Where open access stands in the WSIS planning, and why

Francis Muguet, Activity Report, October 24, 2003. A revealing, first-hand account of why open access is less prominently mentioned in the final documents of PrepCom3 (Geneva, September 15-26) than it was in earlier drafts. Muguet is the chair of the Scientific Information Working Group for the World Summit on the Information Society. (Disclosure: I'm on the steering committee of the working group but couldn't attend the September meeting.) He was on the ground in Geneva last month fighting tirelessly for open access. This is his report of the obstacles and inertia he faced and the outcome so far.