<html><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html charset=utf-8"></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space;" class="">Hi Ian<div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">I agree with you that CSCG has a narrow mandate and shouldn’t take on itself a decision to lead opposition to a particular event. Conversely, it also shouldn’t take on itself a decision to lend support to a particular event. Hence discussion should happen before a decision is taken either way and announced.</div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">There are going to be people who want to go, so a real boycott cannot be enforced in any event. But if enough people think as Parminder and I do about this, the CSCG could at least tell DESA it declines to nominate for the following reasons, or say we’ll only do so if the meeting will have remote participation, whether from Glen Cove or somewhere less swanky. If instead most people disagree or don’t care, then ok fine, the universe will not implode.</div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">Best</div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">Bill</div><div class=""><br class=""><div><blockquote type="cite" class=""><div class="">On May 25, 2016, at 12:27, Ian Peter <<a href="mailto:ian.peter@ianpeter.com" class="">ian.peter@ianpeter.com</a>> wrote:</div><br class="Apple-interchange-newline"><div class="">
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<div class="">Bill, Parminder, others,</div>
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<div class="">Yes I also agree with the criticisms.</div>
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<div class="">But In coming to a decision to participate under protest in this exercise,
CSCG looked carefully at other reactions to this.</div>
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<div class="">There is nothing I can see in the MAG discussions that suggests that MAG
members are considering a wholesale withdrawal; and there is nothing yet to
suggest any other stakeholder group will not participate in the proposed retreat
and nomination of representatives– although just about everyone is unhappy with
the way this has been planned and announced.</div>
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<div class="">At this point of time, it would appear that the planning retreat is going
ahead; that may change, and if that is the case, well and good. But at this
point of time it appears to be going ahead, and we have the choice to either
suggest the best possible civil society reps or leave that to UNDESA. </div>
<div class=""> </div>
<div class="">That was the call CSCG had to make. </div>
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<div class="">It is not appropriate for CSCG, which has a strict mandate to simply deal
with ensuring the best possible civil society representation to outside bodies,
to take on itself a decision to lead opposition to a particular event. Here we
can only follow the decisions made by broader civil society groups, not lead
some sort of opposition. That’s the way I read our limited mandate,
anyway.</div>
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<div class="">So let me ask the question – are people suggesting a complete boycott of
this event by civil society? I see strong support for a letter of protest,
but as yet I don’t see widespread support for boycotting the event. Please
indicate clearly if you think a boycott is appropriate. </div>
<div class=""> </div>
<div class="">So yes I agree with the letter of protest – and would urge someone to draft
such a letter. If the CSCG member groups all agree to sign, CSCG could be a
signatory to such a letter. </div>
<div class=""> </div>
<div class="">But a boycott goes a lot further. Would the whole civil society MAG
group then not choose any representative (they are a more diverse group that
this list it seems) Would no civil society people apply to attend? Unlikely I
think. Should CSCG, given the opportunity (for the first time) by UNDESA to
choose 2 of the civil society reps, as well as recommendations for other
vacancies, say no, civil society is not interested in this workshop at
all?</div>
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<div class="">Ian Peter</div>
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<div style="font-color: black" class=""><b class="">From:</b> <a title="wjdrake@gmail.com" href="mailto:wjdrake@gmail.com" class="">William Drake</a> </div>
<div class=""><b class="">Sent:</b> Wednesday, May 25, 2016 7:23 PM</div>
<div class=""><b class="">To:</b> <a title="arsenebaguma@yahoo.fr" href="mailto:arsenebaguma@yahoo.fr" class="">Arsene TUNGALI (Yahoo)</a> </div>
<div class=""><b class="">Cc:</b> <a title="governance@lists.igcaucus.org" href="mailto:governance@lists.igcaucus.org" class="">Governance</a> ; <a title="raquino@gmail.com" href="mailto:raquino@gmail.com" class="">Renata Aquino
Ribeiro</a> ; <a title="joly@punkcast.com" href="mailto:joly@punkcast.com" class="">Joly
MacFie</a> ; <a title="ian.peter@ianpeter.com" href="mailto:ian.peter@ianpeter.com" class="">Ian Peter</a> </div>
<div class=""><b class="">Subject:</b> Re: [governance] IGF Planning Retreat</div></div></div>
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<div style="font-size: small; text-decoration: none; font-family: Calibri; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; display: inline;" class="">Hi
