Revised plans for Best Bits gathering - now in Baku

Fri Aug 24 10:59:19 EDT 2012

Dear Jeremy

APC is happy to support this and will do our best to participate. Much
appreciated that this event will not clash with the pre-event on 5
November on enhanced cooperation.

I have been madly busy as we start APC strategic planning next week, but
will write to the list to update everyone on a platform for an African
civil society discussion on WCIT, the ITRs and internet governancne more
broadly that APC will launch in the next few weeks.

Best

Anriette

On 23/08/2012 09:37, Jeremy Malcolm wrote:
> Just a reminder that tomorrow is the deadline by which to pre-register
> for Best Bits in Baku, for purposes of budgeting.  Next week it should
> be possible to confirm what level of travel support will be available to
> those who have requested it, and where the venue will be.
> 
> Once that is done, we will divide up responsibilities for preparation,
> such as contributing briefing papers and working on the zero-draft
> texts, and add names of speakers and moderators to the agenda items.  So
> far Andrew Puddephatt has offered to write an introduction to the
> briefing papers, Bill Drake to coordinate the development of a WCIT
> statement, and others to speak or moderate - thank you all; further
> details of how you can participate will be confirmed next week.
> 
> I also hope that everyone will feel free to use this list to discuss the
> agenda or any concerns, so that the planning process can be kept fully
> transparent.  This is important to dispel any concerns (that someone
> expressed to me today) that there may be a political agenda behind the
> meeting, to create a new process or body or to supplant existing bodies
> or initiatives.  This is not the case, and transparency in the planning
> is the best way to make that evident.
> 
> Thanks again to everyone for their support of this joint initiative.
> 
> On 16/08/12 17:52, Jeremy Malcolm wrote:
>> Thanks everyone for your invaluable inputs on the proposal.  Here is a
>> quick update, following discussions with various of you offlist.
>>
>> First, it looks like we won't be able to do Singapore after all.  The
>> hotel reported to me yesterday that they are fully booked for the
>> weekend prior to the IIC conference, and that for the alternative
>> dates after the conference we are on standby.
>>
>> Several of you have voiced that you would prefer to do the event in
>> conjunction with the IGF in Azerbaijan instead.  Although it has its
>> downsides, the big benefit is that we would have to support fewer
>> participants' travel costs.  This is important because the budget that
>> we have sketched out is significantly too high to be supported by any
>> of our prospective funders (and indeed at this stage, it looks like
>> only one of them, Google, will be able to offer support).
>>
>> On this basis, I have gone ahead and begun enquiries with the hotels
>> in Baku about hosting the event over the weekend prior to the IGF. 
>> The next thing to determine is who will be in Baku, and who won't. 
>> Amongst those who won't, we need to receive and decide upon their
>> applications for travel support *within a week*.  Sorry for the short
>> deadline!
>>
>> So without further ado, I have thrown up a document in Google Docs (I
>> would have stuck with Etherpad, except that it doesn't support tables
>> yet) with a table of the groups who were listed in the proposal as
>> prospective invitees.  It is at http://bit.ly/SqnzeS
>> <http://bit.ly/SqnzeS> . *Your help is needed to complete this table*.
>> Please:
>>
>>   * If you are on the list (which you should be!) please complete the
>>     entry for your organisation by:
>>       o Indicating whether you plan to attend, either in person or
>>         remotely.
>>       o If you /really/ can't make your own way to the meeting without
>>         assistance, please specify what kind of assistance you are
>>         seeking (for example full or partial flight cost, hotel for
>>         two nights or for the whole week, etc).  If you can estimate a
>>         US dollar value, all the better.
>>       o Indicating how you would like to participate in the draft
>>         programme - would you like to speak at or to moderate a
>>         session?  Would you like to be part of a working group that
>>         prepares "zero draft" text for discussion on day 2, or do you
>>         want to nominate someone else to do so?  (Andrew or I may
>>         reach out to some of you individually about this.)
>>   * Please check the other suggested representatives from each group -
>>     there are a few that need adding, those I've listed mightn't be
>>     the most appropriate, and there are a few that I haven't
>>     completed.  In general, one representative per organisation should
>>     be enough.
>>   * If you know any of those people, and the "invited" column isn't
>>     already completed, please contact them to ask if they are
>>     interested in attending the meeting.  I'm attaching a PDF document
>>     excerpted from the proposal that can accompany the invitation. 
>>     Then add the date when you contacted them to the "invited" column,
>>     so that we know they have been informed.
>>
>> Once again, the *deadline to complete the table is by next week* - 24
>> August 2012.  Whilst the details are yet to be confirmed (for example
>> how many delegates could be funded and which hotel will be used as the
>> venue), we need to have an idea of the prospective participants first.
>>
>> Thanks again, and please let me know of any queries or concerns with
>> these revised plans.
> 

-- 
------------------------------------------------------
anriette esterhuysen anriette at apc.org
executive director, association for progressive communications
www.apc.org
po box 29755, melville 2109
south africa
tel/fax +27 11 726 1692