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Dear Colleagues, Buddies, Partners in Service and FOSS movement members,
All of you are well aware about the discussions and the need for the Global FOSS Movement initiative to bring together the various FOSS movements and initiatives from around the globe on to a common Global platform. It was discussed during IDLELO2 and is a part of the IDLELO2 draft report. This idea evolved during the WSIS in Tunisia with the support of FOSSFA and FOSSFP. Whether it may or may not become a reality, initial activities have to be initiated in order to facilitate a global discussion and participation. The global FOSS movement is not only mine, yours, FOSSFA's or FOSSFP's, it's for everyone and anyone who can truly believe, adopt, share and contribute the true spirit of FOSS but it is also evident that our experiences and struggle will help create a difference. I believe that by the next IDLELO3 or The World Summit on FOSS (as I suggested to Nnenna), we will be able to present to the world a global organization backed with practical work and case studies from its member organizations and developing the GFOSSM-Global ICT4D Fund. This will not only help the world to realize the true potential of FOSS but will also help bind, fund and facilitate that community that helps the movement grow from all the regions that are recognizing FOSS today.
What, why, when, where, how?
To tell all of you the truth, when the FOSS movement received under-representation at the WSIS 2005 and there were only brief reports, policy papers (should or shouldn't) and small pilot reports/projects on its benefits but no strong programme globally, I may have felt very low, ok I accept I was evidently depressed due to the fact that all the ICT development activity globally is being made possible due to the power that runs the hardware involved and provides opportunities for ICT production and consumption. I had felt I was not there to just represent Pakistan, South Asia or Asia, I was their as a FOSS advocate, a member of a global movement. Trust me if you guys would have been there (most of you were including Nicholas and Ben were, that’s where I met FOSSFA for the first time), you would have felt the same as me. I felt even lower when I was on the UNDP-UNIDO panels and they invited me to speak (as they called it) on one of the most controversial issues of the time "FOSS????" I made it clear at that panel and to my sponsors at UNDP that the FOSS movement isn't what they are perceiving, its not just using license cost free-of-charge software or making little programs to do accounting, its so huge and magnificent (the freedom it shares) in nature that you UN guys (some of them, they have two software lobbies within the UN System itself, one is the pro and the other is anti, take UNITAR [you really can't identify whether UNITAR is pro or anti, it seems to go both ways with the financial opportunities]and UNDP [Pro in terms of APDIP and IOSN for example] or UNCTAD [Very Pro - in terms of their FOSS Partnership] for example) literally are afraid to accept the fact that it has disrupted all the policies for internal use and ICT service delivery during humanitarian aid and development projects.
From this you can anticipate/perceive where I am trying to get at. It is something all these guys will learn to accept and share with us in the time soon to come. Another thingi or as I sometimes say THINGAA that pinches me a lot is that in order to get small funding for research and development activity, or publications, or for community projects, you have to join international partnerships with such HUGE and expensive membership fees, sometimes the same budget as to run FOSSFP for one year, I am (am/was literally) shocked! Like I mean, where is the essence of humanity guys, one size doesn't fit all, is there no place for SOHO or SME initiatives in the social enterprise/Civil Society related to ICT and FOSS? Okay yes, entrepreneurship is the key to that but also what if taking charity was not your only objective but to be more contributive in nature towards empowering humanity was the underlying principle? Hmm...
Point of realization, the famous Apple and the infamous OUCH!
That’s when it fell on to us, like Newton's famous apple, ouch, that, what about a central global FOSS activity-platform-fund, a rising Sun, the color and reason for life, of the global movement, like in the Solar System, a ripple of disruption right in the centre, in current perceptions of software and technology and how the whole system/community/movement harmonizes around a single understanding of a spirit evolved from the software development world affecting all humanity positively. Why isn't it possible, humanity has always gathered together in the forms of governments on issues of common and global concern, why not this? Why not on an issue where everyone is working, contributing, sharing and benefiting but are known by different names, why not bring them all on to a global platform where they will continue to retain their true names, identities but will be represented from a global organization that will keep them united, harmonized, collaborators in sustainable human service and equip them policy wise, technologically and financially. Just think in how many ways the global recognition of the GFOSSM is possible for example suggestions (these are just to understand the bits):
1. Capacity Development, Education, Trainings, Certifications issued from one country FOSSFP or region/continent FOSSFA become recognized and accepted in any other countries/regions/continents through country representative offices/organizations/partnership networks. Also trainings from one country/region/continent are transferable from one region to the other and a global FOSS Academy caters to providing technical cooperation and financial support as well as recognition for these skills.
