[Governance] Invitation to sign on : Civil society calls for a virtual IGF 2021 to strengthen inclusivity

[Valeria Betancourt]

Dear all,
 
The 2021 IGF has been announced as a hybrid event. APC considers that it
is important to make a call to ensure inclusiveness and balanced
participation of stakeholders, particularly the ones from the Global South.

In our view, the pandemic has multiplied inequalities in access and
participation in policy processes, especially global and regional ones
where travel is required. We fear that the adoption of a hybrid model,
while mobility constraints imposed by the pandemic have not yet been
fully lifted, will contribute to exacerbating those inequalities and
limit opportunities for meaningful participation and engagement. We urge
the organisers to ensure that the decision of adopting a hybrid model is
accompanied by relevant measures to ensure a truly inclusive meeting.

We've prepared a statement in this regard and would like to invite you
to join us in raising these issues.

Here is the link to the draft and the form to endorse it: Civil society
calls for a virtual IGF 2021 to strengthen inclusivity | Association for
Progressive Communications (apc.org):
https://crm.apc.org/statement/VirtualParticipation-IGF2021

The statement will be made public on Tuesday Aug 10th and submitted
formally to the IGF Secretariat and MAG. 

We would kindly ask you to confirm your endorsement by Monday 10pm ET.

Thank you,

Valeria

-- 
Valeria Betancourt
Directora / Manager
Programa de Políticas de Information y Comunicación / Communication and
Information Policy Programme
Asociación para el Progreso de las Comunicaciones / Association for
Progressive Communications, APC
http://www.apc.org