WSIS preparations in Uganda

Background

On January 27, 2003, a National WSIS Taskforce was created to coordinate Uganda's input to the World Summit on Information Society (WSIS) PrepCom II, Geneva. The taskforce will also continue through with preparations for the WSIS Summits in 2003 (Geneva) and 2005 (Tunis). Current members of the taskforce are representatives of Ministry of Works, Housing and Communications, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Uganda Communications Commission (UCC), MTN, Uganda National Council for Science and Technology (UNCST), and WOUGNET. A public meeting was scheduled for Tuesday, February 4, 2003, to consult on Uganda's national position on WSIS. The output of this meeting would form the basis of Uganda's input to the Second PrepCom. (For information about this public meeting, contact ucc@ucc.co.ug)

WOUGNET established this web page for information on WSIS preparations in Uganda with an emphasis on the issues for women's preparation and participation in the WSIS process. WOUGNET's early participation in WSIS I-related activities was largely as part of the WSIS Gender Caucus for which we initally hosted a website and mailing list. The website was hosted at: http://www.wougnet.org/WSIS/wsisgc.html and included access to documents produced by the WSIS Gender Caucus as well as links to other WSIS-related initiatives such as the WSIS NGO Gender Strategies Working Group. The WSIS Gender Caucus later obtained its own domain name, and the Caucus website is at: http://www.genderwsis.org.

Click the following links for information on preparations for the two WSIS summits:
WSIS I, Geneva, Switzerland
WSIS II, Tunis, Tunisia

WSIS I, Geneva, Switzerland

In preparation for PrepCom II, WOUGNET recommends the following documents as useful in understanding the issues for women's participation in the WSIS process and in providing suggestions and recommendations for gender equality and increased women's participation in the WSIS:

Bamako 2002 statement - http://www.wougnet.org/WSIS/genderstatement.html
This document was prepared at the African Regional prepcom for the WSIS held in Bamako in May 2002. The document lays out recommendations for different stakeholders. It was also at this meeting that the WSIS Gender Caucus was formed.
WSIS Gender Caucus submission to the Prepcom II, Geneva - http://www.wougnet.org/WSIS/wsisgcdocs.html
The issues outlined in the Gender Implication sections are also issues in Uganda and target the three main categories of the WSIS: Access for all; ICTs as a tool for economic and social development; and Confidence and security in the use of ICTs . The Gender Caucus submission also provides a platform for action.
Addis Workshop statement - http://africa.rights.apc.org/workshop_dec_eng.shtml
This statement was produced at the November 2002 workshop on ICT policy and Civil society. It emphasises the need for civil society to engage with the ICT policy processes again to ensure that the WSIS goals can be attained.

Uganda's input to the Principles and Plan of Action for the WSIS, WSIS PrepCom II, February 17-28, Geneva
(The report below was compiled from a UCC report, Feb 11, 2003)

Uganda's input was evolved by the WSIS National Task Force and further improved upon during a Public Consultative Meeting held February 4, 2003 at the Nile International Conference Centre. The Public Consultative meeting was organised and sponsored by the Uganda Communications Commission (UCC). Over 70 participants attended from a wide cross-section of representation including government, private sector, civil society, media, and NGOs. The meeting was opened by the Minister of State for Communications, Ministry of Works, Housing and Communications (MoWHC), Hon. Werikhe and presided over by the Executive Director, Uganda Communications Commission, Mr. Patrick Masambu.

After the keynote address by Hon. Werikhe and the presentation of the WSIS Working Document by Dr. Turahi, Assistant Commissioner - MoWHC and member of the Task Force, meeting participants split up into four groups. Each group discussed two themes of the Working document. The groups were structured as follows:
Group 1 - Themes 1&3, moderated by Mr. Vincent Musubira
Group 2 - Themes 2&4, moderated by Ms. Rita Mijumbi Epodoi
Group 3 - Themes 5&6, moderated by Mr. Elisha Wasukira
Group 4 - Themes 7&8, moderated by Hon. Johnson Nkuuhe

After the discussions, each group presented the outcomes of its discussion during an open session where meeting participants made remarks on the various presentations.

Following the Public Consultative meeting, the taskforce amended the WSIS Working Document - taking into account the recommendations by the meeting participants. A final version of Uganda's input to the Principles and Plan of Action for the WSIS has now been prepared for submission to the WSIS PrepCom II in Geneva.

The Commission expressed sincere thanks to all those who worked tirelessly to develop Uganda's input to WSIS. Special thanks went to the Task Force which included Ambassador Mugume, Dr. Turahi (MoWHC), Mr. Barugahara (UNCST), Mr. Aineruhanga (WOUGNET), Ms. Namumbya (WOUGNET), Ms. Lutimba (MoWHC) and the four workshop moderators during the Public Consultative meeting. The UCC is represented on the Task Force by Mr. Masambu and Mr. Mwesigwa.

A copy of the final version of Uganda's input will be made available online. For a copy of the Working Document, click here (WORD format). For a copy of WOUGNET's submission to the Public Consultative meeting, click here.

