<p><strong><a href="http://www.ip-watch.org/weblog/2009/06/08/un-led-commission-sees-needs-in-internet-governance-science-technology/">http://www.ip-watch.org/weblog/2009/06/08/un-led-commission-sees-needs-in-internet-governance-science-technology/</a></strong></p>
<p><strong>8 June 2009</strong></p>
<h2 class="posttitle">
UN-Led Commission Sees Needs In Internet Governance, Science, Technology </h2>
<small>By
<a href="http://www.ip-watch.org/weblog/author/kaitlin/" title="Posts by Kaitlin Mara">Kaitlin Mara</a>
@ 1:14 pm</small>
<div class="entry">
<p>A
commission under the United Nations charged with monitoring progress in
improving science and technology in places where access is difficult
and capacity to use that access scarce, concluded its recent annual
meeting with draft resolutions on internet and society and on
development and science. One notes that there is still much work to be
done to bridge the ‘digital divide’ that creates disparities in access
to information technology and knowledge in the world; the other calls
on governments and UN institutions to find innovative ways to support
innovative capacity. <span id="more-4272"></span></p>
<p>At the Commission on Science and Technology for Development (CSTD), which <a href="http://www.unctad.org/Templates/meeting.asp?intItemID=1942%E2%8C%A9=1&m=16980">met from 25 to 29 May in Geneva</a>,
delegates pondered ways to combat “brain drain” and the need for
ever-expanding education in science, technology and related fields,
especially in poor and rural areas. They also examined the continued
lack of access to the internet, both as the most powerful access tool
in the world to reach resources needed for innovation and as a part of
an updated mandate for the commission to oversee implementation of a
process to expand access.</p>
<p>The CSTD, which falls under the UN Economic and Social Council
(ECOSOC), is a high-level, intergovernmental body. It is mandated to
examine science and technology policies and their implications for
development, and then formulate recommendations and guidelines for the
UN on those matters. Draft resolutions from the commission are sent to
ECOSOC for final adoption. The UN Conference on Trade and Development
(UNCTAD) hosts the commission’s secretariat.</p>
<p>The commission, which meets annually, began meeting 1993, and in
2006 was given an additional mandate to review the World Summit on the
Information Society (WSIS) implementation progress.</p>
<p>The WSIS was a UN-led process intended to make available universal
access to the internet and communications technology; that is, to
bridge the increasing divide in access to knowledge as the digital
resolution fundamentally changed the functioning of economies with
access to it, leaving those without ever further behind.</p>
<p>Resolution Neutral On IGF</p>
<p>It was the follow-up evaluation at WSIS that absorbed most
conversation at the end of the week, as the commission went into
informal talks to hammer out an assessment of progress made on the
WSIS, stretching late into the evening on the last days.</p>
<p>A key point of contention was language acknowledging the work of the
Internet Governance Forum (IGF), established by the WSIS for
stakeholders to discuss all aspects of governing the online world, from
languages to domain names, from online safety to extending internet
access. What is unique about the IGF is that it is a multi-stakeholder
process, in recognition of the wide variety of stakeholders in the way
the internet is managed, including business and civil society.</p>
<p>The IGF is a non-negotiating body which has allowed debate to flow
freely on issues that might otherwise be too controversial to make
discussion possible - such as regulating the internet, or monitoring
its users. But some stakeholders would like to see some kind of output
from the discussions, for different reasons. The IGF mandate is up on
2010, and if new direction is not given, the forum will cease to meet.</p>
<p>At issue with this year’s review was how positively to refer to the
IGF’s work to date, according to several sources. It matters because
the report is expected to influence the next IGF meeting in Sharm
El-Sheikh, Egypt on 15-18 November, at which the fate of the forum will
be decided.</p>
<p>Referring to the IGF’s work positively would demonstrate its success
and lend support to those entities who want the forum to continue.
