[governance] Draft statement to UNSG on bypassing CSTD

Tue Feb 16 08:03:49 EST 2010

Make sure then that para 3 is edited to remove (though never formalised),
possibly adding a reference to formalisation process.
Deirdre

On 16 February 2010 08:26, Yrjö Länsipuro <yrjo_lansipuro at hotmail.com>wrote:

>  Thank you, Jeremy, for the first draft.
>
> I think than in the 3rd para, we could refer to the relevant decisions by
> the ECOSOC that actually formalized the participation of other stakeholders
> in the work of the CSTD, e g.:
>
> Responsibility for system-wide follow-up  of the WSIS outcomes, including
> the IGF, was granted  to ECOSOC, with the actual review and assessment work
> tasked to the CSTD, one of its functional commissions, which for this
> purpose was to be strengthened "taking into account the multistakeholder
> approach".   (Tunis Agenda, para 105).  The "opening" of the CSTD to other
> stakeholders was formalized in ECOSOC decisions 2007/215, 2007/216, 2008/217
> and 2008/218. According to these decisions,  all WSIS-accredited NGOs,
> academic entities and private sector representatives were invited to
>  participate in the work of the CSTD.
>
> Best,
>
> Yrjö
>
>
> ------------------------------
> Date: Tue, 16 Feb 2010 10:52:02 +0000
> To: jeremy at ciroap.org; governance at lists.cpsr.org
> From: email at hakik.org
> Subject: Re: [governance] Draft statement to UNSG on bypassing CSTD
>
>
> Paragraph four may elaborated further including a few success cases that
> have been initiated by civil societies in several countries aiming at WSIS
> missions. They have elevated Internet governance platforms in those
> countries. Further progress of them requires substantive support in terms of
> policy issues and state level patronization. These will roll out the process
> of inclusive society to achieve the target set at several IGF sessions and
> will open the door to continue as such in future.
>
> Best regards,
> Hakikur Rahman
>
>
> At 10:13 16-02-2010, Jeremy Malcolm wrote:
>
> As agreed, please find below a draft letter to the UNSG (United Nations
> Secretary-General) expressing our strong concern about the usurpation of the
> role of the civil society-friendly CSTD (Commission on Science and
> Technology for Development) in reviewing the conclusions of the UNSG on the
> continuation of the IGF.  This is based closely on Wolfgang's post to the
> list that followed on from mine and Yrjö's.  This is just a first draft, and
> I might have missed some recent discussions as I'm composing this in the air
> between the US and Europe.
>
> Dear Sir,
>
> As a strong supporter of the Internet Governance Forum (IGF) and its unique
> multi-stakeholder process, the Civil Society Internet Governance Caucus
> writes to express a concern about what we see as a potential weakening of
> that process, in the revelation at the last IGF open consultation meeting on
> 10 February that your recommendations on the continuation of the IGF will
> not be reviewed by the CSTD (Commission on Science and Technology for
> Development).  In raising this concern, we are joining our voice to those of
> several governments who spoke to similar effect at that open consultation
> meeting.
>
> This recognition of the principle of "multistakeholderism" in the Tunis
> Agenda 2005 was the biggest conceptual achievement in WSIS and was in
> particular accepted as a guiding principle for Internet Governance in
> contrast to a "one stakeholder (intergovernmental) approach". The acceptance
> of civil society as an "equal parter" (in their specific role) was a big
> step for civil society. This was paved by the constructive and substantial
> work the civil society representatives did during WSIS I and II, documented
> in particular in the WSIS Civil Society Declaration, adopted in Geneva in
> December 2003 and handed over officially to the Heads of States (who
> accepted it) in the Closing Ceremony of WSIS I, and in the contribution to
> the results of the UN Working Group on Internet Governance (WGIG).  The
> launch of the IGF as a "multistakeholder discussion platform" was the result
> of this.
>
> Responsibility for system-wide follow-up and review of the WSIS outcomes,
> including the IGF, was granted to ECOSOC through its CSTD, and this role was
> to be managed using a multi-stakeholder approach (Tunis Agenda, para 105).
> The "opening" of the CSTD was a very complicated procedure which was first
> (in 2006) established as a preliminary exception, but was later taken for
> granted (though never formalized).  It allows for all WSIS-accredited NGOs,
> and private sector representatives, to participate as active observers.  In
> fact, the ECOSOC decisions that opened CSTD up to other stakeholders speak
> about "participating in the work" of it, rather than just observing.
>
> With this structure in place, the CSTD drafted the annual ECOSOC
> resolutions on the WSIS follow-up for 2007-2009, including assessments on
> the performance of the IGF.  There is no reason for a sudden departure from
> this process on the question of the continuation of the IGF.
>
> In contrast, ECOSOC itself is not a multi-stakeholder institution.  Whilst
> ECOSOC has accredited NGOs, all they can do is to send written statements
> which are published before the meeting. They have no right to negotiate, no
> right to speak, and no right to access the meeting room to brief (or lobby)
> delegates.  Moreover, the private sector has no representation within ECOSOC
> at all.
>
> In other words, to move the debate to ECOSOC means to silence an open and
> transparent debate among governmental and non-governmental stakeholders. It
> would mark a return to the pre-WSIS time when civil society (and the private
> sector) were removed from the room after the ceremonial speeches of the
> opening sessions ended and the real debate started in June 2002. It took
> three years and ten PrepComs to change this.
>
> We request you to take steps to redress this anomaly, by transmitting your
> recommendations on the continuation of the IGF to the CSTD for consideration
> at its May meeting, where they will be open for review by non-governmental
> stakeholders, as befits the review of a unique multi-stakeholder
> institution. We would also like to take this opportunity to reiterate our
> support for the continuation of the IGF as a multi-stakeholder forum for the
> discussion of Internet-related public policy issues, located in Geneva, with
> an independent budget and a Secretariat under contract with the United
> Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA).
>
> Thank you for your consideration.
>
> --
>
> *Jeremy Malcolm
> Project Coordinator*
> Consumers International
> Kuala Lumpur Office for Asia Pacific and the Middle East
> Lot 5-1 Wisma WIM, 7 Jalan Abang Haji Openg, TTDI, 60000 Kuala Lumpur,
> Malaysia
> Tel: +60 3 7726 1599
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