By Fred Mudhai
The official ITU line that WSIS Tunis was a ‘resounding success’ is not necessarily unanimous.
I can’t help feeling that the deals struck in Tunis – a new internet governance forum and recognition of the Digital Solidarity Fund, for example – are more about diplomacy than significant steps forward.
And as far as the news media is concerned, although the ‘Tunis Commitment’ reiterates freedom of opinion and expression, it still falls short of what communication rights campaigners view as a holistic approach.
All the same, WSIS certainly enhanced networking and gave greater prominence to information society issue. There’s even a proposal that the UN designates 17 May as World Information Society Day...