[governance] protest statement drafted by Avri

[Jeanette Hofmann]

Hi everyone,

Avri has redrafted our statement on exclusion of stakeholders from the 
drafting groups. We weren't be able to discuss it in plenary this 
morning due to lack of time. We would thus like to read this statement 
this morning on behalf of the IG caucus. Any objections to that? I know, 
you americans are still sleeping. Sorry...
jeanette

Internet Governance Statement on the Decision to Exclude 
Non-governmental stakeholders from Drafting Groups

September 27, 2005

0. We want to thank the chair for your personal efforts to ensure 
transparency and inclusion. We also want to thank the many nations that 
have supported the non-governmental organizations in our quest to fully 
participate in this Prepcom.  Now that it has become the practice of 
some drafting groups to expel non-governmental participants, Civil 
society is forced to protest

Civil Society believes all non-governmental partners should be able to 
make statements on the same basis as agreed for the subcommittees, to 
remain in the room as observers for the entire session and to further 
contribute at the discretion of the chair of the drafting groups.  Such 
procedures would put into practice the commitment to the “full 
participation of all stakeholders” (e.g. Para 39.)

1. The decisions to exclude non-governmental stakeholders from 
meaningful participation in the drafting groups are not acceptable as a 
matter of principle. The WSIS and the WGIG have affirmed that governance 
of the Internet must be based on real partnerships with the 
participation of all stakeholders in an open, inclusive and transparent 
manner. These principles are central to the Geneva documents.

  The decisions made to exclude non-governmental stakeholders from 
meaningful participation in the drafting groups breaks these fundamental 
conditions and undermines the legitimacy of all outcomes of the WSIS. 
The sincerity of commitments made by some governments to these 
principles is now open to question.

2. The decisions to exclude non-governmental stakeholders from the 
drafting groups are not about rules and procedure, but rather a matter 
of political courage and principle. In each meeting you have the choice: 
to be inclusive or exclusive, to work in partnership, with transparency 
and openness, or to chose not to do so. There was a great opportunity 
here to move forward with all the progress we have made within the UN 
and WSIS, but this has been a move backwards.

3. The Internet is the creation of the multi-stakeholder cooperation of 
academia, civil society, governments, private sector and technologists. 
There has never been a more successful multi-stakeholder partnership 
than the one that has created and nurtured the Internet. Governments in 
Geneva risk jeopardizing this partnership.

4. The WGIG process demonstrated that civil society organizations 
contribute positively. Our exclusion deprives the Prepcom of valuable 
knowledge, expertise and perspectives. Civil society has been, and will 
continue to be, the main force for promoting capacity building and 
development of the Internet in developing countries. Civil society 
understands what is needed in order to continue that work, and exclusion 
from the drafting groups makes it more difficult for us to continue that 
work effectively.

5. The WSIS Plan of Action cannot be implemented by governments alone: 
the active engagement of civil society actors is needed in the follow-up 
stage; our exclusion today would discourage many from engaging after 
Tunis and would therefore reduce the chances of effectively implementing 
the ambitious Plan of Action of Geneva.

6. We strongly protest the decisions to exclude non-governmental 
observers from the drafting groups. The Tunis declaration will be 
meaningless if it is not seen as legitimate by all those involved in the 
creation and evolution of the  Internet, its applications, services and 
content.

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