[governance] Fwd: Civil Society Internet Governance Caucus (IGC) Letter to CSTD WG on IGF

[Izumi AIZU]

Dear list,

Just sent the letter to CSTD. Sorry, I do not have time/work space now
to include the organizational names signed to this. I will add these
asap.

In the mean time, they have announced the selection of WG only by the
governments.

http://www.unctad.org/Templates/Page.asp?intItemID=5755&lang=1

So we need to work on the next steps. All ideas and suggestions
welcome.

Thanks,

izumi



---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Izumi AIZU <iza at anr.org>
Date: 2010/12/11
Subject: Civil Society Internet Governance Caucus (IGC) Letter to CSTD WG on
IGF
To: frederic.riehl at bakom.admin.ch, Mongi Hamdi <Mongi.Hamdi at unctad.org>,
Anne Miroux <Anne.Miroux at unctad.org>
Cc: Jeremy Malcolm <jeremy at ciroap.org>


Dear Sir/Madam,

Civil Society Internet Governance Caucus (IGC) would like to submit the
following
letter to show our strong disagreement with the recent decision of the
Working
Group composition for the improvement of the IGF.

Thank you for your kind attention,

Izumi Aizu
Jeremy Malcolm
Coordinators of IGC

-----------


Honourable Mme. Sherry Ayittey
Chairperson
UN Commission on Science and Technology for Development

His Excellency Mr. Frederic Riehl,
Vice Chairperson,
UN Commission on Science and Technology for Development


Dear Ms. Ayittey and Mr. Riehl,

Thank you for undertaking the IGF review process.

We have learned that the membership of the CSTD Working Group on IGF will
comprise Government representatives only and that no Civil Society, Private
Sector, or Technical Community members will be included. Since there is no
official announcement on this issue, we first of all seek a confirmation if
the above mentioned is indeed true.

In the unfortunate case that it has been so decided, we, the undersigned,
would like to express our strong concern about that decision which is
apparently in violation of the mandate given by the concerned ECOSOC
resolution,  for setting up the Working Group in an ‘open and inclusive
manner’. We understand that the same mandate is imminent to also be
communicated through a UN General Assembly resolution. We feel that the
process undertaken violates principles of “openness and inclusion” which
form the background to the entire IGF process. The overall approach to this
important issue related to Internet Governance is also in violation of the
Tunis Agenda, paras 37, 72, 73, 76, 78, 80, 83, 97,105, and 108, both in
letter and spirit.

The process also clearly goes against the Chair’s Summary of Vilnius IGF
consultation and the Chair’s tentative road map indicates that the Working
Group will employ multi-stakeholder composition, modality and work method.

As the Chair’s Summary says:

*It was stressed by many participants that the multi-stakeholder character
and inclusive spirit and principles of the IGF have been successful and
should continue to guide the composition, modalities and working methods of
the CSTD Working Group on the IGF.

Thus, it was emphasised by a large number of interventions that it was
essential that the working Group be composed of a balanced number of
representatives from all stakeholders - governments, civil society and the
private sector.

A majority of stakeholders welcomed the Chair’s suggestion to use the model
of the UN Working Group on Internet Governance (WGIG), which was set up in
the aftermath of the 2003 Geneva phase of WSIS “in an open and inclusive
manner”


*
In this context, we are very much concerned that the WG composition is not
in fact open and inclusive and that non-governmental stakeholders (civil
society, business and Internet technical community) will be excluded from
the WG membership altogether. Non-governmental stakeholders are critical to
the continued development and success of building the people-centered
Information Society. Their exclusion runs counter to WSIS principles
including that "The international management of the Internet should be
multilateral, transparent and democratic, with the full involvement of
governments, the private sector, civil society and international
organizations.”

We do not understand why this regressive decision was suddenly made, but we
do request that this decision be reversed, even if that will introduce a
degree of delay in the overall process.

We respectfully call for all government members with whom we have to date
acted as partners in pursuit of IGF improvement, to examine the possible
consequences of this perhaps hastily-considered proposal. It is our feeling
that this action might negatively impact the current ecology and future of
Internet Governance which has been evolving in a unique multistakeholder
manner. We further ask that an approach be pursued that is satisfactory to
all stakeholders.

We hope that we may have misunderstood the significance of this decision and
that our reaction is therefore misplaced. However if we are not mistaken, we
fear that the CSTD’s decision will lead not to the improvement, but rather,
to the regression and even destruction of the IGF and the trust that has
been built among  the stakeholders since WSIS.  A lack of meaningful
multistakeholder involvement will make IGF both ineffective and irrelevant,
and thwart attempts to further develop effective internet governance at this
crucial time.

We look forward to receiving your response at the earliest.

--

Signed by:

The Internet Governance Caucus
More to join




-- 
                        >> Izumi Aizu <<

          Institute for InfoSocionomics, Tama University, Tokyo

           Institute for HyperNetwork Society, Oita,
                                  Japan
                                 * * * * *
           << Writing the Future of the History >>
                                www.anr.org
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