<div dir="ltr"><div>Vote YES.</div>
<div>YJ<br></div>
<div class="gmail_quote">On Fri, Sep 12, 2008 at 11:06 AM, Milton L Mueller <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:mueller@syr.edu">mueller@syr.edu</a>></span> wrote:<br>
<blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="PADDING-LEFT: 1ex; MARGIN: 0px 0px 0px 0.8ex; BORDER-LEFT: #ccc 1px solid">I vote YES on the review statement<br>
<div>
<div></div>
<div class="Wj3C7c"><br>><br>> On 12/09/2008, at 5:59 AM, Ian Peter wrote:<br>><br>> > Here is the second statement we have been preparing, and the less<br>> > controversial one. Again, a YES or NO response is required within 48<br>
> > hours<br>> > to meet the Secretariat's deadline.<br>> ><br>> ><br>> > Review of the IGF<br>> ><br>> ><br>> > The Tunis Agenda (TA) calls for examining "the desirability of the<br>
> > continuation of the Forum in formal consultation with Forum<br>> > participants, within five years of its creation, and to make<br>> > recommendations to the UN Membership..". In this regard, we have two<br>
> > sets of comments. One set is regarding the process of the<br>> > 'examining' or<br>> > review of the IGF, and another consists of our substantive comments<br>on<br>> > the role, mandate and structure of the IGF.<br>
> ><br>> ><br>> ><br>> > Process of review<br>> ><br>> ><br>> ><br>> > As mentioned in the Tunis Agenda, the process of review should be<br>> > centered on consultations with Forum (IGF) participants. These<br>
> > consultations should be both formal and informal. It is important to<br>> > lay<br>> > out clear formal processes, apart from informal ones. It will also<br>be<br>> > necessary to go beyond IGF participants to reach out to other<br>
> > interested<br>> > stakeholders, who for different reasons may not attend the IGF<br>> > meetings.<br>> > In reaching out, the process of consultations should especially keep<br>> > in<br>
> > mind constituencies that have lesser participation in IG issues at<br>> > present, including constituencies in developing counties including<br>> > those<br>> > of civil society. Other groups with lower participation in IG issues<br>
> > like women, ethnic minorities and disability groups should also be<br>> > especially reached out to.<br>> ><br>> ><br>> ><br>> > If it is found necessary to do a expert evaluation to help the<br>
process<br>> > of review, the process should be open and transparent. It is not<br>> > advisable to rely solely on a pro bono evaluation, by any agency<br>that<br>> > offers it, for such a politically sensitive and important<br>
assessment.<br>> > The selected experts should have adequate expertise in matter of<br>> > global<br>> > public policy and policy institutions. In view of the geo-political<br>> > significance of IG, it may be useful to have a reputed public policy<br>
> > institution in the global South do the evaluation in partnership<br>with<br>> > one such institution from the North. Even if reliance on existing<br>> > global<br>> > institutions is sought, there should be adequate balancing of<br>
> > perspectives, and partnerships are a good way to ensure it.<br>> ><br>> ><br>> ><br>> > It is important that the process of review starts at the earliest,<br>> > preferably with the forthcoming IGF meeting in Hyderabad. IGC held a<br>
> > workshop on 'role and mandate of the IGF' at Rio (see<br>> > <a href="http://intgovforum.org/Rio_event_report.php?mem=30" target="_blank">http://intgovforum.org/Rio_event_report.php?mem=30</a> ), and plans<br>
> > another<br>> > one with the same title in Hyderabad. The outcomes from this<br>workshop<br>> > should feed into the main workshop on 'Taking stock and going<br>> > forward'.<br>> > Substantive comments on the IGF mandate, role and structure<br>
> ><br>> ><br>> ><br>> > On the basic question of the review about desirability of<br>continuation<br>> > of the IGF, the Caucus is of the firm view that the IGF should<br>> > continue<br>
> > beyond its first mandated period of five years.<br>> ><br>> ><br>> ><br>> > It is important that IGF remains open to addressing all issues that<br>> > are<br>> > in the IG space, no matter how controversial. Very likely, the more<br>
> > controversial an issue, the more appropriate it may be to bring it<br>to<br>> > the IGF where inputs from a diverse range of stakeholders can be<br>> > sought.<br>> > Deliberations at the IGF can be used as inputs for global Internet<br>
> > policy making, which will help make policy-making processes more<br>> > participative and democratic.<br>> ><br>> ><br>> ><br>> > The Tunis agenda calls for "development of multi-stakeholder<br>
processes<br>> > at the national, regional.. level" similar to the IGF. It is<br>> > heartening<br>> > to note that some such national and regional processes are already<br>> > taking shape. IGF should further encourage such processes and seek<br>
to<br>> > establish formal relationships with these initiatives. Since the<br>> > fear of<br>> > governmental domination is considerably higher at national levels,<br>IGF<br>> > should use global civil society groups and processes to guide<br>
> > appropriate multistakeholderisation of emerging national IGF spaces.<br>> > IGC<br>> > offers its assistance to the IGC in this regard.<br>> ><br>> ><br>> ><br>> > A greater need for the IGF to get deeper in substantive issues is<br>
> > evident to some. It is desirable in this regard for the IGF to have<br>an<br>> > inter-sessional work program in addition planning for the annual IGF<br>> > event. It will be useful for this purpose for the MAG to operate in<br>
> > Working Groups, and also incorporating outside expertise in these<br>> > WGs as<br>> > required. Some start in this direction is expected to be made in the<br>> > run-up to IGF, Hyderabad, whereby WGs of MAG members plus some<br>
> > outsiders<br>> > are expected to prepare for main sessions.<br>> ><br>> ><br>> ><br>> > As a global policy related institution it is important for the IGF<br>to<br>> > have stable public funding, and to insulate itself against any<br>
> > possibility of special interests influencing its working through<br>> > control<br>> > over funding. Such funding should not only enable appropriate and<br>> > streamlined functioning of the IGF secretariat, the annual event and<br>
> > other proposed and inter-sessional activities, it should also be<br>> > used to<br>> > ensure equity in participation in the IGF across geographies and<br>> > social<br>> > groups.<br>> ><br>
> ><br>> ><br>> > We congratulate the IGF secretariat on doing exemplary work in the<br>> > last<br>> > few years, on a very thin resource base, and in difficult conditions<br>> > where different stakeholder groups involved in the IGF have very<br>
> > different orientations and expectations of the secretariat. A lot<br>of<br>> > the IGF secretariat's work is indeed path-breaking in the UN system.<br>> > However, it is very evident that the secretariat needs much better<br>
> > resource support that they have at present, if we are to fulfill all<br>> > our<br>> > expectations from this unique global institution.<br>> ><br>> ><br>> > ________________________________<br>
> ><br>> ><br>> > Ian Peter<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>
> > To be removed from the list, send any message to:<br>> > <a href="mailto:governance-unsubscribe@lists.cpsr.org">governance-unsubscribe@lists.cpsr.org</a><br>> ><br>> > For all list information and functions, see:<br>
> > <a href="http://lists.cpsr.org/lists/info/governance" target="_blank">http://lists.cpsr.org/lists/info/governance</a><br>> > <message-footer.txt><br>><br>><br>><br>> --<br>> Jeremy Malcolm LLB (Hons) B Com<br>
> Internet and Open Source lawyer, IT consultant, actor<br>> host -t NAPTR <a href="http://1.0.8.0.3.1.2.9.8.1.6.e164.org/" target="_blank">1.0.8.0.3.1.2.9.8.1.6.e164.org</a>|awk -F! '{print $3}'<br>><br>
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</div></div></blockquote></div><br></div>