[governance] Internet G8 meeting

[Jeremy Malcolm]

On 10/05/11 21:15, Jeanette Hofmann wrote:
> Can we perhaps set a deadline?

Yes, I'm going to put it to consensus call in the form below
(incorporating the latest minor points).  Expect a poll invitation
soon.  For the press release, we'll basically just lose the "Basic
courtesy stuff" at the start and the "closing and salutations" at the
end, and add a heading such as "Civil society censures French plan for
closed meeting on Internet's future".

Dear President Sarkozy,

The Civil Society Internet Governance Caucus (IGC) is an open forum of
individual and organisational civil society actors who came together in
the context of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) to
promote global public interest objectives in Internet governance policy
making (see http://www.igcaucus.org).

We understand that the French Presidency of the G8 proposes to hold a G8
Internet meeting - the "eG8 Forum" - immediately prior to the G8 Summit
in Deauville, 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 G8 countries are expected to attend this
meeting. The meeting is especially important since in the past G8 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 eG8 Forum 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 eG8 Forum 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 G8 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 (WSIS) 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 eG8 Forum as 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 civil
society, business and technical interests.

We therefore request you, and other G8 leaders, to make the eG8 Forum
genuinely multistakeholder, following the model of the UN Internet
Governance Forum (IGF). We are impressed with the solid support provided
by the G8 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 in relation to the IGF
makes this current decision to limit discussion to vested interests of
governments' industry partners is baffling, and unacceptable to the IGC,
which advocates for civil society's Internet governance interests.

Yours sincerely,
Jeremy Malcolm and Izumi Aizu
Coordinators
Internet Governance Caucus

-- 

*Dr Jeremy Malcolm
Project Coordinator*
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