During the first phase of the WSIS in Geneva no clear response could be reached on topics such as the future of Internet governance and the funding for ICT development in Southern countries. Nor have the documents approved in Geneva resolved conflictive issues such as those pertaining to "intellectual property rights". In parallel to the WSIS process other UN agencies and special groups are focusing on the role of ICT in global developmental issues such as poverty reduction, development and education. The discussion around information and communication issues has been launched at large, then, exceeding the WSIS process and deeply involving civil society organizations, multilateral organizations, governments and the private sector in it.
Independently of the outcomes of the WSIS - and its success or failure, it is essential that decision-makers and the civil society organizations that are able to have an active role in these discussions (in all and any fora in which they are presented, including WSIS, but also current processes at WIPO, UNESCO, IFIs and the WTO) have timely and appropriate information and analysis about the issues at stake, their impact and the possible alternatives.
In this context, this project aims at: 1) Involving Southern civil society in debates on the issues on the agenda at the summit and to give visibility to their opinions so that they may be taken into account in policy-making; 2) Assisting government delegates from the South on their positions that may be favourable to the regional interests and defend them in their general negotiations; 3) Making use of research results in other instances where the issues studied under this project may help in the consideration of the civil society organisations' contributions to the on-going process of construction of the Information Society; 4) Publishing briefing papers on the research results of key issues for the World Summit in Tunis, 2005.
These briefing papers and links to the research papers they are based on, are available below.
This document is based on a research paper by the authors. The real issues involved in a systemic approach to ICT for development (ICTD) lies in the realm of political economy. Current ICTD practice in the local contexts in countries of the South has not delivered much more than piecemeal results. ICTD has taken a typical applications-based, quick-fix approach, without a blueprint for systemic change. It is necessary to see the emerging information society in a political economy framework, from the point of view of development. The starting point for this exercise is to create a new theory of ICT for development, or an "information society for the South", that gives the historical, the social and the political sufficient space alongside the economic. It is important that powerful South-South alliances are built, with participation from across sub-national and local governments as well as traditional civil society and grassroots organizations, for evolving a new paradigm of a development-oriented information society for the South. [Español]
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This document is based on the research paper "Mechanisms for financing the Information Society from a Global Public Goods perspective" Global public goods (GPG) have acquired renewed relevance in response to a critical question: how can financial resources be increased in a context of declining flows of international cooperation for development? In parallel, efforts are being made to secure financing resources for the development of the information society. The WSIS has prompted negotiations geared to obtain an international commitment which would allow the benefits of the information society to be extended worldwide by 2015. The discussions centered on the financial mechanisms to meet these challenges, recognizing the role of information and communication technologies on social and economic development. This document proposes financing strategies for information and communication technologies within the GPG conceptual framework. Several combinations of financial mechanisms are evaluated which could facilitate the growth of international cooperation flows for developing the Information Society in Southern countries. [Español]
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This document is based on the research paper "Building an Information Society in the South: The role of governments and civil society". Upon the guidelines included in the WSIS Declaration of Principles, which are essential to developing the information society, a series of questions are raised: How do we build an inclusive information society to be developed by the different social actors in Southern countries, particularly in Latin America and the Caribbean? What elements should be focusing the efforts of governments, the private sector and civil society? What sources of financing should be encouraged to ensure access and production of technological goods and services? What are the conditions required to assure that multistakeholder participation in building the information society becomes a reality? And essentially, what proposals could be made on these topics in order to contribute to the process of building the information society that will follow the WSIS? This paper addresses these questions and suggests measures to be taken by the different actors in the process.
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It is now widely acknowledged that a liberalised market fully in compliance with their own rigid prescriptions can fail in certain circumstances, one of which is delivering network access to low-income rural areas. Despite significant growth in infrastructure and access to telephony, and to a lesser extent the Internet, poor communities in the South remain well beyond reach. This is one of the main sub-themes of the WSIS, integrally linked to intense debates about financing mechanisms and the Digital Solidarity Agenda. This paper examines a solution that combines a century old institutional form with the latest technological innovations. A combination of community-owned information and communication technologies enterprises and the new wave of wireless and related technologies together may offer significant potential to extend networks and offer new services to poor communities in rural areas. [Español]
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Central elements of the debate on financing ICTs are the definition of the actors and the most appropriate solutions to achieve the objectives proclaimed in Geneva in 2003. Is it to be the private sector, public-private partnerships or local stakeholders (microfinance, local communities)? This search for new solutions, no doubt a positive one, has forgotten one essential player: the State. Traditionally a leader actor in telecommunications, the State now plays a very secondary role due to the changes that have taken place over the past 20 years. The author states that, in the struggle against the digital divide, it is necessary to reassign a more important role to the State and to return to true international solidarity. This paper argues that the path to achieve these two objectives is, in particular - but not exclusively - through Universal Access Funds. [Español]
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The information society global governance processes
This document is based on the research paper "Threats and Opportunities for Cultural Diversity: WSIS between WTO and UNESCO" As Plans of Action - both global and regional - have become defined within the process of the WSIS, commitments to respect and foster cultural diversity have faded. Therefore, the future of cultural diversity depends on other multilateral processes that may turn both the general principles agreed at the WSIS - as well as the debates and definitions within countries - pointless or unfeasible. This paper argues that negotiations within the World Trade Organization and the Free Trade Agreements are a new threat to cultural diversity, while UNESCO's Convention on Cultural Diversity represents a major opportunity for developing countries. One of the main conclusions of this paper is that it is not enough to acknowledge cultural diversity for it to exist. Cultural diversity must be defended, promoted and ensured through active public policies and appropriate regulatory frameworks. To this end, the author recommends specific policy actions at regional, subregional and national level. [Español]
