[governance] FOURTH DRAFT statement on enhanced cooperation

[Jeremy Malcolm]

This incorporates all comments on the third draft, and I would like us to try to contribute all final comments within the next couple of days, so that we can put the final text to a consensus call.  I realise that, unfortunately, the text may not satisfy all of those without outlying views.  A reminder that the deadline for our submission is Monday.

In addition to the plain text version, I have marked up version below, for those with graphical email clients or access to the Web archive.

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The Civil Society Internet Governance Caucus (CS-IGC) regards the process towards enhanced cooperation as a vital step towards addressing the "many cross-cutting international public policy issues that require attention and are not adequately addressed by the current mechanisms" (Tunis Agenda para 68).

Despite an intergovernmental mandate from WSIS to address this governance deficit, much remains to be done.  It is imperative that this deficit continue to be addressed, where appropriate through new institutional developments that comply with the WSIS process criteria of being multilateral, transparent, democratic and inclusive.

We make three further points.  First, enhanced cooperation should encompass all Internet-related public policy issues; second, many of our members believe the existing arrangements of relevant organisations (including the Internet Governance Forum) do not fully implement enhanced cooperation, and thirdly whatever new arrangements may be put in place, civil society must play an integral part in them, as one of the prerequisites for their legitimacy.

These points will be explained in turn:

1. Although much of the discussion of enhanced cooperation at WSIS turned around the narrow issue of internationalising the oversight of Internet naming and numbering functions, the Tunis Agenda expresses this principle far more broadly to include other substantive Internet related public policy issues that require attention and resolution at the global level.  It also reminds us that the ultimate objective of our cooperation is to advance a people-centred, inclusive, development-oriented and non-discriminatory Information Society.

2. The IGF in its present form is a very important part of the enhanced cooperation process, in that its multi-stakeholder process can provide input to shape decisions taken on Internet related public policy issues in other fora.  However the full realisation of enhanced cooperation will require a multi-stakeholder process to extend to all other Internet governance organisations, whether new or established.

If institutional changes are to be made, there are various options for enhancing multi-stakeholder cooperation within and amongst all relevant organisations (which may be complementary).  These include:

* establishing a lightweight multi-stakeholder observatory process perhaps hosted under the auspices of the IGF (pursuant to its mandate in paragraph 72(i));

* utilising a virtual and voluntary global social community or ecosystem, linking together all Internet governance organisations, in which all stakeholders would participate; or

* establishing a new umbrella governance institution for Internet policy development, with space for the full participation of each stakeholder group in its respective role.  This might also be situated within the IGF, but pursuant to a new and supplementary mandate.

3. Paragraph 71 of the Tunis Agenda makes very clear that civil society is an integral participant in the development of any process towards enhanced cooperation.  Therefore the IGC, in our capacity as members of civil society, looks forward to contributing constructively in transparent, accountable and democratic multi-stakeholder consultations towards this end.

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Marked up version follows:

The Civil Society Internet Governance Caucus (CS-IGC) regards the process towards enhanced cooperation as a vital step towards addressing the "many cross-cutting international public policy issues that require attention and are not adequately addressed by the current mechanisms" (Tunis Agenda para 68).

Despite an intergovernmental mandate from WSIS to address this governance deficit, much remains to be done.  It is imperative that this deficit continue to be addressed, where appropriate through new institutional developments that comply with the WSIS process criteria of being multilateral, transparent, democratic and inclusive.

We make three further points.  First, enhanced cooperation should encompass all Internet-related public policy issues; second, many of our members believe the existing arrangements of relevant organisations (including the Internet Governance Forum) do not fully implement enhanced cooperation, and thirdly whatever new arrangements may be put in place, civil society must play an integral part in them, as one of the prerequisites for their legitimacy.

These points will be explained in turn:

1. Although much of the discussion of enhanced cooperation at WSIS turned around the narrow issue of internationalising the oversight of Internet naming and numbering functions, the Tunis Agenda expresses this principle far more broadly to include other substantive Internet related public policy issues that require attention and resolution at the global level.  It also reminds us that the ultimate objective of our cooperation is to advance a people-centred, inclusive, development-oriented and non-discriminatory Information Society.

2. The IGF in its present form is a very important part of the enhanced cooperation process, in that ideally its multi-stakeholder process can help provide input to shape decisions taken on Internet related public policy issues in other fora.  However the full realisation of enhanced cooperation will require a multi-stakeholder process to extend to all other Internet governance organisations, whether new or established that do not already follow this model.

If institutional changes are to be made, there are various options for enhancing multi-stakeholder cooperation within and amongst all relevant organisations (which may be complementary).  These include:

* establishing a lightweight multi-stakeholder observatory process perhaps hosted under the auspices of the IGF (pursuant to its mandate in paragraph 72(i));

* utilising a virtual and voluntary global social community or "social grid" ecosystem, linking together all Internet governance organisations, in which all stakeholders would participate; or

* establishing a new umbrella governance institution for Internet policy development, with space for the full participation of each stakeholder group in its respective role.  This might also be situated within the IGF, but pursuant to a new and supplementary mandate.

3. Paragraph 71 of the Tunis Agenda makes very clear that civil society is an integral participant in the development of any process towards enhanced cooperation.  Therefore the IGC, in our capacity as members of civil society, looks forward to contributing constructively in transparent, accountable and democratic multi-stakeholder consultations towards this end.

-- 
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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