Civil Society Speakers-Tunis Summit

The Civil Society Bureau has been asked by the WSIS Executive Secretariat to supply the names of nominated civil society speakers (and an alternate for each) for the following sessions, by the end of PrepCom 3. Mr. Utsumi, Secretary General of the ITU, will take the final decision on these speakers. Civil society groupings (families, caucuses or working groups, as listed below at the end of this document) are kindly requested to consider their nominations and submit them before 12 noon on Wednesday 28^th September 2005.

1 speaker for the Opening Session

1 speaker at the first Plenary (general debate)

1 (or 2) speakers at the second Plenary (dependent on Heads of State) (general debate)

1 (or 2) speakers at the third Plenary (dependent on Heads of State) (general debate)

4 speakers for the fourth plenary (general debate)

2 speakers for the fifth plenary (general debate)

2 speakers for the sixth plenary (general debate)

4 speakers for the seventh plenary (general debate)

1 speaker for the High Level Panel (ICT for Development)

2 speakers for each of 2 Round Tables (From Commitment to Action: Implementation after Tunis)

There will be a further opportunity for reporting of multi-stakeholder events but the CSB is seeking further clarification on these.

The guidelines developed by the CSB, for each of the sessions are:

Opening Session Speaker:

A person who has:

• Been actively involved in WSIS

• Is a good public speaker and will convey a clear image through the media

This speaker should deliver a text that is:

• An advocacy statement on key WSIS issues from the civil society perspective

• That is drafted and agreed to on the Plenary list

Nominations marked OPENING SESSION SPEAKER to be sent, by Wednesday September 28^th, 2005 to:

[email protected]

Please do not forget to mention in this submission of nomination to which civil society grouping you belong.

These will be presented in Plenary, on paper and on the Plenary e-list that afternoon and finalised in Content and Themes on Thursday 29^th September 2005.

Plenary Speakers

People who have:

• Been actively involved in WSIS

• People who have a general knowledge of the overall themes

• people who are at the top-level of their accredited organisations

• Can make salient points in the allocation for each speaker, of 3 minutes

Note: In terms of Article 57/ECOSOC 1996/31, no offensive statements will be made.

Nominations marked PLENARY SPEAKERS to be sent, by Wednesday September 28^th, 2005 to:

[email protected]

Please do not forget to mention in this submission of nomination to which civil society grouping you belong.

These will be presented in Plenary, on paper and on the Plenary e-list that afternoon and finalised in Content and Themes on Thursday 29^th September 2005.

High Level Panel Speaker

A person who:

• Has been involved in WSIS

• Is a good public speaker, can speak without making a prepared statement, with interactive skill and confidence

• Able to speak with authority and confidence on the general theme ‘ICT for Development’

The following indicative topics may be used by moderators:

-          ICT and economic growth

-          Closing the knowledge gap

-          Building good governance and democracy through ICT

-          Harnessing ICT towards the MDGs

-          Access to information and social inclusion

Nominations marked HIGH LEVEL PANEL SPEAKER to be sent, by Wednesday September 28^th, 2005 to:

[email protected]

Please do not forget to mention in this submission of nomination to which civil society grouping you belong.

These will be presented in Plenary, on paper and on the Plenary e-list that afternoon and finalised in Content and Themes on Thursday 29^th September 2005.

Round Table Speakers

People who:

• Have been involved in WSIS

• Can speak well without a written statement and have interactive skills and confidence

• Are able to speak with authority and confidence on implementation from the civil society perspective

Moderators may use the following indicative topics:

-          E-strategies and national priorities

-          International Cooperation

-          Empowering citizens

-          Social inclusion

-          Growth and job creation

-          Cultural diversity and common heritage

-          Multi-stakeholder partnership

Nominations marked ROUND TABLE SPEAKERS to be sent, by Wednesday September 28^th, 2005 to:

[email protected]

Please do not forget to mention in this submission of nomination to which civil society grouping you belong.

These will be presented in Plenary, on paper and on the Plenary e-list that afternoon and finalised in Content and Themes on Thursday 29^th September 2005.

Civil Society Groupings