GPD Head of Programmes joins Stakeholder Selection Committee for WSIS High-Level Meeting
Global Partners Digital (GPD) Head of Programmes Lea Kaspar has been selected by the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN-DESA) to serve on the Stakeholder Selection Committee for the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) High-Level Meeting, which will take place on 15-16 December 2015 at the UN Headquarters in New York.
The High-Level Meeting is the culmination of the 10-year WSIS review, providing an opportunity for in-depth discussions on important issues in the implementation of the WSIS outcomes, including progress, gaps and challenges, as well as determining areas for future action.
As a member of the Stakeholder Selection Committee, Lea will help identify and select representatives from civil society, the technical community and academia to speak at the event, with the aim of securing broad and inclusive participation in the Meeting. As an intergovernmental process under the auspices of the UN General Assembly, the WSIS Review has provided limited avenues for engagement by non-governmental stakeholders and the High Level Meeting will be the last opportunity for them to share their views with the governments who have final say on the process outcome.
Lea has been involved in the WSIS Review process since 2013 through her work at GPD and has contributed to a number of initiatives aimed at opening the process and broadening civil society participation. As a civil society representative on the Internet Governance Forum (IGF) Multistakeholder Advisory Board (MAG), she has worked to bring the WSIS Review discussions to the IGF community, and continues to advocate for more open, inclusive, and transparent governance processes at all levels.
The Committee will submit a final list of selected speakers to UN-DESA on Monday 16 November, pending final confirmation of names by the President of the UN General Assembly.