[governance] Update from today's MAG call

[Grace Githaiga]

Thanks Anriette, Nnenna and Nobert for the useful updates. It is encouraging to know that even with the arising challenges, the IGF will happen. 
Kind RegardsGG

> Date: Wed, 31 Jul 2013 17:36:32 +0200
> From: anriette at apc.org
> To: governance at lists.igcaucus.org; nb at bollow.ch
> Subject: Re: [governance] Update from today's MAG call
> 
> Thanks for the report Norbert.
> 
> Here are a few other notes I thought would be interesting:
> 
> The host country agreement includes basic non-negotiables such as the
> host country cannot refuse delegates entry or exit and immunity must be
> guaranteed for everything that is said inside meeting rooms.  The
> representative from Indonesia indicated that they have not had any
> concerns with the HCA, other than something about policy protection
> which I could not hear that clearly. Host country agreements are
> generally not concluded until late in the process, and, they don't seem
> to relate to the funding of the event in any detail.
> 
> The Indonesian organisers have raised $1 million and need about another
> $900,000. This amount could look different if certain in-kind
> contributions are taking into account.  MAG members agreed that:
> 
> - getting the funding is not the only concern, a clear commitment from
> the Indonesians is what is most needed at this point
> - the UN should be asked to be as flexible about its costs as possible
> - we should pursue a dual strategy: try to have IGF in Bali, but also
> pursue alternatives which Norbert outlines below.
> 
> In addition to Norbert's confirmation that the IGF is not in direct
> danger of being commercialised here is a bit more feedback on the
> questions I asked about branding and sponsors:
> 
> No logos allowed in conference space. Logos/branding allowed outside the
> venue, or in the exhibition space, and on material distributed inside
> IGF bags.
> 
> In the past the UN enforced these rules, e.g. in Rio a commercial
> co-organiser was asked to take banners down and in Egypt local sponsors
> could put their banners outside the premises where they could be seen
> but where they were not in official UN space.
> 
> Chengetai also said that if a sponsor is providing information about
> their IG activities, the promotion would be permissable. I assume this
> would apply to material placed in the bags, for example. Not just any
> material would be accepted.
> 
> I did not get the impression that anything had been formally promised to
> sponsors of the Bali IGF that would violate these limits. It seemed the
> main problem was not getting more sponsors, but getting some agreement
> and support from the Indonesian ministry that deals with economic affairs.
> 
> Anriette
> 
> 
> 
> On 31/07/2013 15:02, Norbert Bollow wrote:
> > Here's a quick update from today's MAG call (I listened in as an
> > observer.)
> >
> > Almost all of the discussion was around how to proceed in regard to the
> > 2013 IGF meeting. Markus said that cancellation is not an option. There
> > are two serious expressions of interest from potential host countries
> > to step in on short notice if Bali doesn't work out. Failing that,
> > there's the option of having the meeting at the relevant UN HQ, which
> > for the IGF would mean Geneva, but since it might be difficult to get
> > so many rooms, that might mean that only a scaled down meeting could be
> > held. Also hotel rooms can be problematic in Geneva. Google/Vint Cerf is
> > willing to do a fundraising effort to try and save the Bali IGF. Some
> > preliminary news, on the basis of which the MAG might be able to
> > recommend something, is hoped for by the end of next week.
> >
> > The current recommendation is not to cancel flights to Bali that have
> > already been booked, but also not to book a flight to Bali if you have
> > not booked yet. 
> >
> > The commercialization problem was only touched on briefly. Markus said
> > that the basic rules are fairly simple: UN meetings cannot be
> > commercialized, there can be no sponsor's logos on the premises of the
> > UN meeting (and this rule has been enforced, he gave an example where a
> > compromise had been made in which sponsor's banners were put up outside
> > the premises of the UN meeting but in a place where they were visible
> > from the meeting's cafeteria), the only thing that can be sold on the
> > premises of the UN meeting is food and that has to be at a reasonable
> > price.
> >
> > So it seems clear that the IGF is not in direct danger of getting
> > commercialized - that objectionable Indonesian fundraising strategy has
> > simply been declared dead.
> >
> > Greetings,
> > Norbert
> >
> 
> -- 
> ------------------------------------------------------
> anriette esterhuysen anriette at apc.org
> executive director, association for progressive communications
> www.apc.org
> po box 29755, melville 2109
> south africa
> tel/fax +27 11 726 1692
> 
> 
 		 	   		  
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.igcaucus.org/pipermail/governance/attachments/20130731/f548ff65/attachment.htm>
-------------- next part --------------
____________________________________________________________
You received this message as a subscriber on the list:
     governance at lists.igcaucus.org
To be removed from the list, visit:
     http://www.igcaucus.org/unsubscribing

For all other list information and functions, see:
     http://lists.igcaucus.org/info/governance
To edit your profile and to find the IGC's charter, see:
     http://www.igcaucus.org/

Translate this email: http://translate.google.com/translate_t