12 January 2003

A joint statement on the WSIS was released by national, regional and international NGOs participating at the "Asian Civil Society Forum" of the Conference of Non-governmental Organizations in Consultative Relations with the United Nations (CONGO).

For over 50 years, CONGO has been actively promoting the involvement of NGOs in the working of the United Nations. Following the recommendations of the Millennium Forum Declaration and Agenda for Action, CONGO has decided to put the spotlight on Africa, Asia and Latin America and focus its activities on NGOs in these regions.

As part of this objective, the CONGO member-organisations decided to release their vision for the WSIS that would be beneficial to Asian civil society. They are hoping that the Summit will be all inclusive and participatory, in the belief that only in involving the multi-stakeholders can the adverse effects of war, social exclusion, exploitation and environmental degradation be overcome.

Worth noting are the implications of their vision, which imply the following:

1. Giving access to and sharing information and communication technology (ICT) in all forms that will not be constrained by the barriers of literacy, language, politics, socio-cultural and economic disparities.
2. ICT should be offered with training and support, community Internet access points such as telecentres, cyber cafés, and using radios as a gateway to the Internet.
3. Financial support, training, preferred access to licenses, frequencies and technologies to promote community-based media, including facilitating links between traditional media and new ones, and to bridge the digital divide between the have and the have-nots.
4. This also requires infrastructure with meaningful content, capacity-building and an enabling environment that encompasses the needs based on gender equal, inter-generational, non-discriminating criteria and targeting particularly the vulnerable groups such as persons with diverse disabilities; migrants and displaced persons, indigenous peoples; refugees and diaspora communities; rural communities; small island developing nations and post-conflict states.
5. All stakeholders are recommended to invest in capacity building focused on creation of locally-produced, audience sensitive content that responds to local needs. It should also strengthen relevant and appropriate programmes focused on gender-sensitive curricula in formal and non-formal education for all and enhance communication and media literacy for women.
6. They call on governments to commit to the principles of open, transparent, decentralised and accountable governance mechanisms at all levels, from local to global and in all spheres of society, mutually related to the governance of information and communication systems.
7. They are also asking governments to guarantee and extend the participation of the entire society, in particular representatives from marginalised communities, indigenous peoples, women, the youth and the elderly, in the policy and decision-making processes in all sectors and levels of the "information society."
8. Another call is made to all governments to take appropriate measures to protect the right to privacy including freedom from surveillance at all levels of information society. They oppose any kind of censorship imposed by governments which restricts freedom of expression. They also urge governments to protect, promote and realise possibilities for community-based forms of communication and expressions including oral-based tradition of knowledge transfer and networks.
9. They urge the private sector to be good corporate citizens, to pay full attention to and engage in productive dialogue with NGOs and civil society members on the following concerns:
   1. Balancing the Intellectual Property Right with open source and free software and content development and distribution.
   2. Fair and open competition in the marketplace without giving excessive dominance to the status quo
   3. Protect and promote the right of individuals for privacy and security, of freedom of expression and communication
   4. Embrace and support the need of the less developed, marginalised and deprived in the area of capacity-building and human resource development
10. Sincere efforts and contributions of all members of the international community, those of international organisations, donors and other NGOs involved in development activities are welcomed.
11. CONGO members are also committing themselves and are calling on their friends and colleagues, the NGO community and the civil society to further enhance communication, co-ordination, and co-operation among each other; to reach out and collaborate instead of focusing only on immediate concerns. There is a recognised need to be committed to constructive and fruitful dialogue with their peers in different social sectors, respect each other despite different views and perspectives.

The drafters of this statement worked as individuals, not as representatives of the organisations they are affiliated with. The draft was finalised by the following participants:

Izumi Aizu from GLOCOM (Japan)
Kazi Rafiqul Alam from Dhaka Ahsania Mission (Bangladesh)
Al Alegre from Foundation for Media Alternative (Philippines)
James Gomez from Friedrich Naumann Foundation (Singapore)
Satcha Jotisalikorn from Forum Asia (Thailand)
Jaba Menon from OneWorld South Asia (India)
Conchita Poncici from International Federation of University Women (Switzerland)
Kim Jeong-woo from Korean Progressive Network JINBONET (South Korea)