OECD Ministerial: CSISAC Fosters Civil Society Participation

May 23, 2016

The OECD has announced a Ministerial Conference about Innovation, Growth and Social Prosperity in the context of the Digital Economy, to be held the 21-23 June 2016 in Cancún (México). This event is expected to set the agenda for the digitalisalization of the global economy in the following decade. Provided the deep implications of that process for social justice and human rights, the CSISAC is working to foster the voice of civil society in this event, according to the goals of the Seoul Declaration.

Travel Grants
In order to foster Civil Society participation, the CSISAC has actively explored options to retrieve funds to contribute to the participation costs. A criteria for travel grant was defined to prioritise goal alignment, capacity building and regional and gender diversity, and a call was published asking for expressions of interest to benefit from a travel grant. As the result of that initiave, the Steering Committee, received a total of 40 travel requests, and developed the capacity to cover the 90% of them.

Among the granted participants, 53% of them come from Latin America, 24% from Europe, 18% from the USA and CAN, and 6% from Africa. Mexico is the most populated delegation, with 41% of the LatAm groups, followed by other countries like Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Guatemala, Paraguay and Argentina. Gender balance is on the 50% rate, and we are proud to have also a member of the LGTB community.

Any remaining fund will be distributed among the pending travel requests after the meeting.

The CSISAC wants to thank the Ford Foundation, the Open Societies Foundation, the Government of Mexico and the Electronic Information Privacy Center (EPIC) for their economic support. That is the material foundation that makes such diversity possible.

Civil Society Forum
The main goals of CSISAC in the context of the OECD Ministerial on the Digital Economy are:

• to evaluate the progress on the Seoul Declaration, and to review emerging issues in the digital realm, towards setting the Civil Society goals for the OECD,
• to enlarge the long-term participation of civil society in the OECD process through the CSISAC, with a focus on non-governmental groups, activists and scholars from Latin America, and
• to consolidate the recognition of the CSISAC as the main channel for civil society participation at the OECD.

In pursuing those goals, the CSISAC is organizing a Civil Society Forum, to be held the 21st of June in the OECD Ministerial meeting venue. The purpose of the Forum is to foster the dialogue between the Civil Society participants and the governmental representatives and OECD officials attending the Ministerial meeting.

With this purpose, a Programm Committee has been formed with active Civil Society participants, including groups, activists and scholars with an emphasis on the Latin American countries. The Forum will be structured in three Civil Society panels, where civil society, governments and the OECD will have a dialogue about the Seoul Declaration, the emerging issues and the Civil Society goals. In addition, the Forum will have a panel focused on online platforms jointly organized with TUAC, the Trade Unions Advisory Committee of the OECD. The Forum will be closed with a panel where CSISAC, TUAC, OECD and governmental representatives will reflect on the outcomes of the Forum towards the Ministerial discussion.

The updated schedule of the Forum can be find in the CSISAC Forum site: http://csisac.org/events/cancun16/

A maximum of 100 participants will be allowed to register for the Civil Society Forum. CSISAC members planning to attend are strongly encouraged to contact the Liaison so to ensure attendance as part of the CSISAC delegation.

Registration and Logistics
Participation in the Ministerial and connected events, including the Civil Society Forum requires registration in advance. Registration is needed for all participants, including those invited by the OECD or by CSISAC, and it needs to be managed personally by the involved person. Deadline for registration is the 3rd of June, 2016.

The registration process, including deadlines, is entirely administered by the OECD through an official Ministerial site. The CSISAC do not manage the registration process. Registration for the Ministerial and connected events, including the Civil Society Forum, can only be done individually in the following link:

There is no registration fee to participate. Travel, lodging and any other costs are expected to be provided by participants on their own. Hotel booking must be done individually by each participant in addition to the registration process. The main venue of the Ministerial conference is to be located in the 'Moon Palace' meeting complex in Cancún. Participants pursuing alternatives in the city center should consider as well transportation to the venue.

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