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On Thursday 19 July 2012 09:18 AM, Izumi AIZU wrote:
<blockquote
cite="mid:CA+YNoKiKr3rjDJbnkgmhhjsJbQmCPadckaOtobbVuJiHR8T3tw@mail.gmail.com"
type="cite">Hi Adam and all,
<div><br>
</div>
<div>Asia Pacific regional IGF, is also ongoing since yesterday,
for three days.</div>
</blockquote>
<font face="Andika"><br>
Dear Izumi and Peng Hwa,<br>
<br>
My best wishes for the meeting. However, that reminds me that when
you announced this so called regional IGF I has asked you for a
few clarification vide my email to the IGC on 25th April (enclosed
and also content cut pasted below). I am surprised that as the
main organisers neither you nor Peng Hwa considered it necessary
on answer my queries. parminder</font><br>
<br>
<font face="Andika">Disclosure: I was invited for the meeting but
refused to attend because of its overly business ownership, and
non transparency as inter alia evident in not responding to my
direct questions about the event. I have been trying to persuade
the organisers for three years now to make the event more open and
inclusive, especially for more marginalised groups etc . And among
other things invite the Asia Pacific UN regional commission to be
part of the meeting as Latin American and African regional IGFs
have done. But this has been to no avail.<br>
</font><br>
<font face="Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif">Below is the content of my
email of the 25th April. <br>
<br>
Dear Izumi<br>
<br>
Can you proffer more information on who is organising this
meeting, who
is is funding it etc... <br>
<br>
In general, as you know, I am quite against policy dialogue forums
(which I understand this meeting is supposed to be, taking from
the UN
IGF) being organised primarily by the business sector, especially
when
such a forum claims a monopoly and therefore authoritative
position,
which is implied in the name of 'the' 'Asia Pacific regional IGF'.
<br>
<br>
Mine is a somewhat unpleasant task of raising what may appear to
be
difficult question with regard to sincere and hard work being put
in by
people like you and Peng Hwa, both of whom I greatly respect. But
all
of us, most of all civil society, must be subject to
accountability and
to hard questions when required. So, my apologies for that.
However, I
do request an open discussion on the subject here in the IGC.<br>
<br>
I do not think that you would much look forward to a time when the
policies that determine what education our children will have, and
how,
will be determined by processes led by private companies in the
business of digital content, educational software etc. Do you? Or,
to a
time when our health policies will be determined by processes led
by
big pharma companies and private hospital chains. However, what is
being done in Internet governance today is precisely and
inescapably
leading us towards such a model of governance and policy making.
To
that extent, we will have to take responsibility for our actions.
I am
merely trying to take responsibility for mine in raising these
questions at this time. And I look forward to your responses.
Apologies
once again if this is inconvenient and/ or an incursion on your
busy
time.<br>
<br>
regards, parminder <br>
<br>
</font><br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
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