[WSIS CS-Plenary] Informal Inter-Agency Meeting on CSTD 13 February

--- Mensaje Adjunto ---

 Dear all,

Before going into the report (below) on the consultation on the reform of
the Commission on Science and Technology for Development (13 February), and
just for some explanation on this discussion, the CSTD is an
intergovernmental body acting under ECOSOC rules whose members are States.
Civil Society in consultative status can participate to CSTD sessions as
observer with the right to oral and written interventions. Therefore, we
have to mainly focus on modalities for participation of accredited Civil
Society to WSIS that do not have ECOSOC consultative status and how to gain
maximum arrangements for better interaction with this body.

For further information about the CSTD please refer to
http://stdev.unctad.org/unsystem/cstd/index.html

Best regards,

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Informal Inter-Agency Meeting on Strengthening the CSTD

UNCTAD, 13 February 2005

Supachai Panitchpakdi, UNCTAD Secretary-General, stated that the purpose of
this meeting was to provide a space for brainstorming on how to review and
strengthen the CSTD to better assist ECOSOC on WSIS and Millennium Summit
follow up. He reiterated that the Commission should work in a
multi-stakeholder format, and he asked for further inputs in this regard. He
presented a paper prepared by UNCTAD, and presented as a working document on
the CSTD mandate, including some proposals for change.

Ambassador Ali Hachani, President of ECOSOC, recalled that the Tunis agenda
was a people-centred and development-oriented outcome document. ECOSOC has
an important task in achieving the MDGs and WSIS commitments and he stressed
his engagement on this process would be to keep a multi-stakeholder approach
and avoid duplications in the follow-up phase.

General Comments

Austria underlined that the CSTD had so far played a role of think tank,
organizing panels, networking actions and providing studies on how
partnerships can work to promote ICTs. The working methods have promoted a
permanent cooperation between all stakeholders. He asserted that the
Commission would be ready to take care of WSIS follow in the short term and
that its delegation was open to new inputs from all stakeholders as regards
its mandate and methods of work.

Janis Karklins expressed the need to organise a much more open consultation
process allowing all missions representatives to participate. He also
requested DESA, DPI or UNCTAD to make a comparative report on the follow-up
mechanisms set up after past UN Summits. Follow-up should be seen as a
policy debate, taking place at the two levels of ECOSOC and the Global
Alliance.

UNIDO incorporated the reform of the CSTD in the context of ECOSOC reform
for a better integrated and coordinated follow-up of UN World Conferences
and Summits, with the scope to: 1. enhance policy dialogue; 2. guarantee
multi-stakeholder participation; 3. support the initiatives of international
organisations.

Further to a question from WHO on the maintained WSIS ES, Yoshio Utsumi said
its role in the up-coming months would be to serve as a portal and a focal
point for all WSIS related consultations and to perform the stocktaking
activities.

Distinction between implementation and follow up mechanisms

Mr Yoshio Utsumi reiterated the difference between follow-up and
implementation. Implementation would be facilitated / coordinated by UN
Agencies (Tunis Agenda, paragraph 103) according to actions lines.
Implementation would guarantee a multi-stakeholder approach in order to
achieve concrete actions. Follow up of WSIS outcomes would be carried out by
ECOSOC through the CSTD. He called participants to consider this distinction
within their discussion for the strengthening of the CSTD. Chile also
supported this view later on.

Strengthening the CSTD: Actions, mandate and methods of work

UNESCO and UNESCAP asked the CSTD for an enhanced collaboration with other
UN Agencies. Such cooperation should benefit to developing countries.
According to UNESCO, the main role of the Commission would be to assist
ECOSOC in political follow up and to promote multi-stakeholder dialogue.
UNESCO suggested that the Commission should have a two year oriented follow
up action plan, the first year to review progress and the second one to
organize a High Level Segment.

Pakistan, Jordan and UNESCAP emphasised the strengthening of the CSTD needed
to be development oriented.

Renate Bloem highlighted that the mandate of the CSTD should be changed in
order to include both the technical and scientific dimension of its initial
role, and also take on board the social and political dimension from the
WSIS process. Italy also supported that the CSTD should combine its old and
its new mandate. Ayesha Hassan stressed that the CSTD approach should
guarantee efficiency and non-duplication, for substantial progresses in the
use of ICT for Development.

Sarbuland Khan proposed that the CSTD should adopt a multi-year thematic
work program in dealing with the WSIS follow-up, according to a set of
themes distilling from the Geneva action lines. He also stressed that the UN
Group on the Information Society, established at the inter-agency level,
should interrelate with the CSTD and should adopt a parallel thematic
approach, in order to avoid duplication and have greater coherence. Lastly,
the WSIS follow-up should be looked at by ECOSOC as integrated to the
follow-up to other UN Conferences for a broader development agenda. The CSTD
not only drew its new mandate from WSIS, but also from the UN Millennium+5
Summit which also included a broad framework for science and technology and
the Information Society.

