[governance] Upcoming Events & thoughts going forward ...

Sun Jan 22 15:22:51 EST 2006

On 22-Jan-06, at 9:20 AM, Veni Markovski wrote:

>
> Btw, we are thinking of organizing a small - one day - workshop in  
> the beginning of July in Sofia - right after the ICANN meeting in  
> Morocco. Please, keep it in your calendars, just in case. Most  
> probably on July 3.
>

If you are going to mention workshops and/or other events related to  
internet governance - then I do want to point out one event - the one  
organized by the Diplo Foundation -  that is coming up much sooner.   
Details are below...

On the subject of how to best support the ongoing activities of the  
Internet Caucus, I would be very cautious. The point should not be  
lost that organizational capture is a very real possibility.

we should start the discussion, but with one proviso - that we  
proceed in a structured way, one where we respect the many different  
views that are held by the caucus members. We could start with a  
brainstorming session , one where we put forward ideas on how a new  
structure could look like . Ideas should be able to put forward ideas  
without prejudice. The brainstorming session would , hopefully, be a  
place where neither existing nor past battles are fought.

I recognize that there are fundamental differences of opinion between  
many of the people here. From what I've read, the majority of the  
issues are based on - past - events. Though it will be difficult,  
let's try to bury past issue and start a new. I'm a bit tired of the  
personal attacks - let's stop it.  There's a lot to do, let's get to it.

regards

Robert

International Conference : Internet Governance - The Way forward
(from Tunis to Athens via Malta)
Organized by: Diplo Foundation
Dates: Feb 10-12, 2005
Details @ <http://www.diplomacy.edu/Conferences/IG>

Provisional Programme*

Introduction
This conference aims to contribute to the process of establishing the  
Internet Governance Forum (IGF) by facilitating an informed and  
constructive discussion. The IGF must be different from existing  
international initiatives and organisations in many respects. For  
example, it should accommodate specific working methods and  
approaches practiced over the years by Internet developers. At the  
same time, the IGF must be linked to existing international policy  
and legal systems. The conference will involve the participation of  
all major actors in the IG field, and make use of available  
knowledge, expertise, and experience as inputs to the policy process.  
Given Diplo’s mission, specific emphasis will be placed on the  
developmental aspects.

Methodology
The methodology of the Malta Conference can be explained through an  
analogy with the computer game SimCity. While SimCity simulates the  
building of a city, we will be “building” the Internet Governance  
Forum. The construction process will be organised through eight  
panels. Each panel will begin with 3-4 introductory remarks. Like in  
SimCity, we will not start from scratch: experiences, rules, and  
principles will be taken into account.

Friday, 10th February 2006

09:30 – 10:30

Official Opening and Welcome Address

Overview and Introduction

Invited Speakers:

     *

       Rev. Prof Peter Serracino Inglott, former Rector of the  
University of Malta
     *

       Dr Jovan Kurbalija, Director of DiploFoundation
     *

       Dr Alex Sceberras Trigona, former Minister of Foreign Affairs  
of Malta

11.00 – 12.30

During the first day of the conference, after the official opening,  
we will set the stage for the building of the IGF. The outlining  
session will start with a broad range of reflections on networking as  
an organisational principle, highlighting key elements in the  
building of network-based decision making processes. IGF background  
information will then be provided through an elaboration of the  
sequence of conference panels and how panel discussions fit into the  
“construction” of the IGF?

The session will conclude by outlining the formal IGF requirements,  
as specified by the WSIS process. With these “requirements” set in  
place, the conference will explore which constructions/ideas can be  
borrowed from other initiatives.

Lunch
Presentation of Research:
The Protection of the Public Interest with Regards to the Internet.

