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

[Deirdre Williams]

I agree with Farzaneh about the need to add some concrete suggestions.
It is perhaps a little revolutionary but how about something like "IGF 16
will be held virtually in Poland, with accommodations being made for in
situ participants" which makes a clear definition of priorities. Another
option could be like something I had proposed before when the physical
meeting was in Bali - produce the programme early with the presentation
content so that the workshop addresses direct discussion of issues which
can also be made accessible in a more static manner for people with
bandwidth challenges. I realise that this would require proactive willing
participants, the management of a large amount of data, truly excellent
moderatos and a great deal of work, but it would largely obviate the time
problem, help with language issues and give everyone possible a chance to
join in.
There is a tendency for the IG conversation to be held by a clique (albeit
a large and multistakeholder clique) of interested parties somehow in
parallel with a lot of what is really going on in the world???
I am in sympathy with the statement that points to a VERY real problem
particularly this year. Whatever happens the IGF will need some type of
Plan B for if it becomes necessary to manage in a situation of draconian
travel restrictions, or practically non-existent travel.
Best wishes from Saint Lucia where numbers are rising again
Stay safe
De

On Sun, 8 Aug 2021 at 23:34, farzaneh badii via Governance <
governance at lists.igcaucus.org> wrote:

> To solve the multi-interpretations, perhaps we can make more concrete
> suggestions as to how they can improve upon including remote participants
> other than using the unevilly WebEx? I was hoping that on the absence of
> some very key figures, we put more emphasis on including them and make the
> process better. Unfortunately remote participation failures most of the
> time comes down to the process and not just the tools. People onsite don’t
> have to communicate with people online.
>
> On Sunday, August 8, 2021, Shcherbovich Andrey <dvbirve at yandex.ru> wrote:
>
>> But the general position of the statement means calling upon the
>> cancellation of the in-person meeting. I don't think it is right solution.
>>
>> With kind regards, Andrey
>>
>> 09.08.2021, 06:06, "farzaneh badii" <farzaneh.badii at gmail.com>:
>>
>> I don’t think the statement is saying anything against going back to the
>> normal life. It just has some broad suggestions that are very legit
>> considering “hybrid” models never really worked even outside of COVID what
>> was normal for some wasn’t normal for remote participants. Equal footing in
>> hybrid models during or outside of covid restrictions has unfortunately
>> been unattainable. Pasted the paragraph from APC statement just to point
>> out what they are actually arguing:
>>
>>
>> “We remain fully committed to the IGF and to making the 16th annual
>> meeting a success story. This is why we call on organisers to carefully
>> shape the hybrid event to address our concerns and ensure a successful,
>> inclusive and balanced meeting.
>>
>> In particular, we recommend that mechanisms are put in place to tackle
>> the issue of time zones and connectivity costs. Adopting the Polish time as
>> the single standard would significantly limit participation of those based
>> in incompatible time zones. Also, participants should have access to a data
>> support scheme, in addition to the travel support already announced, to
>> ensure participation is affordable to all, especially those coming from
>> countries where broadband connectivity is not the default and data packages
>> are expensive.
>>
>> The signatories of this statement express their willingness to
>> participate in the discussion and implementation of ideas, structures,
>> methodologies and technologies to ensure meaningful remote participation
>> during all phases of the annual event. The key challenge of ensuring
>> meaningful remote participation in the IGF as valued and impactful as
>> in-person participation cannot be overstated or taken for granted. This is
>> an essential part in the present and future of making the IGF a more open,
>> inclusive and globally relevant process.”
>>
>> On Sunday, August 8, 2021, Shcherbovich Andrey via Governance <
>> governance at lists.igcaucus.org> wrote:
>>
>> Dear all!
>>
>> Strictly against. Let's return to the normal life and restore all links.
>>
>> 07.08.2021, 03:27, "Christian Nzhie via Governance" <
>> governance at lists.igcaucus.org>:
>>
>> Hi,
>> Dear @Valeria, thanks for sharing.
>> While we welcome the initiative, kindly not that the link provided is not
>> accessible.
>> *PDOException*: SQLSTATE[HY000] [2002] Connection refused in
>> *lock_may_be_available()* (line *167* of
>> */var/drupal-core-v7/drupal-7.81/includes/lock.inc*)
>>
>> Best,
>>
>> Christian.
>>
>>
>> On Fri, Aug 6, 2021 at 7:19 PM Valeria Betancourt via Governance <
>> governance at lists.igcaucus.org> wrote:
>>
>> 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
>>
>> --
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>> Governance at lists.igcaucus.org
>> https://lists.igcaucus.org/mailman/listinfo/governance
>>
>> ,--
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>>
>>
>> --
>> Farzaneh
>>
>>
>
> --
> Farzaneh
>
> --
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>


-- 
“The fundamental cure for poverty is not money but knowledge" Sir William
Arthur Lewis, Nobel Prize Economics, 1979
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