Italy said we should build upon the strengths of the current commission,
i.e. its development dimension and its opening towards non-States actors. A
coherent approach in the WSIS follow-up should be found. The main issue to
be addressed is the question of resources, also emphasized by Ambassador
Karklins, of the need for increased representativeness of the Commission and
of better coordination between UNCTAD / CSTD and other UN agencies and
bodies. Switzerland and ILO also emphasized the need for greater
coordination and coherence in the WSIS follow-up. ILO and UPU linked
coherence and non-duplication with effectiveness in achieving the WSIS
goals.

Charles Geiger proposed that a space for parallel events should also be
found during the CSTD sessions.

Multi-stakeholder approach

All participants were supportive of multi-stakeholder participation in the
commission. In particular, Janis Karklins mentioned that the competence on
the mandate and input to the Commission from members States would need to be
clear. He also considered the Global Alliance as a space where
multi-stakeholder policy debate could take place.

Charles Geiger (WSIS ES) stressed that very few of NGOs accredited to WSIS
had consultative relationship with the UN through ECOSOC. He highlighted the
existence of precedents for interim participation of NGOs in World
Conference follow-up mechanisms, but this could not apply for private
sector. He therefore recommended that innovative modalities should be
established within the CSTD in order to keep the IS community together.

Renate Bloem (CONGO) urged for a more open-ended process in terms of
participation, while stressing the problem of resources for civil society
for a more balanced regional involvement. As a step forward in the practices
for the involvement of all WSIS accredited entities in follow-up, including
those not yet having consultative status she called to explore the
precedents in terms of NGO interim participation in World Conferences
follow-up such as what the Commission on Sustainable Development did for its
session in 2003 after the World Summit on Sustainable Development in
Johannesburg. Accredited NGOs without consultative status could participate
in the Commission’s work for follow up for two years with the condition to
apply for consultative status.

.

Ayesha Hassan (CCBI) also called for a continuation of the WSIS momentum for
Private Sector participation, and for a strengthening of multi-stakeholder
participation modalities.

As for supporting the multi-stakeholder component of the CSTD, Sarbuland
Khan (UN DESA) emphasized that a broader effort for consultation could be
performed through the Global Alliance which therefore could help create
linkages with the multi-stakeholder elements of ECOSOC and the CSTD for
greater coherence of approach. Such a framework for multi-stakeholder input
through the Global Alliance could be ensured by working more closely with
ECOSOC.

Bertrand de la Chapelle (Wsis-online) noted that the CSTD reform is at the
articulation between the WSIS follow-up and the overall UN reform process.
He proposed to look at the ways the Internet Governance Forum would be
established to consider innovative options for the inclusion of stakeholders
in the CSTD. Physical participation of stakeholders in the CSTD should be
ensured by the year’s session in order to keep the momentum established
throughout WSIS.

Switzerland and ILO underlined the common view of a needed multi-stakeholder
approach for participation, without more details on the way it should be
established.

Next steps in the process of reforming the CSTD

Chili mentioned that comments to the CSTD reform should be discussed at its
next session and that this issue should therefore be included in the agenda.
Proposals from all stakeholders should be presented to the ECOSOC session in
June-July.

Renate Bloem proposed to include a discussion or add an agenda item on the
reform and the WSIS follow-up from the next CSTD session in 2006. She said
more open consultation should take place with broader participation of
stakeholders. Ayesha Hassan also called for another opportunity to provide
inputs before the next CSTD meeting with a broader participation. Pakistan
further supported the need for a more inclusive discussion prior the CSTD
session in May or to place it in the Commission agenda. Bertrand de la
Chapelle also called for an additional and more open meeting as well as an
on-line portal for transmission of inputs.

Conclusions

Supachai Panitchpakdi said he would consider the organisation of another
consultation with more multi-stakeholder participation, as well as explore
the possibility of a webpage.

Ambassador Ali Hachini in a concluding address, reminded the decision
related to CSTD reform would be taken on the basis of the GA resolution on
the WSIS outcomes and of the SG report on the modalities of the interagency
coordination (§ 104 of Tunis Agenda). Paragraph 105 on the CSTD reform
should also derive from the new functions the UN General Assembly gave
ECOSOC at the UN Millennium+5 World Summit in September 2005. The CSTD would
therefore be at the heart of ECOSOC reform, and innovative approaches should
be considered as regards stakeholder’s participation.

Alejandra Mendoza León

CONGO - WSIS CS Secretariat

11, Avenue de la Paix
CH-1202 Geneva
Tel: +41 22 301 1000
Fax: +41 22 301 2000

E-mail:wsis@ngocongo.org
Website: <http://www.ngocongo.org/> www.ngocongo.org

The Conference of NGOs (CONGO) is an international, membership association
that facilitates the participation of NGOs in United Nations debates and
decisions. Founded in 1948, CONGO's major objective is to ensure the
presence of NGOs in exchanges among the world's governments and United
Nations agencies on issues of global concern. For more information see our
website at <http://www.ngocongo.org/> www.ngocongo.org

 
Received on Wed, 15 Feb 2006 11:12:19 +0100