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For a detailed description of the Internet governance transition processes and a review of the final report of the WGIG, please refer to the research document by the author,"Internet Governance - A Review in the Context of the WSIS Process" The process leading to the second phase of the WSIS has established as one of its top priorities to advance on the formulation of a global Internet governance mechanism. Among developing countries, Brazil has been one of the most outspoken regarding the need for a broad debate on the future of global Internet governance and was also one of the leading nations in the WSIS process which resulted in the formation of the Working Group on Internet Governance (WGIG). Brazil has also been one of the first countries in the WSIS process to insist on the importance of considering a number of themes well beyond the mandate of the ICANN in a future global Internet governance arrangement. The Brazilian vision involves the need to create an international and multi-institutional structure to encompass advice, conflict resolution and oversight on a broad set of governance themes, with "adequate" representation of all concerned groups. This text presents - unofficially - the consensus that has been achieved in Brazil on this topic, as a reference for the current discussions on Internet governance transition processes. [Español]
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The intellectual property (IP) regime provides the legal means to appropriate knowledge. These are rights granted by society to individuals or organizations for their creative works, preventing others from making unauthorized use for a limited period of time. However with the recent advances in biotechnology and information and communication technology, multinational companies in developed countries are seeking to control the global knowledge economy through the use of strong IP protection and enforcement. A review of the international IP framework needs to be undertaken to understand the development implications, costs and benefits of existing policies to identify their imbalances. Future standard setting and harmonization exercises should only be undertaken after sufficient evaluation and understanding of the implications of such an exercise. The "Development Agenda", proposed at the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), provides an opportunity to begin a reform process. This paper examines this initiative and argues that the "Development Agenda" should be pursued tenaciously by developing countries. [Español]
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When considering ICTs the question should not be whether they have impacted the day-to-day business and social life, but how equitable this impact is and how significant it is in addressing the main problems that society faces today. Through the WSIS second phase and its implementation and follow-up processes, Governments must exercise a choice that will secure the future for today's generation. Several studies indicate that ICTs can indeed be used to address social challenges if applied in the right developmental activities. This paper argues that, if deployed correctly and where relevant, ICTs have the potential to help poor communities to meet key development priorities, especially in the areas of poverty, health and education, and to play a catalytic role in accelerating economic growth. Specific points are suggested to initiate a multistakeholder discussion within a country or region about possible linkages between some of the Millennium Development Goals and ICTs national strategies. [Español]
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The development of the Internet and other information technologies (IT) has lead to a dramatic increase in the importance of knowledge goods and services, in the realms of terms of economic, political, cultural and personal life. None of these developments are taking place in a social or political vacuum. Commercial interests are organized to influence governments and global intergovernmental bodies and the broader public is increasingly being empowered by the new IT to play a more important role in such policy discussions. There are many proposed and adopted measures to vastly increase the degree to which knowledge can be owned and controlled, as there also are many proposals, initiatives and experiments to expand access to knowledge. Some of the proposals and initiatives involve intellectual property rights, while others involve policies that would support or undermine new methods of collaboration or new business models for creating and disseminating knowledge goods. [Español]
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This document is based on the research paper "Visions of the information and knowledge society: The process in Latin America and the Caribbean" The documents stemming from the global and regional debates within the framework of the WSIS reflect different concepts regarding the process of consolidation of an "information society". These approaches and views have direct implication in the design and implementation of policies. The current trend tends to group Southern countries on the periphery or, directly, towards exclusion, so they should build their own development strategies, based on their needs and realities. Within the world scenario, Latin America shows cohabitation between sectors integrated into global power networks, others that are slowly reaching some of the advantages of technological progress and wide excluded sectors. This paper explores the possibilities of Latin American countries to become reinserted into the global economic structure by considering alternatives that could be undertaken for a strategic development of the information and knowledge society in the region. [Español]
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This document is based on the research paper "Financing ICTs for Development with Focus on Poverty" This paper looks at the issue of financing ICTs to support development in Sub-Saharan Africa. The paper argues that ICT financing should primarily focus on the needs, aspirations, capacities and perspectives of the vast majority of poor people in Africa than on the dominant practice where ICT needs are articulated by ICT professionals with predetermined end products. The mainstream ICT financing mechanisms' debate should pay a great deal of attention to the needs of the poor and the question of "who is being served for what purpose" should be addressed when defining financial mechanisms and strategies. Financing ICT with a focus on poverty means scaling up ICT investment from the level of pilot projects to their integration in government services strategies - notably agriculture, education - and in support of the Millennium Development Goals. Such a spirit would be important to consider access to information and communication as a public good and move forward the Digital Solidarity Agenda agreed in the context of the WSIS. [Español]
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Actions decided in the WSIS context will take time to be implemented. The financial discrepancy to develop the "information society" in the North and the South is glaring and the extent to which the agreed policies and activities will cover the digital gap between them is questionable. Still, the Arab countries and the South, in general, are cautioned not to be overwhelmed by the challenges and economic inequities. In the interim, in order not to lose critical time, there should be an assessment of what is feasible with the existing human, in-kind and financial resources in the South and, more particularly to this document, the Arab region. This paper focuses on potential supplementary local resources available in the Arab region as a starting point for serious local actions of ICTs for development. From a grassroots perspective, policy discussions are lengthy adding to the fear that the time-lag will exacerbate an already tenuous developmental situation. [Español]
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