Asian NGOs from 14 countries and 32 organisations gathered in Bangkok, Thailand from 22-24 November 2002 to discuss Asian participation in the upcoming Asia-Pacific Regional Conference.
This conference is one of the regional level activities to be held in the lead up to the upcoming World Summit on the Information Society. The Asia-Pacific Regional Conference will be held on 13-15 January 2003 in Tokyo, Japan.
The groups, which met in Thailand, underscored the importance of civil society and NGO participation in the regional conference and in pushing the Asian agenda in the WSIS. Asian groups are committed to social justice through information and communication work.
It was agreed upon that the vision of society is one that is based on justice, equality, and human rights. The right to communicate is fundamental to the strengthening of the political, social and cultural lives of Asian people. This vision is grounded in respect for diversity and plurality. It is a people-centred society and it is envisioned to evolve into a truly communicative, just and peaceful society. The participation of civil society, especially from those communities who are excluded, marginalised and severely deprived, is critical in defining and building such a society.
Thus, the occasion of the WSIS must be used to carry humanity forward. The declaration and plan of action that emerge from the summit must be guided by this principle.
For specific proposals for action, the Asian groups would like to call upon Asian governments, non-government organisations and the public to enact the following:
Strengthen the community - Establishing community radio and community Internet access points (e.g. telecentres or cyber cafés) as well as supporting community-based media are seen as the immediately effective measures to achieve this goal. Ensure access - The disparity in access existing between the North and the South should be addressed as well as various concerns revolving around this goal. Enhance the creation of appropriate content - There is an urgent need to invest in capacity building that is focused on the creation of locally produced, audience sensitive content that responds to local needs, especially that of marginalised communities and indigenous groups. Invigorate global governance - In the era of trade liberalisation, institutions outside the UN structure have assumed greater powers and consequently eroded the effectiveness and relevance of its global governance mandate. An urgent need to guarantee and extend the participation of civil society, in particular representatives from marginalised communities, indigenous peoples, women and youth, in the policy and decision making processes in all sectors of the information society and at all levels, is seen. Uphold human rights - There is a need to uphold the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and all other recognised international conventions. Further, the right to communicate must be embedded in all international treaties and conventions. Appropriate action should be taken to protect the right to privacy, including freedom from surveillance and the use of privacy enhancing technology. Extend the public domain - In most Asian countries, indigenous intellectual legacy and wisdom is endangered, and sharing within communities or public health severely threatened. Given the new challenges of "information society" it is imperative to review the Intellectual Property Rights regimes to restore a balance between private rights and public domain, work towards harmonising exemptions for non-commercial use of information and guarantee an extension of the public domain as a mean to ensure access for all to information, and promote the development of open source technologies and free/open software as an alternative that favours innovation and the development of appropriate technologies and content. Protect and promote cultural and linguistic diversity - The strength of Asia is its cultural, linguistic, historic diversity. This diversity and richness is under threat from the homogenisation resulting from globalisation and privatisation of communication systems. Hence it is necessary to protect, promote and create possibilities for community-based forms of communication and expression, including the oral based traditions of knowledge transfer. Ensure public investment in infrastructure - The new ICTs, with its potential for socio-economic empowerment of the marginalised, should be encouraged through infrastructure building with public investments. To this end, governments should commit to provide resources wherein people shall participate in policy-making, monitoring and evaluation. Further, a fair distribution of such technologies must be ensured with home grown solutions in simple, feasible and affordable methods. The organisations that contributed to this document are:
Open Forum of Cambodia
Timor Lorosa'e Journalists' Association
Women's Networking Support Program/Association for Progressive Communications
One World South Asia
ANWIC/Faculty
Manipal Institute for Communication
Magic Lantern Foundation
Alliance of Independent Journalists
Japan Computer Access for Empowerment (JCAFF)
Korean Progressive Network 'Jinbonet'
PeaceNet
Foundation for Media Alternative
Isis International-Manila
Asian South Pacific Bureau of Adult Education (ASPBAE)
Sustainable Development Networking Programme (SDNP)
Think Center Singapore
United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO Bangkok)
International Telecommunication Union (ITU, Bangkok)
Campaign for Popular Media Reform
Human Rights Promotion and Network Coordination Bureau
e-ASEAN Working Group, Policy Innovation Center (King Mongkut's University of Technology), Bangkok
Friedrich Naumann Foundation
Focus on the Global South
Article XIX/Forum-Asia
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