<div>Greetings:</div>
<div> </div>
<div>Very interesting.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>Accord from a *Respectful Interfaces* perspective, which looks to strengths and weaknesses on network arcs comprising social linkages.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>The following is, again, very - very - welcome and refreshing as regards potentials for productivity via the longstanding key platform approach for international ICT from its beginnings: </div>
<div> </div>
<div><em>"(inter) connectivity</em>".</div>
<div> </div>
<div>Let's hear more please and thank you,</div>
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<div>With kudos and best wishes,</div>
<div> </div>
<div>:) LDMF.</div>
<div>Dr. Linda D. Misek-Falkoff</div>
<div> </div>
<div>Individual online posting.</div>
<div>For I.D. Here: The *Respectful Interfaces* Programme of the Communications Coordination Committee For the U.N.; CCC/UN Secretary, Board Member.</div>
<div>.</div>
<div> </div>
<div><span class="gmail_quote"><strong>Immediate Reference: On 2/4/08, Carlos Afonso <<a href="mailto:ca@rits.org.br">ca@rits.org.br</a>> wrote:</strong></span></div>
<div><span class="gmail_quote"></span> </div>
<div>"At one point they suggest that "[M]AG members should be chosen on the basis of how large and diverse a community they connect to (which is different than "represent")." :</div>
<div> </div>
<div><strong>Full text: </strong></div>
<div><span class="gmail_quote">On 2/4/08, <b class="gmail_sendername">Carlos Afonso</b> <<a href="mailto:ca@rits.org.br">ca@rits.org.br</a>> wrote:</span>
<blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="PADDING-LEFT: 1ex; MARGIN: 0px 0px 0px 0.8ex; BORDER-LEFT: #ccc 1px solid">Hi compas,<br><br>In one of the IGC meetings during the Rio IGF, I raised problems related<br>to the so-called "Chatham House rules" in supposedly multistakeholder<br>
groups like the IGF MAG.<br><br>My reasoning is that we cannot expect from a business representative<br>(who answers to his/her bosses in a company or business association) to<br>keep quiet about the MAG when returning to base. Much less government<br>
representatives, who will have to report to their superiors -- after<br>all, they are funded by their entities (companies or governments) to<br>*represent* them there. Several of these representatives come to the MAG<br>with carefully drafted strategies and proposals which they obviously do<br>
not create by themselves, rather they are a result of well informed work<br>in their constituencies, who are kept up to date regarding everything<br>which goes on within the MAG. Unless we, civil society people, believe<br>
in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, this is the objective reality of<br>groups like the MAG.<br><br>My point is that "Chatham House rules" in these cases are a figure of<br>rethoric. What about civil society? Sadowsky, Klensin and Sears have<br>
just drafted a generally good proposal containing procedures for a "new<br>MAG". At one point they suggest that "[M]AG members should be chosen on<br>the basis of how large and diverse a community they connect to (which is<br>
different than "represent")." One comment I made in the list is to make<br>sure this is evaluated by the interest groups themselves, not only their<br>current MAG members -- and my view has been that we, civil society<br>
"reps", are very imperfect in this.<br><br>But, again, the SKS proposal has a basic vulnerability here: government<br>and business members are chosen by criteria completely different than<br>the one proposed by it. So, like in the case of Chatham rules (in which<br>
in practice we are the ones left to abide by it), civil society alone<br>would be the one to try and be chosen on that kind of criteria. Funny, I<br>would say, if not ridiculous.<br><br>On the other hand, we could not declare a Galilean revolt, say things<br>
turn differently, and decide to open up everything in real time so to<br>speak. What are then the limits of a "proper" following of the "Chatham<br>House rules" for us, as I believe the other two stakeholder groups have<br>
nearly none?<br><br>The SKS proposal made in the igf-members list is reproduced below. It<br>was posted on Dec.20 (sorry for the delay) but it is still being<br>discussed. In my view, as this list is the main means of communicating<br>
with our peers, I am not breaking the rules, whatever they really are in<br>practice.<br><br>fraternal regards<br><br>--c.a.<br><br><br>========== SKS proposal =================<br><br>PROPOSAL:<br><br>Role of Chair:<br><br>
- The Chair should be a neutral person designated by the UN<br>Secretary-General<br><br>- The Chair should be appointed for the remainder of the mandate of the<br>IGF - we believe that Nitin Desai should continue in this role<br>
<br>Host country representative (at the host country's discretion):<br><br>- A senior local host country representative could participate in the AG<br>meetings and be the interface for logistics and protocol matters for the<br>
event<br><br>Number of AG members:<br><br>- 40, comprising, in the spirit of true multi-stakeholderism and equal<br>representation, 10 from each stakeholder group (governments, business,<br>civil society and technical community)<br>
<br>- Rotation in March, service through end February following year<br><br>- International organizations with relevance to IG issues are welcome as<br>observers (subject to the approval of the Chair)<br><br>Advisers to the Chair:<br>
<br>- Maximum of 5 advisers selected by the Chair<br><br>- The Chair may wish to extend an invitation to a host country<br>representative to be one of the five advisers<br><br>Rotation:<br><br>- Approximately one third of the AG members from each stakeholder group<br>
should rotate every year<br><br>- Each stakeholder group will be responsible for submitting the names of<br>the outgoing and incoming Advisory Group members to the Chair for<br>approval (the Chair may consult as he sees appropriate with regards to<br>
the proposed names). Stakeholder groups may provide more names than<br>there are seats. The Chair's decision is final.<br><br>- If an insufficient number of members have retired from the AG, the<br>Chair may ask individuals to retire (in informal and private conversation)<br>
<br>Key guidelines for AG member selection:<br><br>- AG members should be chosen on the basis of how large and diverse a<br>community they connect to (which is different than "represent").<br><br>- Anyone who did not participate actively and conscientiously should not<br>
be renewed. (Note that participation can include postings to the list,<br>private communications with the Chair and the secretariat, attendance at<br>meetings, both in Geneva and at IGF, and actual work in helping to<br>
facilitate the IGF, etc.).<br><br>- Quality of participation should count more than quantity of participation.<br><br>- The AG should be balanced in terms of, inter alia, stakeholders,<br>geographic regions, gender, points of view, while noting that the<br>
competence/expertise of the group should not be diluted to achieve this<br>balance.<br><br>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<br><br>Other members of our community have participated in the discussions<br>
leading to this proposal, and are planning to post their specific<br>comments regarding its content to the list.<br><br>We trust that this proposal is a positive contribution to the continued<br>functioning and success of the Internet Governance Forum, and we look<br>
forward to your comments. In addition, we look forward to continuing to<br>work with you and Chairman Desai to increase the productivity of future<br>IGF interactions and events.<br><br>With our best regards,<br><br>George Sadowsky<br>
John Klensin<br>Matthew Shears<br><br><br>____________________________________________________________<br>You received this message as a subscriber on the list:<br> <a href="mailto:governance@lists.cpsr.org">governance@lists.cpsr.org</a><br>
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</blockquote></div><br>