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<div class="moz-cite-prefix">On Thursday 31 October 2013 10:14 PM,
Andrew Puddephatt wrote:<br>
</div>
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<div class="WordSection1">
<p class="MsoNormal"><span
style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D">I
think the precise position is that Best Bits is a platform
that enables action/collaboration. As a platform it
therefore does not sign letters in its own right – a letter
goes from the organisations willing to sign it directly not
BB itself. It’s an important distinction and one we need to
be careful about. </span></p>
</div>
</blockquote>
<br>
I saw an apparent direct role of Bestbits (BB) steering committee
with regard to the most recent statement developed here, which does
not fit with the above 'platform' nature of BB.<br>
<br>
One also knows that recently a statement that has wide acceptability
and a little opposition (which opposition was also mostly not
substantive and only to the extent of need to postpone the issuing
of the statement) was refused by the steering committee to be hosted
on the BB platform, with no clear reasons given thereof. <br>
<br>
I also know that once the BB platform has been employed, the
concerned statements often get mentioned as BB statements, including
by steering committee members.. I also know that outside
institutions that receive these statements, and other outside actors
like the press and so on, refer to most of not all of these
statements as BB statements.<br>
<br>
And with the very high profile that BB is increasingly building as
the primary civil society group in this area (to a good extent at
the cost of IGC, although in the present narrative I will stay
neutral in terms of any value judgements on this shift) provides a
great amount of new 'powers' like being the contact person to
connect with other powerful groups, sending reps to various
processes etc.... And increasingly such 'powers' come to the
custodians of the BB group. (BTW, I will like to know from the BB
steering committee whether any such contacts were made with them at
the Bali IGF, like to meet different 'other groups', send reps, etc,
and if so, how did they respond to it). <br>
<br>
Basically, what I am saying here is that the processes around the BB
group, need to be taken seriously, and should be very transparent,
responsive and accountable. Sometimes by giving 'neutral' and 'no
specific power' kind of self descriptions, like that of being 'only
a platform', one can escape such formal requirements expected from
those who manage the concerned processes. <br>
<br>
I think that BB group is a CS coalition (I see the term still being
used by a few steering committee members right now on this elist)
and accordingly should follow very high standards of processes of
custodian-ship or trusteeship for the concerned persons/
organisations. Most decision making should be done by the larger
coalition by a process set up, as appropriate, for that purpose. <br>
<br>
While BB employ some 'new age' flexible processes, which could be a
very useful thing - the term 'platform' should not be used (not that
anyone right now is using it in this way) to escape responsibility
which comes with managing positions and roles of power. <br>
<br>
In the network age, we all know how custodians of 'platforms' - for
social networking, knowledge/ information listing and sharing, and
so on - do increasingly mis use their powers, while insisting that
they really have no power and are merely process managers of
'neutral platforms'. We have to remain very vary that such a
problematic phenomenon - kind of endemic to network age power
structures - does not become a part of civil society arrangements. <br>
<br>
Power is best recognised where it exists, rather that deny it. Such
recognition makes it much easier to deal with power, rather than its
invisiblisation. <br>
<br>
I prefer that we recognise the coalition/ network nature of BB
group, and accordingly are also mindful of the power inherent in
custodianship of its various processes - and accordingly develop all
the necessary and appropriate processes to manage it. <br>
<br>
We can develop conditions of membership of this coalition/ network,
which can be of belonging to civil society organisations with open
statement of interest, objectives, activities and funding, and of
individuals, who come with civil society background and
credentials. And then we can develop processes of decision making
that are members-driven.<br>
<br>
parminder<br>
<br>
<blockquote
cite="mid:F605C05AD40650428A0434B4926B399CC557BBBE10@COLO-MB-CLUSTER.ethical.local"
type="cite">
<div class="WordSection1">
<p class="MsoNormal"><span
style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span
style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"
style="margin-top:7.0pt;line-height:115%;text-autospace:none"><b><span
style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#253741;mso-fareast-language:EN-US">Andrew
Puddephatt</span></b><b><span
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</span></b><span
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PARTNERS</span></b><span
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DIGITAL<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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House, 56–64 Leonard Street, London EC2A 4LT<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span
style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#7F7F7F">T:
+44 (0)20 7549 0336 | M: +44 (0)771 339 9597 | Skype:
andrewpuddephatt</span><span
style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#7F7F7F"><br>
<b>gp-digital.org</b><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span
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<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span
style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif""
lang="EN-US">From:</span></b><span
style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif""
lang="EN-US"> <a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="mailto:ebertoni65@gmail.com">ebertoni65@gmail.com</a>
[<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="mailto:ebertoni65@gmail.com">mailto:ebertoni65@gmail.com</a>] <b>On Behalf Of </b>Eduardo
Bertoni<br>
<b>Sent:</b> 31 October 2013 16:32<br>
<b>To:</b> Anja Kovacs<br>
<b>Cc:</b> John Curran; Jeremy Malcolm; Bits
<a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="mailto:bestbits@lists.bestbits.net">bestbits@lists.bestbits.net</a><br>
<b>Subject:</b> Re: process Re: [bestbits] [Meeting Report]:
friday meeting with fadi et all<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal">Dear all,<o:p></o:p></p>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal">I jump (late) to this debate. My
reaction is, perhaps, more related to the core of
BestBits. Something that I asked in Bali, and frankly, I
didn´t get any answer. For me the core question is about
what BestBits is. Is it a platform, that NGOs and other
could use for debate and at some point use the
technological platform to work on letters or statements?
