[governance] Update on upcoming IGF consultations

[Adam Peake]

On 11/23/06, Milton Mueller <mueller at syr.edu> wrote:
> >>> Jeremy at Malcolm.id.au 11/22/2006 7:11:57 PM >>>
> >Will they be open to synchronous/instantaneous remote
> >participation via the Internet?  If so, facilitated by whom?
> >I can't afford to fly to Geneva from my own pocket, and it
> >was on my and Kieren McCarthy's
> >shoulders in Athens.
>
> I second that emotion. I would hope IGF would move to a more virtual
> form of consultation/stocktaking, perhaps organizing a kind of mass
> online chat session if it can't do something better.
>

What language would the chat sessions being in? One reason the dates
are likely to be when they are is availability of UN translators, Feb
13 is apparently one of the few dates early next year when UN services
can accommodate the meeting.

And how can we help this online interaction/participation be
multi-stakeholder? Remote participation is extremely important -- but
it needs to accommodate multiple languages and all stakeholders.

Considering the technical problems and that many things were done on
the fly, the stuff Kieren and Jeremy did in Athens went well (comments
by sms was perhaps a first.) But remote access pretty much meant being
able to comment in English and most comments came from just a couple
of people (I believe Mike Nelson "spoke" more than any other floor
participant.) I don't know how many people were in the chat rooms for
Athens (I couldn't get access...) but I suspect not many. At one point
Jeremy said their were 6. Not very good.

All comes down to money.  If the IGF process has money it will be able
to do much more.

> One of the key issues will be the status and future of the MAG itself.
>

No one knows. The MAG's mandate was the help the secretary general
convene the IGF, with a main task  of helping him prepare the agenda
and programme for Athens.  Members were not sent letters inviting them
to join, no period of appointment. With the change of secretary
general things are less clear.

Adam


>
>
> ____________________________________________________________
> You received this message as a subscriber on the list:
>      governance at lists.cpsr.org
> To be removed from the list, send any message to:
>      governance-unsubscribe at lists.cpsr.org
>
> For all list information and functions, see:
>      http://lists.cpsr.org/lists/info/governance
>
____________________________________________________________
You received this message as a subscriber on the list:
     governance at lists.cpsr.org
To be removed from the list, send any message to:
     governance-unsubscribe at lists.cpsr.org

For all list information and functions, see:
     http://lists.cpsr.org/lists/info/governance