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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-US link=blue vlink=purple><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoPlainText>Thanks for this Adam and for pointing to the opportunity for making comments.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>And I have several comments. However, given how the comments element for the document is structured I don't see how I can usefully introduce them into that format since I want to comment not on what is in the document; but rather on what isn't in the document.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>In that context I see two notable and even astonishing absences.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText style='margin-left:.5in;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo2'><![if !supportLists]><span style='mso-list:Ignore'>1.<span style='font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"'> </span></span><![endif]>The document as presented refers to stakeholders/multistakeholderism in its discussions of the global Internet governance model in one form or another <u>46 times</u>! While on the other hand, the document contains <u>no, </u>and let me repeat, <u>NO</u> references to democracy or democratic governance! <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText style='margin-left:.5in'><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText style='margin-left:.5in'>Clearly there is an intent to replace democratic governance with multistakeholder governance. But this issue is not addressed in a forthright manner anywhere in the document. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText style='margin-left:.5in'><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText style='margin-left:.5in'><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText style='margin-left:.5in;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo2'><![if !supportLists]><span style='mso-list:Ignore'>2.<span style='font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"'> </span></span><![endif]>The document nowhere identifies an overall objective for the governance it is discussing. That is, for what purpose or to what end are the governance structures/models being directed? <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText style='margin-left:.5in'><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText style='margin-left:.5in'>To put it bluntly is the proposed governance of the Internet being undertaken in support of the “public interest” or in the interests of the individual “stakeholders” among whom of course certain private corporate and national interests/stakes are pre-eminent? Given what is identified in item #1 the answer to this second question would appear to be self-evident.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoListParagraph><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Of course, these issues were not addressed by myself or others in the 188 position papers presented to the NetMundial conference. Thus one could perversely argue that their absence in the Outcome Statement is a reflection of the failure by contributors to argue for their inclusion. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>However, the perversity of this argument is obvious when one asks the question, is democratic governance in the public interest not something that can be assumed, taken as a given in an area as significant, whose influence is so pervasive, as the Internet. Need one even argue that the governance of the Internet must occur within a democratic framework and directed in support of the public interest. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Who could possibly have imagined that this conference dealing with global (Internet) governance would, completely replace the 1000 year evolution of democratic governance in support of the public interest and replace this with governance by and for “stakeholders” acting in pursuit of their individual and private interests. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Given, as I mentioned, that I see no way of introducing these comments into the commentary section on the document it would be appreciated if you would yourself, forward these to the relevant NetMundial authorities for consideration as they are preparing their final drafts of the output statement for the meeting.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Sincerely,<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Michael Gurstein <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>-----Original Message-----<br>From: ciresearchers-owner@vancouvercommunity.net [mailto:ciresearchers-owner@vancouvercommunity.net] On Behalf Of Adam Peake<br>Sent: Tuesday, April 15, 2014 3:41 AM<br>To: ciresearchers@vancouvercommunity.net<br>Subject: [ciresearchers] NETmundial documents online for comment <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Please see <<a href="http://document.netmundial.br/"><span style='color:windowtext;text-decoration:none'>http://document.netmundial.br/</span></a>> Use the Navigate button. Information below. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Comments will close April 21th, 12:00 UTC.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Adam<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>WELCOME TO NETMUNDIAL PUBLIC COMMENTS PAGE<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>After an open call for content contribution, NETmundial – the Global Multistakeholder Meeting on the Future of Internet Governance – received 188 documents from 46 different countries. These documents were sent by representatives of Civil Society, Private Sector, Academy, Governments and Technical Community.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>Based on these broad set of inputs, NETmundial’s Executive Multistakeholder Committee (EMC) prepared a Draft Outcome Document and submitted it for consultation with NETmundial’s High-level Multistakeholder Committee (HLMC) on April 3rd, 2014. After incorporating the inputs from the HLMC, under the guidance of NETmundial’s Chair and Co-Chairs, a final version of the document is released here for public comments. The public consultation will be open for comments on NETmundial’s Executive Committee Output Document from April 14th until April 21th, 12:00 UTC.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>For this public consultation a commenting tool is available online at <a href="http://document.netmundial.br/"><span style='color:windowtext;text-decoration:none'>http://document.netmundial.br/</span></a> with the purpose of receiving public comments on specific points of the document. It is not necessary to create an account in order to post your comment to the document. You’ll be able to immediately start reading the document and whenever you have something to say, you’ll just have to provide a full name and contact email address alongside your comment.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>By clicking on any paragraph of the document, you’ll be able to see all the comments other people have already made pertaining to that portion of the text; as referred above, you are also granted the possibility to register your own observations. Maybe your concern was already addressed in someone else’s comment, so please be sure to take a look at the previous comments before making yours.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>This public consultation closes the loop that started by collecting public content contributions. Such contributions were compiled and merged into the Outcome Document by the NETmundial EMC and HLMC committees in the spirit of trying to represent the overall context of the current Internet Governance debate. It is very important to receive further public input in this final stage, so that the outcome is true to the issues and concerns presented by all stakeholders.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoPlainText>END<o:p></o:p></p></div></body></html>