e-quality* at WSIS?

This is the first of a four-part series by Radio Feminista (FIRE) about the UN 

World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS), held in Geneva, Switzerland, 
December 8-12, 2003.  

Part I:   Summit Bypasses Critical Issues of Funding & Internet Governance

Part II:  Communication as a Human Right 

Part III: Gender Equality Receives Varied Support in WSIS Process 

Part IV: Neoliberal Context Missing from Official & Civil Society Documents 

Part I:  

Summit Bypasses Critical Issues of Funding & Internet Governance  

Despite an optimistic commitment to connect over half of the world’s population to the Internet by 2015, 
critics contend that because the final plan of action approved at the UN World Summit on the Information 
Society (WSIS) bypasses controversial issues of funding and internet governance, it weakens chances of 
achieving any significant actions in ICTs (information & communication technologies) for development in 
the foreseeable future.

Civil society groups including non-profit and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) also contend that 
the approach to the “Information Society” by government officials and corporate interests is too narrowly 
focused on technological and market-oriented interests, with little emphasis on “knowledge” and 
human-centered issues so critical to development, as a result of pressures from powerful transnational 
corporate interests and some governments. 

“Technology should be developed for responding to the vital needs of people, and have a strongly
centered human rights and social justice focus,” said Sally Burch, a coordinator of the Civil Society
Content and Themes Group of the WSIS Civil Society Plenary.  Nor should ICT development only
serve to enrich companies or enable greater control by governments, according to the Civil Society
Declaration hammered out in a two year process of involvement in the preparations towards WSIS.  
Burch noted that this people-centered vision is an integral part of the CS Declaration, but only receives
lip service in the official Final Declaration.

Listen to Sally Burch talk the differences between these documents:       (click to listen)

Convened by the United Nations (UN) and the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), the 
World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS), which met December 9-12, 2003, involved over 
11,000 registered participants, including leaders and heads from 176 governments, 50 UN organizations, 
women and men of civil society from over 530 NGOs and international organizations, and nearly 100 
businesses and corporations who all discussed and deliberated about the present situation and future of 
the information society on development.  Outcomes of the WSIS will have a tremendous impact on the 
lives of people all over the world, and their potential to connect through new information and 
communication technologies, because of the central role that these ICTs play in today’s world in most 
every arena.

The session in Geneva represented the first phase of the WSIS process.  The second phase will take 
place in Tunisia in 2005.

Funding Missing From WSIS Plan of Action

During this first phase, no commitment was achieved about funding of ICTs for development goals, 
which was a major issue of debate that affects less developed countries such as Africa in particular. 
The final agreement calls for establishment of a task force to undertake a review of existing ICT funding 
mechanisms and the feasibility of an international voluntary Digital Solidarity Fund involving multiple 
“stakeholders” such as governments, businesses and organizations.  At the last minute, the Swiss 
cities of Geneva and Lyon, as well as the Government of Senegal announced plans to contribute a 
total of nearly $1 million toward the fund.

The civil society declaration supports formation of this fund, “as a real hope for African peoples if it 
clearly states its goals, is transparently managed, and aims to foster primarily public services, especially 
for populations living in underserved and isolated areas.”  The CS document also calls for establishment 
of a Community Media Fund through a donor civil society partnership to support and invest in community-
driven and community-based media. The official documents made no mention of such a fund. 

Public versus Private Control of the Internet

Public versus private control of the Internet was another controversial issue. Since no agreement among 
the governments was achieved, the issue will be studied by a working group, with proposals to be debated 
in Tunisia in 2005.  Currently, the assignment of Internet addresses, controls and domains is governed 
by the Internet Corporation for the Assignment of Names and Numbers (ICANN by its acronyms in 
English), a semi-private company with headquarters in California.  But Brazil and India are among the 
countries that contend this role should be public, and therefore should be located in a UN agency and 
not a private company.

In contrast, the Civil Society Declaration calls for participation of multiple stakeholders, including 
marginalized groups, in the so-called governance of the Internet, using a framework of international 
human rights, and principles of openness, transparency and accountability from the local, national to the 
international levels.

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Click to go to Part II:  Communication as a Human Right 

*(e-quality is a term originated by UNIFEM)

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FIRE -- Feminist International Radio Endeavour  at www.fire.or.cr  or www.radiofeminista.net. Please send us an e-mail to let us know at: oficina@radiofeminista.net

Sound files of the interviews and live webcasts by FIRE at the WSIS will be available online in RealAudio at www.fire.or.cr and in mp3 format in www.oneworldradio.org.