Following the discussions of the last few days I have taken the liberty of putting together the contributions into a single document. I have not included Imran's option B
(to make some consultations/MAG meetings remote only and which I like very much myself) because no one else has said anything about it yet <div><br></div><div>I have also not included in the text, although it is still there below the text, a large part of Sala's contribution which seems to me to deal with direct suggestions for improving remote participation at the IGF itself, and therefore (again my opinion only) would perhaps have a greater effect in a second document of practical suggestions.</div>
<div><br></div><div><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><u>Internet Governance
Civil Society Caucus (IGC) </u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><u>Statement on
remote participation</u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">We would like to
reiterate that remote participation is a crucial part of organizing the Internet
Governance Forum (IGF) and we appreciate the effort to provide remote
participation for the Open Consultation, the Multi-stakeholder Advisory Group
(MAG) meetings, and the MAG meeting this month - February 2012 - which was opened to observers.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="left" style="text-align:left"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman";color:#222222"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="left" style="text-align:left"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman";color:#222222">We would like to commend the excellent work of the
technical team from Politecnico di Torino, (The Polytechnic University of Turin) which was originally brought by our colleague Vittorio Bertola. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="left" style="text-align:left"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="left" style="text-align:left"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">However,</span><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman";color:#222222"> we would like to point out some difficulties that occurred with the system
during the open MAG meeting. </span><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">On
the third day, morning session, (the second day of the open MAG meeting), remote
observers were effectively excluded because they had no access to live
transcript. Also MAG members trying to participate online had difficulty in contacting
moderators, partly because the moderators were serving more than one function. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">We strongly urge
MAG and IGF secretariats </span><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman";color:#222222">and ourselves</span><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""> to consider
the following for the future IGF organizing work and the IGF itself, and work
together to bring them about:</span></p>
<p class="ListParagraph" style="margin-left:42.0pt"><span style="font-family:Wingdings">l<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"">
</span></span><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">Ensure
equal participation between online and offline participants</span></p>
<p class="ListParagraph" style="margin-left:42.0pt"><span style="font-family:Wingdings">l<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"">
</span></span><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">Prepare
</span><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman";color:#222222">a clear guideline
for remote participation and its moderation</span><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""></span></p>
<p class="ListParagraph" style="margin-left:42.0pt"><span style="font-family:Wingdings">l<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"">
</span></span><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">Always
assign exclusive remote participation coordinator/moderators (who do not have
other jobs at the same time, and are responsible to interact between the
meeting’s physical participants/current speaker, the Chair and the remote
participants).</span></p>
<p class="ListParagraph" align="left" style="margin-left:42.0pt;text-align:left"><span style="font-family:Wingdings">l<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"">
</span></span><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman";color:#222222">Establish a clear procedure that would encourage remote participants to
intervene. Such a system is desirable both for those physically present in Geneva and those observing the meeting
remotely.</span><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""></span></p>
<p class="ListParagraph" align="left" style="margin-left:42.0pt;text-align:left"><span style="font-family:Wingdings">l<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"">
</span></span><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">Provide
as much interactivity as possible.</span></p>
<p class="ListParagraph" style="margin-left:42.0pt"><span style="font-family:Wingdings">l<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"">
</span></span><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">Provide
plural means – video, voice and text channel, as well as real-time
transcription </span><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman";color:#222222">and video
streaming - of coverage of the meeting</span><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""></span></p>
<p class="ListParagraph" style="margin-left:42.0pt"><span style="font-family:Wingdings">l<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"">
</span></span><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman";color:#222222">Enable the meeting and remote participation through interactive<br>
presentations access through RP. </span><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman";color:red">(This needs clarification)</span><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""></span></p>
<p class="ListParagraph" style="margin-left:42.0pt"><span style="font-family:Wingdings">l<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"">
</span></span><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">Create</span><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman";color:#222222"> a select task force or Working
Group created that has representatives from the Government, Private Sector and
Civil Society that is dedicated to seeing improvements of Remote Participation</span><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">Because only
limited funds are available for direct participation, this issue is crucially
important to all stakeholders from all constituencies who are entitled to
participate in the meetings, and who wish to do so from a remote location.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><br></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">[This text was originally proposed by Izumi and is close to the wording of his intervention at the end of the MAG meeting. Subsequent contributions from other people have also been included.]</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><u>This is the rest
of Sala’s suggestion. Two points are included above.</u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="left" style="text-align:left"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman";color:#222222">We have to move beyond advocacy
to listing and creating tangible outcomes to make improved remote participation
a reality.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="left" style="text-align:left"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman";color:#222222">There are regions around the
world where transportation is extremely expensive and one such region is the
Pacific which has 22 countries and territories. Remote participation was the
only way that any of these countries could access the IGF. However there is
room to improve processes and create an IGF culture where remote participation
is prioritised through setting up parallel screens that enable people to chat
and stream in to the sessions where those who are at the meeting can read these
chats or feeds in text form and also see the various hubs who are
participating. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="left" style="text-align:left"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman";color:#222222">These improvements transcend
having the appropriate technical solutions and should also include the
following:-</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="left" style="margin-left:43.5pt;text-align:left"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Symbol;color:#222222">·<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman""> </span></span><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman";color:#222222">Outreach;</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="left" style="margin-left:43.5pt;text-align:left"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Symbol;color:#222222">·<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman""> </span></span><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman";color:#222222">Mapping local and regional
stakeholders;</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="left" style="margin-left:43.5pt;text-align:left"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Symbol;color:#222222">·<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman""> </span></span><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman";color:#222222">Coordinating with people on the
ground 10 months before the IGF in a series of strategic roll out;</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="left" style="margin-left:43.5pt;text-align:left"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Symbol;color:#222222">·<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman""> </span></span><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman";color:#222222">Identifying how the private
sector, civil society and governments can be better involved in the remote hubs
etc</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">Deirdre </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="left" style="text-align:left"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman";color:#222222"><br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
</span><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""></span></p></div><div><br></div><div><br clear="all"><div><br></div>-- <br>“The fundamental cure for poverty is not money but knowledge" Sir William Arthur Lewis, Nobel Prize Economics, 1979<br>
</div>