This time last week I was still in Tunis. Now, the World Summit on the Information Society seems a bit like a dream - you know, those dreams involving 100 of your favourite people from different parts of your life (and indeed the world) doing extraordinary things in a surreal, slightly claustrophobic location – punctured momentarily with fleeting exchanges with world leaders, police with big guns, wonderful panoramic ocean views, and the bed-time lullaby that is BBC World.

It was fascinating to finally come to Tunisia, after hearing so much about this country - great, good, bad and ugly - for the last few years. The nation seemed to be taken over by the WSIS - schools were closed, public employees told to remain home, and half the population apparently newly hired as slightly menacing (but really rather lost?) security guards stationed three to every street corner. The absence of people (other than police) was unsettling and weird to say the least. And let's just say that the Tunisian National Flag Company seems to have done a recent roaring trade, with streets decked out in tens of thousands of coloured flags (totally beautiful, although I'm not sure how I'd feel if the UK lined every street of London with the Union Jack). The Tunisians put on a good show and everything (apart from giving the official bus drivers directions!) seemed to run smoothly.

Inside the Summit venue, it was quite easily to forget or ignore the reports outside (and in the global media) about Tunisia clamping down on freedom of expression just as it was hosting a Summit on the global Information Society. Certainly on the first day I spoke with a nice guy from Intel who seemed genuinely unaware of the human rights issues raised by local groups, Human Rights Watch, Amnesty and others. Although Summit delegates did get a minor taste for arbitrary procedures when plain clothed, un-badged guards would randomly block access between different rooms inside the Summit venue (Some of us tried to run/ram through but were mostly held back). Outside, towards the town centre, there were more serious protests and a counter-Summit organized by excluded human rights activists.

On the surface, with the police presence, pictures of President Ben-Ali ubiquitous, and a media that glowed in the government's triumph and little else, Tunisia certainly seemed totalitarian. At the same time, I got the sense (and was told by expats as well as local people) that there is little public dissatisfaction with the political situation. Certainly, I can appreciate that compared with its neighbours, Tunisia is an island of wealth, peace, religious moderation, and stability. You might say this is because it is not 'cursed' with much oil, or because it lacked the violent or confused de-colonisation of its neighbours. Or you might not care and just say 'well, things work pretty well here and I wouldn't want to live in someplace like Iraq.. or Algeria...or Egypt... or wherever'. In the areas I visited (mostly the more wealthy bits I guess) Tunisia seemed more apathetic than repressed. I wonder where resignation ends and apathy begins? And are there lessons for my own countries(s) and the rest of the world?

Reflecting on Tunisia might seem an odd way to start this blog - I had only a few moments to think about these questions, and it is true that Tunisia is sadly not the worst offender when it comes to Internet censorship. And the country - especially the Tunisian people- deserve everyone's thanks for hospitality and role in making this event happen. But just like I experienced in Johannesburg in 2002, the place - and it's political and economic reality- really does set the scene and the tone of your experience at a UN event.

On the Sunday after the Summit, Tom, Maja, Marouen and I headed to Korbus, a beautiful little hot spring on the beach a few hours out of the capitol, Tunis. It was great to be able to see a bit more of this country, feel its dynamic and unique cultural spirit and natural beauty. I'll have to come back and learn more - anyway I think about it, it was fascinating. And it was great to be able to spend short but very sweet time with these, and so many other good friends.

As for the Summit itself, I feel a deep sense of accomplishment. If you had asked me six weeks ago (as many did) whether I thought everything we had planned would come together, I could not have answered clearly. It is to Marouen's great credit that Youth participation in Tunis was smooth and dynamic. And this time last year, I would never have believed that the WSIS Youth Caucus would do so much in 2005, eclipsing even our work in 2003. From National & Rural Campaigns to the Award programs, the capacity building workshops, and the Youth Hub, we learnt so many lessons from the past, became more efficient and demonstrated once again a model for youth (indeed civil society) participation in global decision-making processes and forums that will be looked to and (for sure) replicated elsewhere. Titi and Robert, who took over from me as the Facilitators of the Caucus did an incredible job managing everyone's contributions as well as high expectations!

The week was also a celebration of TakingITGlobal's growth and maturity. This probably deserves an entire blog entry of its own, but I'm immensely proud of what TIG has achieved in its short five years. It was fitting that on the same day we held our fifth anniversary dinner in Tunis (great night!) TIG launched in its 7th language - Chinese, and reached (well, roughly) 100,000 members! The value of UN Summits is rarely (or never) just the formal documents developed but in their ability to bring great people together- that so many of TIG's active staff and members could attend and gain renewed strength and insight for the work of this unique network was fantastic. I'm also excited about new potential partnerships in the Middle East and Africa, as well TIG's new key role in Telecentre.org, a global support program for local community access initiatives [always a key part of the big TIG vision].

