AW: [governance] Internet G8 meeting

Tue May 10 05:07:40 EDT 2011

Jeremy

Can you put civil society before businesses in the phrase ' wide range 
of business, civil society and technical interests'. That is how UN 
documents write it.

Also in the very last sentence I would like the reference to 'internet 
users' to be removed. This policy model is also acceptable to the 
present non-users.

I would prefer that we change the following sentence

"The strong support that many 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."

to

"The strong support that many G8 countries, including your own, have 
shown for full multistakeholder participation in relation to the UN's 
Internet Governance Forum makes this current decision to limit 
discussion to vested interests of governments' industry partners  
baffling, and in any case completely unacceptable to us."

parminder

On Tuesday 10 May 2011 12:57 PM, Jeremy Malcolm wrote:
> Here's another consolidated draft, with all the generally-agreed 
> changes suggested so far.  As suggested, we'll also have a tweaked 
> version of this with a catchy headline as a press release, and for 
> translating into French.
>
> --- begins ---
>
> 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 is ignoring current best practice in 
> public policy making. It also jettisons the principle of 
> multistakeholder participation that has evolved globally, especially 
> in the area of Internet governance. 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 businesses already have a disproportionately large influence on 
> public policy processes. For governments to sanction a dedicated 
> meeting with top G8 leaders and officials to plan the global agenda 
> for Internet related policies is inappropriate. 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.
>
> 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. 
> Multistakeholder participation 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 
> multistakeholder participation.
>
> The issues we face with internet governance and internet developments 
> are global in nature, and adequate solutions to the problems we face 
> will need to involve all countries, as well as a wide range of 
> business, civil society and technical interests.
>
> 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. The 
> strong support that many 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 ---
>
> I'd like to go to a consensus call on this 48 hours from now if possible.
>
> -- 
>
> *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_
>
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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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