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December 2, 2003
WSIS Bound This Weekend
This Saturday night, I'll be off to Geneva to attend the World Summit on the Information Society. It'll be an exciting week, with activists and political leaders from all over the globe converging to discuss strategies to bridge the digital divide. I'll be co-hosting a forum of the Digital Divide Network and the Digital Opportunity Channel, and will also participate in forums convened by UN Volunteers, the World Summit Awards and the Swiss NGO Ynternet.org. You can read my full itinerary by visiting my page on the WSIS Wiki Board set up by volunteers of the Digital Divide Network.
There will also be more than a hint of protest in the air, as media rights organizations challenge the event organizers for kowtowing to certain countries where freedom of expression is not guaranteed; these countries effectively blocked media rights groups like Reporters Without Borders from participating in the summit, which is a major mistake given the goal of the summit to build a more equitable information society. I mean, how equitable can it be if all people don't have equal access to information, including information that may be critical of one's government? Fortunately, groups like Reporters Without Borders will make their presence known in Geneva, even if it's not during the official WSIS events.
So between the summit activities, the dozens of sidebar events, and the inevitable political squabbling, it's going to make for an interesting week. Stay tuned to this blog for daily updates from Geneva, starting Monday, December 8.... -ac
Posted by acarvin at December 2, 2003 3:45 PM
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