South African civil society organisations (CSOs) are completing a "WSIS statement" which they will present to the Department of Communications to include in the South African submission at the United Nations World Summit on Information Society (WSIS) in November.
The WSIS is a UN conference aimed at developing a global framework to tackle the challenges posed by the information society.
CSOs have been preparing for the summit since March. Their preparations included a Sangonet Thetha forum in Cape Town this week, to give CSOs an opportunity to reflect on the focus and objectives of WSIS, as well as to discuss the position of the South African government and civil society in this regard.
Adama Samessekou, president of the Geneva WSIS Phase, said in his opening statements to the Thetha: "For the first time in history we have the opportunity to work towards multi-lateral partnership-based new world governance, including all stakeholders, governments, civil society, the private sector as well as international organisations.
"Civil society now even has an International Civil Society Bureau at the UN where civil society has gone from input to impact and has an important role to play in this new spirit of co-operation."
Sangonet executive director David Barnard said at the event that the WSIS implementation phase would definitely impact SA. "The question is, will South African civil society have an influence on this impact?"
Share