[governance] Some thoughts regarding the selection of the next MAG Chair (possible criteria)

Thu Feb 17 09:39:33 EST 2011

Roland,

On your questions/comments :

1) The question of excessively restricting the pool by having too many
criteria is a fair one. Ian Peter has already raised it and I think his
categorization of  the criteria (mandatory, desirable, less important) was
good in that regard.

2) As for the important distinction between a Chair "for" (or "to") the MAG
or a Chair "of" the MAG, the initial mechanism (with Nitin) has been a Chair
"for" the MAG, as he was designated by Kofi Annan as his special advisor for
Internet Governance for the WSIS period and subsequently asked (with Markus)
to set up the IGF and Chair its MAG.

Moving to a Chair that would be chosen by the MAG itself among its members
is a perfectly valid option, worthy of consideration. Maybe one could
envisage having an interim Chair for the process preparing Nairobi and then,
once the "improved modalities" are being decided at the end of this year
(after the report of the Working group on improvements), include in these
improvements clearer modalities for the selection of the MAG members and the
provision that the MAG would then choose its own Chair. Worth keeping in
mind.

3) Rotation rules are likely to be an important element to discuss in the
context of defining "improvements". There is however a dynamic tension here
between two principles :
- on the one hand, the desire to bring new blood and not maintain the same
people (or entities) in a "permanent seat"
- on the other hand, the natural tendency or even desire to maintain
involvement of certain key actors and structures (cf. the fact that some
countries have been constantly designated by their region, but also the
participation of IGOs) that are relevant or whose participation bolster
legitimacy and recognition.

Not easy. Innovation required here.

Best

Bertrand

On Thu, Feb 17, 2011 at 12:07 PM, Roland Perry <
roland at internetpolicyagency.com> wrote:

> In message <AANLkTin2kzeah+k0T941bc3zf9sp-YzG4yeEaTOHjHW8 at mail.gmail.com<AANLkTin2kzeah%2Bk0T941bc3zf9sp-YzG4yeEaTOHjHW8 at mail.gmail.com>>,
> at 23:11:31 on Mon, 14 Feb 2011, Bertrand de La Chapelle <
> bdelachapelle at gmail.com> writes
>
>
>  As we are preparing for the February IGF consultations and the first
>> (unfortunately closed) meeting of the WGIIGF (or WOGII : WOrking Group on
>> Improvements to the Igf), there is one element that deserves some attention:
>> the future selection of the future MAG Chair.
>>
>> In order to launch the discussion on this list, I have listed below some
>> possible criteria that could be taken into account and used as input by CS
>> participants in the WOGII. They are largely based on the reasons why Nitin
>> Desai has been exemplary in this role and they constitute a useful benchmark
>> for any successor, albeit a difficult one to match.
>>
>
> If we are looking for someone who has been a long time WSIS participant, a
> MAG member, and is no longer involved with one of the stakeholders, that
> narrows things a great deal. We would soon be talking about a small number
> of identifiable individuals.
>
> Are you also talking about a chair *to* the MAG (more on the secretariat
> side of the fence, appointed by the UN) rather than a chair *of* the MAG,
> who is chosen from the current MAG membership as their most suitable leader.
>
> The former model is common in a corporate setting (where a Chair of the
> Board is often chosen quite independently of them previously being one of
> the regular Directors of the company); versus the ICANN Supporting
> Organisations and GAC model where the chairs come from the defacto shortlist
> of the incumbent members.
>
> Which reminds me - what's the current view on MAG membership/rotation?
>
> Because of the uncertainty last year there wasn't a rotation, and the
> rotation in 2008 was very restricted as far as I can tell. We now have
> members who have served as follows:
>
> 16  - five years
> 19  - four years
>  1  - three years
> 20  - two years
>
> --
> Roland Perry
>
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-- 
____________________
Bertrand de La Chapelle
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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