Communication and Technology Access as a Human Right

By Margie Thompson

Just 3% of the world’s population is connected to the Internet, with an overall average of 5.1% in Latin America in 2001. And since information and communication technologies (ICTs) including the Internet have become a central part of development programs worldwide, ensuring that they are readily available to all and not controlled by giant transnational corporations was a key issue for civil society groups who attended the UN World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) in Geneva in December, 2003.

“Technology should be developed for responding to the vital needs of people, and have a strongly centered human rights and social justice focus,” said Sally Burch, a coordinator of the Civil Society (CS) Content and Themes Group of the WSIS Civil Society Plenary.  Nor should ICT development only serve to enrich companies or enable greater control by governments, according to the Civil Society Declaration hammered out in a two year process of involvement in the preparations towards WSIS. Burch noted that this people-centered vision is an integral part of the CS Declaration, but only receives lip service in the official Final Declaration.

Convened by the United Nations (UN) and the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS), which met December 9-12, 2003, involved over 11,000 registered participants, including leaders and heads from 176 governments, 50 UN organizations, women and men of civil society from over 530 NGOs and international organizations, and nearly 100 businesses and corporations who all discussed and deliberated about the present situation and future of the information society on development.  Outcomes of the WSIS will have a tremendous impact on the lives of people all over the world, and their potential to connect through new information and communication technologies, because of the central role that these ICTs play in today’s world in most every arena.

Communication as a Human Right

The role of communication and media as a human right, in contributing to freedom of expression and plurality of information was the focus of heated debate at the WSIS.  Although the final official document mentions the importance of guaranteeing independence and plurality of media, it makes no mention of community media.   Nor does it mention communication as a human right, which is a clear commitment of civil society groups.

According to Steve Buckley, president of the World Association of Community Radio Broadcasters (AMARC), accessibility is the key difference between commercial and community media.  Buckley told Terra Viva, “It’s not just a matter of carrying local information but they are accessible for people to take part in and be part of making the media…that’s a key distinguishing feature compared to most public and commercial broadcasters.” 

Gender Equality Receives Varied Support in WSIS Process

Gender equality has been a central focus of ICT discussions, particularly in the women’s movement and among women’s and gender activist groups.  In speaking about the gender digital divide, Jenny Radloff of APC Women Africa said, “Technology is no different than anything else that happens in the world and woman are marginalized. So we can talk about gender mainstreaming but the fact remains that women wherever they are, are excluded so it is absolutely critical that gender is asserted in every critical area of the process.” 
The CS Declaration calls for “not only a strong commitment but also a high level of consciousness” of gender equality through proactive policies and programs for women and girls as “active and primary agents of change in owning, designing, using and adapting ICTs.”  The official WSIS document also makes a commitment to gender equity, although in more moderate terms.

Both the official and CS documents also discuss issues of cultural and linguistic diversity.  The official action plan declares that such diversity is essential to the development of an Information Society and also for sustainable development.  The CS declaration likewise mentions the importance of the role of ICTs in sustaining and developing the world’s cultures and languages, so that one or a few cultures and languages are not dominant for both users and producers of content. 

This article was based on a full report of the WSIS process by FIRE, Feminist International Radio Endeavour, a women’s Internet Radio produced in Costa Rica. For the full report in Spanish or English, go to: www.fire.or.cr. The session in Geneva represented the first phase of the WSIS process.  The second phase will take place in Tunisia in 2005.