AW: And G20? Re: [governance] Internet G8 meeting

["Kleinwächter, Wolfgang"]

Lee:
In general, re G8 vs G20 vs UN; obviously UN is most inclusive. But G20 does include ~66% global population, so in general it is far better for IGC to focus some energy on than G8.

Wolfgang:
I am not so sure, Lee. The G 20 includes the three countries who are proposing a new intergovernmental platform for Internet Governance (to close a gap in the existing Internet Governance ecosystem, as they argue). This will be negotiated in the he 2nd Committee of the UN General Assembly in October 2011. With other words, there is an option that Brazil, India and South Africa bring their IBSA-idea also to the forhtcoming G 20 summit in November, not waiting, until the French president takes the Internet to his G 20 priority list. And there is China and Russia. With other words, the chances for civil society to get heard are probably better in the G 8 environmentr than in the G 20. 
 
Nevertheless in both G8 and G20 civil society has something unique to offer in substance to the "discussion platform" (or the forthcoming "negotiation table"). Just to call for a seat in the front row makes not so much sense. In WSIS, when CS was asked what the added value could be, CS brings to the table, we argued 
a. expertise and specific (technical) knowledge
b. linkage to the real problems of the real people on the ground
c. networks for capacity building at the grass root level
d. power to mobilize masses of Internet users   

The question we have to answer today is, inter alia:
a. What we can do to enhance cybersecurity for individual end users? 
b. How can we enhance the knowledge of people whi to use the Internet in the right way? 
c. How we can continue with efforts to bridge the digital divde on the ground?
e. How can we safe human rights like freedom of expression and privacy of individual users against undue political or commercial interests by governments and corporations.
 
BTW, when we had the ATLAS (ICANNs At-Large Summit) in Mexico, we called this as the "first" world summit of Internet users (a little bit overstretched, but not so wrong). This was in March 2009. More or less there was an agreement to have a 2nd Internet User Summit (ATLAS II) in the near future. If we think about 2012 or 2013 we have to start the preparations rather soon. 
 
Wolfgang   
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