[GUFSC] Aprovadarecomendações de SL para Governos, UNESCO e PNUD

[Ricardo Grützmacher]

Fonte: http://www.cipsga.org.br/article.php?sid=4514&mode=thread&order=0

Participantes do Senegal, Africa do Sul, Bulgária, Vietnam, Estônia, 
Brasil, França, aprovam documento com recomendações para os governos dos 
países em desenvolvimento e para as instituições de cooperação 
internacional - UNESCO e UNDP (Programa das Nações Unidas para o 
Desenvolvimento - PNUD) sobre o uso e difusão do software livre .

Fonte: PSL-RS

Este documento foi elaborado após uma reunião, que aconteceu no QG da 
UNESCO em Paris - França- nos dias 24 á 25 de novembro promovida pela 
UNESCO e UNDP. Os participantes, ativistas e especialistas em software 
livre, apresentaram um diagnóstico da situação da Sociedade da 
Informação e do software livre em cada um dos países e aprovaram por 
aclamação um importante documento com as seguintes recomendações: 
(Versão em Inglês):

Paris, 5.30pm

UNDP/UNESCO FOSS Consultation (24-25 November 2003) Paris, France

1. PREAMBLE

The software industry today generates yearly revenues in excess of 
US$300 Billion (UNCTAD 2003 Development Report). Free and Open Source 
Software (FOSS) offers viable and equitable models for distribution and 
production of this wealth. FOSS makes its source code public and allows 
perhaps even motivates users to change the source code and re-distribute 
the derivative software. Liberating the source code supports broad 
collaborative development in software production, promotes innovation by 
users according to their needs, better interoperability with other 
programs, and the customization of software to meet different 
commercial, regulatory, cultural and linguistic requirements.

Most importantly, in particular for developing countries, FOSS is an 
avenue for economic and technological empowerment, and allows todays and 
tomorrows Information Technology (IT) experts and users to acquire 
skills and advance their knowledge rapidly. Low entry costs of FOSS 
technology enables developing countries to leapfrog to the most advanced 
stages of research and development.

2. RECOMMENDATIONS

a. Policy Issues

i. Raising awareness of FOSS and related Intellectual Property Rights 
issues.
ii. Promotion of FOSS as a global common good contributing to development
iii. Adoption of policies to ensure that FOSS is equally considered in 
public procurement processes
iv. Promotion of FOSS based business models
v. Promotion of FOSS to End Users
vi. Collection of statistics, indicators and best practices on FOSS to 
measure development and utilisation at national, regional and 
international levels
vii. Adoption of FOSS as a basis for open standards in the public sector
viii. Promotion of a patent-free regulatory system regarding standards, 
software and algorithms
ix. Enhancement of cooperation between countries on FOSS promotion, 
development and use
x. Creation of awareness on FOSS licensing and standardization issues
xi. Taking advantage of FOSS to promote multilingualism, cultural 
diversity and use of the different languages in Cyberspace
xii. Making use of FOSS to promote the equitable participation in 
Cyberspace: women and men, ethnic and indigenous groups, people with 
special needs, etc.
xiii. Integration of FOSS within the national e-strategies and ICT 
policies of developing countries
xiv. Mandating that all software developed using public funds be 
distributed under FOSS licenses unless there are valid reasons to the 
contrary.

b. Capacity Building

i. Education: FOSS and Open Standards to be introduced into ICT curricula
ii. Certification in FOSS related areas
iii. Research & Development
iv. Match-making mechanisms to link entities pursuing FOSS
v. FOSS human resources development.

c. Business Development (Entrepreneurship)
i. Address user needs by sector
ii. Business opportunities for FOSS
iii. Encourage government agencies and public institutions to use FOSS
iv. Allow FOSS to compete on equal terms with proprietary alternatives 
in government software procurement
v. Provide incentives for FOSS training and development vi. Encourage 
private sector to set up FOSS resource and support centers

d. Content and Application Development i. Support documentation, 
translation & localization of FOSS
ii. Promote FOSS in education, research and development projects 
financed by public funds
iii. Establish national FOSS development initiatives that link 
developers and users
iv. Establish national capabilities for development, testing, 
evaluation, verification and accreditation of FOSS
v. Implement criteria for evaluating FOSS and procedures for adopting 
and maintaining open standards

e. International Cooperation UNDP and UNESCO should enhance cooperation 
with other international organizations, civil society and private sector 
to develop a common approach to support FOSS in developing countries 
with particular emphasis in achieving the Millennium Development Goals.

Such international cooperation may start with initiatives such as,

i. Analysis of software needs and usage patterns in developing countries 
in order to obtain a priority list of generic FOSS applications meriting 
international support.
ii. Establishment of a coordination mechanism to develop a common agenda 
and goals on FOSS including coordinated support for on-going regional, 
national and local FOSS initiatives
iii. Adoption of FOSS specific criteria to be used in the selection of 
development project proposals and evaluation of project results
iv. Sub-regional projects on implementing E-government using FOSS at 
local levels
v. Formulation and implementation by UNDP and UNESCO of FOSS strategies 
for their own informatics systems and applications.
vi. Development of a comprehensive training programme on FOSS