[governance] IGF consultations - extending IGF's mandate

[Jeremy Malcolm]

On 20/01/2009, at 6:58 PM, Ian Peter wrote:

> Do we agree with this summary?

(Parminder's, snipped) - yes, entirely.

> The IGF should be assured stable and sufficient public funding to be  
> able to
> carry its functions effectively, and impartially in global public  
> interest.

Clearly yes.  To be frank, nobody takes the IGF seriously - even  
friendly civil society people in the ICT space, unless they are on  
this list (and sometimes even then), react with surprise when it is  
suggested that the IGF was once intended to be something like a  
"public policy ICANN" rather than just an annual symposium.  Properly  
funding it would not solve that problem, but it would help.

> Our recommendations should emphasize that the IGF needs its mandate  
> extended
> so that it can evolve. The small secretariat with its direct  
> connection to
> New York has been a successful arrangement that provides  
> flexibility. I
> think it is important that no other UN organization gets involved in  
> the
> IGF's management.
>
> Any thoughts on this?

I entirely agree with Milton that the interposition of the black box  
of the UN Secretariat prevents the MAG from being adequately  
democratic, but on the other hand I think Jeanette's main point was  
that we have only a fairly thin link to the UN bureaucracy at present  
and that it certainly should not be thickened.

-- 
JEREMY MALCOLM
Project Coordinator
CONSUMERS INTERNATIONAL-KL OFFICE
for Asia Pacific and the Middle East	

Consumers International (CI) is the only independent global  
campaigning voice for consumers. With over 220 member organisations in  
115 countries, we are building a powerful international consumer  
movement to help protect and empower consumers everywhere. For more  
information, visit www.consumersinternational.org.

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