[governance] Discussion points for IGC submission on Enhanced Cooperation

[Jeremy Malcolm]

Our IGC, ICC and ISOC letter objecting to the limited scope for non-governmental participation in the 14 December Enhanced Cooperation consultations will be sent today, and a similar letter has independently been written by ICANN.  So, that matter is in hand.

Next, we need to sort out what we need to say for that consultation (whether or not it is opened up to more participation in person).

In a nutshell, enhanced cooperation (EC) was put forward in Tunis as a middle ground between the US demands to maintain a private-sector led Internet, and the insistence of most other governments that public policy development remained their sovereign right and responsibility.

The compromise was that there would be no major regime change in Internet governance, but that governments should from now on take a stronger role in development of the underlying public policy principles, subject to consultation with all other stakeholders in their respective roles.

Here are some of the most obvious issues that our statement should address:

* Is EC a totally decentralised process which each organisation undertakes independently according to its own criteria?  This has been the UNSG's approach (in development of the 2009 report at http://mini.me.my/i).  However, ECOSOC (via the CSTD) has re-opened this question (resolution 2010/2).

* Alternatively, does EC require a new institutional framework, however loose, for coordinating the cooperation of the stakeholders?

* If so, where should this be located?  The ITU?  (Well, obviously we will answer no - but we must address the point.)  An expanded IGF MAG?  An expanded GAC?  An existing UN intergovernmental body?  A brand new multi-stakeholder body?

-- 
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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