AW: [governance] DESA information meeting on IGF continuation in New

Tue Mar 30 03:47:58 EDT 2010

Dear list

to be frank I see this procedure, chosen by UNDESA, as a provocation and in sharp contrast to the principles of the Tunis Agenda.  

Why this letter was send out only to the permanent missions in New York when the meeting is open to all other stakeholders? How serious is this invitation to non-governmental stakeholders if the invitation is send out on such a short notice and with a very limited distribution? Under such conditions there will be only a very small number of non-governmental representatives available for a discussion. Is this the intention of the meeting to be formally open but de facto closed? Why such a meeting was not announced via the IGF website? Why UNDESA did not use other channels - including the various mailing lists - to inform about such a consultation which is obviously important for the future of the IGF as a whole? 

I understand that governments need a space where they can discuss internally their issues and procedures. It would have been better when this meeting would have been declared as a closed internal intergovernmental IGF consultation. But to give the impression this is a consultation open for all stakeholdery by reducing the opportunity for non-governmental stakeholders to be present and to organize it in this way gives the a meeting the bad taste of a tricky procedure aimed at exclusion and deal making behind closed doors against the principles of openess, transparency and bottom up PDP. Governments in the IGF are an important partner. But they are embedded into a multistakeholder environment. The IGF is not an intergovernmental body. Such dubious meetings produce mistrust in a process which should and has to be based on confidence among the stakeholders.

What will happen with the report of this meeting?  Who was there? Can we get any reporting back from it?

Wolfgang

________________________________

Von: Bertrand de La Chapelle [mailto:bdelachapelle at gmail.com]
Gesendet: Mo 29.03.2010 12:59
An: governance at lists.cpsr.org
Betreff: [governance] DESA information meeting on IGF continuation in New York tomorrow (March 30)

Dear all,

I do not know if members of this list are aware of the information meeting organised by DESA tomorrow in New York on the continuation of the IGF. (sorry for not having shared this earlier). The meeting will take place from 15 to 18, in the conference room 2 (Edificio del Jardim norte ???) 

The invitation letter to permanent missions (spanish version attached), is interesting because it indicates that the meeting is open not only to accredited entities to the World Summit on the Information society, but also to "institutions and persons with demonstrated knowledge and experience in issues related to the Internet Governance Forum" (excuse my rough translation ...). I suppose this means that any participant in the IGF meetings is allowed to attend. The indicated telephone number for DESA is : (1) 212 963 1234.

I do not know how widely this invitation has been circulated, but the presence of actors on this list who can be in New York would certainly be useful (given the late date, this probably means mostly US-based actors). This will be the first opportunity to hear the public presentation by DESA and the Assistant Secretary General Sha, of the next steps in preparation of the future discussions in ECOSOC and UN GA regarding the continuation of the IGF. 

The European Union will actively participate and reiterate support for the continuation of the IGF in its Tunis mandate for at least another period of five years. 

Feedback from people that will be attending is highly welcome. 

Apologies again for not having thought of sharing this on the list earlier. 

Best

Bertrand 

-- 
____________________
Bertrand de La Chapelle
Délégué Spécial pour la Société de l'Information / Special Envoy for the Information Society
Ministère des Affaires Etrangères et Européennes/ French Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs
Tel : +33 (0)6 11 88 33 32

"Le plus beau métier des hommes, c'est d'unir les hommes" Antoine de Saint Exupéry
("there is no greater mission for humans than uniting humans")

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