The United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has launched a new website in connection with its preparation for the World Summit on the Information Society. This site details preparatory activities (regional and international ones) about the series of consultations launched with civil society and non-government organizations (NGOs). The site may be accessed at: http://www.unesco.org/wsis.

The UNESCO, together with the Civil Society Division of the Executive Secretariat of the World Summit of the Information Society (ES/WSIS), also organised in February and April 2002 five consultative meetings with representatives of civil society organisation and professional NGOs to discuss the role and place of civil society and NGOs in the preparation and the holding of the Summit.

It was concluded that it should be made clear that civil society actors need to be treated as peers and equals to the other participants (governments and the private sector). The participants also formulated (on behalf of the communities which they represent) a set of proposals to be included in the Declaration of Principles and the Plan of Action that the WSIS is expected to adopt. Indicated below are the proposed recommendations and actions.

Recommendations on the participation of Civil Society and professional NGOs:

1. The information society emerging from the WSIS must have human rights and needs at its core, and that the modalities for participation of civil society must recognize this and build on established human rights principles and participative practices and modalities.
2. There must be free and open access to information in the WSIS process, in a timely manner.
3. Civil Society actors should, in substantive agenda development, debate and drafting modalities, be treated as peers and equals to nation-states and private sector organisations/corporations.
4. Civil Society participation must be balanced, ensuring that the voice of all is heard taking into account geographical spread and Male-Female parity.
5. Civil Society should be supported to create its own public spaces and for both virtual and face-to-face meetings, in which their representatives can debate and develop positions free from fear of censure and arrest.
6. Irrespective of official accreditation, all civil society organisations wishing to have their voice heard should be given appropriate means to do so. Continuity with civil society mobilisation in other areas, such as sustainable development, emphasis on Male-Female parity and cultural rights, is to be encouraged.
7. Civil society must have opportunity on an equal parity basis with governments and the private sector to fully participate in and contribute to the monitoring and implementation of Summit outcomes.

Proposed Actions:

1. Without delay, a process to stimulate interaction and information on the WSIS should be initiated, supported by the Secretariat and other donors, but planned and run by existing civil society organisations. The aim is to begin deep and widespread dissemination, to stimulate debate and obtain feedback on the issues of the WSIS and the appropriate means for participation. The means should include Internet, but must also incorporate more traditional media (radio, print, etc.) and other communication systems and practices.
2. A protocol for information dissemination and transparency in relation to the WSIS process should be explicitly agreed and experimented. 3. Civil society should be represented on the Bureau of the Summit, as a means for participating in the ongoing preparatory process and to enhance its transparency.
3. The NGOs participation to the Summit should be clarified, in terms of selection and invitation to the World Summit. In particular, the criteria for NGO participation should be clearly set up to clarify the difference between those who are lobbying organisations (by level and how they are funded) and those who are NGOs.
4. A fund should be established to support effective and balanced civil society representation. States and donors agencies should be encouraged to contribute to this fund, which would be allocated according to agreed upon criteria by a competent agency.
5. Decentralisation of the consultation and mobilization process could be reinforced by regional animators working within established NGO networks and properly resourced.
6. Official recognition should be given to the consultations organized by civil society itself and mechanisms be made available to incorporate their outputs into the official process.
7. An ongoing mechanism for monitoring progress across all domains of the information society might be useful to identify ongoing and emerging concerns.
8. The Summit should be accompanied by a NGO forum, in which Civil Society can discuss and organize input into the process and outcomes.

For more information about civil society and NGO participation in WSIS, please visit http://www.unesco.org/wsis.