[discuss] NETmundial and CSTD mtg

Sun May 18 09:41:46 UTC 2014

Thanks Avri,

great article. This helps to understand the differences of "multistakeholderism". My impression is that we see now a growing number of mechanisms which claim to be "multistakeholderism". Very often this traditional institutions serve now MS as "old wine in new bottles". This "Multistakehhooderism a la carte" offers a free choice for the starter, but thee main course is coooked by the governments (as usual)

As an isolated experience WGEC was a good MS experience - as you have described so eloquently - but it was and is fully under control of an intergovernmental mechanism which is free to kill what the MS mechanism has produced. It is - and will remain for a longer period - a battle around "the right to have the last word". 

Insofar NetMundial has opened the door to new and still uchartered territory where "the last" word was discussed in an open environment. However we should not be naive. Also within a MS mechanisms we see and will see arm-twisting and lobbying and while everybody is on equal footing we will have some "MSrs" as "VIP equals". From a civil society perspective it is good to have a seat and this table. But it is not enough. It needs more skills and cleverness to make use of such a seat to get the right share of the "last word". 

Once again, thanks for the article. 

wolfgang