World Summit on the Information Society: Is the Outcome a Foregone Conclusion?
Paulo
Lima, Historian and Executive Secretary of the Information Network for the
Third Sector (Rits)
The construction of the Information Society shall be on the agenda in 2003, and a set of meetings will be initiated which are decisive for the World Summit on the Information Society.
The meeting was first planned on December 21 2001, when the United Nations General Assembly adopted Resolution A/RES/56/183 which endorsed the framework of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS).� The preparation and planning of the Summit, which was convened under the patronage of the General Secretary of the United Nations, Kofi Annan, is being undertaken by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and other interested UN agencies and by the host countries themselves. �
The Summit is ratified by Resolution 73, which was issued by the ITU Plenipotentiary Conference, under which consultation took place between UN agencies and the need to hold a World Summit on the Information Society was established. �At a meeting in 2001, the council of the ITU approved the realization of this Summit, which shall be held in two phases: In Geneva, Switzerland from December 10 to 12, 2003 and in Tunis, Tunisia in 2005.
The Summit shall address a broad range of themes concerning the Information Society and, as a consequence thereof, common goals and a deeper understanding of the transformation of the society are envisaged. �The Summit is expected to adopt a Declaration of Principles and a Plan of Action to facilitate the effective development of the Information Society and help combat �info-exclusion�. �It therefore involves the assembly of representatives of governments, the private sector, the civil society and non-governmentall organizations. �It will be a unique opportunity for the global community to consider and take part in the establishment of goals for the construction of the Information Society. �
Creating infrastructure
� The
role of telecommunications, investment and technology in creating the
infrastructure of the Information Society and reducing the digital divide.
Open Doors
�
Disseminate universal and equal access to the Information Society
� Meet
the requirements of developing countries
�
Information being treated as a common public resource.
Services and applications
�
Effects of the Information Society on economic, social and cultural development
�
Effects of the Information Society on the world of science
User requirements
�
Protection, privacy and consumer rights
�
Appropriate content which reflects cultural diversity and the entitlement to
communication
� The Ethics of the Information Society
� User
Training
�
Protection and privacy in the workplace
Developing global standards
� The
roles of the governments, the private sector and civil society in standardizing
the Information Society
�
Information as a common public resource (information in the public domain)
�
Intellectual property rights and exceptions established by law
�
Freedom of expression
�
Policies concerning telecommunications charges and Internet access
Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and
education
� ICT
as a lever for educational change
� The teaching area: ICT, teachers, students and content
� The
requirements of today's worker
What kind of Information Society do we want?
The expression � Information Society� refers to a kind of social and economic development by which the acquisition, storage, processing, recognition, transmission, distribution and dissemination of information leads to the creation of knowledge and the meeting of the requirements of individuals and companies, performing a central role in economic activity, the creation of wealth, the definition of the quality of life of individuals and their cultural practices. The information society therefore equates to a society which functions by increasing reliance on digital information networks. This change to the domain of economic activity and the factors determining social welfare arises from the development of new information, audiovisual and communication technologies, including the important ramifications and impacts on the education, science, health, leisure, transportation and the environment sectors, amongst other sectors.
Active social acceptance is important if these changes are to be successful. It is essential that equal access is created to the benefits generated and that the factors which lead to new forms of exclusion from knowledge - info-exclusion, be combated simultaneously. It is fundamental to further strengthen social cohesion and cultural diversity, equal opportunities in different regions, encourage the participation by individuals in community life and provide a State which is more open and democratic in identifying the problems and solutions in the public interest
�The information society must be a society for all. The political measures for constructing the information society must contain provisions so that all individuals have the opportunity to participate in it and therefore benefit from the advantages provided by this development of civilization. In order to achieve this, it is essential that all individuals are able to obtain the necessary qualifications for enjoying a natural and "friendly" relationship with information technologies.� It is also essential for people to be able to access the technologies in public places, without facing obstacles of a financial nature (free public community internet access centers).� These centers must help overcome the initial difficulties faced by people who are currently excluded from these possibilities.� Nevertheless, making the society of the future more democratic shall only take place when it is possible for most people in society to have access to information technologies and possess the real skills to use them. Should this not occur, it could become a powerful factor of social exclusion.
�A potential contradiction is inherent in the information society � giving value to the human factor in the productive process, by transforming knowledge and information into capital, whilst simultaneously disqualifying the new individuals who are �illiterate� in information technology terms, which may lead to a new class of excluded individuals. ��The Information Society which we desire and strive towards is aware of these pitfalls and challenges. ��The time is upon us to leave our mark on the present through effective and transforming proposals, to highlight the abusive exploitation regarding internet access costs in developing countries and to discuss funds and long-term proposals for combating info-exclusion.
Challenges for developing countries
�A open and universal Information Society can only develop and subsist if it is based upon fundamental principles of policy which are understood by all. Universal access to all new information and media services is believed by many to be the most important of the principles and this is implicitly incorporated into the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, especially in article 19 which addresses freedom of expression, and in article 27, concerning the freedom of access to information and the protection of the security and privacy of users[1].�
Rits, in conjunction with the Brazilian Association of Non-Governmental Organizations (ABONG) has been taking part in several rounds of preparatory discussions and is already in a position to evaluate three important issues not incorporated in the preparation for this Summit. �In the run up to PrepCom II (the preparatory meeting held from February 17 to 28 in Geneva) it is imperative to bring up these issues, explain them and be prepared for the debate, as it has been announced that there will be a powerful presence of developed countries and solidly aligned large corporations.� After analysis of the distribution of resources of the Information Society throughout the world, the Summit document of disclosure [2], presents the following graphs:
Key:
Pacific Rim, Asia, Africa, America
Fixed
telephone lines (one billion)
Estimated
number of Internet users (350 million)
It can be readily seen from the graphs that simplifying the distribution using an exclusively geographical criteria has seriously distorted the analysis. It is not possible to work with the concepts set forth above (equal and fair distribution of resources) by grouping together the countries composing North America (namely the USA and Canada) and the countries composing Latin America. �This analysis fundamentally undermines the construction of a proposal for an Information Society including the developing countries. �
Another matter of importance is the complete lack of
reference to Portuguese as a working language for the Summit.
�
There are 175 million of us in Brazil who shall no have no
access to documents in our own language, meaning we would have to read
documents in French, English or Spanish.
The proposals which the Brazilian government is going to put forward at the Summit have not yet been made widespread .�
Brazil plays a central role, due to its long tradition and
leadership amongst developing countries in United Nation�s
discussions.
�
For this and many other reasons, a wide-reaching debate is
justified amongst governments at all levels, companies and NGOs in order to
collectively put together proposals for the WSIS Declaration of Principles and
Plan of Action.
We run the risk of watching from afar as a World Summit on the Information Society of wealthy nations unfolds...