Re: [hr-wsis] Re: Draft HR caucus document

[karen banks <karenb@gn.apc.org>]

dear all

Meryem has just subscribed me to this list - would someone be so kind as to 
forward a copy of your work in progress?

APC is drawing up a statement and it is useful for us to endorse the work 
of other caucuses is our perspectives are in harmony - and,we would like to 
endorse the work of this caucus

best
karen

At 10:44 AM 5/30/2003 +0200, Meryem Marzouki wrote:

>Le vendredi, 30 mai 2003, à 08:42 Europe/Paris, Bill McIver, University
>at Albany a écrit :
>
>>
>>Meryem / All,
>>
>>My input is here:
>>http://mboom.draper.albany.edu/~mciver/WSIS/WJM-WSIS-IS2-Input- 053003.doc
>>
>>I tried to post the document directly to the list, but it
>>was blocked.
>
>Here is Bill's document in text format. As for now, attached files are
>blocked when in some formats (HTML format should be OK).
>
>Meryem
>=======
>         Comments on the 21 March 2003 Draft Declaration of Principles and
>Draft Plan of Action to the World Summit on the Information Society
>(WSIS)  (DRAFT)
>
>29 May 2003
>
>William J. McIver, Jr.
>
>
>
>This document contains the comments in the context of human rights and
>communication rights in reference to:
>
>• Document WSIS/PCIP/DT/1-E (21 March 2003) Draft declaration of
>Principles Based on discussions in the Working Group of Sub-Committee 2
>(DT-2 revised)
>
>• Document WSIS/PCIP/DT/1-E (21 March 2003) Draft action plan Based on
>discussions in the Working Group of Sub-Committee 2 (WSIS/PC-2/DT-3
>revised)
>
>I. Comments on the Draft Declaration of Principles
>
>
>1. In reference to Paragraph 10 of the Draft Declaration of Principles:
>It is not sufficient to assert that "the essential requirements for the
>development of an equitable Information Society" should be "in
>accordance" with Article 19 of the UN Universal Declaration of Human
>Rights. Instead, the document should declare once and for all that
>Article 19 must be enforced. In addition, as many have pointed out, the
>principles of free flow of information, communication, press freedoms,
>and knowledge sharing will become truly meaningful only when they are
>viewed as being supported by a complex of rights, not just Article 19.
>To this end, the document should declare that the following rights be
>enforced in concert in order that Paragraph 10 be made more meaningful:
>
>Article 12 -- Privacy;
>Article 18 -- Freedom of thought, conscience, and religion;
>Article 19 -- Freedom of expression and the right to seek, receive, and
>impart
>                      information through any media;
>Article 20 -- Freedom of peaceful assembly;
>Article 26 -- The right to education; and,
>Article 27 -- The right to participate in the cultural life of the
>community as well as
>                      intellectual property rights.
>
>
>
>II. Comments on the Draft Action Plan
>
>2. In reference to paragraph 45 of the Draft Action Plan -- (Examples
>of possible concrete and comprehensive actions could include): The
>Action Plan should call for a special rapporteur who would be tasked
>with ensuring that the public has access to the latest scientific
>information and expert judgment on ethical, social, and political that
>arise in the use of ICTs. They would also work to ensure that the
>computer and information science professions take pro-active public
>roles in both promoting the socially beneficial uses of ICTs and
>discouraging harmful ones.
>
>3. In reference to paragraph 45 of the Draft Action Plan -- (Examples
>of possible concrete and comprehensive actions could include): Concrete
>actions that support the calls in the Declaration of Principles for
>human rights must include the creation of  enforcement mechanisms that
>provide: means of ensuring accountability, effective remedy should
>violations occur, and effective redress against both governmental and
>non-governmental organizations who commit violations. It must also
>provide for procedural enforcement, including: the right of individuals
>and groups to file formal complaints of violations, recognition of an
>independent tribunal to adjudicate such complaints, and the recognition
>as binding the opinions of the independent tribunal on the states who
>are party to the WSIS declaration, as well as individuals and groups
>within them. Implementation mechanisms must include a review and
>monitoring body, a special rapporteur, and an independent tribunal. The
>special rapporteur, as in other human rights frameworks, would be
>responsible for conducting independent research and evaluation of the
>implementation processes.
>
>
>William J. McIver, Jr.
>Communication Rights Caucus & Human Rights Caucus
>
>
>--
>Putting the "Human Rights in the Information Society" issue on the WSIS Agenda
>Working list of NGOs
>To post a message to the list, send an email to: hr-wsis@iris.sgdg.org
>To subscribe/unsubscribe, send an email to: Meryem.Marzouki@iris.sgdg.org