[bestbits] CS @ MAG & IGF /WSIS+10 meetings in Geneva

[William Drake]

Hi

Adding the governance list.

To Ginger’s point: First, please not that tomorrow 15 November is the last day to do online registration for the IGF open consultation and MAG meeting.  After that, getting in may require you to arm wrestle the ITU’s praetorian guard.   
https://intgovforum.org/cms/index.php?option=com_jevents&task=icalrepeat.detail&evid=30&Itemid=28&year=2014&month=12&day=01&title=igf-open-consultations-and-mag-meeting&uid=0f4d62692449d836cd076da879ff1f11 <https://intgovforum.org/cms/index.php?option=com_jevents&task=icalrepeat.detail&evid=30&Itemid=28&year=2014&month=12&day=01&title=igf-open-consultations-and-mag-meeting&uid=0f4d62692449d836cd076da879ff1f11> 

Second, Lea has suggested that retiring and incoming CS MAG members get together for some updating and brainstorming on the current state of play in MAG.  I think this would be a really good idea, as it has often been difficult in recent years to get the CS contingent to strategically collaborate, and we have an opportunity to reboot efforts here.  This would be particularly important with respect to this meeting, which should significantly impact whether the IGF takes seriously the NETmundial mandate with regard to strengthening the process:

Improvements should include inter-alia:
a. Improved outcomes: Improvements can be implemented including creative ways of providing outcomes/recommendations and the analysis of policy options;
b. Extending the IGF mandate beyond five-year terms;
c. Ensuring guaranteed stable and predictable funding for the IGF, including through a broadened donor base, is essential;
d. The IGF should adopt mechanisms to promote worldwide discussions between meetings through intersessional dialogues.  
A strengthened IGF could better serve as a platform for discussing both long standing and emerging issues with a view to contributing to the identification of possible ways to address them.

Some of these were key objectives that the IGC promoted since 2005 before interest in the IGF dissipated a bit in recent years.  Now with the NM statement as a platform there’s never been a better time to push to make the IGF a bit more focused, useful, and hopefully able to draw back into discussion more developing country government participants.  However it will not be easy as there are well organized forces who’d oppose any changes that make the IGF more than a talk shop, and the chair is, to put it mildly, rather cautious.  Hence the current draft agenda for the MAG meeting relegates intersessional work and improved outcomes to being just one of four topics covered in a three hour session, not a promising start.  I noted that would not be enough time, and received the zen response that we have the time we have (much of which is in fact underprogrammed).  So if CS cares to push for a more focused discussion and an action-oriented IGF, this would require coordination.

I believe some people will be arriving arriving the previous week, as the CSTD intersessional http://unctad.org/en/pages/MeetingDetails.aspx?meetingid=610  is currently scheduled to take up the IG mapping exercise and WSIS+10 issues the afternoon of Thursday 27 November and all day Friday 28th.  Monday 1 Dec is the IGF open consultation, 2-3 Tues-Wed is the open MAG meeting.  

I’ve created a Doodle poll to see who will be around when and whether we might get be able to together for some strategizing regarding these important meetings.

http://doodle.com/g8kg32fxwxcehnab#table

Best

Bill

PS:  WSIS+10 Mavens might want to check out the new SG report, http://unctad.org/meetings/en/SessionalDocuments/CSTD_2014_wsis10review_report_en.pdf <http://unctad.org/meetings/en/SessionalDocuments/CSTD_2014_wsis10review_report_en.pdf>



> On Nov 13, 2014, at 8:16 PM, Ginger Paque <gpaque at gmail.com> wrote:
> 
> Hi everyone,
> As a new CS member of the MAG, I hope you will all be vocal in letting me/us know what positions we should emphasise for IGF2015, in particular for attending the issues of highest importance for LAC. I/we count on your input and expertise. I like Carolina's idea of a hangout or other meeting to discuss priorities and strategies before the December open consultations and MAG meeting.
> Cheers,
> Ginger
> 
> Ginger (Virginia) Paque
> IG Programmes, DiploFoundation
> 
> Application deadline approaching:  Master/PGD in Contemporary Diplomacy with Internet Governance option   http://www.diplomacy.edu/courses/MAPGD <http://diplomacy.us5.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=89e7299f9fe54eed66d45cf3d&id=68a4fc5e88&e=bc0aff4eba> <http://www.diplomacy.edu/courses> <http://www.diplomacy.edu/courses>
> 

***********************************************
William J. Drake
International Fellow & Lecturer
  Media Change & Innovation Division, IPMZ
  University of Zurich, Switzerland
Chair, Noncommercial Users Constituency, 
  ICANN, www.ncuc.org
william.drake at uzh.ch (direct), wjdrake at gmail.com (lists),
  www.williamdrake.org
***********************************************

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