Is it a network, from where ALL the participants have a
voice, have the chance to open deliberations, and at the
end, reach to decisions to execute some concrete actions
ON BEHALF of the network, meaning ALL the organizations?
Is it a network where decisions are delegated to some
groups? <o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal">I was very concern with the language
used in the past to present, for example, the last letters
or statements. Concrete example: I heard that the letter
to the President of Brazil was a letter coming from
BestBits. Well, I didn´t signed the letter and I think
that I participate in Best Bits. In fact was a letter
signed by a group of people or organizations, not BY Best
Bits. Am I wrong?<o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal">Maybe I am introducing a philosophical
discussion, maybe is something already discussed that I
don´t know, maybe some people use the word platform and
network as synonymous. What I strongly believe is this: if
it is not clear what BestBits is and how takes decisions,
we will have a never end discussion.<o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal">Best<o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal">Eduardo<o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><br clear="all">
<o:p></o:p></p>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal">Eduardo<o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal">On Thu, Oct 31, 2013 at 12:44 PM, Anja
Kovacs <<a moz-do-not-send="true"
href="mailto:anja@internetdemocracy.in" target="_blank">anja@internetdemocracy.in</a>>
wrote:<o:p></o:p></p>
<div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12.0pt">Dear
all,<o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12.0pt">I have
been in favour of keeping some discussions closed, at
least in the early stages, for quite a while, and have
been so for the reasons John and Kivuva point out:
other stakeholder groups do so all the time, and a
strategic argument to keep parts of a conversation
limited to a smaller group does not mean that
conversation cannot be reported back on to a larger
group. As long as the latter happens, need more closed
conversations really be a problem?<o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12.0pt">As
again confirmed during the Best Bits meeting, two
specific characteristics of Best Bits as a network are
that it is action-oriented and that it seeks to bridge
the differences and disagreements between the Global
South and North. <o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal">To my mind, the strategy of being
transparent at all times is one of the main reasons
why action is often inhibited and civil society is
often less effective than it could be. This is not
only because we put all our cards on the table all the
time - something which puts other stakeholders at an
advantage. It is also because fully open lists do not
encourage sharing certain kinds of information and
ideas that could actually help to massively improve
effectiveness of civil society action (and as is the
case so often, perhaps Global South civil society is
perhaps more vulnerable here than Global North civil
society). <br>
<br>
In fact, if Best Bits has been working, it is because
so much is actually done by small groups of people who
want to do something, trust each other, start
coordinating, and then bring their ideas, once
crystallised, to the main list (what are now called
"fluid working groups" in BB lingo ;)<o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12.0pt">If we
ignore this reality, this will only be at our own
peril. <br>
<br>
I don't see transparency as an end in itself, but is a
means to an end, which is the creation of a level
playing field. Because of power differentials,
different stakeholder groups are differently placed in
this field, and whatever strategies we decide on
should keep this in mind. The redistribution of power
should drive our actions, not transparency as such. <o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal">Thanks and best regards,<o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal">Anja <o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
</div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><br>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
</div>
</div>
</blockquote>
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