[governance] IGF Review Process Consensus Statement

[Ginger Paque]

Having read the discussion on the list, and trying to reconcile the various viewpoints, YJ and I have come up with the following first draft proposal for a statement to the IGF Secretariat regarding the IGF Review process. Please add your comments. Thanks! Ginger

The UN WSIS Civil Society Internet Governance Caucus (IGC) has been actively engaged with the UN Internet Governance Forum, the outcome of the UN WSIS global negotiation, from its beginning and congratulates the UN Internet Governance Forum (IGF) on its successful implementation of the principle of mutlistakeholderism from 2006 until the present.

The IGC believes that the IGF has raised awareness of both narrow and broad Internet Governance issues among stakeholders involved in the IGF process by providing workshops and dialogues based on the mutltistakeholder principle. However, the IGC is concerned about the lack of participation by governments and the developing world in the IGF and
the counter-proposal to creating an exclusively intergovernmental forum driven by decisions instead of discussion.

Since the value and effectiveness of the IGF are obvious, with
near-unanimous response that it should continue, we believe that the review should focus on addressing the issue of more inclusive participation. To do so, governments must be motivated to participate fully in the IGF process. We ask whether a more substantial output in the form of a statement, recommendations or guidelines would catalyze this engagement.

More importantly, the energy not needed in a review of the current process could be spent in the search for ways to foster more active inclusion of rarely heard and developing country voices through, but not limited to, remote participation.




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