[bestbits] Conflicts of interest (was: WSIS+10 workshop?...)

[Norbert Bollow]

Michael Gurstein <gurstein at gmail.com> wrote:

> BTW, I think we should also at some point discuss the issue of
> whether or not there is an actual or potential conflict of interest
> in having members of a Civil Society caucus either at or in
> preparatory discussions for an event who are also members of national
> delegations or paid employees of companies with interests in the
> matters under discussion.

As I'm personally active in the private sector and also engaging as
part of civil society in public interest advocacy, I'm also interested
in some guidelines in this area.

So far my strategy has been to avoid situations in which I or my
customers would have business interests directly related to the
substantive issues that I'm engaging on.

Going forward, I don't see any concrete risk of running into conflicts
of interest with regard to any human rights or other substantive
Internet governance issues. However, in view of recent unsatisfactory
developments in regard to lack of effective climate protection, I'm
starting to think that I'll probably want to engage at least to some
extent in that area, even though the strict strategy for avoiding any
situation that might come close to potential conflicts of interest
won't be feasible for me in that area. Also I'm making plans to start
offering business consulting services related to the Theory of
Constraints which I'm suggesting also in the context of strategic
analysis of complex systemic governance challenges.

So maybe one reasonable way forward for me personally will be to say
that with regard to human rights and other substantive Internet
governance issues, I'm engaging in public interest advocacy as a civil
society person, while in regard to the topic areas where I have some
related business interests, I'm not qualified to engage as a civil
society person, but I'll be able to engage as a private sector person
in regard to those topic areas?

Greetings,
Norbert