ECA
support to Africa Civil Society in the Information Society
Civil
society participation to the information society is crucial
for promotion of sustainable and balanced development, human
development that is equitable; sustainable; holistic; inclusive
of all sectors of society; gender responsive; participatory;
people centered and Afro-centric. It can influence policy
and ensure that strategies and plans enable the development
and the formation of an Information Society based on social
justice and human development.
Recognizing these critical roles African civil society should
play in, ECA has been assisting in raising awareness and building
capacity of civil society organizations within the framework
of AISI. In order to raise awareness on the importance of
the issues related to ICT Policy, strategies and plans, to
Information society and the role of each stakeholder, two
forums were organized:
-
During Bamako 2002: The representatives of civil society and
non-governmental organizations from the African region gathered
for a consultation meeting on the role of civil society in
the preparation of and participation in the World Summit on
the Information Society (WSIS), on 26 and 27 May 2002, in
Bamako, Mali;
-
The Association for Progressive Communications (APC) and the
United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) held
a five-day information and communications technology (ICT)
policy and civil society workshop from November 6th to 8th,
2002 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
The
representatives and delegates of the African civil society
organizations, participating in the WSIS process since the
beginning, have felt the need to better organize themselves,
in a light, smooth running and efficient coordinating mechanism.
This became a prerequisite at this critical phase of the process,
for an effective and dedicated action. After months of online
discussion, the African Civil Society entities engaged and
active during the First Phase of the World Summit on the Information
Society, in Geneva, Switzerland, in December 2003 constituted
their network – the Africa Civil Society for the Information
– ACSIS,a Non Governmental Organization with a non-profit
aim; the action domain being the use of Information and Communication
Technology for African Development.
With
support from the Economic Commission for Africa
(ECA) and the government and people of Tunisia, the ACSIS
official launching took place in Tunis in April 2004.This
launch was the realization of a long-time dream of African
civil society entities as was shared in the general civil
society online forum of the African Information Society Initiative.
To
better pursue its development goal, and in accordance with
the objectives of the Declaration of Principles and Plan of
Action, the African Civil society, based on discussions carried
on in its virtual plenary hosted by ECA before, during and
after the first phase of the WSIS, has moved ahead to an enabling
phase in the Africa Information Society Initiative (AISI).
ACSIS
acts as an umbrella structure through which African Civil
Society can influence policy and ensure that strategies and
programmes enable the promotion of development: poverty alleviation,
use of appropriate ICT for balanced development, participation
of communities/civil society in policy and strategy development
and the implementation of development initiatives. ACSIS:
PROMOTES
the views and interests of African CS to ensure that new and
traditional ICT can be utilized for promotion of sustainable
development and the formation of an Information Society based
on social justice and human development;
ADVOCATES
& LOBBIES for the development of comprehensive and
inclusive ICT strategies to address the digital divide;
INFORMS
CS generally on national, regional, continental and international
deliberations regarding ICT for development policies, strategies
and initiatives for the promotion of balanced development;
ADVISES
national, regional, continental and international institutions
on the needs and interests of African CS;
BUILDS
CAPACITY: develops capacities and promote action-oriented
dialogue on our key aims;
NETWORKS
and PARTNERS with grassroots organizations, national,
regional, continental and international institutions to develop
and add value to existing policies and initiatives aimed at
promoting ICT
Specifics
Tasks of ACSIS among other include:
ADVISORY
ACTIONS
·
Develop and add value to existing ICT policies, strategies
and initiatives;
· Advise on ICT policies and strategies that advance
the social, economic and political development of Africa and
African communities;
· Co-ordinate and support African CS input/participation
into a range of national, regional, continental and international
ICT policies and programmes;
· Ensure African CS representation (as appropriate)
on a range of ICT related commissions or bodies.