Arsene
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<div class="">On May 24, 2016, at 15:42, Arsene TUNGALI (Yahoo) <<a href="mailto:arsenebaguma@yahoo.fr" class="">arsenebaguma@yahoo.fr</a>> wrote:</div>
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<div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1464096862648_4170" dir="ltr" class="">Sorry, but I thought the
CSCG (as per Ian's email) is receiving CS nominations and will report it to
the IGF Secretariat? Please help me
undertand.</div></div></div></div></blockquote>
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<div class="">Sorry, my mailer dumped Ian’s message into the archive rather than my IGC
folder so I’d not seen it when I replied. </div>
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<div class="">That said, I really wish the CSCG had not decided to do this. I would
rather see CS, and indeed all stakeholders, tell DESA that we will not
participate in a closed meeting, period. Which is what it turns out this will
likely be:</div>
<div class=""> </div>
<div class=""><i class="">"Due to on-site logistics, online/remote participation may not be
available for the retreat; however, outcome documents of the retreat will be
shared for further comment/consultation." <a href="http://www.intgovforum.org/cms/igf-retreat-faqs" class="">http://www.intgovforum.org/cms/igf-retreat-faqs</a></i></div>
<div class=""> </div>
<div class="">I think for DESA to unilaterally organize such a meeting on a closed basis
is a total violation of the principles of openness and inclusion that the “IGF
community,” such as it is, has worked for ten years to bake into this
process. And bear in mind, this is not an isolated incident.
An uncomfortable amount of the real decision making about the IGF takes place
off stage and hence off the radars of stakeholders. It seems that as long
as people get to go once a year and do a workshop everyone’s fine with this, but
I remember a time when we actually cared about how the IGF is run, having been
the most vocal proponents of its creation.</div>
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<div class="">There is no reason on earth that an elite group of people selected by DESA
needs to meet in the lovely leafy beach town of Glen Cove, Long Island in a
place with no online facilities. In mid-July a conference room at the main
UN can surely be found. If this somehow is not possible, a nearby hotel
could probably provide a wired room for less than the price of Glen Cove.
Ok, this wouldn't be a swank, so people who managed to get their plane tickets
paid for wouldn't feel as much like an inner circle entrusted to chart the
direction of the IGF’s evolution, but boo hoo.</div>
<div class=""> </div>
<div class="">This is not a meeting to negotiate a nuclear arms treaty. It’s a
meeting to talk about the IGF. If it is not transparent and open to
participation then to me it has zero legitimacy, and civil society should not be
undermining what is has worked for by participating. So I am in complete
agreement with Parminder:</div>
<div class=""> </div>
<div class="">
<blockquote type="cite" class="">
<div class="">On May 25, 2016, at 06:06, parminder <<a href="mailto:parminder@itforchange.net" class="">parminder@itforchange.net</a>>
wrote:</div>
<div class=""> </div>
<div class=""><span style="FLOAT: none; DISPLAY: inline !important; BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(255,255,255)" class="">However
the routine has been for the CS leadership to make some protest noises but
then simply submit to whatever is offered. Lets for once stand out ground.
Write a strong letter, and if we do not get a satisfactory response, refuse to
go along. UNDESA/ IGF cannot keep contravening what are now the established
rules of conduct for the IGF.</span></div></blockquote></div>
<div class="">
<div class=""><span style="FLOAT: none; DISPLAY: inline !important; BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(255,255,255)" class=""><br class=""></span></div></div>
<div class=""><span style="FLOAT: none; DISPLAY: inline !important; BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(255,255,255)" class="">Bill</span></div>
<div class=""> </div></div></div></div></div></div>
</div></blockquote></div><br class=""><div class="">
<div style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><div style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><div style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><div style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><br class="">*************************************************************<br class="">William J. Drake<br class="">International Fellow & Lecturer<br class=""> Media Change & Innovation Division, IPMZ<br class=""> University of Zurich, Switzerland<br class=""><a href="mailto:william.drake@uzh.ch" class="">william.drake@uzh.ch</a> (direct), <a href="mailto:wjdrake@gmail.com" class="">wjdrake@gmail.com</a> (lists),<br class=""> <a href="http://www.williamdrake.org" class="">www.williamdrake.org</a><br class=""><i class="">The Working Group on Internet Governance - 10th Anniversary Reflections</i><br class="">New book at <a href="http://amzn.to/22hWZxC" class="">http://amzn.to/22hWZxC</a><br class="">*************************************************************</div></div></div></div>
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