[governance] Maybe no IGF overall theme? (was Re: Report from the IGF Open Consultations in Paris)

[Norbert Bollow]

Anriette Esterhuysen <anriette at apc.org> wrote:

> You just have to look at the overall themes to see how general they 
> usually are, and how little real relationship they have with the
> content of the workshops.

[..]

> Nevertheless, my understanding is that the 'key-words' listed below
> will be used in the call for workshop proposals. Your point about the
> SG's call is taken Parminder. I think we should clarify the list in
> the MAG report (copied below), and try to get as close to a few core
> policy questions as we can prior to the call going out. I think
> having this list is better than having an overall theme (and we were
> heading that way) which is so general that it says nothing at all. I
> do think we can come up with good main theme questions quite
> easily.

I would support the idea to discontinue the practice of having an IGF
"overall theme".

If, as Anriette writes, guidance is provided to workshop proposers by
means of a list of policy questions included in the call for workshop
proposals, that certainly provides a better solution to what the
"overall theme" (in my understanding at least) was supposed to achieve,
but didn't really.

With regard to potentially having an overall theme which is so general
that it says nothing at all, I think there is a problem with that
approach beyond the time that is wasted on wordsmithing it: When a
string of words that carries no intentional substantive meaning is
communicated in a manner that gives it prominence, I'd expect it to be
somehow interpreted in a way that attaches some unintended meaning
to it. Different people would interpret it differently, some of them
interpreting it in a way that from their perspective is offensive.

Greetings,
Norbert

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