Those who do not want it to continue in its current form - notably
China, according to several sources, who wants an intergovernmental
process - preferred to have a more neutral acknowledgement of the IGF
work.</p>
<p>The final text reads: “Notes the discussions in the IGF as a
multi-stakeholder platform on public policy issues related to internet
governance which were observed by the UN SG [Secretary General] in his
report, expresses appreciation for the work done by the Chair, the
Secretariat and the host Governments of the Internet Governance Forum
(IGF), and looks forward to the convening of the fourth meeting of the
IGF in Egypt,” according to a participant.</p>
<p>This resolution on WSIS is the second the CSTD has produced. Last year’s, contained in the <a href="http://www.unctad.org/en/docs/ecn162008d5_en.pdf">report of the 2008 CSTD meeting</a> [pdf] noted “with appreciation” all of the IGF’s work, including the multi-stakeholder approach and “innovated platform.”</p>
<p>A report from the UN secretary general on WSIS progress was even
more encouraging, saying the IGF had “matured in several respects,”
allowing for discussions on “politically sensitive issues in a climate
of good faith.” That report, released on 13 March 2009, is <a href="http://www.unctad.org/en/docs/a64d64_en.pdf">available here</a> [pdf].</p>
<p>It also reported that the digital divide had narrowed in 2008, and
that over half of the world’s population had at least some level of
connectivity.” Further, 80-90 percent of the world’s population has
access to a cellular network, the report said.</p>
<p>But problems continue, despite some improvement, because much of the
access to the internet that has been achieved has been achieved through
dial-up access, the report adds. This is, the report said, “barely
powerful enough for e-mail,” and severely limits access to many of the
variety of media formats that populate the web.</p>
<p>Thus the digital divide is quickly becoming the “broadband divide,” referring to high-speed internet access.</p>
<p>And a delegate from Africa during the May CTSD meeting challenged
the idea that mobile phones could be used to combat poverty. “I’m not
sure we’re living in the same world,” the delegate said. “In an African
village with no electricity, where are you going to charge the phone?”</p>
<p>Also approved at the CSTD meeting was a mid-term review of the WSIS
process, to be done in 2010. This will cover all five years of WSIS
implementation.</p>
<p>Science & Technology Critical</p>
<p>The resolution on science and technology for development was adopted
with little discussion. It recognises the “critical role of innovation
in maintaining national competitiveness in the global economy” and
encourages countries to expand capacity for science and technology
research through educational opportunities, creative funding
strategies, international partnerships, and other means.</p>
<p>In the resolution, the commission is charged with being a
“torch-bearer for innovation and innovation-oriented planning” which
means they should share and analyse data on policy impacts, identify
critical gaps, and help identify best practices.</p>
<p>The next meeting of ECOSCOC, which will discuss the resolutions of the CSTD, will be 6-31 July in Geneva.</p>
<p>Information Sessions Highlight Varying National Needs</p>
<p>Earlier in the week, delegates heard two days of panels,
presentations and ministerial roundtables on science, technology and
innovation. Audio recordings of the first days’ <a href="http://www.unctad.org/Templates/WebFlyer.asp?intItemID=4872%E2%8C%A9=1">presentations can be found here</a>.</p>
<p>On the third day, delegates heard the national experiences of Ghana,
Lesotho, Abu Dhabi, Iraq, Brazil, and Oman. These helped highlight some
of the difficulty involved in coordinating science and innovation
capacity building.</p>
<p>“In Ghana, there is a lack of effective demand for scientists and
engineers,” said Alfred Watkins, science and technology programme
coordinator at the World Bank. “They get trained, but they don’t find
jobs.” Finding ways to fight the ‘brain drain’ of qualified
professionals is a big problem. The presentation of Iraq noted that the
countries security situation was also causing brain drain.</p>
<p>Intellectual property and innovation policy was mentioned several
times during the course of these conversations, as countries tried to
explore not only the existance, but the contours of the digital and
technological divide.</p>
<p>Brazil’s presentation mentioned an exploration of open source
software as a possible route to increase information access. Austria
supported this idea, calling open source “essential for development” as
it helps people to understand the software they are using and even
build their own.</p>
<p>Publicly funded research that is protected by intellectual property
amounts to double taxation, said delegate from IT for Change, an Indian
advocacy group calling for information technology to be used to aid
development. The research was “already paid for by the public, so it
should be free.”</p>
<p>But South Africa said it was concerned that the outputs of its
publicly funded research had been used abroad. “We think it needs to
benefit South Africans,” the delegate said, and “therefore needs to be
protected.”</p>
</div>
<div class="alaligne"><p><em>Kaitlin Mara may be reached at <a href="mailto:kmara@ip-watch.ch">kmara@ip-watch.ch</a>.</em></p></div>