AW: [governance] Internet G8 meeting

Sun May 8 04:08:18 EDT 2011

Although there has been no further discussion on the list on this 
subject, I submit below some text for  a possible IGC statement to the G 
8. Please comment and contribute.... parminder

(proposed draft starts)

    Basic courtesy stuff.....

    We understand that the French Presidency of the G8 proposes to hold
    a G8 Internet meeting, immediately prior to the G8 Summit in
    ........,with a view to prepare or influence the agenda for the G8
    Summit regarding key global Internet issues. We also understand that
    many heads of states of G 8 countries are expected to attend this
    meeting. The meeting is especially important since in the past G 8
    has set up the global agenda on many key issues, especially in the
    information society arena.

    We are very concerned about the manner in which the G 8 Internet
    meeting is being organised which flies in the face of all canons of
    public policy making and public deliberations. It also jettisons the
    principle of multistakeholderism that has evolved globally,
    especially in the area of Internet governance. The proposed G 8
    Internet meeting is being organised by large industry players and
    the invitations, other than to involved government actors, have also
    largely gone to big businesses. We hear that invitations to the
    meeting are also linked to contribution of funds for it.

    Big business already have a disproportionately large influence on
    policy processes for them to require a dedicated meeting with top G
    8 leaders and officials to determine what should be the global
    agenda for Internet related policies. On the contrary, what is
    required is an audience with public interest actors, or civil
    society actors, who will bring to the table the real concerns of the
    people and different sections of the society in this area. We are
    afraid that the proposed meeting gives industry lobbying a brand new
    legitimate political image, which is a dangerous trend for global
    Internet governance, and in fact, for global governance, in general.

    It is also pertinent to state here that since the Internet is
    essentially a global phenomenon, policies framed together by the
    most powerful nations, quite likely, will become the default global
    norm. This is most true for architectural and economic issues, while
    the global impact on other areas will also be substantial. It is
    therefore appropriate that G 8 countries engage with the same, and
    other issues, of Internet policies at the more democratic global
    forums where all countries are present at an equal footing. In this
    connection, there is the World Summit on the Information Society
    mandated set of processes for dealing with pressing global Internet
    related issues. Multistakeholderism is an important part of these
    global IG related processes. We see the proposed G 8 Interent
    meeting a significant step backwards both for global democracy and
    for multistakeholderism.

    We therefore request you, and other G 8 leaders, to make the
    proposed G 8 Internet meeting genuinely multistakeholder, following
    the model of the UN IGF. We are impressed with the solid support
    provided by the G 8 countries for upholding a multistakeholder model
    for the IGF. This makes it even more stark and unacceptable that the
    proposed G 8 meeting be held in the planned manner.

    closing and salutations.....

(ends)

.......

.....................

On Thursday 05 May 2011 01:58 PM, Jeremy Malcolm wrote:
>
> On Thu, 05 May 2011 14:43:18 +0700, Norbert Klein <nhklein at gmx.net> wrote:
>
>     Thanks to Wolfgang for this substantial report of history.
>
>     And thanks to Parminder for drawing the correct conclusion: Nobody
>     else will do it, speak up and remind those who forget the history
>     in this case, if Civil Society does not speak up, reminding the
>     (present representatives of governments) that their predecessors
>     achieved great things which they seem to forget.
>
>     How is this going to be organized? The major elements are in
>     Wolfgang's write-up; it has to be mad short, focused on what what
>     at the UN General Assembly setting the WSIS process on the way as
>     multi-stakeholder, and the Tunis commitments also BY THE
>     GOVERNMENTS PRESENT to the multi-stakeholder approach. And add
>     some achievements since (which?).
>
> There seems to be agreement that the IGC should respond (and I concur 
> with this).  I would like to invite Wolfgang or Parminder to volunteer 
> to write a first draft.  If they do not have time, I should be able to 
> put something together as a draft based on their contributions to the 
> list.
>
> -- 
>
> *Dr 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
>
> *Empowering Tomorrow's Consumers
> CI World Congress, 3-6 May 2011, Hong Kong*
>
> Businesses, governments and civil society are invited to join consumer 
> groups from around the world for four days of debate and discussion on 
> the issues that matter most to consumers. Register now!
> http://www.consumersinternational.org/congress
>
> Read our email confidentiality notice 
> <http://www.consumersinternational.org/email-confidentiality>. Don't 
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>

-- 

Parminder Jeet Singh
Executive Director
IT for Change
NGO in Special Consultative Status with the United Nations ECOSOC
www.ITforChange.net <http://www.ITforChange.net/>
Tel:+91-80-2665 4134, 2653 6890. Fax:+91-80-4146 1055

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