Online Forum: An Information Society for Uganda, April 14 - 30, 2003

Following the WSIS PrepCom II in Geneva, two basic working documents have been produced: a draft Declaration of Principles and a draft Plan of Action. Comments to the two working documents may be submitted by May 31, 2003. PrepCom III will be convened in Geneva from September 15-26, 2003, and will consist of two weeks of negotiations on all issues related to the Summit. There will be an Intersessional Period between PrepCom-II and PrepCom-III dedicated to refining the working documents for the Draft Declaration of Principles and Draft Action Plan.

To facilitate contribution to the WSIS working documents, WOUGNET will host an Online Forum: An Information Society for Uganda from April 14-30, 2003.

UNDP WSIS Project - ICT for Poverty Reduction: A Multistakeholder Approach

Leading up to the first phase of the World Summit of the Information Society (WSIS) � Geneva 2003, WOUGNET in partnership with Radio Apac, and funded by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) National Meetings Project, held a series of public meetings in Apac with civil society, private sector and government to encourage public participation in the WSIS process. As the preparatory committee (PrepCom) meetings for the second phase of the WSIS � Tunis 2005 began, a public meeting was held 22nd July 2004 in Apac to present the outcomes of the first phase and to lay strategies for next steps. Click the links below for copies (WORD format) of the report presented at WSIS I and also the reports presented during the July 2004 public meeting.

WSIS II, Tunis, Tunisia

WSA-Uganda: The Best of the Pearl of Africa - Call for Nominations of Ugandan projects/products

The World Summit Award (WSA) is a global initiative for selecting and promoting the best in e-Content and creativity. The first awards were announced at the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) in Geneva, Switzerland, in December 2005. This is a call for nominations of Ugandan projects/products that should be considered during the second round of the WSA. Self-nominations are welcome. The WSA 2005 awards will be presented during the second phase of the WSIS in Tunis, Tunisia in November 2005.
For the first phase of the WSIS in 2003, a total of 803 projects from 136 nations participated in the World Summit Award. An international Jury of prominent experts selected 40 finalist best products in the world in the eight categories. WOUGNET was one of only two (2) African winners. The other was �Time to Market � T2M� from Senegal. For the second phase of the WSIS in November 2005, WOUGNET has been nominated to the panel of experts responsible for nominating candidates from Uganda in each of the 8 categories. Click here for information on the nomination process. The deadline for submitting projects/products is May 31, 2005.

World Telecommunications Day Symposium, May 17, 2005 - Creating an equitable Information Society: Time for Action

On World Telecommunications Day, May 17, 2005, Uganda Communications Commission (UCC) in partnership with the Ministry of Works, Housing and Communications (MoWHC) and WOUGNET will host a symposium under the theme "Creating an equitable Information Society: Time for Action ". The objectives of the symposium are to:

Raise awareness of the WSIS process and consider ways to incorporate the targets for universal access as outlined in the WSIS Action Plan
Raise awareness of the state of telecommunications in Uganda and assess the problems that stand in the way of achieving the connectivity goals set out in the WSIS Action Plan
Promote awareness of ICTs as a tool for economic and social development

The keynote address will be by Hon. John Nasasira, Minister of Works, Housing and Communications and other presentations will address:

Creating an enabling environment for the information society: A critical Analysis of Laws and Polices in the ICT Sector
Coordination and Implementation framework for the National ICT policy
Realizing WSIS Objectives: Actions taken (by Government)
The Role of Civil Society in the Information Society
The Media and the Information Society
Private Sector Initiatives in Enhancing WSIS goals

The event will take place at the Kabira Country Club, Bukoto. Participation is open to the public, and free of charge, but registration is required. To register, contact:

Uganda Communications Commission
12th Floor, Communications House
P. O. Box 7376, Kampala, Uganda
Tel: 256-41-348830/1/5 or 340336 or 340572
Fax: 256-41-348832 or 345278
e-mail: ucc@ucc.co.ug OR Ms. Berna Ngolobe
Women of Uganda Network (WOUGNET)
P. O. Box 4411, Kampala, Uganda
Tel: 256-41-256832
Fax: 256-41-234924
e-mail: info@wougnet.org

WSIS 2005 Online Forum: Paving the Way to Tunis, July 11 - 29, 2005

Women of Uganda Network (WOUGNET) held an online forum on key issues for the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) to share views, experiences, knowledge and concerns. In particular, the forum focused on ICT policy priorities for Uganda as well as the two outstanding issues for the WSIS - internet governance and financing mechanisms. The themes and schedule for the forum was as follows:

11 - 17 July 2005: ICT Policy Priorities for Uganda
18 - 24 July 2005: Internet Governance - What are the issues?
25 - 31 July 2005: Financing ICT4D in Uganda - What strategies?

The online forum drew a total of ninety-eight participants, of whom thirty-seven (38%) made contributions including eleven women and twenty-six men. Click here for a copy of the WSIS 2005 Online Forum report (in WORD format).

For more information about the forum, please send an email to ictpolicy@wougnet.org.

Additional Information

For additional information, send email to ictpolicy@wougnet.org.

Last update: August-23, 2005