Now finally to the issues that WSIS was supposedly held to address. It's fair to say that in a formal sense, not much really was achieved at all - no huge new financial commitment to bridging the digital divide, no really new paradigm or international legal standards relating to the role of information in development and human rights. And not even really a clear road-map for how the Internet will be governed after the US decided it wasn't ready to cede final control over ICANN's functions - except for a vague new UN Forum that won't have teeth. But really, when was WSIS ever about ICANN anyway? As someone astutely pointed out to me, no one seems to be complaining about the dictatorship of Google, despite the fact that they have far more influence over how people use the net on a daily basis than the U.S., ICANN, or that perennial bogey, Microsoft.

At least however, as a result of WSIS and the great amount of media coverage it generated (including in influential publications) policy makers around the world and in many NGOs (such as those I work with) have started to take these issues much more seriously and are beginning to recognize that new information and communications technologies are truly transforming our educational, professional, political, and social lives. The quality of the discussion and decision-making, as well as the grassroots innovation, can only improve as a result.

It's the end of WSIS, but just the beginning of the story....

Had a great weekend at the World Youth Congress in Scotland, catching up with many friends (including those in the pic) that the Scottish Government had very kindly invited to act as facilitators at the event!

From left to right: Franziska, David, me, Jen, Mike, and Ben. Pic: Brem

Well... the World Bank has (apparently!) come out today with a report saying that all the good people who've been hard at work at the WSIS Prepcom 2 in Geneva shouldn't worry so much, because the Digital Divide is well on the way to being closed and in fact we've already exceeded targets we set for 2015 in the WSIS Action Plan. I guess this is like those other World Bank reports where they said Argentina was a model economy just before it went into depression, and that building huge dams was great for the environment just before they flooded ancient valleys.

Yes, I admit the World Bank does have a point when it says more than half the world's population lives within mobile telephone reception. But really - when did reception equal having a phone? And when did having a phone equal 'digital divide bridged'. I mean, people had phones years before anyone even came up with the term 'digital divide'. It's this oversimplification of the debate on the digital divide which is at the heart of the WSIS problem.

Really, what the UN should be exploring is whether people have freedom to express themselves through technology or whether they get locked up in jail like those in blog-unfriendly regimes the world over. Or whether there is effective financing for content in local languages and about local issues. Or whether education systems are effectively responding to the changing expectations of their tech-savvy pupils. And whether people are literate in the first place.

WSIS- and the digital divide - was never meant to be about phones.

~

I had a great time in Geneva last Thurs-Monday working with the Youth Caucus and reconnecting with great friends. And while perhaps the crowd in Geneva was smaller this time and less focused on the policy debates under discussion in the main halls, it was really heartening to see the number of cool projects - from the World Summit Award to the Youth Radio to the National Rural Youth Campaigns for the Information Society getting off the ground. Great to see those who were there.

I am simply having a wonderful time this week at the International Youth Parliament here in Sydney. I've been to a lot of youth conferences over the last few years, and I think this is the best! I arrived on Sunday, and it feels like I've been here for weeks. After a quick tour of the venue, the huge St Joseph's College, I practiced my navigation skills and started giving the tours myself for groups of delegates! From that point on, it's been an intensive time of facilitation, workshops, meetings, highly engaging conversations, meeting up with old friends, and gaining new ideas.

The opening session on Monday at the Sydney town hall was well choreographed - if a bit slow to get started - and incorporated a call-to-action from the Premier of New South Wales, an relatively unmemorable speech from a distinguished and personally inspiring indigenous leader Pat Dodson, and an incredibly moving address by Stanley Simpson, IYP2000 delegate from Fiji. I came to this conference thinking I was mainly here to facilitate and develop partnerships for TIG, in a very mechanical sort of way. But Stanley's speech reminded me of why I am here really - to connect with and learn from an incredible group of people fighting for human rights and social justice against all odds, and from very diverse backgrounds. Thanks Stanley, you are a true leader.

I'm facilitating one of the two Education Action Areas, which is a group of 30 youth coming from places from Jordan to Indonesia looking at creating relevant, innovative informal education initiatives - such as training programs for young women in India, to advocacy efforts to in Papua New Guinea. It's been great working with Ethan, Liz, and Kimberly on the facilitation team, and we've been having fun coming up with games and exercises which draw connections with the issues and get people collaborating - as well as the more intensive breakout groups. Tomorrow we'll start one-on-one mentorship with the group, which should really help people concretize their ideas.

Last night we were packed onto buses and driven to the new National Institute for Dramatic Arts theatre. The trip itself was a pleasure, chatting to several more of the delegates from the UK I hadn't already met. Is it just coincidence, or is everyone from the UK really great?

The performance blew me away. Architected by famous Canadian group Cirque Du Soleil, it brought together six performance groups from around the world (Brazil, Paris, Aboriginal Australia, Chile, South Africa, Montreal) - youth from marginalized communities who used dance, song, hip-hop and circus to express themselves... powerful cultural action. Hugely professional, very inspiring, highly entertaining, it got us all into a great mood. The performers are joining us from tomorrow as IYP delegates and I can't wait to talk to them about their experience putting together the show over the last three weeks. Again, very impressive!

Today things are picking up speed. I took time out this morning to have breakfast down the road (as much as it is wonderful, I needed to get out of IYP for an hour). And then after our Action Area Group in the morning, I presented a workshop, twice, on Networking and Partnerships. It was a bit nerve racking, especially as people were slow to arrive... but we soon got a very good crowd and the feedback on my evaluation forms was excellent, which I'm so glad about. These people deserve the best.