INFORMATION
·
Draft text, conduct research and collate information including
drafting an African CS position document;
· Provide information in an accessible format (including
research/analyses) on ICT policies, strategies, initiatives
and best practice;
· Promote and disseminate information on the use of
a range of ICT for the promotion of human development, to
a range of stakeholders.
ADVOCACY
& LOBBYING
·
Participate, as appropriate, in conferences, seminars and
other activities related to ICT in order to advocate on behalf
of and inform African CS and other partner stakeholders;
· Policy formulation and development
CAPACITY
BUILDING
Develop
human capacities and promote action-oriented dialogue in partnership
with grassroots organizations, national, regional, continental
and international institutions
PARTNERSHIPS
& NETWORKING
·
Establish contact and partnerships with a range of stakeholders
to enable the African CS to have input into policy formulation
and implementation;
· Facilitate networking to enable the sharing of information,
expertise and best practices.
Virtual
Forums
ACSIS
relies heavily on discussions, ideas and exchanges of all
members on its virtual plenary. Members are permanently aware
in contact through the virtual forum. The Membership options
to the list as well as message archives are open and transparent.
At the moment, about five hundred (500) persons and organizations
are using this list for active exchange, announcements, networking
and learning.
ACSIS
Achievements
ACSIS
has, beyond all reasonable doubt, demonstrated the strength
of a network. In keeping with its mandate of Civil Society
promotion, advocacy, lobbying, information, training, advising,
partnership, networking and capacity building, it has:
·
Contributed largely to the official documents of the WSIS
as well as the Civil Society Declaration ;
· Contributed to a better functioning of the international
Civil Society Bureau in the WSIS process by heading the Youth,
Science and Technology, and Media caucuses;
· Hosted the International WSIS Civil Society Bureau
on the African soil, being the very first time the international
bureau met outside its traditional base of Geneva, in Switzerland;
· Hosted the Louder Voices Symposium on Internet Governance
on the African soil, bringing the question home and giving
the majority of African Civil Society entities the voice in
the IG debate;
· Held bilingual (English and French) online consultations
on the capital issues of ICT4D – Priorities, Internet
Governance, and Finance;
· Conducted a training forum parallel to the Second
Africa Regional Preparatory
· Conference for the Phase II of the WSIS;
· Co-organized a Multi-Stakeholder Partnership (MSP)
Forum in the WSIS process;
· Organized a continent-wide preparatory forum dedicated
to the issues in ICT for African development to kick start
the Ministerial committee and the Africa Regional
· Preparatory Meeting for the World Telecommunications
Development Conference (Qatar 2006) and the World Summit on
the Information Society (Tunis 2005).
· Members of ACSIS bureau have been appointed in the
Internet Governance Working Group and the Global coordination
body of the World Summit on the Information Society.
· ACSIS has coordinated African CS and Information
Society publication supported by ECA.
Support,
Collaboration and Partnership
ACSIS
has received the trust, the support and the collaboration
of the following, to
Which it wishes to also express its gratitude:
·
The people and the government of Tunisia
· The people and the government of Guinea
· The government of the Democratic Republic of Congo
· The people and the government of the Federal Republic
of Nigeria
· The people and the government of Ghana
· The people, the presidency and the government of
Senegal
· The Nigerian Communications Commission – NCC
· The Regional Council of Dakar
· The French National Institute of Telecommunications
· The United Nations’ Secretary General, Kofi
Annan
· The United Nations Economic Commission for Africa
– ECA
· The International Telecommunications Union
· L’Organization Intergouvernementale de la Francophonie
– OIF
· The United Nations ICT TaskForce
· UNESCO
· UNDP
· UNITAR
· The Digital Solidarity Fund – DSF
· The United Nations Non-Governmental Liaison Service
– NGLS
· Heinreich Boell Stiftung
· The Conference of NGOs in Consultative Relationship
with the UN – CONGO
· The Global Knowledge Partnership – GKP
· The Association for Progressive Communication –
APC
· The International Conference Volunteers – ICV
· The United Nations Online Volunteers – UNV.
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