[governance] [bestbits] Civil society transparency

Sun May 24 13:13:11 EDT 2015

Nick

Thanks for your support to a possible civil society transparency
project. As for your desire that it has overall good interests in mind
you'd have noted that I have made the proposal to Civil Society
Coordination Group ( CSCG) to run it, but if you have a better
administrative structure in mind lets discuss it. I am happy to help
raise funds because civil society transparency is relatively easier to
raise funds for than many other areas.

As for your arguments why you should not be gotten rid of, you are
making offerings to a strawman, a rather unfruitful exercise normally.

parminder

On Sunday 24 May 2015 07:11 PM, Nick Ashton-Hart wrote:
> Dear Carlos,
>
> If the objective is to get rid of me, then perhaps it is useful to know:
>
> * I do not currently receive *any* private-sector funding for IDEA's
> activities - nor have I in 2015.
> * IDEA's mission is not to represent the private sector, as even the
> most basic reading of the 'about' page clearly states.
> * IDEA's Advisory Council
> <http://www.internet-ecosystem.org/advisory-council/> has a majority
> of people who are not even *from* the private sector.
> * Any number of NGOs on this list receive heads-up messages about
> events that only someone who lives in works in international Geneva
> would ever know about - and few even then - not because they pay for
> it but because I believe they should know about it to more effectively
> represent the civil society interest.
> * Last, but not least, irrespective of the above, none of us are
> defined by our jobs. We all are people first and we should IMO always
> approach life first as people with an obligation to our fellow man and
> woman and the common weal, and everything else second. If someone here
> who is actually getting paid by the private sector is intervening here
> constructively in their off time as a private person they ought to be
> welcomed and encouraged. IMO. Frankly this list could use a whole lot
> more welcoming and encouraging than it presently has. Again IMO.
>
> So if the objective is to get rid of me, then you're getting rid of
> someone simply because one vocal member of the list doesn't like my
> agreeing with what someone else on the list said and not in any way.
>
> Perhaps we might all now move on to actual substance? Even if it is
> setting up a transparency project, separate from a connection with me
> personally. Such a project isn't a bad idea, as long as it is
> administered in the interests of transparency overall and not as a
> vehicle for silencing people not for who they are or what they have to
> say but because their views are inconvenient at one time or another.
>
> Regards, Nick
>
> On 24 May 2015, at 14:59, Carlos A. Afonso <ca at cafonso.ca
> <mailto:ca at cafonso.ca>> wrote:
>
>> Parm, all this fuzz just to expel Nick??
>>
>> --c.a.
>>
>> sent from a dumbphone
>>
>> On 24/05/2015, at 09:31, parminder <parminder at itforchange.net
>> <mailto:parminder at itforchange.net>> wrote:
>>
>>> Ian, and reps of civil society networks on the Civil Society
>>> Coordination Group (CSCG) ,
>>>
>>> I propose that CSCG sets up a civil society transparency project,
>>> somewhat on the lines of the EU Transparency Register, pl see
>>> http://ec.europa.eu/transparencyregister/public/homePage.do .
>>>
>>> It should in fact go beyond the EU initiative which is a general one
>>> for all lobbying groups, whereas we here are concerned with civil
>>> society which should set the highest example of transparency and
>>> accountability. The 'register' can have self filled information on
>>> objectives of an organisation, principles followed by it, if any,
>>> its funding, partners, and so on....
>>>
>>> This is at present just my proposal, but I hope one or more civil
>>> society networks in the IG space can own it and push it... CSCG
>>> would be well placed to run this project as a neutral space so that
>>> there is no accusation of bias that any such initiative is being
>>> employed for partisan purposes. In any case, a simple initiative for
>>> openness, transparency and accountability can hardly be partisan.
>>>
>>> The register can have optional higher level features whereby a
>>> group/ org can declare its means of public accountability, whether
>>> and how its internal governance is done, how matters can be taken by
>>> with their oversight bodies, like board etc, and whether they have
>>> any means whereby they respond to public question on their work, etc.
>>>
>>> For such genuine cases where such transparency can harm an
>>> organisations work, or security, such organisations, and only such
>>> organisations, can be exempted employing a clear process and set of
>>> criteria.
>>>
>>> Remember, both the UN report on improvements to the IGF and the
>>> NetMundial Statement highlight the issue of transparency. I also
>>> recently read in these lists how we should make bridges with the
>>> OpenGov movement which is almost wholly about this one thing. Time
>>> we begin practising what we preach.
>>>
>>> I look forward to hear responses to this proposal..
>>>
>>> parminder
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>
>
>
> ____________________________________________________________
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