WSIS Forum 2010 open consultation: Call for participation

WSIS implementation is 5 years old! I've been keeping track of WSIS general happenings since the first Geneva WSIS in 2003. I'm impressed by the passionate movement in ICT4D, even though there are ideological wars, politicking, and the usual challenges in implementing an international agenda. I'll be interested to hear what some of the key issues are at this upcoming annual WSIS conference.

For the first time, too, WSIS is using an online social networking platform to promote discussion, walking the talk. I blogged about the new site, as well as their choice of software as a platform, earlier. 

Here's a reproduction of the call for participation from UNESCO. 

UNESCO, together with ITU, UNCTAD and UNDP, is organizing an open consultation for the upcoming World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) Forum 2010. All individuals, networks and organizations interested in this issue are invited to participate in the three-fold process, consisting of an online discussion, a questionnaire and a review meeting.

2010 is a turning point towards the achievement of the WSIS goals by 2015. This year’s Forum, which will be held in Geneva (Switzerland) from 10 to 14 May 2010, is an important opportunity to review the progress made in the WSIS implementation during the last five years and to reconsider strategies for the remaining five years.

Following the outcomes of the 2009 WSIS Action Line Facilitators Meeting on 22 May 2009, as well as several exchanges among WSIS stakeholders, an open consultation, focusing on the themes of the 2010 Forum, has been set up.

The process will be carried out in three phases:

• An online multi-stakeholder consultation is taking place on the online WSIS Community platform until 5 February. Stakeholders are invited to express and exchange their ideas in order to generate possible themes and potential speakers for the 2010 Forum. To join this discussion, please click here. 
• Stakeholders can also submit their official contributions, by 5 February, through an online questionnaire or by sending a query to: wsis@itu.int. 
• All submitted comments will be examined during the Final Review Meeting, which will take place at the ITU Headquarters in Geneva on 10 February. To register for this meeting please click here. Remote participation will also be possible via webcast, the link to which will shortly be available on the Forum’s website.

The WSIS Forum builds upon the tradition of the annual WSIS May meetings. The 2009 Forum attracted more than 400 participants representing governments, civil society/NGOs, private sector and intergovernmental organizations from around the world. The new format of the 2010 meeting is the result of last year’s open consultations with all WSIS stakeholders.