I’m reproducing an appeal by Fouad Riaz Bajwa :

“The results of the selection of committees or stakeholders is not acceptable by the (Civil Society) Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) Movement. The FOSS Movement has been deliberately sidelined again as was done during the WSIS main activities. Once again under representation has been given to the FOSS Movement and excluded from the overall ICT process.

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It can be concluded that there is some biasness in the selection of the UN-GAID council and committees again. There is no representation from the Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) Movement in the committees; no leaders from either of the forefront organizations involved in the promotion of FOSS are involved. Either the issue has been excluded on purpose or again this proves the plight of the proprietary software forces on the FOSS movement and biasness of a certain lobby in the UN system.

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This is our appeal to all concerned to include the FOSS Movement in the UN-GAID or a proper justification be given to the FOSS Movement why it has been excluded from such an important global ICT related inclusive process! Furthermore, this is not exclusion of the FOSS Movement only; it is the rejection of the basic right of all human beings to choose and access their ICT software freedoms! Is the UN system really interested in depriving us of our basic rights to promote ICT Software Freedom for Everyone!

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Why is it that such initiatives related to ICT4D normally have a continuous habit of excluding important actors and stakeholders from the overall process! Such a process should also be rejected by the FOSS movement that excludes respect for the open software related core of the overall process!

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Voicing & Promoting ICT Software Freedom For Everyone – The Free and Open Source Software Movement!

I will not participate in such a biased forum and furthermore Civil Society FOSS movements should boycott such a biased meeting because we all know why this happens! The hidden political force that we are well aware of, buys out everyone in the process and right on time!

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Visit the website and see it with your own eyes at http://www.un-gaid.org. “