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Whose Summit? Whose Information Society? Whose Summit? Whose Information Society? Developing countries and civil society at the World Summit on the Information Society Whose Summit? Whose Information Society? Developing countries and civil society at the World Summit on the Information Society ISBN: 92-95049-33-0 APC-200703-CIPP-R-EN-PDF-0033 Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.5 creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.5 Graphic design: MONOCROMO [email protected] Phone: +598 (2) 400 1685 Whose Summit? Whose Information Society? Developing countries and civil society at the World Summit on the Information Society by D AVID SOUTER with additional research by ABIODUN JAGUN AUTHOR: DAVID SOUTER RESEARCH PARTNER: ABIODUN JAGUN This report has been written for the Association for Abiodun Jagun was the principal research partner Progressive Communications (APC) by David Souter. for this report. DAVID SOUTER is an independent expert on information ABI JAGUN earned her Ph.D. from the University of and communication technology (ICT) and information Strathclyde in 2006 with a thesis on the subject of and communications in development (ICD) issues. He “Telecommunications and the Structure of Economic directs the specialist consultancy ict Development Organisations”. As well as academic experience in Nigeria Associates ltd, which he formed in 2003. He has led and Britain, she has worked in the Nigerian office of the projects on a wide range of issues involving information, international consultancy Accenture, and has undertaken communications and international development for research projects with David Souter for the World Bank clients including the World Bank, the United Nations and the United Nations Development Programme. She Development Programme, the European Commission, currently spends half her time working with APC as ICT the UK Department for International Development (DFID) Policy Research Officer for the African region and her and a number of civil society and private sector remaining time as Lecturer, Information Systems and organisations. He is also Visiting Professor in Development, in the Institute for Development Policy Communications Management at the University of Management at the University of Manchester. Strathclyde and a Visiting Research Associate of the Department of Media and Communications, London School of Economics. From 1995 to 2003, he was Chief Executive of the Commonwealth Telecommunications Organisation. In 2002, he coordinated the research team for the “Louder Voices” enquiry, which researched developing country participation in international ICT decision-making for DFID and the G8 DOT Force. David Souter has worked with APC for a number of years, as a research partner and consultant on ICT and ICD issues. He led APC’s analytical work on participation in the World Summit on the Information Society, reported in this study, and is currently working with APC on multistakeholder initiatives within the framework of the Internet Governance Forum. TABLE OF CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY .......................................................................................................................7 SECTION A: BACKGROUND 1. Introduction .......................................................................................................................... 17 2. The “Louder Voices” report: a summary .............................................................................. 20 3. WSIS: an account ................................................................................................................ 22 SECTION B: ANALYSIS 4. WSIS organisation and structure ......................................................................................... 37 5. WSIS and its issues ............................................................................................................. 47 6. WSIS and developing countries ............................................................................................ 61 7. WSIS and civil society .......................................................................................................... 72 SECTION C: RECOMMENDATIONS 8. Conclusions and recommendations ...................................................................................... 91 ANNEXES Annex 1: Participation in WSIS summits.................................................................................. 113 Annex 2: Participation in the TFFM and the WGIG .................................................................... 118 Annex 3: WSIS outcome document “commitments” ................................................................ 121 Annex 4: References ................................................................................................................ 124 6 Whose Summit? Whose Information Society? executive Summary Whose Summit? Whose Information Society? Developing countries and civil society at the World Summit on the Information Society THIS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY OF THE REPORT IS ADAPTED FROM A SUMMARY PUBLISHED AS A SEPARATE DOCUMENT DURING THE FIRST MEETING OF THE INTERNET GOVERNANCE FORUM IN OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2006. IT PROVIDES AN INTRODUCTION TO THE MAIN REPORT ONLY, AND DOES NOT INCLUDE ALL OF THE ISSUES RAISED IN THAT REPORT. Introduction The World Summit on the Information Society - WSIS - decision-making in general and makes recommendations was the largest single activity in international discus- to all main actors about how future decision-making might sion of information and communication technologies become more inclusive of developing countries, non-gov- (ICTs) during the past ten years – at least in scale. It ernmental actors and their concerns. In particular, it revis- absorbed a great deal of time and other resources of its the conclusions of the “Louder Voices” report on de- international organisations, governments, civil society veloping country involvement in decision-making, pub- organisations and businesses over a four-year period lished at the G8 summit in 2002, which identified a series (2001-2005). It produced four documents setting out of weaknesses in both international organisations and aspirations for the information society. It provided a national policymaking processes which contributed to framework for international debate on infrastructure fi- poor participation – and it asks how these have and have nance and Internet governance. But it received only lim- not changed as a result of WSIS. ited public attention and failed to bridge the paradigm This study drew on five main sources of evidence: gap between the worlds of information technology and international development. • Participant observation of the WSIS process through- out its four-year period, by the principal author, David This report summarises a study of developing country and Souter, and research associate, Abiodun Jagun civil society participation and influence in WSIS that was commissioned by the Association for Progressive Commu- • Desk research, particularly the documentation pro- nications (APC). As well as analysing participation, the duced within the WSIS process by all stakeholders, study looked at the impact of WSIS on international ICT including developing countries and civil society Excecutive Summary 7 • Questionnaires and interviews with many individual Development Programme (UNDP) rather than the techno- participants in WSIS preparatory committees cratic ITU. An underlying tension between broader devel- (PrepComs) and in the two summit sessions (Geneva, opment goals and goals of the ICT sector lasted through- 2003; Tunis, 2005) out WSIS. Some within the ITU also saw the summit as an opportunity for it to redesign itself and broaden its man- • Detailed interviews with forty key actors in the WSIS date from telecommunications to wider information tech- process nology and information society issues. This was opposed • Case studies of experience in five developing coun- by some ITU members, other international agencies and tries - Bangladesh, Ecuador, Ethiopia, India and Kenya. non-governmental organisations (NGOs). This executive summary briefly summarises the main is- The first phase of WSIS, up to the Geneva summit in 2003, sues, conclusions and recommendations of the report. It developed two general texts - a Declaration of Principles does not include all of the issues covered in the main re- and a Plan of Action. These texts were agreed in negotia- port that follows. tions between governments, though other stakeholders sought to influence them with varying degrees of success. The WSIS story The Declaration sets out the summit’s (considerable) as- pirations for the role of ICTs in transforming social and The origins of WSIS lay in a decision taken, without de- economic life. The Plan of Action brings together many bate, at the International Telecommunication Union (ITU)’s different issues and identifies possible areas for interna- 1998 Plenipotentiary Conference, calling on the ITU to or- tional action, together with suggested actions on which ganise a world summit on the information society. It is agreement could be reached. These included targets re- doubtful if ITU delegates expected this to be a global sum- lated to the Millennium Development Goals. mit of the kind which the United Nations holds regularly A number of issues proved contentious during the first on different issues, but that is what WSIS became when it phase, including the right of non-governmental stakehold- won the backing of other UN agencies. ers to take part in WSIS negotiations, and issues concern- There
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