I find it ironic that during UN meetings on how to resolve some of the worst aspects of new information and communications technologies I have been sending out “spam” messages to thousands of email addresses. Okay, its not really spam. But lots of email programs think I’m sending spam. I manage an email newsletter for…
Prepcom III: Civil Society proposals treated with respect
Today was the first full day of actual government negotiations at Prepcom III, with some interesting developments during the day. I was observing Sub-committee B, chaired by the always entertaining Lyndall Shope-Mafole of South Africa. Sub-committee B is tasked with completing negotiations of basically all the text to go to Tunis for approval with the…
Controversy over Chinese Human Rights NGO
Human Rights has again emerged as a controversial issue at the WSIS, this time over the situation in China. Today the opening plenary of Prepcom III was thrown into conflict and disarray by the attempt by the US delegation to get the NGO “Human Rights in China” accredited for the summit in November. The NGO…
Gearing up for the Final WSIS Showdown
Tomorrow the final Preparatory Committee meeting of the World Summit on the Information Society begins its two-week (!!) session. Whether or not the major substantial issues get resolved here will determine whether the summit is likely to be a watershed or a dismal failure. There are a number of major issues to be addressed. Here…
From Disaster to Development: Using Technology to Achieve the MDGs
I managed to score an invitation to participate in a high-level roundtable on “Innovation and Investment: Scaling Science and Technology to Meet the Millennium Development Goals” yesterday sponsored by the UN ICT Task Force and the UN Millennium Project. Here is the statement I wanted to give: It is a great honor to be here…
Everyone’s a Delegate
The UN has a local TV and billboard ad campaign called “Everyone’s a Delegate” to get New Yorkers to see beyond the inconveniences of the General Assembly meetings this week and focus on the important issues on their agenda. I particularly like the TV spot where a New Yorker gives delegates directions on how to…
White Band Day Tomorrow
Tomorrow, September 10, is the “White Band Day” to combat poverty, sponsored by the Global Call to Action against Poverty. Groups from around the world are organizing demonstrations to urge governments to do more to end poverty. In New York there’s going to be a large “White Band” contingent at the annual Labor Day parade…
The Return of the Yehoodi Talk Show
My pal Manu and I, after a two year hiatus, have resuscitated the “Yehoodi Talk Show,” an internet talk radio program on all things new and fun the world of swing and lindy hop dancing. Since I moved to Switzerland and he moved to San Francisco, doing the show together seemed impossible. But then came…
NGOs Mobilize while the Governments Panic
I’m helping out at the annual NGO conference organized by the UN’s Department of Public Information every September at UN headquarters. This year is particularly important as its the five year review of the Millennium Summit and the Millennium Development Goals agreed to by governments in 2000. Right now I’m squatting in the lobby between…
Cuba – Not for the Timid or the Teetotaler
It's around midnight somewhere in Havana. There's a pop! sound and our peso taxi lurches to a halt on the side of the freeway, listing from a rear flat tire. As the driver struggles to fix it, Cindy and two Cuban strangers riding with us start to dance in the dark to the salsa music…