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Building the Information Commonwealth: The decade since 1991 has shown that the path to a stable democratic society in the CIS region is a very difficult one. The negative factors common to all the CIS countries, unstable economic growth, traditions of state paternalism, low living standards, a hazardous investment climate, industrial pollution (and widespread public indifference to this), the "soviet mentality" and so on are still determining the everyday lives of the majority of the population of our countries. The formation of an effectively operating Civil Society sector, it is hoped, will work to overcome the heritage common to the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) countries which resulting from the disastrous economic, social and cultural effects of a totalitarian government. This remains one of the most crucial tasks for all the ex-USSR countries. It is thus crucial that we in the CIS make effective use of the new "global resources" such as the rapidly developing information and communication technologies (ICTs) as the means to achieve inclusiveness and a hoped for radical improvement in the quality life of ordinary people, of women, youth, the elderly, the disabled and the indigenous. It recent years modern information technologies, and particularly the Internet present a fundamentally new set of opportunities for economic, social and cultural life and development. It is now commonplace to speak about the formation of the "Information Society" in economically developed countries. In December 2003 the United Nations will host a world summit on these matters-the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS)--where a wide spectrum of issues concerning human civilization at this new stage of development will be discussed. But, the critical question is: Whose Information Society? Will it be one that supports corporate and commercial developments and corporate elites, but excludes the majority? Or will it be one that provides and expands the opportunities for community sustainability, human rights, and human dignity for all? Those currently studying the issue would generally agree that information technologies in the countries of the CIS region primarily serve as tools for private gain and are available for use only by the relatively small portion of the population who can afford individual access. How to influence these trends and direct the use of the technologies to serve the broader needs of society, the development of democratic institutions and the struggle against poverty is the challenge that presents itself to Civil Society and public authorities alike and which are currently experiencing significant developments throughout Less Developed Countries in Asia and Africa. These questions become more and more acute for people in our countries where the rapid development of new technologies gives a potential opening for radical changes in economic and social opportunities, and to overcome growing social injustice. The main purpose of this conference is to achieve a critical understanding of the current state and prospects for using modern ICTs to support the formation of Civil Society institutions within the CIS territories. Critical analysis of the different aspects of an evolving Information Society in the CIS region, the influence of new technical (and following these social and cultural) factors within society and their impacts on the development of Civil Society institutions in the CIS, and an analysis of the applicability of modern inter-disciplinary approaches (for example Community Informatics/Community Networking) to support the realization of community-based IT projects will be the main goals of the conference. We will focus on several key problems of Civil Society development in CIS countries looked at through the prism of the use of ICTs. Also an anticipated outcome of the conference is the formation of a standing organization (e.g. network or association) comprising Civil Society leaders of the CIS countries currently undertaking or planning ICT projects, and who are actively using the information technologies in their work. These issues and questions are highly topical, in the context of the forthcoming World Summit; the necessity of linking leaders and CSO activists of our countries into discussions of Information Society problems; and in assisting the development of common tools and strategies for influencing the authorities of our countries in the sphere of informatization and information policy. The Conference will be organized with an alternation of plenary sessions and work groups (panels) with 12 main themes:
Modern ICTs are overcoming the boundaries between states, cultures and languages, providing wide opportunities to enhance the role of Civil Society institutions in democratic states. This is especially pertinent for the states of the former Soviet Union, where under conditions of social transformation and economic instability these organizations serve as guarantors of the preservation of democratic values for the majority of the population. At the same time we should not forget Manuel Castells' observation (which is also mutatis mutandis applicable for our region): "The dramatic expansion of non-governmental organizations around the world, most of them subsidized and supported by the state, can be interpreted as the extension of the state into Civil Society, in an effort to diffuse conflict and increase legitimacy by shifting resources and responsibility to the grassroots". This panel will be devoted to discussion of the complex problems of CSO role in the formation of Information Society in the countries of this region. We can postulate that modern ICTs provide the principal new opportunities for the formation and development of Civil Society institutions in the CIS region. Firstly, this is linked to the possibility of local communities participating directly in governance through various networks (e.g. community networks). At the same time, in the developed societies, these structures work through an infrastructure of norms, values, institutional frameworks, and social and physical technologies that support and engender these types of relations. In societies which for historical reasons have not developed this infrastructure as for example, Russia and others of the States in Transition, the development of the Civil Society institutions, values and networks is proving to be considerably more difficult. The result is a slower formation of effective local or regional systems and structures of governance and civic responsibility. How can ICTs be effectively used as tools for fostering self-organizing models of governance in our region? This panel will be devoted to the analysis of existing practices, case studies and existing difficulties. The rebuilding of CIS countries as democratic and economically vital States involves revitalizing a sense of community, economic development and enabling local residents to participate in local self-government/self-organization. At the present time there is a need for various local communities to play a greater role in public life and to develop networks that may unify socially active citizens endeavoring to achieve development in their region. How can information technologies help in the regeneration of local communities in the post-Soviet space? What concrete social, cultural and other factors should be taken into consideration in the course of Community Networking projects in this region? It is clear that the new ICT environment is not only about hardware - wires, modems, servers, routers etc, but also and centrally it is about how communities provide access, computer literacy, training and organizational learning while equally being aware of the related opportunities for local community development. In addition it refers to the nature of the information infrastructure, e.g., the content, structure, and relationships among discrete information resources, providers and users, and to the creation of a new "public sphere", where democratic decision making and community building is enhanced. Who are the current or potential producers and owners of information in local communities within the CIS? How can different social groups be attracted to a role in producing local information and in participating in local problem resolution? The panel will be devoted to an analysis of the participation of the countries of this region in the global initiatives, such as the G8 DOT Force, the UN ICT Task Force, the WSIS preparatory process and others. We are looking for an analysis from different perspectives of the factors inhibiting the competent participation of CIS countries (and especially of the Civil Society organizations) in these processes.. The panel will be devoted to the consideration of practical examples of the application of ICTs for education, health, civic affairs, job creation, social work, environmental issues among others. The panel will be devoted to the review and analysis of the technical aspects of the situation concerning access to electronic information - connectivity options in the region, the software and hardware used - how they serve the tasks of Civil Society in the CIS, …what are their prospects and including a discussion of "Open Source" and "Free Software" developments and approaches. ICTs will bring about an inevitable transition from "industrial" to "information" or "knowledge-based" economies and societies. It is assumed that all aspects of our economic and social lives, in both the public and private spheres, will be radically different from what they are today. How effective are and can Civil Society institutions/local communities be in using the benefits of the developing digital economy in the CIS region. Our technical skills are not the only barrier to access. There are many other reasons why people will be reluctant to use new technology. This panel will highlight a number of these and suggest ways in which such barriers can be removed. The advent of the Internet with its capacity for instantaneous interactive communication, distance (and time) insensitive information management and manipulation, and multiple (even multitudinous) points of access and entry for use, presents new challenges and opportunities for Global Security. In part, these challenges are defensive and arise from how the Internet was used in the context of the events of Sept. 11-through the Internet's largely anonymous capacity for intercommunication and multi-centric information access and the related means for planning, financing and overall supporting the execution of deeds of profound threat to Global and individual security. These aspects are extremely important for the former post-Soviet countries where information openness is growing adjacent to the necessity to protect the tremendous mass of potentially dangerous information, especially concerning the Soviet military industry. What potential threats are connected with the development of information technologies in the CIS region for the world community? What role can Civil Society institutions play in minimizing these threats? The panel will debate the impact of ICTs on local, national, and global development, as well as in poverty alleviation in the CIS and around the world. The main goals are to: |