New Book on WSIS

source: APC/CRIS

24.Sep.03 - New book from communications activists highlights priorities for world summit on the information society

"There is little doubt that access to information and communications technologies (ICTs) is expanding, yet this process excludes the majority of people in developing countries. Many who do have access are unable to use it freely to promote their social, economic and political interests. When people gain access to these technologies, it is mostly as consumers, rather than owners or creators. The growing concentration of ownership and control of ICT can limit its remarkable potential for social empowerment," says APC in a new book launched last week at the third preparatory conference (PrepCom) in the run-up to the first ever United Nations world conference on the information society.

At the United Nations' World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS), to be held in Geneva in December, governments will agree on a declaration and action plan that could enhance or hinder access to ICTs for the vast majority of the world's population. The Association for Progressive Communications (APC) and the CRIS Campaign have been following the WSIS process and their publication - "Involving Civil Society in ICT Policy: the World Summit on the Information Society" - highlights some of the principal issues at stake.

"The information society, we are told, is a promise to all the peoples of the world of untold benefits and promises for our future however the reality is often much closer to a nightmare," says CRIS Campaign Coordinator, Myriam Horngren. "As our mass media become more and more sanitised and commodified, our airspace sold to the highest bidders, our common knowledge and creativity get fenced off, we fear that the information society is solely promoting the expansion of corporate control at people's expense."

Who is this book for?

This book is aimed at people who want to advocate for more just and enabling policy environments. It is designed to build awareness of and capacity to engage in ICT policy-making spaces at international, regional and national levels, including the WSIS.

What does the book include?

Published in English, French and Spanish, the book includes a basic orientation to the WSIS for non-governmental and non-commercial participants as well as information about the CRIS campaign. It outlines APC's perspectives on the WSIS which emerged from broad discussions and consultations with APC members and other civil society groups from Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean. It also includes the views of the members of the APC Women's Networking Support Programme, and draws on the collaborative work of CRIS and APC with other networks. Key issues (including a reflection on the term 'information society', intellectual property rights, and spectrum allocation) is covered by the CRIS campaign. A practical 12-page guide to organising a national ICT policy consultation developed by APC accompanies the book.

CONTEXT

"Involving Civil Society in ICT Policy: the World Summit on the Information Society" has been compiled by the Association of Progressive Communications (APC) and the Campaign for Communication Rights in the Information Society (CRIS). It is part of our combined efforts to ensure that communication and internet rights are upheld and protected as fundamental rights throughout the world.

ABOUT APC AND CRIS

APC: The Association for Progressive Communications is an international network of civil society organisations whose mission is to empower and support organisations, social movements and individuals in and through the use of information and communication technologies for social justice, development and environmental sustainability. APC's vision is of a world in which all people have equal and affordable access to the creative potential of ICTs to improve their lives and create more democratic and egalitarian societies. APC is a founding member of CRIS. www.apc.org

CRIS Campaign: Communications Rights in the Information Society (CRIS) is an international campaign to ensure that communication rights are central to the information society and to the upcoming World Summit to the Information Society. The campaign is sponsored and supported by the Platform for Communication Rights, a group of non-governmental organisations involved in media and communication around the world. www.crisinfo.org For additional information about CRIS activities during the Summit itself, visit the World Forum on Communication Rights' website: http://www.communicationrights.org. The Forum will take place on December 11 in parallel to the WSIS.