[governance] HR Caucus comments on the MAG

Tue Apr 25 05:08:59 EDT 2006

Me again:)

I'd like to add that these comments sent to the IGF secretariat are  
"soft" (since this is kind of an official process) and doesn't  
address CS internal issues. If you're interested in that, you can  
refer to some mail exchanges on the HR caucus list, mostly in the  
following messages:

- http://www.iris.sgdg.org/actions/smsi/hr-wsis/list/2006/msg00386.html
- http://www.iris.sgdg.org/actions/smsi/hr-wsis/list/2006/msg00389.html
- http://www.iris.sgdg.org/actions/smsi/hr-wsis/list/2006/msg00390.html
- http://www.iris.sgdg.org/actions/smsi/hr-wsis/list/2006/msg00391.html
- http://www.iris.sgdg.org/actions/smsi/hr-wsis/list/2006/msg00392.html

Meryem

Le 25 avr. 06 à 10:40, Meryem Marzouki a écrit :

> Hi again,
>
> As I've said in a previous message, these comments on the MAG have
> been sent by the HR Caucus to the IGF secretariat, together with its
> 3 candidates nominations to the MAG, on April 18.
> Best,
> Meryem
> ======
> Internet Governance Forum
> Nomination and comments in relation to the MAG
> WSIS Civil Society Human Rights Caucus
> April 18, 2006
>
>   Introduction
> The WSIS Civil Society Human Rights Caucus (HR Caucus) has been
> active in the WSIS framework since its creation in 2002, and
> currently consists of more than 65 national and international human
> rights organizations. As stressed in the HR Caucus contribution to
> the Internet Governance Forum (IGF) of 31 March 2006, the caucus has
> decided to remain involved in post-WSIS developments. This
> involvement includes both the IGF activities and the post-WSIS Action
> lines developments.
>
> The baseline of HR Caucus’ work is to secure that any information
> society policy respect and protect human rights and the rule of law.
> This includes civil and political rights as well as economic, social
> and cultural rights, and the right to development.
>
> Nomination of candidates for the IGF Advisory Group (MAG)
> As stressed time and again during the WSIS process, and in the WSIS
> outcomes from both the Geneva and Tunis Summit, human rights are
> foundational to the development of the information society.
> It is thus crucial that the WSIS follow up mechanisms address and
> include human rights expertise and experience. Any information
> society policy must comply with international human rights standards,
> and seek to advance the realization of these in order to make the
> political goals of WSIS a reality for all.
>
> In order to secure human rights expertise within the MAG and support
> for HR Caucus concerns as expressed in its contribution to IGF
> substantive agenda setting, the HR Caucus would like to nominate the
> following three candidates, which are all active members of the HR
> Caucus (in alphabetic order).
> -       Robin D. Gross
> -       Rikke Frank Joergensen
> -       Cedric Laurant
> The full nomination information is attached to this document.
>
> Comments on the mandate and process around the MAG
> The HR Caucus wishes to point to some critical areas in relation to
> the mandate and process around the MAG, which should be addressed as
> soon as possible in order to secure well-defined and transparent
> modalities for the MAG including its interaction with the IGF.
>
> The MAG mandate
> The precise role and responsibility of the MAG is not clear at the
> moment. For instance is it unclear to which extent the group will
> primarily facilitate the convening of the first Internet Governance
> Forum in terms of process, or whether it will be decisive in
> selecting and prioritizing issues for the forum. The HR Caucus would
> like to stress that the existence of the MAG should not prevent the
> necessary openness of the IGF to potential discussions on all issues
> that need coordinated governance, through an ongoing process
> organized around thematic working groups and the holding of dedicated
> workshops. In other words, the HR Caucus believes that the MAG should
> by no mean become the central and major place of the IGF activities.
> Also, the mandate of the members is somewhat unclear. On the one hand
> it is a group of experts selected in their personal capacity, thus
> not representing any constituency, on the other hand the members are
> explicitly said to represent various stakeholder groups, but with no
> specification on what this implies in terms of coordination and
> communication to and with this stakeholder group. If not addressed
> explicitly and up-front, these inaccuracies might lead to failures in
> transparency and accountability of the MAG and its members, with the
> risk of undermining their legitimacy.
> The HR Caucus therefore recommends that a term of reference paper for
> the MAG and its members, addressing these issues, is conducted and
> distributed as soon as possible
>
> Selection of MAG members
> In order to secure an open and transparent process, the HR Caucus
> urges that the nominations received by the IGF and the criteria for
> selection of MAG members are made public. This is in line with
> current standards for good governance.
>
> Language
> Information on the IGF and MAG process has so far primarily been
> carried out in English (see www.intgovforum.gov), leaving aside non-
> English speakers. The HR Caucus recommends that, as a minimum,
> information should be provided in other UN languages.
>
> Funding
> There is currently no information available regarding funding to
> participate in the MAG (travel etc.).This poses a serious problem,
> especially for less developed countries and for small organizations
> from around the world.
> The HR Caucus urge that information on funding is included in the MAG
> term of reference mentioned above, including some means for
> assistance for smaller organizations.
>
> Information on the WSIS CS HR Caucus and Contact Points
> Website: http://www.iris.sgdg.org/actions/smsi/hr-wsis
> Mailing list public archives: http://www.iris.sgdg.org/actions/smsi/
> hr-wsis/list/
> Co-chairs:
> -       Rikke Frank Joergensen
> The Danish Institute for Human Rights, Denmark
> rfj at humanrights.dk
> -       Meryem Marzouki
> Imaginons un Réseau Internet Solidaire, France
> Meryem.Marzouki at iris.sgdg.org
> _______________________________________________
> governance mailing list
> governance at lists.cpsr.org
> https://ssl.cpsr.org/mailman/listinfo/governance

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