki
> 		Rikke Frank Jorgensen
>
> FR:		Rik Panganiban, WFM
>
> DATE:	May 12, 2003
>
> RE:  		Suggested Sign-on Letter on High Commissioner for HR's 
> Participation at next WSIS PrepCom
>
>
> I am writing to you in your capacity as coordinators of the human 
> rights thematic group of the WSIS.  I would like to request your 
> assistance in an effort that I am sure you will support: encouraging 
> the High Commissioner for Human Rights Sergio de Mello to participate 
> in the September PrepCom of the WSIS.
>
> I recently met with someone at the Office of the High Commissioner for 
> Human Rights who requested that NGOs put pressure on the High 
> Commissioner to participate in the September WSIS prepcom.  He felt 
> that without outside pressure, it was possible that the High 
> Commissioner would not even be in attendance.  There are apparently 
> several officials within the OHCHR who are dubious about the relevance 
> of human rights concerns within the WSIS process.  The official I 
> spoke to noted that the OHCHR was not even invited to Prepcom II!
>
> I suggest the following process:
>
> 1)   I submit to you the first draft of a sign-on letter, which is 
> appended below.  I suggest the letter be forwarded to the members of 
> the Human Rights thematic group for comment, additions and > suggestions.
>
> 2)  After a couple of rounds of re-drafting online (which I am happy 
> to facilitate, or you can) the final letter could then be distributed 
> and opened for signature by all NGOs involved in the WSIS.
>
> 3) The final letter could then be sent to the OHCHR, ideally by June.
>
> 4) Groups should also be encouraged to communicate directly with the 
> High Commissioner to increase the impact of the sign-on letter.
>
> I hope this email finds you both well.  I look forward to your 
> response to this request.
>
> Rik Panganiban
> Special Adviser
> WFM
>
> [ Draft sign-on letter]
>
> June 2003
>
> Sergio Vieira de Mello
> High Commissioner for Human Rights
> United Nations
> Geneva, Switzerland
>
> RE: Human Rights and the World Summit on the Information Society
>
>
> Your Excellency Mr. Sergio Vieira de Mello:
>
> The under-signed civil society organizations strongly encourage your 
> active participation in the preparatory committee and summit meeting 
> of the World Summit on the Information Society, taking place in 
> September and December 2003, respectively.  Human rights are an 
> essential requirement of the Information Society, as elaborated in the 
> draft declaration of the WSIS (WSIS/PCIP/DT/1-E):
>
>> 10. The essential requirements for the development of an equitable 
>> Information Society include: The respect for all internationally 
>> recognized human rights and fundamental freedoms. Notably the right 
>> to freedom of opinion and expression, including the right to hold 
>> opinions without interference and seek to, receive and impart 
>> information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers 
>> in accordance with article 19 of the UN Universal Declaration of 
>> Human Rights and to unhindered access by individuals to communication 
>> media and information sources…
>
> As the United Nations highest human rights official, your good offices 
> are needed to ensure that human rights language in the WSIS process is 
> comprehensive, strong and consistent with resolutions and decisions 
> adopted by the Commission on Human Rights and build upon human rights 
> language developed through the various UN world summits and 
> conferences.
>
> Like all scientific innovations, information communications 
> technologies in themselves are value-neutral. Civil society 
> organizations view ICTs as having both tremendous applications that 
> enhance human rights, such as through the rapid dissemination of 
> action alerts and instant access to human rights information, and 
> disturbing capacities to greatly diminish human rights, such as 
> through enhanced surveillance and monitoring functions of governments 
> facilitated by ICTs.
>
> Only through the active participation of governments, civil society, 
> and international human rights institutions such as your Office can 
> these ICTs be best harnessed to maximize the protection of human 
> rights worldwide.
>
> We thank you for your consideration of this request and look forward 
> to seeing you in September.
>
> Sincerely,
>
>
> [under-signed NGOs]
>
>
>
> =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=--=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
>  Rik Panganiban             email: rikp@bluewin.ch
>  Special Adviser            tel: +41 22 734 9774
>  World Federalist Movement  Fax: +41 22 734 9775
>  www.wfm.org                Mobile: +41 76 473 3274
> =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=--=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=