Panel 1 and 2
Experiences of Various Internet Bodies and other International  
Initiatives

Invited Speakers:

     *

       Dr Jeanette Hofmann, Social Science Research Center - Berlin
     *

       Mr Paul Wilson, Executive Director of APNIC
     *

       Professor Wolfgang Kleinwächter, University of Aarhus, Denmark
     *

       Dr Michael Zammit Cutajar, former Executive Director of the  
Kyoto Process
     *

       Dr Roberta Ritson, World Health Organisation, Geneva

14.00 – 15.30

One feature specific to the Internet is its unique system of  
governance. The creation of the IGF should include governance  
mechanisms that have proven successful during Internet development.  
The first panel will focus on the experiences of various internet  
bodies, including IETF, ICANN, RIRs, and ISOC.

Coffee Break

16.00 – 17.30

Speakers in the second panel will discuss the experiences and  
knowledge that the IGF can borrow from other international  
initiatives, particularly from fields that require a multistakeholder  
approach and cover complex issues. The environment and health  
protection will form the main case studies. Special attention will be  
paid to the WGIG as one of the most successful examples of a  
multistakeholder initiative.

Internet Governance Capacity Building Initiative

17:30 – 18:00

At the end of the first day, conference attendees will learn more  
about the Internet Governance Capacity Building Initiative (IGCBI).  
Members of the initiative team will introduce the most successful  
participants from the programmes held in 2005.

Throughout the conference, special poster sessions will present the  
results of the research conducted by programme participants during  
2005 on the following topics: IP Allocation and IPv6, The Role of  
Civil Society from Developing Countries in Internet Governance, and  
The Protection of the Public Interest in Regards to the Internet.

Saturday, 11th February 2006

With the background information in place, the second day of the  
conference will be dedicated to constructing the IGF.

Panel 3
Composition and Organisation of the Internet Governance Forum

Invited Speakers:

     * Mr Markus Kummer, the Internet Governance Forum
     * Professor Ang Peng Hwa, Nanyang Technological University,  
Singapore
     * Mr José Marcos Nogueira Viana, Permanent Mission of Brasil in  
Geneva

9.00 – 10.30

The third panel will focus on the composition and organisation of the  
Internet Governance Forum, including discussions of such questions as:

     *

       How can the structure of the forum appropriately involve  
various stakeholders and cover a wide range of issues?
     *

       How can the forum promote a bottom-up and inclusive nature,  
while maintaining an efficiently operational organisation?
     *

       What will be the most appropriate organisational form for the  
forum (e.g. open structure, secretariat, bureau)?

Coffee Break

Panel 4
The Working Methods of the Internet Governance Forum

Invited Speakers:

     *

       Mr Amr Aljowally, Permanent Mission of Egypt in Geneva
     *

       Ms Avri Doria, Research Consultant, Providence, Rhode Island
     *

       Dr Claudia Padovani, Univerity of Padova
     *

       Mr Adam Peake, GLOCOM - Tokyo

11.00 – 12.30

The fourth panel will focus on the working methods of the IGF. In the  
past, working methodology has been a stumbling block in many  
multistakeholder initiatives. The panel will explore various  
innovative possibilities which could be achieved through a careful  
blend of UN rules of procedure and practice, used by the wider  
Internet community including the IETF. Decisions are usually the  
outcome of processes. What should be the form and status of  
decisions? Recommendations are one of the most likely forms of  
decisions. The panel will discuss the possibility of using examples,  
such as the OECD’s recommendations. Given the innovative nature of  
the IGF’s organisation, special emphasis will be placed on various  
monitoring mechanisms, including monitoring the preservation of the  
multistakeholder nature of the IGF.

