AW: [governance] Internet G8 meeting

[Jeanette Hofmann]

Hi,

thank you, Parminder, for writing the first draft, and thank you, Avri,
for editing the text. I fully support Avri's version of the draft. There
is only one small change I like to quibble with:

Big businesses already have a disproportionately large influence on
 > government bureaucracies.

Parminder suggested policy processes, Avri changed it to government 
bureaucracies. I find Avri's change too narrow and would therefore 
suggest public policy processes.

jeanette

On 08.05.2011 18:11, Avri Doria wrote:
> Hi,
>
> In general I support this, though would recommend some edits.  thanks
> for getting the discussion started.
>
> some possible recommendation below.
>
>
> On 8 May 2011, at 04:08, parminder wrote:
>
>> 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.
>
> Recommend substituting:
>
> "flies in the face of all canons of public policy making and public
> deliberations"
>
> with something like:
>
> "is ignoring current best practice in public policy making."
>
>> It also jettisons the principle of multistakeholderism that has
>> evolved globally, especially in the area of
>
> Recommend substituting:
>
>> principle of multistakeholderism
>
> with
>
> principle of multistakeholder participation
>
>> 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.
>
> Recommend substituting with something like:
>
> It appears that the G8 meeting is organized by large Industry with
> access given only to industry and government actors.  We have also
> understood that there is a linkage between donations and
> invitations.
>
>> 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.
>
> Recommend substituting something like:
>
> Big businesses already have a disproportionately large influence on
> government bureaucracies. For governments to sanction a dedicated
> meeting with top G8 leaders and officials to plan the global agenda
> for Internet related policies is inappropriate.
>
>
>> 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.
>
> Recommend substituting something like:
>
> What is required is a discussion that includes civil society actors,
> who will bring to the table the concerns of global public interest
> derived from a diversity of people's, of many sections of society,
> interests and concerns.
>
>
>> 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.
>
>
> Recommend dropping this.
>
>
>> 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.
>
> Again recommend replacing Multistakeholderism with multistakeholder
> participation.
>
>> We see the proposed G 8 Interent meeting a significant step
>> backwards both for global democracy and for multistakeholderism.
>
> Again recommend replacing Multistakeholderism with multistakeholder
> participation.
>
>> 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.
>
> recommend replacing with something like:
>
> The strong support that many of G8 countries, including your own,
> have shown for full multistakeholder participation makes this current
> decision to limit discussion to vested interests of governments'
> industry partners is baffling and is unacceptable to many of the
> users of the Internet.
>
>
>> 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. Don't print this email
>>> unless necessary.
>>>
>>
>> -- Parminder Jeet Singh Executive Director IT for Change NGO in
>> Special Consultative Status with the United Nations ECOSOC
>> www.ITforChange.net Tel:+91-80-2665 4134, 2653 6890.
>> Fax:+91-80-4146 1055 <itfc_logo.png>
>>
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