Fwd: [bestbits] DISCLOSURE REQUEST Re: Funding Available for Strengthening Civil Society...

[Nnenna Nwakanma]

Happy Sunday people.


   1. I am replying ONLY on Best Bits since  that is where I am on
   "Steering".
   2. My understanding is that this thread on transparency is motivated by
   the deep desire for "CS actions, opinions" to remain Indpendent. So I link
   both
   3. Since this is Best Bits, I figure the question is "Nnenna, as a
   member of BB Steering, are your activities funded by a government?"

I have me a few questions:

   1. What activities has the Best Bits group carried out in recent times?
   How many of these had a total buy in from all group "members?". How many
   felt their opinions were "taken over" by  individuals in the Steering.
   2. Why question "leadership" and not "membership"?
   3. Does the request to "disclose any direct or indirect financial
   relationship to any "capacity building" or similar kind of project where a
   US government agency is among the funders."  really mean what I am reading?
   I do Church Choir projects, Association of Bloggers of Cote d'Ivoire,
   GhanaBlogging,  Enough is Enough Nigeria, Adventist Development and Relief
   Agency etc.. and someone in Best Bits is asking me if any of these is
   funded by a government; US or otherwise?
   4. Are we supposing that the "Best Bits activities" of a Steering member
   is the main thing they do in their lives?

I will agree with CSO transparency and I believe in it. But I am thinking
that the question, at least the way it is framed, is coming in at a wrong
time, to the wrong group, under circumstances that are easily misconstrued.

My suggestion will be that we request people, as a measure to guarantee CS
indpendence, to disclose any possible conflict of interest, in the
framework of ACTIVITIES.  Opinion is a right, and should not be question.

One last question. In the just ended Bali IGF, I contributed as a Best
Bits  Steering person, and also:

   1. Contributed to Best Bits meetings
   2. Tweeting the #IGF2013 with my personal Twitter account of 5000+
   followers
   3. Did a podcast for law students on the need for online freedom
   4. Delivered a speech on opening ceremony on behalf of CSO
   stakeholdergroup
   5. Showed up and 8 am to do Orientation of new comers on Day 0
   6. Sat through the High Level Leaders Meeting
   7. Was a panelist on WS 171 on Gender, 354 on WSIS+10, 145 on Regional
   Coordination, 31 on Africa, and the Focus session on Inter-regional
   coordination.
   8. Was a remote participation moderator on 2 panels

If my participation (travel, accommodation, meals) were to have been paid
by  the government of Nigeria, Côte d'Ivoire, Azerbaijan, United States or
Al Qaeda..

Will that mean I would be less "Civil Society" than someone whose
participation 'see above' was paid for by ... errr Ford Foundation?

DISCLOSURE: I do not work for Best Bits. I work for  The World Wide Web
Foundation (For some weeks now). I have contributed in CSO circles in
Internet Governance/ Information Society since 2000. In WSIS days, funding
to some global south CSO participants came through  different sources,
passed through different channels and were managed by diverse
organisations. In the framework of the IGF:

FOSSFA - The Free Software and Open Source Foundation for Africa paid my
Nairobi bill

APC - Association for Progressive Communications paid my Baku bill.

NRO - Network of Internet Regional Registries paid my Bali bill.

Non of the above has been my employer at any point in time. And each has a
website where you can find out what they do and get an idea of where their
money comes from.

Best of the new week


Nnenna

====

PS/ Avri, are you good with grant writing? The type that US
government+consort require? You may just be the one a friend is looking
for!! :)


On Sun, Nov 10, 2013 at 12:40 PM, JFC Morfin <jefsey at jefsey.com> wrote:

> "19. Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this
> right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek,
> receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless
> of frontiers."
>
> I understand that in this text:
>
> - the "everyone" leads to a not achievable cohesion problem for Anriette,
> - that may result from the kind of "interference" Norbert would like to
> prevent.
> - Parminder addresses it with a simple solution: whoever you are, whatever
> your opinion make me trust they are not biased by a paid agenda.
>
> I disclosed as requested. I am favorable to a CS Oath as does the Olympic
> Committee which has a similar problem.
> jfc
>
>
>
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