AW: [governance] caucus contribution, consultation and MAG meeting

[Jeremy Malcolm]

On 28/01/13 03:04, "Kleinwächter, Wolfgang" wrote:
> One key issue should be "principles". There was a proposal in Baku to summarize all (national/regional/sectoral) "IG Declarations on Principles" (25+) of the last three years and to produce a "compendium" as a first step towards somethink like a multistakeholder framework of commitments on Internet Governance Principles. Bali has to take the next step and the MAG should pave the way for a more comprehensive and analytical approach. 

+1

Also I would like to see one main session with a completely different
outcome-oriented format that is more actively facilitated.  In the past
the MAG discussed proposals for a more deliberative format, such as
speed dialogues (Rio), moderated debates (Hyderabad) and round tables
(Sharm).  Since all of these were shot down, we seem to have given up
trying.

Amongst the most important foundations for this sort of format is that
the participants need to be empowered (ie. they will produce something
at the end), and that the power imbalances between them are eliminated
for the duration of the exercise (through the way in which the process
is facilitated).

So this means the session should be oriented towards producing a
specific outcome that addresses a specific problem, through a process of
informed deliberation.  The speed dialogue idea embodied this very well,
and the successive proposals went downhill from there.

The point is, that if we do not *try* something innovative like this,
then we are accepting the line that the IGF could never possibly come up
with any form of recommendations on policy issues, because to do so
would inevitably result in ITU-style intergovernmental decision-making
gridlock.  This is, excuse my French, bullshit.

It would in fact be *trivially simple* for us to adopt any number of
processes that would result in tangible messages from the IGF.  Just to
give one easy example, a session, with background materials very quickly
summarised up front, could lead into brainstorming "What are the two
most important questions to be answered about XYZ issue", then "What are
a range of possible answers to those two questions".

This may result in, say, six propositions.  Then we could have six
facilitators who could break the room into small groups to compare and
contrast the alternatives, and the groups would report back to the
plenary session, ending up with a straw poll.  Alternatively, you can
just pin up paper charts with each question, for people to record their
agreement: see http://www.dotmocracy.org/.

This could be a trial run for the use of a similar process, ultimately,
to narrow down the areas of consensus and disagreement around the
compendium of Internet principles that Wolfgang refers to.

I have posted more comments, on the other issues, at
http://www.igcaucus.org/digressit/archives/79.

-- 

*Dr Jeremy Malcolm
Senior Policy Officer
Consumers International | the global campaigning voice for consumers*
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