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WSIS Plenary Statement by ICTRC
on
Behalf of the West Asia and Middle East Region
November 17, 2005
Dear Madam President, Honorable
Delegates, Civil Society Representatives, Dear Ladies and
Gentlemen,
Today we are speaking on behalf of civil
society organizations in the West Asia and Middle East
Region. The Iran CSOs Training and Research Center (ICTRC),
which is the WSIS Regional Civil Society Focal Point for the
Middle and West Asia region, organized the 2nd
Civil Society Regional Forum on the Information Society for
the Middle East and West Asia, on August 23-25, 2005 in Kish
Island, Iran. The Forum was intended to provide an
opportunity for civil society representatives to discuss the
WSIS process; network, share and exchange experience and
technical know-how on ICT for development; receive much
needed training and capacity building in ICT related areas;
and draft a statement which could be presented at the WSIS
in Tunisia in November. The Forum was organized in
partnership with the United Nations, the World Bank, UNESCO,
the Iranian National Commission for UNESCO, Hivos, and
Internews Europe. Unfortunately and despite coordination at
the local and national levels, the event was banned by local
Kish Island authorities at the last minute. The banning of
this event is of particular significance and concern to the
region, as civil society organizations, especially
independent organizations, from the West Asia and Middle
East Region, due to a variety of factors, has had a minimal
presence within the WSIS process and prep-com events. We had
hoped that the Kish regional meeting would serve as a
stepping stone through which we could work towards an
increased, active and effective participation of civil
society in the WSIS process.
Statements protesting the banning of the
Kish Regional CSO Forum were issued by the International
participants as well as the Iranian participants. The ICTRC
also wrote letters to the Iranian authorities inquiring
about the reasoning behind the banning of the event. The
office of the President of the Islamic Republic of Iran was
also contacted. They followed up on the inquiry of the ICTRC
by writing a letter to local Kish Island authorities asking
for an explanation. We see the follow-up of the office of
the President as a positive step in resolving this matter.
The banning of this regional event was
also brought up during the WSIS prep-com 3 in Geneva in
September, at multiple levels, including through the Civil
Society Bureau of the WSIS. The President of the Prep-Com
Mr. Karklins wrote a letter to the Iranian Representative at
the UN in Geneva inquiring about the reason for banning of
the Kish Forum. Despite intensive negotiations and
discussion at the Geneva Prep-Com 3 between ICTRC
representatives and the delegation of the Iranian
government, to date, no official explanation has been given
for the banning of the Forum. ICTRC has also contacted the
office of the President of the Islamic Republic of Iran, but
no explanation has been offered through this office either.
Dear Madam President, Honorable
Delegates, Civil Society Representatives, Dear Ladies and
Gentlemen, in light of the fact that the WSIS and
governments, including the government of the Islamic
Republic of Iran, remain committed to the participation of
all stakeholders in the implementation of the WSIS
Declaration, and given the important role that civil society
has in the implementation of the WSIS Declaration and its
Action Plan, we ask once again that the WSIS Secretariat
take the following actions:
We ask the WSIS Secretariat to
follow-up with the Iranian authorities to inquire
about the reasons for the banning of the 2nd
Civil Society Regional Forum on the Information
Society for the West Asia and Middle East Region on
August 23-25, 2005 in Kish Island, Iran and ask the
Iranian authorities to provide the WSIS secretariat
an official explanation in writing.
We ask the WSIS Secretariat to
request that the Iranian Authorities remedy this
mistake by allowing for another regional forum to
take place in Iran and facilitating the process
through the issuance of visas and financial payment
for damages incurred by the organizers, as it will
be difficult to receive duplicate funds for such an
event.
We ask the WSIS Secretariat to
make a strong statement in support of the role of
civil society in the WSIS process and to
specifically make commitments to facilitate and
increase the participation of civil society actors
from the region in future WSIS events and in
implementing the WSIS Declaration and Action Plan.
Specifically:
a. We ask that greater
financial and technical support be provided
to organizations engaged in ICT and
information society activities, with special
emphasis on the West Asia and Middle East
region.
b. We also ask that the
Multi-stakeholder Alliance charged with
following up the WSIS process reflect a fair
gender balance and a fair regional balance,
but especially that it includes independent,
non-governmental civil society organizations
from the West Asia and Middle East region.
c. The strongly urge the
United Nations to reform its ECOSOC
Accreditation process to allow for a real
representation of independent
non-governmental civil society organizations
and actors from the West Asia and Middle
East region at the WSIS and other UN
Sponsored events. Otherwise, the true voice
of independent civil society, which in this
region tends to be fragile, emerging, and
often newly established, will be excluded
from international forums. Along these
lines, we strongly encourage the UN, in
light of its commitment to civil society, to
establish an independent structure,
comprised of independent non-governmental
civil society organizations themselves,
which would be charged with oversight and
administration of ECOSOC accreditation of
civil society organizations.
d. We also strongly urge
the WSIS Secretariat and the
Multi-stakeholder Alliance charged with
following up the WSIS process to vigorously
monitor governments who are signatories to
the WSIS Declaration and Action Plan in
their efforts to include all stakeholders in
the implementation process and in living up
to their commitments. Of particular concern
for the West Asia and Middle East region is
the issue of access to information. The
problem of filtering has in fact become a
major issue of concern for citizens and
civil society organizations in many of the
countries in the West Asia and Middle East
region despite governmental commitments to
the WSIS Declaration and Action Plan which
specifically emphasizes access to
information as a priority area. Governments
which are signatories to the WSIS
Declaration and Action Plan should be held
accountable on this issue in particular.
In light of constraints placed on
free speech and freedom of assembly in many of the
countries which have made commitments to
implementing the WSIS Declaration and Action Plan,
we strongly urge the WSIS Secretariat and the
multi-stakeholder Alliance charged with following up
the WSIS Process, to adopt, the framework of Article
19 as the guiding principle of for the WSIS
Declaration, guaranteeing free speech and freedom of
assembly for civil society organizations in general,
but especially those working on the information
society.
Dear Madam President, Dear Honorable
Delegates, Dear Civil Society Representatives, Dear Ladies
and Gentlemen, Dear WSIS Secretariat, in conclusion we would
like to thank you for the opportunity to speak here today.
We hope that today you will take seriously your mandate, and
that you will consider the voice of civil society in the
WSIS process, especially the voice of independent civil
society from the West Asia and Middle East Region, which has
unfortunately been largely excluded from this process, and
take concrete action on our suggestions within the WSIS
process and within the UN structure.
Thank you once again. |
