20.Dec.03 | ws2003.org:
How was the Summit? [read more]
14.Dec.03 | newsforge.com:
RMS on WSIS [read more]
13.Dec.03 | IP3:
An Institutional Perspective on the UN World Summit on the Information Society [read more]
13.Dec.03 | Allan Liska:
WSIS Leaving More Questions Than Answers [read more]
12.Dec.03 | ITU:
Final WSIS Press Release [read more]
11.Dec.03 | BBC news:
Human rights caucus concerned about WSIS outcome [read more]
11.Dec.03 | Reporters Sans Frontiers:
Radio Non Grata forced off the air [read more]
11.Dec.03 | :
Frustrated by UN summit civil society representatives present their own declaration [read more]
24.Nov.03 | CRIS:
World Forum on Communication Rights [read more]
21.Nov.03 | OneWorld South Asia:
ICTs need to focus on marginalised groups [read more]
14.Nov.03 | Civil Society:
Statement at the End of the Preparatory Process [read more]
14.Nov.03 | Inter Press Service:
A steep climb to the Information Society Summit [read more]
13.Nov.03 | OneWorld South Asia:
Media: The step-child of WSIS? [read more]
13.Nov.03 | Finacial Times:
Plan for UN to run internet 'will be shelved' [read more]
26.Oct.03 | Reporters sans frontières:
More hypocrisy as Tunisia hosts international congress on digital divide [read more]
22.Oct.03 | newsforge:
An important victory in Europe but not a final one [read more]
22.Oct.03 | Inter Press Service:
WSIS: Unions Want Employment Issues on Agenda [read more]
20.Oct.03 | Editor & Publisher:
World Web Summit Worries Journalists
With Good Reason [read more]
05.Oct.03 | Panos:
Bellagio Symposium on Media, Freedom and Poverty - Statement [read more]
02.Oct.03 | GRAIN:
One global patent system? WIPO's Substantive Patent Law Treaty [read more]
01.Oct.03 | AMARC:
Community media groups call for empowerment agenda at WSIS [read more]
01.Oct.03 | IDG News Service:
Tough issues face Information Society summit - Major clash expected [read more]
29.Sep.03 | BBC news:
Sharp Divisions at Preperation Meeting [read more]
27.Sep.03 | the register:
Dog fight over World Summit of The Information Society [read more]
26.Sep.03 | WSIS Human Rights Caucus:
Tunisia and WSIS [read more]
26.Sep.03 | ITU press release:
World Summit on Information Society (WSIS): 'Connecting the World' [read more]
24.Sep.03 | APC/CRIS:
New Book on WSIS [read more]
19.Sep.03 | GlobalCN:
New Mosaic Newsletter [read more]
18.Sep.03 | HIRC:
HRIC Excluded From World Summit On the Information Society [read more]
13.Aug.03 | LACFREE:
Cusco Declaration [read more]
Sharp Divisions at Preperation Meeting
source: BBC news
29.Sep.03 - Sharp divisions over how to bridge the digital divide between rich and poor
have emerged ahead of a UN summit on the issue in December. Delegates were
unable to settle their differences after two weeks of talks in Geneva. Many
of the poorer countries want the richer nations to provide extra money to
help more people get on the net. Delegates are now due to meet again in
Geneva in mid-November to try to iron out their differences. The UN sees
technology as a must for developing nations to help them educate citizens,
make them healthier and escape poverty.
It has organised the World Summit on the Information Society, (WSIS), to
come up with a global plan to ensure everyone has access to information and
communications technologies. But talks designed to come up with a plan of
action have revealed big differences between the rich and poor countries.
One of the main sticking points was over who should pay for technology
projects in the developing world. The other stumbling blocks that emerged
are over the place of human rights in the final declaration and how the
internet itself should be governed.
Western countries such as the US see freedom of expression as a key part of
an information society. But this is a sensitive subject in many countries
such as China, which has a different idea of what a free media means.
Concerns about human rights are shared by non-government groups, represented
under the banner of Civil Society. The grouping brings together a variety of
trade unions, social movements and other lobby groups. "If governments
continue to exclude our principles, we will not lend legitimacy to the final
official WSIS documents," said the Civil Society group in a statement.
