[governance] Fwd: Your sign on requested- Civil society statement post-WCIT

Fri Dec 21 11:47:47 EST 2012

Please add ASAFE as signatory

Aaron

On 12/21/12, michael gurstein <gurstein at gmail.com> wrote:
> I do not think that the IGC should endorse this nor would I encourage other
> CS organizations to "sign on"... And I would strongly object to this
> statement anointing itself as the spokerspersons for either Civil Society
> or
> the BestBits group.
>
>
>
> As I've been trying to say in my last few blogposts
> <http://gurstein.wordpress.com/> , I think that CS comes out of WCIT with
> an
> enormous set of opportunities, but with those opportunities go very
> significant responsibilities...
>
>
>
> I think those responsibilities are not towards support for certain
> national,
> corporate or sectional interests but rather towards the articulation and
> advocacy towards a set of principles and practices that support the
> on-going
> evolution, extension and inclusive use of the Internet in the public
> interest (as noted in the BestBits declaration) and as a global and
> globally
> managed public good.
>
>
>
> I think that before we go forward to support one or another "side" in the
> WCIT/post WCIT discussions we should be clear on the values/norms that we
> as
> CS are supporting and the longer term vision of an Internet operating for
> and through the "public interest" that we are working towards -- one which
> includes the values articulated by many concerning freedom of expression on
> the Internet and transparency of governance processes; but also includes
> the
> extension of the Internet to be much more broadly inclusive in access and
> use and more broadly equitable in the distribution of its benefits,
> financial and otherwise.
>
>
>
> Unfortunately I see only a very limited set of these norms which I
> understand to underlie our common position in CS/IGC represented in the
> AccessNow statement.
>
>
>
> Mike
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: governance-request at lists.igcaucus.org
> [mailto:governance-request at lists.igcaucus.org] On Behalf Of McTim
> Sent: Thursday, December 20, 2012 7:04 PM
> To: governance at lists.igcaucus.org
> Subject: [governance] Fwd: Your sign on requested- Civil society statement
> post-WCIT
>
>
>
> Please find below a message fwded from another list.
>
>
>
> I think this is a useful statement for IGC to sign:
>
>
>
>
>
> -------------------------
>
>
>
> Dear all,
>
>
>
> As a follow up to the civil society letter to WCIT
>
> (
> <https://docs.google.com/document/pub?id=1LiM3FfKF8Fgih7Um7v2vK20J2AigneGrgJ
> 93YTbqLSM>
> https://docs.google.com/document/pub?id=1LiM3FfKF8Fgih7Um7v2vK20J2AigneGrgJ9
> 3YTbqLSM)
>
> that a number of organizations on this list have signed on to, civil
> society
> representatives in Dubai drafted a statement on the new ITRs and the future
> of multi-stakeholder engagement. The text of the statement is pasted below.
>
>
>
> This statement assesses the opportunities and challenges faced by civil
> society at WCIT and sets out shortcomings we would like to see addressed to
> achieve meaningful civil society participation at the ITU moving forward.
> It
> is meant to be complementary to other post-WCIT civil society statements
> that focus on the substance of the ITRs.
>
>
>
> We would very much like to secure sign on from your organization. We feel
> that there is a strategic importance of having this communication with the
> ITU Secretariat on record as we look to future conversations/events. Though
> the timing is not ideal, we plan to publish this statement with the list of
> signatories and send a copy to the ITU on Monday. Therefore, we request
> that
> you reply to this email by 0900 EST/1400 UTC on Monday, January 24 if you
> would like to sign on. Like with the earlier letter, we will leave the
> statement open for sign on and update the list of signatories regularly. I
> will send out a publicly accessible link with the statement and list of
> signatories on Monday for people to post and circulate, but it would also
> be
> great to discuss ways to draw attention to this statement in the New Year.
>
>
>
> Please let me know if you have any questions, and thank you for your
> attention to this. Warm wishes over the holidays.
>
>
>
> Best regards,
>
>
>
> Deborah
>
>
>
>
>
> Civil Society statement on the new ITRs and the future of multi-stakeholder
> engagement
>
>
>
> December 21, 2012
>
>
>
> Civil society is disappointed that the World Conference on International
