[governance] East Africa IGF - day 2, discussion of ITRs

[parminder]

On Thursday 19 July 2012 09:18 AM, Izumi AIZU wrote:
> Hi Adam and all,
>
> Asia Pacific regional IGF, is also ongoing since yesterday, for three 
> days.

Dear Izumi and Peng Hwa,

My best wishes for the meeting. However, that reminds me that when you 
announced this so called regional IGF I has asked you for a few 
clarification vide my email to the IGC on 25th April (enclosed and also 
content cut pasted below). I am surprised that as the main organisers 
neither you nor Peng Hwa considered it necessary on answer my queries. 
parminder

Disclosure: I was invited for the meeting but refused to attend because 
of its overly business ownership, and non transparency as inter alia 
evident in not responding to my direct questions about the event. I have 
been trying to persuade the organisers for three years now to make the 
event more open and inclusive, especially for more marginalised groups 
etc . And among other things invite the Asia Pacific UN regional  
commission to be part of the meeting as Latin American and African 
regional IGFs have done. But this has been to no avail.

Below is the content of my email of the 25th April.

Dear Izumi

Can you proffer more information on who is organising this meeting, who 
is is funding it etc...

In general, as you know, I am quite against policy dialogue forums 
(which I understand this meeting is supposed to be, taking from the UN 
IGF) being organised primarily by the business sector, especially when 
such a forum claims a monopoly and therefore authoritative position, 
which is implied in the name of 'the' 'Asia Pacific regional IGF'.

Mine is a somewhat unpleasant task of raising what may appear to be 
difficult question with regard to sincere and hard work being put in by 
people like you and Peng Hwa, both of whom I greatly respect. But all of 
us, most of all civil society, must be subject to accountability and to 
hard questions when required. So, my apologies for that. However, I do 
request an open discussion on the subject here in the IGC.

I do not think that you would much look forward to a time when the 
policies that determine what education our children will have, and how, 
will be determined by processes led by private companies in the business 
of digital content, educational software etc. Do you? Or, to a time when 
our health policies will be determined by processes led by big pharma 
companies and private hospital chains. However, what is being done in 
Internet governance today is precisely and inescapably leading us 
towards such a model of governance and policy making. To that extent, we 
will have to take responsibility for our actions. I am merely trying to 
take responsibility for mine in raising these questions at this time. 
And I look forward to your responses. Apologies once again if this is 
inconvenient and/ or an incursion on your busy time.

regards, parminder






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From: parminder <parminder at itforchange.net>
Subject: Re: [governance] Asia Pacific regional IGF - Tokyo, July
Date: Wed, 25 Apr 2012 15:05:05 +0530
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