WSIS and the Internet Community Artur Serra Artur@ac.upc.es i2CAT UCAID Spring Meeting April 8, 2003

The Global Community Networking “Connection” WSIS was announced in Barcelona in Nov 2000 at the 1st Global Community Networking Congress. Since then, Alain Clerc and Louise Lassonde now at the Civil Society Secretariat of WSIS , are friends. Before Barcelona, it was the Bamako 2000, a big African conference in Mali on “Internet, a bridge for development”

Bringing the WSIS to “Internet 2”family The WSIS was started at the beginning without any kind of formal relationship with the Internet community. i2CAT as an “internet2” project has been interested in making a bridge between WSIS and Internet2 projects. Goal: getting the Internet2 voice heard in the WSIS process

WSIS has been an initiative of ITU An initiative coming from an African country, Tunisia. Africa wants to be part of the “digital era”. Not to be “digital divided”. They are using the ITU structure in Geneva Arriving to Kofi Annan in New York and the General Assembly.

Positive things The “digital era” arrives to the political agendas. A Summit more open to collaboration between govs, companies and civil society Conducted by ITU, a “technological” UN agen cy, the only with companies inside. The traditional NGOs are willing to participate. NGOs coming from the UNESCO, an the “human rights” movement (APC,...)

Negative things It is a top down initiative. A governmental summit. USA and Internet advanced countries are not leading the process. “See and rest The Internet Society is not willing to participate. ISOC is still fighting from keeping Internet free from ITU burocracy. The academic Internet community is not participating yet High Tech companies don’t participate New NGOs, like CNs, new digital media, Open Source organizations,...are unaware of WSIS

What the International Internet2 Task Force can do? To understand the WSIS Summit trying to put some knowledge about Internet technology, protocols and institutions inside the WSIS.. A possible Internet2 position paper. Try to joint forces with the Internet associations (IETF, ISOC, ICANN,...) try to coordinate a common viewpoint (if possible before May 31)

Actions 1. Plenary Session in UCAID 2003 Fall Meeting on WSIS, inviting Mr. Adama Samassekou, president WSIS Prep. Committee 2. Internet 2 Megaconference V during WSIS in december Getting as much as possible developing countries on board, specially Africa 3. Preparing the ground for a truly Global “Internet2”project , with a similar dimension like the Human Genome

Thanks  Artur Serra, artur@ac.upc.es