> Telecommunications (WCIT) could not come to consensus in revising the
> International Telecommunications Regulations (ITRs).  We understand,
> however, the serious concerns that a number of governments have expressed
> with regard to the potential impact of the new regulations.
>
>
>
> As civil society stated in its Best Bits statement, a key criterion for
> ITRs
> should be that “any proposed revisions are confined to the traditional
> scope
> of the ITRs” and “where international regulation is required around
> technical issues [it] is limited to telecommunications networks and
> interoperability standards.”  We regret that an Internet governance-related
> resolution has been included in the Final Acts of WCIT, despite assertions
> by many that WCIT was not about Internet governance. We are also concerned
> by the lack of clarity around the applicability of the treaty, which as
> defined could have unforeseen consequences for an open internet, and the
> lack of specificity in key terms, such as security, which may negatively
> impact the public’s rights to privacy and freedom of expression.
>
>
>
> This said, civil society would like to acknowledge and thank those
> governments that opened their delegations to members of civil society and
> other stakeholder groups.  This was a very important initial step in
> establishing a civil society voice in the proceedings and we trust that it
> signals a wider commitment to multi-stakeholder approaches in public policy
> development and decision-making on telecommunications and Internet-related
> matters.  We trust that this openness and inclusive approach will continue
> and extend to upcoming ITU-related work and beyond, and we urge other
> governments to welcome and engage with civil society going forward.
>
>
>
> As we communicated to ITU Secretary General Touré, we also commend the ITU
> on first steps towards greater transparency and openness with regard to
> access to and webcasting of plenary sessions and Committee 5 sessions, as
> well as soliciting public submissions.  These initial steps enabled civil
> society to play a constructive, albeit limited, role at the WCIT.
>
>
>
> However there remain serious limitations to engaging with the ITU.
>
> The substantive policy deliberations in working groups were neither webcast
> nor open to unaffiliated civil society.  Further, while it is positive that
> the ITU opened the process to public comment, these comments were never
> part
> of the official record.  We raised both of these challenges with the
> Secretary General, in writing and in person, and he committed to addressing
> these concerns and appealing to member states, as appropriate. Although the
> WCIT has concluded, we renew our request to have the public comments
> submitted as official ITU documents to capture these positions for the
> historical record.
>
>
>
> We also raised the issue of the lack of any institutional mechanism for
> civil society participation at the ITU. While the participation of civil
> society representatives in government delegations benefits both the
> delegations and the WCIT’s deliberations as a whole, it cannot substitute
> for engagement with independent members of civil society.
>
> We will be following up on these important matters with the Secretary
> General and welcome his commitment to considering institutional remedies to
> this challenge.
>
>
>
> Looking forward, civil society seeks to work with governments and other
> stakeholders around the globe towards an ever more inclusive and
> substantive
> multi-stakeholder engagement on telecommunications, Internet, and related
> matters.  Much more needs to be done with regard to opening the ITU to
> greater genuine multi-stakeholder participation and in particular
> independent civil society participation - institutional change will need to
> occur and we will work with the ITU and other stakeholders to bring this
> about.  These changes are vitally important and need to be addressed as
> soon
> as possible given the upcoming 2013 World Telecommunication Policy Forum,
> World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS+10) and 2014 ITU
> Plenipotentiary Conference.
>
>
>
> -----------------------
>
>
>
> --
>
> Cheers,
>
>
>
> McTim
>
> "A name indicates what we seek. An address indicates where it is. A route
> indicates how we get there."  Jon Postel
>
>
>
>


-- 
Aaron Agien Nyangkwe
Journalist-OutCome Mapper
Special Assistant to The President
ASAFE
P.O.Box 5213
Douala-Cameroon
Telephone +237 73 42 71 27

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