[governance] URGENT: Last call for feedback on CS participation in NETmundial Initiative

Suresh Ramasubramanian suresh at hserus.net
Fri Nov 21 00:39:25 EST 2014


I can't agree more. The other thing is you will definitely find other civil 
society organizations at the table, whatever the local consensus we achieve 
here is.



On November 21, 2014 10:55:08 AM shailam at yahoo.com wrote:

> Hi
> If we wish to have our voice heard we need to be at the table. If we are 
> not there how can we voice opinions ,influence and shape policy decisions. 
> Regardless of the numerous pros and cons to joining NM, the prevailing 
> factor is to be a participating presence.
> Shaila Rao Mistry
>
> Sent from my iPhone
>
> > On Nov 19, 2014, at 1:35 AM, Suresh Ramasubramanian <suresh at hserus.net> 
> wrote:
> >
> > Even within civil society, include only those sections of civil society 
> that still use jargon like neoliberal
> >
> > I suppose it is a mercy that 'evil capitalist running dogs' is out of 
> fashion these days.
> >> On November 19, 2014 2:52:03 PM Sivasubramanian M <isolatedn at gmail.com> 
> wrote:
> >>
> >> Dear Guru,
> >>
> >>> ​(You (Guru) said:  ​WEF is a primarily group of big businesses. We 
> have seen the increasing danger to the ideals of the WSIS Declaration of 
> Principles from the activities of transnational corporations. Apart from 
> using/monetising our data for their commercial gains in 
> authorised/unauthorised/illegitimate/illegal ways, their unregulated work 
> also is structuring our participation in the information society in many 
> unhealthy ways. Through Snowden we also understand how many of them are in 
> cahoots with the 5 eyes (USG+) on extraordinary programme of global 
> surveillance
> >>
> >> ​If such as strong generalization of big business is to be accepted as 
> fair and valid, then all those who subscribe to such a generalization may 
> have to go back to the WSIS declarations and summarily exclude Business as 
> a Stakeholder group, and then declare that Internet Governance ought to be 
> a process with two stakeholder groups - Government + Civil Society.  No, 
> no, on second thoughts I see your reference to Snowden and USG+, so the 
> Civil Society could exclude Government from Internet Governance, and 
> declare that Internet Governance must be reinvented as a single stakeholder 
> group process, with Civil Society as the only stakeholder group.
> >>
> >> Seriously, if WSIS had committed to build a "people-centred, inclusive 
> and development-oriented Information Society​", what happens to 
> inclusiveness and development with such a position on Big Business? ​
> >>
> >> And, why this hatred for big business? Most progress in this world has 
> happened because of enterprise, much more because of business than because 
> of Government.  Granted, some of the information technology big businesses 
> have worked with Governments on surveillance designs, and even there, we do 
> not know how of much of such cooperation came out of a desire for profit 
> and how much of it was forced by arm-twisting or by milder pressures in so 
> many subtle and imaginative ways.
> >>
> >> Irrespective of how WEF's role has been articulated at the moment, it is 
> a very positive development to bring in the WEF. ​WEF participation 
> suddenly expands business participation to a world of business outside the 
> IT sector, so WEF's attention to IG issues might by itself act as a 
> balancing influence within the corporate world, because many of these Big 
> Businesses are Internet "users" themselves. ​Some of these Big Businesses 
> are possibly charitable in unknown ways. What is needed here is strong 
> support at the moment, and we could ​eventually ​work towards a greater 
> balance across stakeholder groups.​ ​
> >>
> >> Sivasubramanian M
> >>
> >>
> >>> On Wed, Nov 19, 2014 at 12:52 PM, Guru <Guru at itforchange.net> wrote:
> >>> Dear Mawaki
> >>>
> >>> I would like to cite from two sources:
> >>>
> >>> A. WSIS Declaration of Principles -  
> http://www.itu.int/wsis/docs/geneva/official/dop.html  (the very first two 
> clauses)
> >>>
> >>> 1. We, the representatives of the peoples of the world*, *assembled in 
> Geneva from 10-12 December 2003 for the first phase of the World Summit on 
> the Information Society,* declare our common desire and commitment to build 
> a people-centred, inclusive and development-oriented Information Society, 
> where everyone can create, access, utilize and share information and 
> knowledge, enabling individuals, communities and peoples to achieve their 
> full potential in promoting their sustainable development and improving 
> their     quality of life, premised on the purposes and principles of the 
> Charter of the United Nations and respecting fully and upholding the 
> Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
> >>> 2. Our challenge* is to harness the potential of information and 
