[governance] role in MAG

Thu Sep 18 09:04:53 EDT 2008

Congratulations Parminder.

Sivasubramanian Muthusamy

On Thu, Sep 18, 2008 at 5:35 PM, Kabani <asif at kabani.co.uk> wrote:

> Parminder,
>
> Congrulations first, we agree with you all my support.
>
>
> Asif Kabani
>
> 2008/9/18 Qusai AlShatti <qshatti at gmail.com>
>
>  Hi Parminder:
>> I agree with Wolfgang, I think that being a special advisor to the chair
>> will not contradict with your role as IGC coordinator. In the contrary it
>> will expnand CS involvement within the IGF and will give the IGC cauacus a
>> bigger role.
>>
>> All the Best,,
>>
>> Qusai
>>
>>   On Thu, Sep 18, 2008 at 12:02 AM, Parminder <parminder at itforchange.net>wrote:
>>
>>>    Hi All
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> As a caucus co-coordinator, I consider it important to inform the caucus
>>> that the IGF secretariat had asked me to be a special advisor to the MAG
>>> chair, which I role I have accepted. I did so after some amount of thinking
>>> and clarifying with the secretariat that my IGC co-coordinator and advocacy
>>> role should and will in no way be affected by this responsibility.  For the
>>> sake of transparency, I am sharing as below the email that I wrote to the
>>> IGF secretariat in this regard. I have been told that my understanding of
>>> the role as per my email is quite fine.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> I have convinced myself that the role of a special advisor does not
>>> conflict with my role of IGC co-coordinator. In any case, I still see the
>>> later as primary, and will act accordingly, if any circumstances of
>>> conflict, however unlikely, were to arise. In this regard, I am given to
>>> understand that almost the only really strict principle of MAG working is
>>> that of following Chatham house rules.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Parminder
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> (PS: Due to some internal reasons, I was asked by the secretariat to not
>>> share this information till the MAG meeting started today.)
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> (Below is the email I wrote a few days back in response to the invitation
>>> to be a special advisor to the MAG chair)
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Dear Markus
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> As you would have judged, my taking some time to think about accepting
>>> the gracious invitation to be a Special Advisor to the Chair of MAG had to
>>> do with the civil society advocacy work I do. I had to consider if this work
>>> will in any way get affected by my working in this capacity. I also needed
>>> to consult my organization.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> I will of course in no way be able to change anything in terms of my
>>> advocacy work – as IGC co-coordinator, where I have a little more time to
>>> go,  or, even more so, the work I do on the behalf of my organization and
>>> the network of South-based civil society groups that I work with. As in
>>> engagement with any institution, advocacy positions may carry differing
>>> perspectives on various aspects of the institution's work, in this case
>>> IGF's.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> However, I have no doubt that I see the IGF as an extra-ordinarily
>>> important forum – even more so from a futuristic perspective – in providing
>>> new possibilities in the area of democratic global governance, apart from
>>> its cardinal role in global IG.  It is exciting as well as eminently useful,
>>> in terms of my keen interest in these areas, for me to be a part of such an
>>> evolving institution. I am also completely in agreement with the mandate
>>> that WSIS has given to the IGF, and will like to see it steadily evolve in
>>> fulfilling this role, even as we figure out how best it can be done.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> I understand that as a special advisor my services are available to the
>>> chair to help him carry out his responsibilities. I will be able to provide
>>> assistance especially in terms of civil society perspectives, and reaching
>>> out to civil society groups and persons.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> As I understand it, I will not be seen as necessarily representing the
>>> 'official' MAG position if there is one, as I understand even MAG members
>>> can keep their individual distances from, as they deem fit. However I do
>>> understand the responsibilities of constructive engagement with basic
>>> purposes and activities of the IGF; and, also the need to observe the agreed
>>> rules of the MAG's internal activities, and other tasks, if any, especially
>>> those undertaken in confidence.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> I did not meant to make it sound like a formal acceptance speech, but the
>>> specific circumstances of involvement with civil society advocacy activities
>>> makes the issue of formal involvement with concerned institutions as
>>> something that requires some amount of careful thought.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> I gladly accept to be a special advisor to the MAG Chair, with the above
>>> understanding of the role. And I very much look forward to working with the
>>> Chair, the IGF secretariat, and the MAG.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Best Regards
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Parminder
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> ____________________________________________________________
>>> You received this message as a subscriber on the list:
>>>     governance at lists.cpsr.org
>>> To be removed from the list, send any message to:
>>>     governance-unsubscribe at lists.cpsr.org
>>>
>>> For all list information and functions, see:
>>>     http://lists.cpsr.org/lists/info/governance
>>>
>>>
>>
>> ____________________________________________________________
>> You received this message as a subscriber on the list:
>>     governance at lists.cpsr.org
>> To be removed from the list, send any message to:
>>     governance-unsubscribe at lists.cpsr.org
>>
>> For all list information and functions, see:
>>     http://lists.cpsr.org/lists/info/governance
>>
>>
>
>
> --
> Visit: www.kabani.co.uk
>
> ____________________________________________________________
> You received this message as a subscriber on the list:
>     governance at lists.cpsr.org
> To be removed from the list, send any message to:
>     governance-unsubscribe at lists.cpsr.org
>
> For all list information and functions, see:
>     http://lists.cpsr.org/lists/info/governance
>
>

-- 
http://www.linkedin.com/in/sivasubramanianmuthusamy
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.igcaucus.org/pipermail/governance/attachments/20080918/9c931625/attachment.htm>
-------------- next part --------------
____________________________________________________________
You received this message as a subscriber on the list:
     governance at lists.cpsr.org
To be removed from the list, send any message to:
     governance-unsubscribe at lists.cpsr.org

For all list information and functions, see:
     http://lists.cpsr.org/lists/info/governance