UN: Practical recommendations building on the WSIS+20 Five-Point Plan

Civic Space 5 min read
UN: Practical recommendations building on the WSIS+20 Five-Point Plan - Civic Space

Photo: Flickr

The document below builds on the Five-Point Plan for an Inclusive WSIS+20 Review – endorsed by 114 organisations and 57 individual experts – to offer practical recommendations to ensure transparency, inclusivity, and meaningful stakeholder engagement in the World Summit on the Information Society 20-year review (WSIS+20) review process.

Read in PDF

As engaged stakeholders in the WSIS+20 review process, we, the undersigned, submit these further recommendations:

1. Appoint a non-governmental stakeholder liaison within the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) to support the co-facilitators and the President of the General Assembly to facilitate stakeholder engagement.

2. Ensure the dedicated online platform centralising all relevant information is set up immediately and maintained regularly throughout the process.

3. Use the dedicated online platform to streamline resources and opportunities to broaden and diversify participation, including information about capacity building resources; national or regional consultations; visa assistance and supporting documentation; financial support for travel, and broadband access to participate virtually.

4. Collect input on each iteration of the draft Outcome Document, including via:

a. Written submissions (with at least 7 working day notice and submission period), using multilingual submission templates with reasonable word limits;
b. Consultations, as outlined in points 5(a)–(e).

5. Design consultations to enable full and equal participation of stakeholders through:

a. Providing timely notice and sharing background documents and guiding questions at least 7 working days in advance;
b. Selecting accessible locations, supporting hybrid participation and offering synchronised meetings at multiple locations;
c. Accommodating diverse time zones, non-standard working days, and offering low-bandwidth participation options;
d. Applying equitable speaking arrangements, such as alternating or rotating speaking slots and ensuring balanced time allocation;
e. Structuring interactive dialogue formats that allow non-governmental and governmental stakeholders to respond to each other in real time.

6. Publish synthesis reports of inputs on each iteration of the draft Outcome Document, summarising written and verbal input, explaining how contributions were addressed and clearly indicating areas of consensus, disagreement, or ongoing discussion.*

7. Ensure opportunities for meaningful non-governmental stakeholder participation in the intergovernmental negotiations by:

a. Enabling stakeholders to, at a minimum, observe all meetings – preparatory or otherwise – in-person and via live-stream on UN Web TV.
b. Providing opportunities for stakeholder interventions through dedicated speaking slots.**

8. Ensure non-governmental stakeholders have a meaningful role in the High Level Meeting by:

a. Publishing accreditation procedures at least three months in advance;
b. Broadening eligibility criteria beyond WSIS+10 to include participants of national, regional, and global IGFs.
c. Allocating speaking opportunities, side events, and space for engagement with delegates.

 

* See, e.g., the consultation process for the UNESCO Guidelines for the Governance of Digital Platforms.

** See, e.g., the rules of procedure of the Human Rights Council, the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), and the Ad Hoc Committee on Cybercrime.

 

Read m

List of endorsing organisations:

  1. Access Now
  2. ARTICLE 19
  3. Association for Progressive Communications (APC)
  4. Association of Freelance Journalists (AFJ)
  5. au Domain Administration Ltd (auDA)
  6. Bangladesh NGOs Network for Radio and Communication (BNNRC)
  7. BlueLink.net
  8. Body & Data
  9. CENTR – Council of European National Top-Level Domain Registries
  10. Cooperativa Sulá Batsú (CR)
  11. CyberPeace Institute
  12. Data Privacy Brasil
  13. DENIC eG
  14. Derechos Digitales
  15. Digital Empowerment Foundation
  16. DotAsia Organisation
  17. European Center for Not-For-Profit Law (ECNL)
  18. Fantsuam Foundation
  19. Global Forum for Media Development (GFMD)
  20. Global Network Initiative (GNI)
  21. Global Partners Digital (GPD)
  22. Globe TechnoPolitics Forum (GTPF)
  23. International Center for Not-for-Profit Law (ICNL)
  24. Internet Society (ISOC)
  25. Internet Society, Nigeria Chapter (ISOC-NG)
  26. Jokkolabs Banjul
  27. Paradigm Initiative (PIN)
  28. Pollicy
  29. Public Interest Registry (PIR)
  30. Tech Global Institute (TGI)
  31. Uganda Network (WOUGNET)
  32. World Association for Christian Communication (WACC)

List of endorsing individuals:

  1. Bruna Martins dos Santos, Former IGF MAG Member and Policy and Advocacy Manager at WITNESS
  2. Concettina Cassa, IGF MAG member
  3. Dr. Hosein F. Badran, Principal Advisor, Badran Digital Consulting, Canada
  4. Dr. Konstantinos Komaitis, Resident Senior Fellow, Global Internet Governance Lead, Democracy and Tech Initiative, Atlantic Council
  5. Dr. Pari Esfandiari, President, Global TechnoPolitics Forum
  6. Dr. William J. Drake, Director of International Studies, Columbia Institute for Tele-Information, Columbia Business School
  7. Engr. Kunle Olorundare, President/CEO, Jacobian-Sam Care Foundation
  8. Osama Manzar, Founder Director, Digital Empowerment Foundation
  9. Winnie Kamau, Vice Chair Africa IGF MAG
  10. Wolfgang Kleinwächter, Professor Emeritus, University Aarhus