The year 2013-14 will serve as an opportunity for relevant UN agencies and other stakeholders to review the WSIS process so far, and to outline a vision for the Information Society going forward. Outcomes will feed directly into the subsequent review meetings and into the 2015 UNGA overall review. The intention is to integrate findings into the UN MDGs review process and into a possible post-2015 sustainable development framework. There is a possibility of a full blown WSIS-related Summit in 2015, with Russia already putting forward the Russian resort of Sochi as a possible venue. While a renewed WSIS has not yet been officially agreed, there is an assumption of continuity.
A review statement on the implementation of the WSIS outcomes, as well as a visioning statement for WSIS beyond 2015 (forward-looking outcome) are currently being drafted through the Multi-stakeholder Preparatory Platform (MPP) facilitated by the ITU.
The review statement and the visioning document incorporate the main messages from the consultation and other inputs and are, along with the summary documents from the Action Lines, are replete with a whole range of issues of “interest” including governance.
WSIS+10 MPP resource page:
http://www.itu.int/wsis/review/mpp/
Key documents:
http://www.itu.int/wsis/review/inc/docs/phase2/WSIS10.hle-ocp_phase2_presentation.pdf
http://www.itu.int/wsis/review/inc/docs/phase2/WSIS10.hle-ocp_phase2_ChairmanReport.docx
http://www.itu.int/wsis/review/inc/docs/outcomes1/Proposed_Draft_WSIS10_Statement.pdf
Deadline for inputs: 17 November.
Output
The goal is to create an engagement model or road-map that we can use and work off as BB going forward, particularly considering civil society participation and substantive issues for the WSIS+10 review and the Multistakeholder Preparatory Platform.
General questions:
- Why is this process important or not to civil society
- What are the key issues at stake? How important are those issues to civil society?
- How have we engaged to date and how successful were we?
- How can we engage in the future and what approach should we take?
- How can we engage and what approach should we take?
- What are our messages/proposals and how and when do action them?
- How will we measure success and learn from the process and experience?
Specific questions:
- Do we believe that the WSIS has fulfilled one of its primary mandate that of harnessing the potential of ICTs for development?
- Do we need a post-2015 WSIS?
- If we had to draw up a post-2015 WSIS on a blank piece of paper what would its goals be?
- Which of the current Action Lines should be priorities, if any, for BB?
- Does BB feel that the Action Lines represent the best mechanisms for assessing progress against the MDGs or should the structure change for the post 2015 round of the WSIS?
- Does the Vision Statement reflect BB interests – are there issues that are of concern?
- Do we want to empower WSIS? Do we want the WSIS to have a governance component? Is it inevitable?
- Can we push for the next Action Lines to be closely tied to the post 2015-S (sustainable) DGs?