2. ICT4D related Civil Society Organizations and initiatives will no more have to go to so many donor agencies for funding and support for FOSS related ICT delivery or solution provision projects as the GFOSSM Global ICT4D Fund will facilitate technical cooperation and financial support through mechanisms identified by its members irrespective of their regional, religious, ethnical backgrounds. The GFOSSM will mobilize donors and provide them the necessary research, evaluation and feedback. The GFOSSM regional offices in all the countries where it has member organizations will coordinate and act as the roots of GFOSSM to manage this.
Here it is guys, the first step, The GFOSSM Vision Project, "OUR" initiative!
Even though I am not an expert on global relationship development, financial strategy consultant or anything of that nature, but I believe it is useful to play a role in bringing out basic online resources to carry this initiative forward and FOSSFA bringing in its practical and thought provoking community to crown the ship and take it off on its journey towards success. So making a humble attempt, I chose http://www.takingitglobal.org, a Canadian organization/website/platform that provides online collaboration and community building tools as the tools to facilitate the initial online activities that we have to carry out towards making this vision a reality. Secondly there are a huge number of members (especially the young generation) and organizations on the platform that could be targeted in the future for identifying, fostering and facilitating global development relationships.
You can't say that I am inviting all of you in fact WE should say that the need for the GFOSSM is inviting all of us FOSS friends and movement members to join the project site and discussion groups/project discussions at:
There are 2 sections here:
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What I like about this platform is that it inspires and evolves global initiatives, all of you will be able to create your individual profiles, add information about all that you do, join the GFOSSM project site from your profiles, even associate your projects/research/material through the Take Action>Join a Project menu, share your profiles, share documents and participate in discussions, since the website is hosted by TakingITGlobal, we won't have issues about technical problems, system downtime, mailing list spamming, member management etc.
The vision behind this whole activity is that all of our experienced and senior members of the movement are encouraged to share their knowledge and contribute towards creating the structure of the global movement organization. The researchers are encouraged to create and associate their relevant initiatives to the movement through citations or as they deem necessary. Similarly Civil Society will enable its participation by identifying its relationship to the initiative and encourage creating awareness, working papers, policy briefs etc. I know all of this is a biggi but one belief reassures me, if the others did it, we can do it too and where there is a will, there is a way. Go through it and see what I have already added to it in terms of documents, progress reports, etc. I just did this today after carefully going through the whole platform. As things evolve over time, we can shift from here to creating our own global presence of the GFOSSM.
Administration of the GFOSSM vision project site and forum will be based upon the fact that contributing members and workload sharers can be made joint administrators, moderators, content managers, discussion managers etc upon need as the initiative grows and formulates into reality. Secondly it is my request to all of you to display this information on your mailing lists, community mailing lists, and websites and in press releases right after you have joined in order to promote this globally. Call in everyone who is sharing the FOSS movement. Inspire it and evolve it :)
All of you may not approve of this activity in this manner but it is my personal and humble request, for a moment, try to feel the FOSS movement as I have somehow felt it (don't consider me becoming totally psycho with it), I am almost 30 years of age and have spent half of my average Pakistani Life Span and shared a lot of what I learnt and learnt from others, I can feel a bit what humanity needs putting aside my own interests and thinking for a moment about everyone and promoting ICT Software Freedom for Everyone GLOBALLY! And if you don't want to trust me, don't, trust yourselves! I know all of you want to contribute, share make a difference globally!
The GFOSSM Vision Project looks forward to meeting all of you FOSS movement members at http://projects.takingitglobal.org/foss. All that I have put up here is not final and will be organized over time with your kind involvement and as discussions, policies, research and related activities evolve/progress.
Regards
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Fouad Riaz Bajwa
FOSS Advocate |
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GFOSSM Vision Project