[bestbits] CSTD WG on Enhanced Cooperation

Mon Mar 14 02:08:07 EDT 2016

Dear All,

I wanted to let you know that I have put my name forward for the working
group on enhanced co-operation.My biographical note and responses to the
NomCom's other questions are listed at the end of this email.

Best,
Chinmayi

*Name, gender, regional/geographical & appropriate affiliation information
and contact information *

Name: Chinmayi Arun

Gender: Female

Region: India, Asia Pacific

Primary Institutional Affiliation: Assistant Professor, National Law
University- Delhi and Executive Director of the Centre for Communication
Governance at National Law University Delhi (other institutional
affiliations are listed in my bio).

Contact: chinmayi.arun at nludelhi.ac.in

*1. Short bio *

I currently serve as Executive Director of the Centre for Communication
Governance at National Law University Delhi. I have ties with multiple
global, regional and domestic organisations owing to my involvement in
various facets of internet governance. For example, I am a Faculty
Associate of the Berkman Centre for Internet & Society at Harvard
University, on the Board of Directors of Digital Asia Hub and an Academic
Expert with the Internet & Jurisdiction Observatory. I am also a Fellow of
the Centre for Internet & Society, Bangalore and a member of the Government
of India’s multi stakeholder advisory group for the India Internet
Governance forum. I have been teaching and researching information policy
since 2010. I was already working on questions relating to enhanced
co-operation and multi-stakeholder governance by the time I started
actively engaging with the global internet governance space in 2012, which
is the year that I spoke at the Internet Governance Forum, and participated
in the World Conference on International Telecommunications.  In the policy
space, I have participated as a civil society representative at various
Internet Governance fora.  These include the WICT 2012, the WSIS+10 Review
negotiations and the UNESCO Connecting the Dots conference. I have been
invited to speak on expert panels at the sidelines of the WSIS+10 High
Level Meeting and the Connecting the Dots conference. As an Executive
Director of CCG, I supervise a team of researchers dedicated to following
global internet governance processes, and domestic internet processes. We
engage equally with global institutions like ICANN (through the
Non-Commercial Users Constituency) and with local institutions and
processes like the Law Commission of India’s media law reforms and the
Indian Net Neutrality consultations.

*2. My Motivation to be part of the Working Group on Enhanced Cooperation*

I have a keen interest in governance models as a result of my academic
work. As an Indian woman who works in the internet governance space, I
speak frequently with people who offer varied, even contentious,
perspectives on the meaning of Enhanced Cooperation and
multistakeholderism. It is very important to understand and engage with
these different points of view, and to work out inclusive ideas and models
around which consensus can be built. I can see the enormous impact that
this group’s report might have and would like to do my part to help think
through what ‘enhanced co-operation’ means and how our articulation of its
meaning can reflect global public interest, and the concerns of my region
especially those of marginalised vulnerable people.

The previous Working Group on Enhanced Cooperation did an excellent job of
mapping all the internet governance institutions and identifying areas
within internet governance that need closer attention. This is a good time
(especially given the outcome of the WSIS+10 review) to take this work
forward and work towards shared understanding of the meaning of this
contested, yet crucial concept.

1. *3. Substantive proposals or a vision on “how to further implement
enhanced cooperation as envisioned in the Tunis Agenda”*

I believe that there is more space for mutual understanding and consensus
than most people realise. It is important to use the previous working
group’s extensive research on different internet governance institutions,
along with the work of scholars who have been writing about
multi-stakeholder models around the world, to highlight the nuance within
the enhanced co-operation debate. This will help stakeholders focus on the
specific areas and details that are of particular concern to them.  I see
the criticisms of multi-stakeholder models as valuable learning
opportunities to work out ways in which internet governance can be made as
inclusive, transparent and accountable as possible. Engaging with the
WSIS+10 Review has shown us that despite the emerging consensus on
multistakeholder models of governance, there can be significant barriers to
civil society participation. To this end, establishing clear terms of civil
society engagement in the various IG and IG related institutions will help
facilitate the “full participation of all stakeholders” as per the Tunis
Agenda (para 31).

*My experience or qualifications to represent civil society on the WG.*

I have previously represented civil society at many international
institutions. Chief among these was WICT, 2012, IGF (2012, 2013 and 2015),
WSIS+10 Review meetings and the WSIS forum. As an academic participating
under the civil society umbrella, my expertise has been called upon at many
of these fora. I was a panellist at the UNESCO Connecting the Dots
Conference and at a UNESCO-organised side event at the WSIS High Level
Meeting. I have collaborated with research centres at Harvard University
and Oxford University, and am my organisation’s representative at several
international networks including the Global Network of Internet and Society
Centres, the Global Network Initiative and the Digital Asia hub. I do
therefore have experience of translating priorities from the Asia Pacific
region to a global level.

