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

[CW Mail]

Dear Izumi Aizu:

I confirm my signature to the letter.

Regards,

Christopher Wilkinson
Chair, Internet Society European Chapters Coordinating Council (ISOC- 
ECC)
>
>
>
> ---------- 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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