WSIS+10 workshop?, was Re: [bestbits] Next steps on principles (was Re: Coordination...)

[William Drake]

Hi

On Dec 10, 2012, at 12:36 AM, Anriette Esterhuysen wrote:

> Good idea to do a workshop, and we should try to have a meeting beforehand.  I like the idea of "developing a positive civil society agenda on internet governance" as a theme although making it concrete could be difficult.  One way of doing this would be to do a 'stock-taking of where things have moved since they were highlighted in the WGIG documents, as Pranesh suggests. 

I too like the idea.  But I'm unclear over morning coffee how to frame it.  General stock taking is one approach.  

A second option would be to address the factors that drove WCIT.  But many of the developing country concerns that have generated support for bad proposals concern domestic telecom revenues and operational matters for incumbent telcos rather than global Internet governance.  That they seek tools through an international instrument doesn't necessarily make the issues inherently global and requiring global frameworks.  And emphasizing other matters instead where such framework are really needed might look non-responsive and like an effort to redirect.  I guess one could frame it broadly enough that it can be interpreted as on point and fill in later etc…

Another option still would be to look forward to the WTPF and offer a CS take on what'll happen there.  There's been no civil society per se representation in the planning process; ISOC's been the only sort of MS voice.  

In fact, it might be conceivable to do more than one workshop proposal…I tend to think saying nothing about WTPF, which explicitly covers much more global IG than does WCIT, would be a mistake.  There should be an alternative vision on the table for that meeting, even if we don't have standing to formally present it.  It could serve as a short of shadow agenda, one that friendly governments might well make reference to.  Could do press and campaign around it...

FYI below for reference are a couple efforts in this space at past WSIS forums—both of which I'd call positive agenda mapping...

Best

Bill


———————

WSIS Forum 2012 Workshop
 
9:00-10:45, Thursday 17 May 2012
Room XI, the International Labor Organization
 
Global Internet Governance for Development
 
Does global Internet governance promote the effective participation of developing country stakeholders in the information society?  What are its implication for national development trajectories?  To fully address these and related questions, it would be useful to establish an Internet Governance for Development (IG4D) agenda.  Such an agenda could comprise a holistic program that mainstreams development considerations into the procedures and policy outputs of global Internet governance mechanisms.  While development agendas are being pursued in the multilateral organizations dealing with issues like international trade and intellectual property, there has been no corresponding effort with respect to global Internet governance.  Accordingly, since 2007 a series of workshops and main sessions exploring the idea have been held at the annual Internet Governance Forum meetings. This workshop seeks to broaden the dialogue by engaging interested attendees at the WSIS Forum.
 
A development agenda could involve organizing and improving access to knowledge about global Internet governance issues and institutions, including best practices and lessons learned such institutions could consider within their respective work programs.  In addition, it could encourage concrete actions that strengthen the fit between governance and development, such as: a) facilitating access to capacity building programs that help enable the effective participation of governmental and nongovernmental actors from developing countries in global technical and policy processes; b) enhancing institutional procedures and practices in order to promote such participation; and c) identifying issues that raise distinctive developmental considerations and possible options for improvements in related policy frameworks.  Given the highly distributed institutional ecosystem of global Internet governance, a development agenda would need to be flexible enough to facilitate varying responses that are appropriate to the issues and actors involved in each case.
 
The workshop will consider these matters in relation to relevant multistakeholder, industry self-governance, and intergovernmental institutions.  Of particular interest in this regard is the governance of critical Internet resources, e.g. names, numbers, and standards; and current proposals for new Enhanced Cooperation initiatives within the United Nations, and for international treaty regulations that could be applicable to the Internet.
 
 
Organizer
 
William J. Drake 
International Fellow, Media Change & Innovation Division
Institute of Mass Communication and Media Research
University of Zurich, Switzerland
Co-Sponsoring Organizations
 
Association for Progressive Communications
 
Ministry of Communications and Information Technology
Government of Egypt
 
Kenya Internet Governance Steering Committee, Ministry of Information and Communications
Government of Kenya
 
Federal Office of Communications 
Government of Switzerland
 
 
Speakers
 
Olga Cavalli
Advisor, Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Government of Argentina
 
Avri Doria
Researcher & former Chair of the ICANN GNSO Council
United States of America
 
William J. Drake  [moderator]
International Fellow, Media Change & Innovation Division
Institute of Mass Communication and Media Research
University of Zurich, Switzerland
 
Anriette Esterhuysen
Executive Director, Association for Progressive Communications
South Africa
 
Wolfgang Kleinwächter
Professor of Internet Policy and Regulation, Department for Media and Information Sciences, University of Aarhus, Denmark
Germany
 
Markus Kummer
Vice President of Public Policy, The Internet Society
Switzerland 
 
Alice Munyua
Convener, East Africa IGF, Kenya ICT Action Network; and Chair, Kenya Internet Governance Steering Committee, and Kenya Network Information Center
Government of Kenya
 
Nermine El Saadany
Director of International Relations Division, Ministry of Communications and Information Technology
Government of Egypt
 
Thomas Schneider
Deputy Head of International Relations Service, Federal Office of Communications 
Government of Switzerland
 
———————

WSIS Forum 2011 Workshop
The International Labor Organization, Governing Body Room
9:00-10:30 Tuesday 17 May 2011
 
Institutional Choice in Global Communications Governance
 
The contemporary global communications order is characterized by a significant increase in the number and variety of governance arrangements.  Traditional multilateralism has been supplemented by plurilateral, regional, and bilateral intergovernmentalism; and by unilateralism, co-regulation, industry self-governance, multistakeholder governance, and the coordinated convergence of independent practices.  These ordering mechanisms vary greatly in terms of the collective action problems they address and the institutional attributes they possess.
 
How do we conduct a principled evaluation of alternative models’ relative merits and potential “fit” with current and emerging governance challenges?  What are their respective strengths and weaknesses in terms of cross-cutting objectives like equity, efficiency, transparency, accountability, inclusiveness, development-friendliness, and public interest orientation?  Are there any generalizable lessons that they could learn from one another?  How well do today’s mechanisms cohere into an strong and effective global governance architecture?  This workshop will seek to advance the holistic assessment of these and related questions and to assess them in relation to key cases of contemporary ICT global governance.
 
 
Speakers
 
Dr. William J. Drake  [organizer & moderator]
International Fellow, Media Change & Innovation Division
Institute of Mass Communication and Media Research
University of Zurich, Switzerland
 
Ms. Anriette Esterhuysen
Executive Director, Association for Progressive Communications
South Africa
 
Mr. Alvaro Galvani
Head, Division of Information Society, Ministry of External Relations
Government of Brazil
 
Mr. Markus Kummer
Vice President of Public Policy, The Internet Society
Switzerland 
 
Prof. Michael Latzer
Chair, Media Change & Innovation Division
Institute of Mass Communication and Media Research
University of Zurich, Switzerland

Ms. Nermine El Saadany
Director of International Relations Division, Ministry of Communications and Information Technology
Government of Egypt
 
Mr. Thomas Schneider
Deputy Head of International Relations Service, Federal Office of Communications 
Government of Switzerland


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