[governance] FOURTH DRAFT statement on enhanced cooperation

[Ian Peter]

Because a couple of people have written to say they do not favour the
inclusion of text on new institutional arrangements, let me just say I
believe this text should stay in.

My reading is that, if no new institutional arrangements are contemplated or
considered, we are left with the two current and to me unsatisfactory
alternatives of trying to expand ICANN into areas beyond its competence and
useful brief to deal with other issues, or alternatively as some favour to
make all Internet issues part of the brief of ITU. To me neither of these
potential solutions is in the least bit attractive or satisfactory.

Ian Peter



From: Jeremy Malcolm <jeremy at ciroap.org>
Reply-To: <governance at lists.cpsr.org>, Jeremy Malcolm <jeremy at ciroap.org>
Date: Tue, 9 Nov 2010 07:35:41 +0700
To: <governance at lists.cpsr.org>
Subject: [governance] FOURTH DRAFT statement on enhanced cooperation

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.

--- begins ---

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.

--- ends ---

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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