[Advisors] consultation re: WSIS outcomes

[Michael Gurstein]

Marita,

 

I’m delighted that you have been invited to the CIRA/C-UNESCO consultation on WSIS +10 and I’m sure you will well articulate the shared Telecommunities Canada positions.  And thanks for taking the time to ask for broader input.

 

My line of questions was based on a larger set of concerns. As we all know there has been with the Harper (and immediately previous) governments a drastic defunding of civil society including in our areas of interest, to the point of virtual destruction of large segments.

 

It is good that CIRA with its independent source of funding (notably through it’s monopoly position as a public trust) has emerged to take up some of the slack.  I do applaud them for that.

 

However, there is a considerable risk in having an interested party such as CIRA which is not, as you well know, well versed in, or generally sympathetic to what has traditionally been civil society concerns; taking up what has traditionally been a representative civil society mantle (i.e. providing a platform for the non-governmental, non-private sector positions).  Notably also, these activities are being undertaken without broader and independent oversight or consultation.

 

Specifically in this regard I would point you to the previous two Canadian IGF’s where the opportunities for non-Ottawa/Montreal/Toronto participation either in person (through travel funding) or remotely with an effective technology platform for remote participation were more or less completely absent.  In fact as with the WSIS +10 consultation there appeared to be no broader request for input or even distribution of information concerning the meeting—at least none that reached me on the West Coast. 

 

There is nothing wrong with CIRA (or UNESCO) sponsoring a private meeting of whoever it chooses to invite; however, there is something seriously wrong when CIRA sponsors meetings such as the C-IGF’s and evidently this WSIS +10 one which evidently purport to be the “Canadian” IGF, or a “Canadian” consultation on WSIS +10 which quite evidently are by their nature nothing of the kind—being neither open nor obviously inclusive. 

 

Please note that I raised this issue with CIRA (Byron Holland) in the context of the most recent IGF without receiving an effective response.

 

Mike

Michael Gurstein, Ph.D. 
Editor in Chief: Journal of Community Informatics 
web:  <http://ci-journal.net/> http://ci-journal.net 

Executive Director: Centre for Community Informatics Research, Development and Training (CCIRDT) 
Vancouver, BC CANADA 

tel/fax:  <tel:%2B1-604-602-0624> +1-604-602-0624 
email:  <mailto:gurstein at gmail.com> gurstein at gmail.com 
blog:  <http://gurstein.wordpress.com/> http://gurstein.wordpress.com 

twitter: @michaelgurstein 

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