update on the last two weeks

["Rikke Frank Joergensen" <rfj@humanrights.dk>]

hi all

below a brief report (based on Meryems last week report) just published in EDRI-GRAM, a bi-weekly online newsletter on digital rights in Europe.  

best rikke


4. Update on WSIS PrepCom-2
============================================================

After two weeks of intense debate in Geneva tomorrow the second
preparatory conference to the WSIS (World Summit on the Information
Society) ends. The second and final World Summit will take place in
Tunisia in November 2005.

The Human Rights caucus (a loose coalition of currently 59 human rights
organisations) devoted its time in the first week to express concerns
about the WSIS process and accreditation issues. They also organised a
press conference and a panel debate. During the second week intensive
discussions took place about the official documents (political chapeau and
operational part, financing mechanisms report, internet governance
report).

On 14 February all the civil society representatives were briefed by
Congo, with the participation of Mr Geiger (Executive Director of WSIS and
head of the executive secretariat) and Ambassador Karklins (President of
the WSIS 2nd phase process). The HR caucus raised the sensitive issue of
accreditation, both of member HRIC (see below) and of Tunisian independent
civil society organisations that are not legally recognised. Both Mr
Geiger and Mr Karklins seemed very supportive.

On 16 February the HR Caucus (represented by co-chair Rikke Frank
Joergensen from EDRI-member Digital Rights Denmark) participated in a
civil society press conference at the Palais des Nations. Joergensen
argued that, while the HR caucus understands governance, financing and
WSIS follow-up activities are indeed central issues in the second phase,
human rights and social justice still are crucial and transverse concerns
that should be raised, specially since civil society as a whole has
strongly fought in order to have those included in the WSIS. The same day
the caucus also participated in a press conference organised at the Swiss
Press Club in Geneva. The conference was organised by caucus member
Amnesty International (Swiss section) and by Communica-CH, the Swiss civil
society co-ordinator. The title of the press conf was: "WSIS in Tunis: a
Summit on information under repression?" It resulted in good press
coverage.

On 17 February the HR caucus organised a successful 3 hours panel on
'Information society and Human Rights', with the participation of five
members of the caucus (DIHR, IRIS, FIDH, HRIC, LTDH), plus an introduction
from the Austrian ambassador (Walther Lichem) in his capacity of member of
PDHRE (People's Decade for Human Rights Education). The panel was very
well attended (120 to 150 persons), with representatives from governments
(Canada at the ambassador level and Denmark, Swiss, France, etc. as well
as Osamu Shiraishi, representing the OHCHR (Office of the High
Commissioner for Human Rights).

On 18 February caucus member Human Rights in China (HRIC) called for
support after having once more been denied accreditation to WSIS,
following China's intervention. The HR Caucus decided to initiate a rapid
petition calling for support. The petition currently has 30 signatures
from a range of civil society organisations and will be send next week to
Mr Geiger, to be added to HRIC accreditation file, as well as to
Ambassador Karklins.

In general, members of the different human rights organisations engaged in
fruitful networking with other caucuses to bridge the gap between the
human rights agenda and more specific WSIS issues such as education,
cultural diversity and privacy and security. The HR caucus has provided
written contributions with comments about the political chapeau and about
internet governance. PrepCom3 will be held in September 2005.

Website of the WSIS Human Rights Caucus (in English and French)
http://www.iris.sgdg.org/actions/smsi/hr-wsis

Petition about the accreditation of HRIC (in English and French)
http://www.iris.sgdg.org/actions/smsi/hr-wsis/petition-hric-en.html
http://www.iris.sgdg.org/actions/smsi/hr-wsis/petition-hric-fr.html