> communication technology to promote the development goals of the Millennium 
> Declaration, namely the eradication of extreme poverty and hunger; 
> achievement of universal primary education; promotion of gender equality 
> and empowerment of women; reduction of child mortality; improvement of 
> maternal health; to combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases; ensuring 
> environmental sustainability; and development of global partnerships for 
> development for the attainment of a more peaceful, just and prosperous 
> world. We also reiterate our commitment to the achievement of sustainable 
> development and agreed development goals, as contained in the Johannesburg 
> Declaration and Plan of Implementation and the Monterrey Consensus, and 
> other outcomes of relevant United Nations Summits.
> >>>
> >>> I now will cite  from the WEF site - http://www.weforum.org/our-members
> >>>
> >>> Begin
> >>> Our Members
> >>> The World Economic Forum is a membership organization. Our Members 
> comprise 1,000 of the world’s top corporations, global enterprises usually 
> with more than US$ 5 billion in turnover.  These enterprises rank among the 
> top companies within their industry and play a leading role in shaping the 
> future of their industry and region. Some of our Member companies join the 
> Forum’s Strategic and Industry Partnership communities, which are designed 
> to deepen their engagement with the Forum’s events, project and 
> initiatives.  The Forum’s Members are at the heart of all our activities.
> >>> End
> >>>
> >>> It is clear that WEF is a primarily group of big businesses. We have 
> seen the increasing danger to the ideals of the WSIS Declaration of 
> Principles from the activities of transnational corporations. Apart from 
> using/monetising our data for their commercial gains in 
> authorised/unauthorised/illegitimate/illegal ways, their unregulated work 
> also is structuring our participation in the information society in many 
> unhealthy ways. Through Snowden we also understand how many of them are in 
> cahoots with the 5 eyes (USG+) on extraordinary programme of global 
> surveillance, which helps them in their goals of political-economic 
> domination / colonisation
> >>>
> >>> Participating in forums anchored in such a space will only legitimise 
> their power.  I am clear that IGC should not participate in the NMI.
> >>>
> >>> thanks and regards
> >>> Guru
> >>>
> >>> Gurumurthy Kasinathan
> >>> Director, IT for Change
> >>> In Special Consultative Status with the United Nations ECOSOC
> >>> www.ITforChange.Net| Cell:91 9845437730 | Tel:91 80 26654134, 26536890
> >>> http://karnatakaeducation.org.in/KOER/en/index.php/Subject_Teacher_Forum
> >>>
> >>>
> >>> On Tuesday 18 November 2014 05:02 PM, Mawaki Chango wrote:
> >>> > Dear All,
> >>>
> >>>       >
> >>>
> >>>       > You must have heard a good deal about this by now, so I won't
> >>>       repeat
> >>>
> >>>       > the background details. In the middle of the night last
> >>>       night, before
> >>>
> >>>       > hitting the bed after a long and drawn out day playing
> >>>       catch-up with
> >>>
> >>>       > deadlines, I saw that Ian (chair of CSCG) forwarded the NMI
> >>>
> >>>       > Transitional Committee's reply the CSCG enquiry. Basically,
> >>>       they are
> >>>
> >>>       > willing to let the CSCG vet CS candidates to be part of the
> >>>       NMI
> >>>
> >>>       > Coordination Council.
> >>>
> >>>       >
> >>>
> >>>       > Now the question before us is to get a feel of the membership
> >>>       of CSCG
> >>>
> >>>       > member entities as to whether to get involved in the NMI
> >>>       process or
> >>>
> >>>       > not. I believe this is the last step in the consultations
> >>>       we've been
> >>>
> >>>       > having (with NMI initiators, among ourselves at the CSCG and
> >>>       with the
> >>>
> >>>       > membership of our respective organizations.) After this we
> >>>       should be
> >>>
> >>>       > able to give a definite answer, formulate a definite position
> >>>       about
> >>>
> >>>       > our participation in the NMI process.
> >>>
> >>>       >
> >>>
> >>>       > So what do you think? Please get right to the point and be
> >>>       brief.
> >>>
> >>>       > State your preference for IGC Involvement or No involvement
> >>>       and, if
> >>>
> >>>       > you care to provide us with such, I would be grateful to you
> >>>       if you
> >>>
> >>>       > could keep your supporting argument in one short paragraph
> >>>       (as we
> >>>
> >>>       > just want to take the "temperature of the room" if you see
> >>>       what I
> >>>
> >>>       > mean.)
> >>>
> >>>       >
> >>>
> >>>       > Thank you for your understanding. Best regards.
> >>>
> >>>       >
> >>>
> >>>       > Mawaki
> >>>
> >>>       >
> >>>
> >>>       >
> >>>
> >>>       >
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>
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