[atlarge-discuss] Re: [CRIS Info] Important: Communication Rights threatened at the WSIS

[Jeff Williams <jwkckid1@ix.netcom.com>]

Myriam and all,

  Will do.  And I am hopeful that other organizations shall join
in this worthy effort.

Myriam Horngren wrote:

> Please distribute widly. Translations in French and Spanish will be
> available tomorrow morning.
>
> ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
> ///////////////////////////////////////
> Communication Rights Statement presented to Governments
> http://www.crisinfo.org/live/index.php?section=2&subsection=3
>
> Yesterday, at the WSIS Intersessional Meetings in Paris, a governmental
> sub-group was created to discuss issues of communication rights, human
> rights and cultural rights.
>
> Although the group 's definitive position has to yet to be produced, it
> is clear that the progress made over the past two Preparatory Committees
> around these issues are in very real danger of being discarded.
>
> Alice Munya, Civil Society spokesperson, this morning again reaffirmed
> to the governmental plenary, Civil Society 's commitment to the
> practical achievements of Communication Rights . The CRIS campaign
> strongly endorses this contribution to the Intergovernmental WSIS
> process and calls on to reaffirm its support for the inclusion of strong
> and specific commitments to human rights and specifically communication
> rights. These have been endorsed by the European Union and mostly Kofi
> Annan in the context of WSIS and before that, by the ITU.
>
> The CRIS campaign firmly believes that an Information Society without
> Communication Rights at its core will fail to contribute to the
> development of people and communities. Therefore we call on all
> governments to ensure that the WSIS strongly and firmly builds on the
> human rights so painstakingly build up over more than half a century.
> ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
> ///////////////////////////////////////
>
> Communication rights
>
> Civil Society contribution - 17 July 2003 Plenary session
>
> Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR)
> forcefully makes the point that freedom of expression is the basis for
> individual and societal development.
>
> We are suggesting to introduce the concept of communication rights that
> can be used as a generic term and reference point to already existing
> rights which are enshrined in international declarations and
> conventions.
>
> All of these rights need to be constructively interpreted and enforced
> taking into account the potentials and opportunities of contemporary
> information and communication technologies and services. The claim for
> communication rights cannot and will not replace existing rights but
> will direct the public attention to a dramatic change in our way to
> seek, produce and exchange knowledge.
>
> Knowledge production and exchange is a participatory and collaborative
> process and is no longer dependent on mainly hierarchically structured
> and controlled institutions but is open for everyone. Everyone has the
> opportunity to participating actively and unrestrictedly in these
> processes of producing and exchanging knowledge. What counts in open
> communicative networks is not status and positions in hierarchies but
> competence and the willingness to share knowledge.
>
> Communication rights do not challenge press freedom but make possible
> new platforms for real community-based and people-centered communication
> devices such as communication forums and other forms of electronic
> communication.
>
> Ø Societies with open communication structures for everyone can
> challenge media concentration and media monopolies.
> Ø Communication rights can enable access to information by those who
> often face exclusion from knowledge and information
> Ø Communication rights if guaranteed for everyone can contribute to
> censorship-free societies
> Ø Communication rights and collaborative knowledge production are the
> basis for scientific development, new ideas and for economic innovation
> and growth.
>
> The World Summit for the Information Society can therefore be a platform
> for starting a discussion about implementing specific communication
> rights and their consequences for information societies. We propose in
> December to hold a one day multistakeholder forum on communication
> rights to further this debate (please see note below).
>
> We urge government delegates to retain reference to the international
> bill of human rights as a whole and in particular to those rights, which
> we firmly believe should be called communication rights, that are of
> immediate and direct concern to the development of inclusive information
> and knowledge societies.
>
> Separate Note: The CRIS campaign is organising a World Forum on
> Communication Rights alongside the WSIS and welcomes the participation
> of all those committed to Communication Rights including governments.
>
> More details on:
> http://www.crisinfo.org/live/index.php?section=2&subsection=2&id=32
>
> Communications Rights in the Information Society (CRIS) is a campaign to
> ensure that communication rights are central to the information society
> and to the upcoming World Summit to the Information Society (WSIS). The
> campaign is sponsored and supported by the Platform for Communication
> Rights, a group of NGOs involved in media and communication around the
> world. The CRIS campaign has been an active promoter of Civil Society
> participation in the WSIS process. For further information check:
> www.crisinfo.org and contact information:
> http://www.crisinfo.org/live/index.php?section=5&subsection=4
>
> _______________________________________________
> Communication Rights in the Information Society (CRIS)
> For more information see http://www.crisinfo.org/ act@crisinfo.org
> CRIS Info is a public list for information and questions about the campaign for Communication Rights in the Information Society (CRIS).
> CRIS also has a Latin American regional list at: http://comunica.org/mailman/listinfo/crisal_comunica.org
> ________________________________________
>
> Crisinfo mailing list
> Send contributions to Crisinfo@comunica.org
> CRIS Info archives are at:
> http://comunica.org/mailman/listinfo/crisinfo_comunica.org
> This list is provided courtesy of Comunica - http://comunica.org

Regards,

--
Jeffrey A. Williams
Spokesman for INEGroup LLA. - (Over 131k members/stakeholders strong!)
"Be precise in the use of words and expect precision from others" -
    Pierre Abelard
===============================================================
CEO/DIR. Internet Network Eng. SR. Eng. Network data security
Information Network Eng. Group. INEG. INC.
E-Mail jwkckid1@ix.netcom.com
Contact Number: 214-244-4827 or 214-244-3801



---------------------------------------------------------------------
To unsubscribe, e-mail: atlarge-discuss-unsubscribe@lists.fitug.de
For additional commands, e-mail: atlarge-discuss-help@lists.fitug.de