I have also been a part of multi-stakeholder governance domestically, as a
member of the Indian MAG, as a consultant to the Law Commission and as a
participant in open consultations held by the Telecom Regulatory Authority
of India and the Department of Telecommunication. Our research agenda at
the centre focuses on constructive ways to support inclusive,
multi-stakeholder governance – my colleagues and I host public briefings
and discussions before every major global internet governance event and
circulate material to help other stakeholders engage more effectively.

Samples of my comments on internet governance are available here
<http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/on-multistakeholder-governance-of-the-internet/article7440857.ece>
 and here
<http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/lead/the-trouble-with-hurried-solutions/article4200604.ece>.
I do want to emphasise that as a researcher, I always approach these
questions with an open mind and find that my position evolves as I read and
discuss these issues with others.

<raquino at gmail.com> wrote:

> I support Lea's nomination
> It is great to have a Bestbits participant in this.
> Em 13/03/2016 07:25, "Lea Kaspar" <lea at gp-digital.org> escreveu:
>
>> Dear Nadira, all,
>>
>> Please find below my expression of interest to become one of the 5 civil
>> society representatives on the UN CSTD Working Group on Enhanced
>> Cooperation. I thank this group in advance for considering my application.
>>
>> Should you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask.
>>
>> Warm wishes,
>> Lea
>>
>> ---
>>
>> >  short bio of one paragraph,
>>
>> Lea Kaspar heads Global Partner Digital <http://www.gp-digital.org/>'s
>> (GPD) programmatic portfolio and leads the organisation’s international
>> policy arm. Since joining GPD in 2012, she has been concentrating upon
>> facilitating multistakeholder dialogue and civil society engagement in
>> international internet governance debates. She has developed and
>> coordinated information sharing, capacity building, and advocacy
>> initiatives at the Global Conference on Cyberspace (GCCS), NETmundial, the
>> WSIS+10 Review process, the 2013-2014 UN CSTD Working Group on Enhanced
>> Cooperation (WGEC), and various processes of the International
>> Telecommunication Union (ITU). She is a member of the Internet Governance
>> Forum (IGF) Multistakeholder Advisory Group (MAG), a member of the UK
>> Multistakeholder Group on Internet Governance (MAGIG), and sits on the
>> Steering Committee of the UK IGF.
>>
>> > one paragraph of motivation to be a civil society representative to
>> CSTD Working Group on Enhanced Cooperation,
>>
>> Following the conclusion of the WSIS Review Process, the WGEC will become
>> a critical space to shape the normative landscape of global internet
>> governance. It will present an opportunity to push a positive agenda for
>> change, and, at the same time, pose a threat to the gains that we, as a
>> global community, have made since the WSIS in 2005. With a growing trend to
>> close and limit the space for public interest voices in internet governance
>> debates, civil society will have a key role at WGEC to resist a reading of
>> enhanced cooperation that is reserved for governments, and instead offer a
>> vision that involves all stakeholders, based on the principles of openness,
>> transparency and inclusiveness. Furthermore, WGEC will be an opportunity
>> for civil society to build on the outcomes of the 2013-14 WGEC and
>> NETmundial by demystifying the flexible, issue-based understanding of roles
>> and responsibilities of stakeholders in internet governance. Building on
>> the insight gained during WGEC 2013-14, my engagement  in the WSIS Review,
>> and my experience on the IGF MAG, I would be privileged to contribute to
>> this outcome by bringing my skills and expertise to the Working Group as
>> one of its civil society representatives.
>>
>> > one paragraph describing substantive proposals or a vision on “how to
>> further implement enhanced cooperation as envisioned in the Tunis
>> Agenda”, and
>>
>> The notion of enhanced cooperation as a principle of governance matters
>> insofar as it contributes to achieving the WSIS vision of a
>> “people-centered, development-oriented information society”. Although
>> anchored around the question of the role of governments, enhanced
>> cooperation in support of the WSIS vision cannot be achieved without the
>> involvement of all stakeholders. The most important immediate task in
>> further implementing it will therefore be to clarify the roles of
>> responsibilities of different stakeholders in internet governance. A
>> starting point for this task is provided in the NETmundial outcome
>> document
>> <http://netmundial.br/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/NETmundial-Multistakeholder-Document.pdf>which
>> states that “the respective roles and responsibilities of stakeholders
