Newsletter November 4, 2005
Information
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Prelim
Digital Divide
"At the launch of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) in Geneva in December 2003, the world community strongly affirmed the central role of science in developing an information society and affirmed the principle of "universal access with equal opportunities for all scientific knowledge and the creation and dissemination of scientific and technical information." The WSIS Declaration of Principles recognized the essential role of the public domain and public institutions such as libraries, archives, and museums in supporting the growth of the Information Society and providing free and equitable access to information. The WSIS Plan of Action suggested numerous approaches to implement these principles, including "e-science" as a key application of information and communication technologies in support of sustainable development."
"The international scientific community succeeded in raising these issues at WSIS and securing widespread support from participating governments. Now, with the second phase of WSIS taking place in Tunis in November 2005, the scientific community needs to take the lead in demonstrating how science - and universal access to scientific data, information, and knowledge - can make a critical difference in sustainable development and overcoming the 'digital divide.'"
above quoted from:
Editorial - Science and the Digital Divide
Science Magazine, Vol.310, 21 October 2005
Web Link - Science Magazine
WSISOverview
The UN General Assembly Resolution 56/183 (21 December 2001) endorsed the holding of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) in two phases. The first phase took place in Geneva hosted by the Government of Switzerland from 10 to 12 December 2003 and the second phase will take place in Tunis hosted by the Government of Tunisia, from 16 to 18 November 2005.A High-Level Summit Organizing Committee (HLSOC) has been established under the patronage of Kofi Annan, UN Secretary-General. Its purpose is to coordinate the efforts of the international United Nations family in the preparation, organization and holding of WSIS. The UN agency that holds the leading role in the organization of the Summit is the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), based in Geneva (Switzerland). An Executive Secretariat (WSIS-ES) based at the ITU headquarters has been established under the authority of the HLSOC to assist in the preparation of the Summit. The host countries, Switzerland and Tunisia, have also established Executive Secretariats.
More on HLSOC, WSIS-ES, ITU, and host country Executive Secretariats and their respective roles
WSIS, while recommending representation from governments at the highest level also invites participation of all relevant UN bodies and other international organizations, non-governmental organizations, private sector, civil society, and media to establish a truly multi-stakeholder process.
The road to Tunis entails a process of monitoring and evaluation of the progress of feasible actions laid out in the Geneva Plan and a concrete set of deliverables that must be achieved by the time the Summit meets again in Tunis in November 2005. Efforts are now being made to put the Plan of Action into motion and working groups are being set up to find solutions and reach agreements in the fields of Internet governance and financing mechanisms. These working groups will provide inputs to the second phase of WSIS in Tunis. Also, measures will be taken to bridge the digital divide and hasten the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals with the help of ICTs.
ICT = Information and Communication Technologies
News
Trees - Coleman Eco-Project 2015
"GOLDEN, Colo. & WASHINGTON, D.C., Oct 24, 2005 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Coleman Natural Foods, the largest all-natural meat company in the United States, announced today that Whole Foods Market(R) (WFMI), the world's leading natural and organic foods supermarket and the nation's first certified organic grocer, donated $25,000 to kick-off its participation in "The Coleman Eco-Project 2015." The Coleman Eco-Project 2015 is an unprecedented decade-long conservation program to address the critical need to restore American forests and protect U.S. working farms and ranches.
"Earlier this year, Coleman announced a creative working partnership with the U.S. Forest Service and two conservation non-profit organizations: American Forests and American Farmland Trust (AFT). The Eco-Project 2015 was launched with Coleman's commitment to plant one million trees and a challenge to companies and individual citizens to help plant nine million more trees. As a primary partner, the U.S. Forest Service will match each tree planted by Coleman, its retailers and customers for a total of 20 million trees planted over 10 years.