Lunch
Presentation of Research:
The Role of Civil Society from Developing Countries in Internet  
Governance

Panel 5
Financial and Logistical Issues

Invited Speakers:

     *

       Ms Ayesha Hassan, International Chamber of Commerce, Paris
     *

       Mr Guido Maccari, OECD, Paris
     *

       Ms Karen Banks, Association for Progressive Communication, London
     *

       Mr Ken Lohento, Center for International ICT Policies for  
Central and West Africa

14.00 – 15.30

The fifth panel will move on to financial and logistical issues,  
which often make or break international initiatives, beginning with  
discussions on the financial aspects of the IGF (How should it be  
financed? What should be the role of various stakeholders when it  
comes to financing?). Next, panellists will discuss the organisation  
of the IGF’s activities. The IGF must “walk the talk” by utilising  
the Internet for its operation. This part of the discussion will  
focus on finding the right balance between traditional (face-to-face)  
and online interactions. The panel will explore the pros and cons of  
using various online platforms, applications, and techniques. Main  
emphasis will be on the full integration of online methods in the  
work of the IGF, including discussion of questions such as the formal  
status of online input, the response to online input, and bringing  
all the stakeholders to a similar level when it comes to the use of  
online tools.

Discussions should facilitate an “out-of-the-box” thinking, including  
the possibility of utilising the IGF’s online deliberation tools to  
bypass existing functional barriers to the full participation of  
developing countries, including the lack of funds to participate in  
numerous IG related meetings, small diplomatic missions, as well as  
limited and usually overstretched local expertise for covering IG  
issues.

Coffee Break

Panel 6
Positioning the IGF within Existing Structures and Initiatives  
Related to Internet Governance

Invited Speakers:

     *

       Professor Milton Mueller, University of Syracuse, New York
     *

       Mr Latif Ladid, The New Internet based on IPv6
     *

       Dr William Drake, President of Computer Professionals for  
Social Responsibility, Geneva
     *

       Mr Joseph Tabone, Chairmain of Malta Telecommunication Authority

16.00 – 17.30 	

The sixth panel will focus on positioning the IGF within existing  
structures and initiatives related to Internet Governance. It is  
clearly stated in the WSIS’s “urban requirements” that the IGF should  
complement, not replace, existing forums, bodies, and initiatives in  
the field of Internet Governance. Discussions will focus on the  
relationship between the IGF and Internet related bodies (e.g. IETF,  
ISOC, ICANN), regional and international organisations, national  
governments, and academic/research communities.

After 19.30 	

Tour and Conference Dinner

Hopefully, by the end of Saturday, the main IGF building blocks will  
be in place. The conference dinner will be another opportunity to  
discuss the two days’ events in a historical setting over an  
excellent meal.

Sunday, 12th February 2006

Panel 7
The Internet Governance Forum and Development

Invited Speakers:

     * Ms Eskedar Nega, UN Economic Commision for Africa
     * Ms Fuatai Purcell, National ICT Secretariat of Samoa
     * Mr Waudo Singanga, Computer Society of Kenya

9.00 – 10.30 	

On Sunday, the third day of the conference, the seventh panel will  
focus on the Internet Governance Forum and development. The IGF must  
ensure that developmental aspects are covered in the deliberation of  
Internet Governance issues. Capacity-building was unanimously  
supported during the WSIS/WGIG process as an important developmental  
issue. How can capacity building at various levels be ensured,  
including immediate (helping participants from developing countries  
to fully participate in the IGF) and strategic (introducing IG  
related training in the curricula of academic and training  
institutions, building research capacities, etc.)?

	Coffee Break

Conclusions

11.00 – 12.30 	

The last session of the conference will try to bring all the building  
blocks together in the creation of an IGF "building" (mainly  
virtual), which is likely to remain under “heavy construction.”  
Through subsequent iterations, starting with consultations in Geneva  
immediately after the Malta Conference, the IGF building should  
attain a functional shape. Conclusion of the Malta Conference.

Lunch
Presentation of Research:
IP Allocation and IPv6

14.00 – 17.00 	

After the conclusion of the conference on Sunday afternoon, the first  
meeting of the Internet Governance Capacity Building Initiative will  
be held, during which plans for training seminars and research  
activities in 2006 will be discussed.

* This is a provisional programme and will be subject to changes in  
the following weeks.
_______________________________________________
governance mailing list
governance at lists.cpsr.org
https://ssl.cpsr.org/mailman/listinfo/governance