I have to say, that after reading several reports from this year’s UN Commission on Human Rights, I think the institution is ripe for reform. Having a smaller, more accountable body of governments responsible for overseeing the human rights work of the UN and the human rights situation throughout the world seems an essential part…
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A community blog for the United Nations?
I got a brainstorm after having lunch with Bobson Wong, a cool web designer / activist guy. We were talking about the need for more public awareness and involvement in what is happening at the United Nations and on internet governance issues. Today it hit me: the UN needs a community blog. Ok, there already…
RFID Zapper Makes Your Privacy Woes disappear!
The premier gadget site Gizmodo profiles today a RFID “Tag Zapper” that disables any RFID device, including those placed on commercial merchandise, or even, say, a conference badge. Not that any WSIS people could think of a use for this…. The
Should the WSIS be about Tunisia?
Is Tunisia going to be such a central focus of political and media attention that it overshadows all the other issues on the WSIS agenda? If this happens, than I would argue that this would be a terrible disservice to the hundreds of civil society, government and UN folks who have worked so hard to…
80% of Nigerians don’t believe that AIDS exists
LAGOS, 09/21 – About 80 percent of Nigerians think HIV/AIDS is not real, a Nigerian government official said here Monday. Babatunde Osotimehin, chairman of the National Action Committee on HIV/AIDS (NACA), told reporters in the nation`s commercial capital Lagos that “ninety percent of Nigerians know about HIV/ AIDS, but only 20 percent believe it is…
Avri Doria is my hero
Amidst the frustrations and craziness in the WSIS process, a lot of what keeps me engaged and excited about the WSIS is the people. Avri Doria is one of those cool folks who have crossed my path because of the WSIS. I have known about Avri for a long time because of her lucid and…
World Bank Says Digital Divide is Narrowing Rapidly
A draft report released by the World Bank maintains that mobile telephony is rapidly shrinking the digital divide and that the main role of governments is to clear a path for private investment. The report basically calls into question the point of having a UN world conference on bridging the digital divide. The World Bank…
Civil Society in Intergovernmental Negotiations as a Two-Stage Game
Thinking about the WSIS Prepcom II, the issues of inter-civil society negotiations and civil society-governmental negotiations can be seen as a two-stage game, to take a concept from political Game Theory. That is, among civil society organizations there is a jockeying for resources and attention that must be negotiated while at the same time CSOs…
Wolfgang’s Performance Art Rant on WSIS Drafting
“There will be a 7:30am meeting in Salle 19 of the ad hoc working group on Para 26Abis+++ with all interested delegations, after multi-stakeholder consultations based on a draft text prepared by the Group of the Friends of the Chair which integrated views from a compilation document prepared by the executive secretariat which stemmed from…
My comments on the proposed Global Alliance on ICT Policy
I delivered the following statement on behalf of CONGO to the open consultation on the Global Alliance for ICT Policy and Development today (21 February 2005). Comment from Rik Panganiban, on behalf of the Conference of NGOs in Consultative Relationship with the United Nations on the proposed “Global Alliance for ICT Policy and Development” 21…