I have been attending meetings for a long time and have witnessed a transformation that has made it easy, efficient and cheap. Documents from conference organizers took a long time to reach participants: sometimes they didn't arrive on time. These days documents are sent electronically. Information and communication technology (ICT) has made it possible to consult regularly and cheaply from different locations. For example, the skype facility has made it easy for Ugandans at home and in the diaspora to communicate regularly. This has been the case since The Hague meeting that took place in November 2013. Preparations for the London follow-up meeting were very easy thanks to skype. Full participation in the consultation process was achieved.
It was also possible to send the document electronically and obtained comments and suggestion well in advance of the meeting for incorporation into the final document. The organizers also arranged a skype discussion as the meeting was taking place, ensuring that none was excluded for lack of money to attend the London meeting. For easy reference, the consultation process from The Hague to the London meetings was captured in the report. This lesson for organizing future meetings without incurring heavy expenses on travel and related costs and difficulties in obtaining visas should be kept in mind.
To enable as many participants as possible conference organizers should make every effort to use electronic means that are efficient and affordable instead of insisting that participants must meet in the same conference room.
Eric Kashambuzi
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