>> should be interpreted in a flexible manner with reference to the issue
>> under discussion”. As a member of the WGEC, I would seek to leverage the
>> NETmundial outcome, as well as the mapping output of WGEC 2013-14, in order
>> to develop practical recommendations to promote a flexible, issue-based
>> understanding of roles and responsibilities, and a vision of enhanced
>> cooperation based upon principles of openness, transparency, and
>> inclusiveness.
>>
>> > one paragraph describing experience or qualifications to represent
>> civil society on the CSTD Working Group.
>>
>> I have been an active member of the global internet governance community
>> since 2012, focused on facilitating meaningful civil society engagement
>> in international forums and processes, including at the recent WSIS+10
>> Review and the 2013-14 WGEC. During the 2013-14 WGEC, I participated as
>> an active observer in 4 out of 5 meetings of the Group. Following its
>> establishment, I joined the WGEC Correspondence Group, and played a
>> critical role in developing the mapping output of the Group, which served
>> as the basis for the CSTD mapping report
>> <http://www.giplatform.org/sites/default/files/CSTD_2014_Mapping_Internet_en%20Dec%202014.pdf>
>> issued in November 2014. Through this engagement, I gained invaluable
>> insight into the dynamics of the enhanced cooperation debate that I would
>> seek to leverage as a civil society representative in the group’s reboot.
>>
>> > Name, gender, regional/geographical, as well as any appropriate
>> affiliation information and contact information should be included as well.
>>
>> Gender: Female
>>
>> Nationality: Croatian (UN regional group: Eastern European)
>>
>> Affiliation: Global Partners Digital, UK
>> ---
>>
>> *Lea Kaspar*
>>
>> Head of Programmes and International Policy | GLOBAL PARTNERS DIGITAL
>>
>> Second Home, 68-80 Hanbury Street, London, E1 5JL
>>
>> T: +44 (0)20 3818 3258 | M: +44 (0)7583 929216
>>
>> gp-digital.org
>>
>> On Fri, Mar 11, 2016 at 7:47 AM, Nadira Alaraj <nadira.araj at gmail.com>
>> wrote:
>>
>>>
>>> Dear Best Bits members,
>>>
>>> The outcome document of the United Nations General Assembly’s ten-year
>>> review of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) in 2015
>>> included a direction for the Chair of the Commission on Science and
>>> Technology for Development (CSTD) to "establish a working group to develop
>>> recommendations on how to further implement enhanced cooperation as
>>> envisioned in the Tunis Agenda” . This will continue work done by an
>>> earlier CSTD Working Group on Enhanced Cooperation, that was active from
>>> 2013-2014, and current CSTD Chair, Peter Major of Hungary,
>>> has indicated that he will establish the new working group in a similar
>>> fashion, with 20 UN Member States and 5 representatives from each of the
>>> four identified stakeholder groups (business, civil society,
>>> intergovernmental organizations, the technical & academic community).
>>> While the exact time frame for the working group has not been established,
>>> nominees are asked to consider  a service period of 2016-2017 (and
>>> eventually the beginning of 2018).
>>>
>>> Hence, I call upon those who are interested to come forward and nominate
>>> themselves through this list by March 12th, after that I will generate a
>>> candidate list with the Bios to be presented in one email  the community
>>> for 3 days endorsement period.  Based on the endorsement period I will
>>> generate a short listing to be submitted to the NomCom of the Civil Society
>>> Coordination Group by the end of  March 15th.
>>>
>>> Details of the UNCATAD call: available here
>>>
>>> Please, feel free to share this call with any Independent Civil Society
>>> experts (i.e. those who are not nominated by a civil society network or
>>> other community) who are welcome to send self-nominations directly to the
>>> CSCG NomCom (email address: noncom06 at internetgov-cs.org).
>>>
>>> Nominations should include a
>>> >  short bio of one paragraph,
>>> >  one paragraph of motivation to be a civil society representative to
>>> CSTD Working Group on Enhanced Cooperation,
>>> > one paragraph describing substantive proposals or a vision on “how to
>>> further implement enhanced cooperation as envisioned in the Tunis Agenda”,
>>> and
>>> > one paragraph describing experience or qualifications to represent
>>> civil society on the  CSTD Working Group.
>>> > Name, gender, regional/geographical, as well as any appropriate
>>> affiliation information and contact information should be included as well.
>>> >
>>> > Proficiency in English is necessary for communications within the
>>> Working Group.
>>>
>>> If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.
>>>
>>> Best wishes,
>>>
>>> > Nadira Alaraj
>>> >
>>> > Liaise of BestBits nominees to the CSCG
>>>
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>>
>>
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>
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