In between the two sessions, Rohan and I chatted to Mwena, a delegate from Nigeria. He lives two hours+ travelling away from the local internet cafe, which he can't afford anyway at $2.50/hour. Right now he lives in a rural village, and runs the hospital for the region (110,000 people). In fact, he is the only doctor. Turns out that while he is here in Australia, the region basically has no health care system. With a smile, he said he can't wait to get back, "because soon the community will start crying", and "because the weather is terrible here!".

It's been great catching up with many old friends and making new ones. To sum up, wonderful.

I am simply having a wonderful time this week at the International Youth Parliament here in Sydney. I've been to a lot of youth conferences over the last few years, and I think this is the best! I arrived on Sunday, and it feels like I've been here for weeks. After a quick tour of the venue, the huge St Joseph's College, I practiced my navigation skills and started giving the tours myself for groups of delegates! From that point on, it's been an intensive time of facilitation, workshops, meetings, highly engaging conversations, meeting up with old friends, and gaining new ideas.

The opening session on Monday at the Sydney town hall was well coreographed - if a bit slow to get started - and incorporated an off the cuff call to action from the Premier of New South Wales, an relatively unmemorable speech from a distinguished and personally inspiring indigenous leader Pat Dodson, and an incredibly moving address by Stanley Simpson, IYP2000 delegate from Fiji. I came to this conference thinking I was mainly here to facilitate and develop partnerships for TIG, in a very mechanical sort of way. But Stanley's speech reminded me of why I am here really - to connect with and learn from an incredible group of people fighting for human rights and social justice against all odds, and from very diverse backgrounds. Thanks Stanley, you are a true leader.

I'm facilitating one of the two Education Action Areas, which is a group of 30 youth coming from the Jordan to Indonesia looking at creating relevant, innovative informal education initiatives - such as training programs for young women in India, to advocacy efforts to in Papua New Guinea. It's been great working with Ethan, Liz, and Kimberly on the facilitation team, and we've been having fun coming up with games and exercises which draw connections with the issues and get people collaborating - as well as the more intensive breakout groups. Tomorrow we'll start one-on-one mentorship with the group, which should really help people concretize their ideas.

Last night we were packed onto buses and driven to the new National Institute for Dramatic Arts theatre. The trip itself was a pleasure, chatting to several more of the delegates from the UK I hadn't already met. Is it just coincidence, or is everyone from the UK really great?

The performance blew me away. Architected by famous Canadian group Cirque Du Soliel, it brought together six performance groups from around the world (Brazil, Paris, Aboriginal Australia, Chile, South Africa, Montreal) - youth from marginalized communities who used dance, song, hip-hop and circus to express themselves... powerful cultural action. Hugely professional, very inspiring, highly entertaining, it got us all into a great mood. The performers are joining us from tomorrow as IYP delegates and I can't wait to talk to them about their experience putting together the show over the last three weeks. Again, very impressive!

Today things are picking up speed. I took time out this morning to have breakfast down the road (as much as it is wonderful, I needed to get out of IYP for an hour). And then after our Action Area Group in the morning, I presented a workshop, twice, on Networking and Partnerships. It was a bit nerve racking, especially as people were slow to arrive... but we soon got a very good crowd and the feedback on my evaluation forms was excellent, which I'm so glad about. These people deserve the best.

In between the two sessions, Rohan and I chatted to Mwena, a delegate from Nigeria. He lives two hours+ travelling away from the local internet cafe, which he can't afford anyway at $2.50/hour. Right now he lives in a rural village, and runs the hospital for the region (110,000 people). In fact, he is the only doctor. Turns out that while he is here in Australia, the region basically has no health care system. With a smile, hesaid he can't wait to get back, "because soon community will start crying", and "because the weather is terible here!".

It's been great catching up with many old friends and making new ones. To sum up, wonderful.

So much is happening to prepare for the WSIS today -- lots of people around the world are getting on flights, and I was up for a lot of the night writing letters and talking to embassies about visas... the visa situation is pretty horrible.. especially the transit visas. Anyway, hopefully people will get here! :)

Many people already have... a slow trickle is about to turn into a rush. Over the last few days we put the finishing touches to a youth program of events for the Summit, wrote some media releases and updated the website a little. Today Alberto and others are setting up the Youth Hub in the ICT4D Platform. See you all soon!

Well here I am in Hong Kong! What an amazing and vibrant city. I flew in last night and had my nose to the taxi cab window all the way from the airport.

I'm here for Asia Telecom, where I am speaking at the Youth Forum. More on that later.

Today I spent the day sleeping in, and then ventured out in search of a power adapter for my computer. Or at least that's the excuse I used for a huge trip around Hong Kong exploring the huge shopping malls, subway network, parks, and busy streets. It wasn't a very nice day, kind of drizzeling the whole time, but that gave it all a bit of a magical feeling. The picture shows the Hong Kong Exhibition Center (where the conference will happen).

Moresoon..