[governance] IGC statement to IGF MAG

Wed May 9 13:22:41 EDT 2007

The following text is being put out for seeking consensus as IGC's
submission to the IGF consultations on the 22nd May. 

We request that members only convey agreement or disagreement for submitting
this text in this shape to the IGF secretariat. You may include your reasons
in as much detail as you wish, but the precise point of agreement or
disagreement to submitting the statement in the exact shape as below should
be clear. 

At this stage, we will NOT be considering suggestions for substantive
changes to the text.

However, small changes, which attract no controversy, and language edits etc
may be taken on the discretion of the co-coordinators. 

Some relatively substantive changes may also be accepted only if there is a
resounding support, and no opposition at all, to them. However, this will be
an exception, again completely up to the discretion of the co-coordinators.

At the same hour as now (1730 GMT) on May 11th the consensus call will be
closed, and the result of it announced by the next day ie 12th. 

(Statement begins)

Civil Society Internet Governance Caucus's input into the open round of
consultations on 23 May 2007 to discuss programme and agenda for the second
meeting of the IGF in Rio de Janeiro.

In view of their central importance to the current discourse on Internet
Governance, the Civil Society Internet Governance Caucus will like the
following themes addressed in the main sessions at the IGF.

(1) Internet Global Public Policy - Issues and Institutions 

A call to "discuss public policy issues related to key elements of Internet
governance" is the first point in the IGF mandate in the Tunis agenda. The
Agenda deals at length with the question of new global public policy issues
regarding IG, the possibility of new frameworks and structures, and the role
of existing ones (e.g, paragraphs 61, 69). We therefore believe that an IGF
main session should explore the following topics: 

a) What is "public policy" on the Internet and when do we need to use global
institutions to establish it? The Tunis Agenda distinguishes between
"technical" and "public policy" issues, and between public policy and the
"day-to-day technical and operational matters." What makes an Internet
governance issue a "public policy" issue, and what happens when policy
concerns are closely linked to technical administration?

b) What was intended by the TA's call for the "development of
globally-applicable principles on public policy issues associated with the
coordination and management of critical Internet resources" and how can this
goal be pursued?

(2) ICANN and Core Internet Resources

Policy toward "critical Internet resources" is a major topic in the Tunis
Agenda and the mandate for the IGF. Currently, name and number resources are
administered by ICANN and the Regional Internet Registries. This main
session should discuss the policy issues and policy making processes in
these institutions. In particular, ICANN's status as an international
organization, its representation of various constituencies and stakeholders,
and the changing role of the GAC within ICANN should be discussed. 

(3) Global Internet policies impacting access to and effective use of the
Internet by disadvantage people and groups - The development agenda in IG

We would like to have a main session devoted to the topic, how can global
Internet governance policies and practices have an impact on disadvantaged
peoples' access to, and effective use of, the Internet and their access to
knowledge? This panel would try to identify and explore the specific
policies, institutional mechanisms, resource allocation processes, property
rights regimes and financing mechanisms that are international in scope and
can have a real affect on access to, and effective use of, the Internet by
disadvantaged people and groups.

(4) The role and mandate of IGF

The Tunis Agenda mandated that the IGF should, inter alia, facilitate
discourse between bodies dealing with different cross-cutting international
public policies and issues that do not fall within the scope of any existing
body; interface with appropriate inter-governmental organizations and other
institutions on matters under their purview;  identify emerging issues,
bring them to the attention of the relevant bodies and the general public,
and, where appropriate, make recommendations; and promote and assess, on an
ongoing basis, the embodiment of WSIS principles in Internet governance
processes. Since these critically important, value-adding functions cannot
be performed by any existing Internet governance mechanism, nor by annual
conferences built around plenary presentations from invited speakers, the
purpose of this panel would be to foster an open and inclusive dialogue on
how the IGF could fulfill these and other elements of its mandate.

(ends)

Parminder 

________________________________________________
Parminder Jeet Singh
IT for Change, Bangalore
Bridging Development Realities and Technological Possibilities 
Tel: (+91-80) 2665 4134, 2653 6890
Fax: (+91-80) 4146 1055
www.ITforChange.net 

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