7/15/03

These articles originally appeared on we!, our weekly newsletter.

As the WSIS Intersessional Period in Paris, France is taking place this mid-July 2003, several WSIS-oriented regional efforts are also taking place. Also, new developments and links are continuing to be created which help civil society have a more solid voice at the WSIS.

One such effort is from the Third World Institute in Montevideo, Uruguay. One of the Institute's web-related project is Choike, a portal dedicated to improving the visibility of the work done by NGOs from the South. Choike serves as a platform where NGOs can disseminate their work and at the same time enrich it with information from diverse sources, organised in line with the perspective of Southern civil society. In line with these goals, the Institute recently put up an in-depth report on the WSIS at the Choike portal.

In order to access the report, please visit the following links:
In Spanish: http://www.choike.org/cgi-bin/choike/links_esp/page.cgi?p=3Dver_indepth&id==3D647&cat=3D2
In English: http://www.choike.org/cgi-bin/choike/links/page.cgi?p=3Dver_indepth&id=3D7=03

If you have trouble accessing the reports, please contact Choike directly for help at:
Third World Institute (Instituto del Tercer Mundo)
Jackson 1136, Montevideo 11200, Uruguay
Tel: (598-2) 419 6192
Fax: (598-2) 411 9222
E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

In another region, the Southern African Non-Governmental Organisation Network (SANGONeT) is continuing their ICT discussion forum called Theta. Created last 27 March 2003, Thetha: The SANGONeT ICT Discussion Forum is a one-day discussion forum initiative focusing on the role and relevance of ICT-related issues to the South African civil society organisation (CSO) sector. The Thetha forums provide an opportunity to both CSOs which are ICT-enabled, as well as those organisations which are considering introducing ICT solutions to their work, with an opportunity to discuss issues of common concern and learn from one another's experiences.

The next Thetha will be held on Wednesday, 30 July 2003 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Parktonian Hotel, 120 De Korte Street in Braamfontein, South Africa. The theme of this Thetha will be the World Summit on the Information Society. The objectives of this Thetha will be to provide South African CSOs with an opportunity to develop an understanding and reflect on the focus and objectives of the WSIS and related processes, and to discuss the position of the South African government and civil society in this regard. Representatives of various local CSOs which have participated in the WSIS process during the past year are involved in the planning of the Thetha, and will provide input and feedback during the meeting. These organisations include SANGONeT, Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA) - South Africa, National Community Radio Forum (NCRF), Link Centre at Wits University, Freedom of Expression Institute (FXI), Association for Progressive Communications (APC) and Women'sNet.

Participation in the Thetha is free of charge. During the next few weeks, SANGONeT will distribute information on various aspects of the WSIS to assist CSOs in preparing for the Thetha, as well as to learn about the WSIS process in general.

If you are interested in participating, please contact the following before 25 July 2003:
Matsela Mosoetsi or Malefu Thibedi
SANGONeT
Tel: (011) 838 6943
Fax: (011) 492 1058
E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. / This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Website: http://www.sangonet.org.za

Regional efforts, such as the Theta forums and information dissemination by the Third World Institute, are important to maintain in this information-heavy times. This is especially true as phase one of the WSIS is getting nearer. Regional networking by civil society often plays an important role when it comes to influencing decisions made at the highest levels of society, one which can sometimes (or more appropriately, oftentimes) be dominated by those whose bottom line is profit, not people. Thus, we encourage CSOs and regional networks to continue their work and help spread the word on how more people can engage in the WSIS process. We, in turn, will continue posting relevant news and events, which can help this goal even further.