[governance] CSTD Working Group on Enhanced Cooperation

[Constance Bommelaer]

Dear Anriette,

I am writing to you in your capacity of focal point for the Civil 
Society for the nomination process of the CSTD working group on Enhanced 
Cooperation. At the outset, I would like to reaffirm the importance we 
attach to the relationships we have been able to build across various 
stakeholders groups throughout the years. For this reason I am also 
sending a copy to Ayesha and to the Civil Society group.

The process of setting up the CSTD working Group on Enhanced Cooperation 
has taken an unfortunate twist. We noticed that there is a move underway 
to question the representation of the technical and academic community 
in the Working Group and we presume that this was triggered by the 
discussions surrounding the non-selection of Michael Gurstein.

I was asked to coordinate the selection of the representatives of our 
stakeholder group and I did so in a thorough process within our 
community. The names put forward were subject to considerable discussion 
as well as oral dialogue with many individuals from Civil Society and 
the Business community (including their focal points). The criteria used 
were shared with all interested individuals as well as with the UN.

Mr Gurstein’s application was assessed in light of the same criteria and 
his name was not retained. We fail to understand why he appeals to the 
Chairman of the CSTD and tries to question our procedures. Up until 
February 2013, he considered himself being part of Civil Society and 
spoke as one of its leaders and representatives at the recent WSIS+10 
meeting. I also understand that he initially expressed an interest to be 
endorsed by the Civil Society to participate to the CSTD Working Group 
on Enhanced Cooperation, which also leads to confusion. For purpose of 
transparency, I mentioned his interest to the Chair of the CSTD who 
nominates the representatives of the various stakeholder groups. I do 
believe, however, that unsuccessful applicants in one process should not 
engage in “constituency shopping” and question the entire process.

The Tunis Agenda identified the technical and academic community as a 
separate sub-group. De UN de facto recognized it as a separate group and 
always asked ISOC to coordinate the selection process. It is understood 
that the definition contained in the Tunis Agenda can be discussed; new 
groups could even appear tomorrow. However, the context was clear and it 
referred to the community of organizations and individuals who are 
involved in the day-to-day operational management of the Internet and 
who work within this community.  This category manifested itself in the 
WGIG process. Other academics had been involved in WSIS right from the 
start but identified themselves with Civil Society. This distinction has 
been used by the UN since 2005.

Meanwhile, it is unclear how attacks between different stakeholder 
groups can support multistakeholderism. In my view, advocating for the 
technical and academic community to be merged with Civil Society or even 
for its representatives to be appointed by governments contradicts the 
multistakeholder principle that we are all attached to. Furthermore, I 
believe no group should attempt to impose control upon another, nor 
should any group be beholden to another.  This would be the end of 
multistakeholderism.

Multistakeholder cooperation is still in its beginning. It is a delicate 
plant but each stakeholder group can contribute to nurturing it with its 
own culture, and processes. The technical community’s work is based on 
open and inclusive development processes. In this spirit, the Internet 
Society has always demonstrated its commitment to open and inclusive 
policy dialogues. We systematically advocate for the inclusion of Civil 
Society in arenas where critical discussions are being held (e.g. ITU, 
OECD, etc). We also support the participation of individuals from all 
stakeholder groups in Internet governance discussions (IGF, IETF, etc.).

Cooperation and reciprocal encouragements among all stakeholder groups 
are key to advance the cause of multistakeholderism. I look forward to 
working with all of you in this spirit.

Thank you and best regards,


-- 
Constance Bommelaer
Director, Public Policy
The Internet Society
www.isoc.org

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