[governance] Transparency (was Re: Program for IGC at IGF)

[Norbert Bollow]

Jeremy Malcolm <Jeremy at Malcolm.id.au> wrote:

> Norbert Bollow wrote:
> > I think that the way forward with respect to achieving good
> > standards of transparency and accountability in internet
> > governance is to create a small "light-weight" internet
> > governance organization which should be in charge of only a
> > small number of tasks (tasks which are not currently really
> > worked on by any existing organization, and which are easier
> > than organizing an Internet Governance Forum), and set up all
> > processes of this new organization in exemplary ways to show
> > how accountable transparent multistakeholder processes can
> > be properly organized, and to learn what resources are
> > needed for that.
> 
> Another one?  It's been hard enough to get the first one where it is, 
> hasn't it?

Yes, but how much can be expected from the IGF (or any other
existing organization) with respect to going forward on issues
like ICT accessibility for people with disabilities, privacy
protection, net neutrality and anti-spam?

Is there any reason to expect that from the currently-existing
structure, effective action will result in a manner which puts the
good principles of the Tunis Commitment into action (as opposed to
merely paying lip-service to those principles)?

If what needs to happen cannot reasonably be expected from the
IGF and other existing structures, we who care about these
matters should use the opportunity of the Athens meeting and
launch a light-weight but accountable and transparent organizational
process for making these things happen.

When I propose "a new organization" I certainly didn't want to suggest
a competitor to the IGF.  Rather I'm talking about a multistakeholder
process aimed at coordinating effective action, which I hope will
emerge from the IGF.  I'm thinking of something really lightweight
organizationally, with one yearly face-to-face meeting for those who
can make it to the IGF, plus interaction over the internet (the
face-to-face meetings should allow full participation over the
internet, and also during the rest of the year there should be
interaction and decision-making via the internet).

> > Already in the Consultations in Geneva in February there was
> > very little insistence on the importance of transparency.  As
> > long as requests and demands for transparency are not greatly
> > increased, genuine transparency cannot plausibly be expected
> > to be provided, except if we who care about transparency work
> > together to create a little internet governance organization
> > which does whatever it does in a genuinely transparent manner.
> 
> Let's greatly increase those requests and demands, then.  I've just 
> submitted a five-minute video presentation in which I make my own call 
> for the IGF to evolve more accountable and transparent structures and 
> processes before Rio.  How many others would like to join me?

I'd be happy to, although I don't see how I could arrange for the
recording of a video statement prior to my departure for Athens.

Is someone taking a video camera (which allows the recording of such
statements) to Athens?

> Of course it's a difficult ask, but how much more difficult would it
> be to create yet another organisation that would have the same
> buy-in from stakeholders as the IGF?

As soon as one actually wants to take action, and not just talk
about the issues, that kind of large-scale stakeholder buy-in
cannot realistically be expected anyway.

Greetings,
Norbert.


-- 
Norbert Bollow <nb at bollow.ch>                       http://Norbert.ch
President of the Swiss Internet User Group SIUG        http://SIUG.ch
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