[governance] IGC statement FINAL VERSION

[Jeanette Hofmann]

> I dont think a MAG meeting in Sept would have resolved the issue. 
> However, would it not have given us further opportunities to strategise 
> and argue and negotiate on the issue, and on other issues we seek to put 
> on agenda? That is the point.

This is a matter of speculation. You think another meeting would have 
helped the agenda, other thought that it would jeopardize the little 
consensus we had on the agenda.

  Holding fully-empowered MAG allows
> political issues to be tabled, negotiated around and possibly brought on 
> to the agenda. CS advocacy and strategies are never a one-off thing, 
> they are long struggles. And every occasion to take this struggle 
> forward is useful.

With your last point I definitely disagree. I don't think it is a good 
idea to renegotiate the agenda two months before an IGF meeting. It is 
neither possible to invite speakers nor to arrange workshops around main 
sessions if the last MAG meeting before the IGF may revise the agenda.
> 
> So, the real issue is whether we want all the MAG meetings we get or 
> not. 

This is an open issue and there is no agreement on it. Unlike you I 
think it is good to devote the last meeting before the IGF to the 
planning of main sessions and workshops, and to invite all those who are 
  involved in organizing these events.


I think Jeremy is trying to make this point using the background of
> the canceled MAG meeting of Sept 2009, which some people suspect, only 
> suspect, 

I don't think such suspicions should be part of our statement.

just may have had something to do with ardent human rights
> advocacy taken up by CS groups in the 2009 preparatory process. However, 
> since this is just a conjecture of some, I am fine if our statement 
> de-links the two issues. we can say something like.
> 
> "In this regard, we find it important that all the three annual MAG 
> meetings are held so that important issues of agenda can be decided, and 
> fine-tuned to the necessary level of detail, through taking note of open 
> consultations and discussion among MAG members. "

You know that there is no consensus on this position. Several civil 
society members have expressed support for the open meetings in May and 
June on the MAG list. I find Wolfgang's suggestions much more constructive.
jeanette
> 
> Parminder
> 
> 
> 
> 
>>
>>
>>
>> In this context, we have an
>>> observation to make about the proposal that there should be only one 
>>> MAG meeting in 2010.  The fact that a formal decision is yet to be 
>>> taken on whether the IGF is to be renewed and in what form is not 
>>> seen by the IGC as a decisive factor against the rotation.  However 
>>> if a rotation does not take place, care must be taken that this does 
>>> not result in the programme for the Vilnius meeting being prematurely 
>>> set in stone.
>>>
>>> On this note, we would like to re-propose the adoption of a human 
>>> rights agenda for the Vilnius meeting, along with the inclusion of a 
>>> development agenda in Internet governance as a cross cutting theme.
>>>
>>> The IGF should also consider how to improve its orientation towards 
>>> the development of tangible outputs, even if these do not amount to 
>>> recommendations, declarations or statements (though many of our 
>>> members would support outputs of such kinds).  Whatever form its 
>>> outputs take, efforts should be taken to ensure that they are 
>>> transmitted to relevant external institutions through appropriate 
>>> mechanisms.
>>>
>>> Similarly, in order to maximise its effectiveness, the IGF should 
>>> have an intersessional work program, rather than being limited to a 
>>> single annual meeting.  This could include the development of an 
>>> ongoing work program for the IGF as a whole, to be carried on through 
>>> online tools and intersessional and regional meetings.
>>>
>>> Alternatively the main responsibility for intersessional work could 
>>> be left to dynamic coalitions (and perhaps other issue-specific 
>>> working groups).  In that case, it is widely accepted that there 
>>> should be a better mechanism than at present for these groups to 
>>> present their outputs to the IGF as a whole.  This would require the 
>>> IGF to begin to set more stringent standards for such groups, 
>>> including open membership, democratic processes, and perhaps 
>>> multi-stakeholder composition.
>>>
>>> The MAG should also organize thematic working groups of MAG members 
>>> plus outsiders, to develop background material, IGF discussion 
>>> synthesis etc on major themes selected to be taken up by the IGF.
>>>
>>> We thank you for the opportunity to present you with these thoughts, 
>>> which reflect a "rough consensus" of our several hundred members from 
>>> civil society, with a wide spread of geographic and gender 
>>> representation.  We look forward to continuing to constructively 
>>> engage with and participate in the IGF over the course of its renewed 
>>> term.
>>>
>>> *About the IGC*
>>>
>>> The IGC is an association of individuals in civil society who are 
>>> actively engaged in internet governance and the IGF. Formed during 
>>> the lead up to the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS), 
>>> our mission is to promote global public interest objectives in 
>>> Internet governance policy making. It now comprises more than 400 
>>> individual subscribers to its mailing list, who have subscribed to 
>>> its Charter.  More about our coalition can be found at 
>>> http://www.igcaucus.org <http://www.igcaucus.org/>.
>>>
>>> -- 
>>>
>>> *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
>>>
>>> *CI is 50*
>>> Consumers International marks 50 years of the global consumer 
>>> movement in 2010.
>>> Celebrate with us as we continue to support, promote and protect 
>>> consumer rights around the world. 
>>> _http://www.consumersinternational.org/50_
>>>
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