[Nettime-bold] World Congress of Citizens Network, Buenos Aires, 5-7 December 2001

["Michael Gurstein" <mgurst@vcn.bc.ca>]

World Congress of Citizens Network, Buenos Aires, 5-7 December 2001

For additional information write to the secretary of the Global CN2001:

E-mail: secretariado@globalcn2001.org
  propuestas@globalcn2001.org
  inscripciones@globalcn2001.org

URL: http://www.globalcn2001.org


The Congress - Presentation

Community networks is a generic term used to define different kinds of uses
of
the Internet and the information technologies that transform our society. In
some countries, they are called differently, such as freenets, telecenters,
or
digital cities. However, in all cases, community networks gather people
willing
to use the new technologies for the renewal of their communities in the
digital
era. They are more than just a simple web: They are new forms of society. We
can
define community networks as a way of using the new technologies by various
local agents (association, town, neighborhood, indigenous community,
library,
young people's association, women's movement, etc.) as well as national and
even
global agents for the purpose of generating a social transformation, either
as
economic development, greater citizen involvement or lower social exclusion.

The Global CN congress is the annual meeting of the community networks from
all
over the world, as well as of people from different sectors interested in
their
promotion. These networks are new forms of civic associations in the digital
era. They play an extremely important role in the strengthening of social
networks, in any given population´s access to the knowledge and work
opportunities of the Information Society, in citizens´ participation in
local
policy making, in the generation of better working conditions, and in the
creation of companies with new production and service profiles.

These issues will be discussed at the II World Congress of Citizen
Networks -
Global CN 2001 to be held in Buenos Aires, Argentina, between December 5 and
7,
2001. The event will gather members of the community, governmental,
political,
academic, and business sectors involved in the promotion of these citizen
networks, around a clear theme: "Renewing communities in the Digital Era".

Global CN 2001 is an initiative developed by Global CN Partnership, the
international alliance of organizations of citizen networks of Europe, USA,
Canada, in collaboration with community networks in the United States,
Argentina, Chile, Brazil, Uruguay, Australia, Mexico, Costa Rica, Dominican
Republic, New Zealand, Japan, Russia, India and Africa.

Global CN 2001 aims to encourage the building of community networks around
the world, based upon strategic alliances with the various organizations of
civil society, the State, private enterprises and universities. These
alliances
are oriented towards the construction of the Information Society´s new
communities. These communities are built through the articulation of the
initiatives of the sectors involved, the exchange of methodologies,
programs,
processes, and the production of new knowledge.


Global CN 2001 in Buenos Aires

This second congress is the first one in Latin America, after the Global CN
2000
in Europe. We expect it to be a landmark in the evolution of citizen
networks,
not only for the level of the issues and participants in the debate, but
also
because it is a joint undertaking of all the social and political sectors,
without which it will not be possible to build a society with equitable
access
to information.

This II World Congress of Citizen Networks, hosted by Buenos Aires, will
gather for the first time in Argentina the efforts of the major political
and economic players of provinces -through CFI, Consejo Federal de
Inversiones / Federal Council of Investments-, together with the academic
and research sector involved in the main subjects of discussion represented
by
the Instituto de Investigaciones Gino Germani / Gino Germani Research
Institute,
of the School of Social Sciences of the University of Buenos Aires, and the
main
information and communication technology / ICT companies, represented by
CICOMRA, the Chamber of Information Technology and Communications of the
Argentine Republic. Global CN 2001 is supported by an international
Consultative
Committee and an international Executive Secretariat.

The II World Congress of Citizen Networks is the continuation of Global CN
2000, which took place in Barcelona in November 2000. Information and
communication technologies -which meet on the Internet- are showing great
potential for the economic and social development of communities. This calls
for
the strengthening of an information society for everyone, which must be
jointly
encouraged by the various social, political and business sectors.

It is in the above setting that Buenos Aires will receive, next December,
representatives from institutions of around the world. Global CN 2001 will
include conferences with key international speakers, roundtable discussions,
workshops, videos, a community organization exhibition, and other
activities. In
forthcoming communications, we will keep you informed about the general
organization, the program, logistics and other issues of your concern.


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For additional information, please write to the secretary of Global CN2001:
secretariado@globalcn2001.org





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