[discuss] [] FINAL VERSION OF THE DOCUMENT - FOR PRINTING

Tue Apr 29 02:31:50 UTC 2014

Janis:
I would strongly endorse Jeanette's comments. When I spoke at the "way forward" panel on the last day, several CS activists begged me to endorse the "strengthen IGF" theme, and by "strengthen" they meant significant changes, including outcome documents. Others expressed their support for a continuation of Netmundial because of their belief that IGF, despite its importance as an outlet for ideas and workshops, was not capable of the kind of constructive changes that would make it the inheritor of the positive momentum of Netmundial. Even before your response, I leaned toward the latter view. Now, I must say that unless IGF makes significant moves to learn from and capitalize on the experience of Netmundial it will gradually lose credibility, and participation, including mine.  

--MM

-----Original Message-----
From: discuss-bounces at 1net.org [mailto:discuss-bounces at 1net.org] On Behalf Of Jeanette Hofmann
Sent: Monday, April 28, 2014 7:31 AM
To: discuss at 1net.org; karklinsj at gmail.com
Subject: Re: [discuss] [] FINAL VERSION OF THE DOCUMENT - FOR PRINTING

Dear Janis,

to be honest, I was hoping for a more encouraging response. In addition to an enormous amount of secretarial capacity and committment, I thought there was a lot of good will to explore new precedures and to produce a new type of collective outcome. Moreover, many participants assessed the dynamics of netmundial against the background of the IGF asking themselves how specific elements of netmundial could be imported into the IGF in order to revive and improve the latter.

You are of course right that the overall context, aims and purposes of both meetings differ. It is also true that the netmundial process was far from being perfect. Still, in my view we should now ask ourselves what can be learned from netmundial with a view to improving the IGF and which of such improvements could already be implemented this year.

The call for IGF outcomes is everything but new. Several years ago towards the end of its first term, the MAG discussed a new meeting format for specific topics that had been on the agenda for various years and had cleary exhausted the potential insights to be gained from additional IGF workshops. Child pornography was mentioned as an example. 
  The idea as I recall it was, to assemble the various experts, stakeholders and views on the issue and get them to agree on a limited number of factual problem statements and, if possible, recommendations. 
We were not able to explore this approach because one stakeholder group obviously got cold feet and lobbied against it. Now might be the time to give this a second try.

Yes, such an approach would need preparation. A draft statement should be prepared by the relevant actors in advance of the meeting so that everybody knows what is at stake and has a chance to form an opinion on the issue at stake. It seems still early enough to set in motion such an experiment for one specific topic.

In my view, the IGF needs to prove that it can reform itself. More funding will come along if it does so.

jeanette

Am 27.04.14 08:04, schrieb karklinsj at gmail.com:
> Avri,
>
> I would like to comment on your “…it is time to IGF MAG to through off 
> its self imposed limitations ….”
> Agreeing that IGF needs to find a way to demonstrate more tangible 
> outcome of its work, I doubt that NetMundial experience will be 
> applied in 2014/2015 editions. There are several reasons for that:
>
>   *
>     NetMundial was focused on 2 issues - IGF is broad ranging discussion
>   *
>     Purpose/aim of both meetings were different
>   *
>     Drafting of the Final statement started well in advance of NetMundial
>   *
>     NetMundial had far more resources in terms of Secretarial support
>     (HL Committee, Bureau)
>
>
> That said, I hope that IGF will be able to demonstrate that things 
> happen as a result of IGF elsewhere. You know that I launched a call 
> for a voluntary information submission:
>
> /The Internet Governance Forum was created by the World Summit on the 
> Information Society as a multistakeholder discussion platform on 
> Internet governance related issues. The goals of the IGF are to 
> provide a platform for information exchange, identify emerging 
> challenges and possible solutions to addressing them, provide capacity 
> building, identify and disseminate best practices and forge 
> partnerships for concrete actions./
>
> /Over the past few years, some sceptics of the IGF have suggested that 
> no actions have been taken and that no decisions are made at the IGF - 
> that it is just a “talk shop”./
>
> /In order to dissipate those doubts about the “action orientation” of 
> the IGF it would be useful to collect data about concrete actions and 
> decisions that have been taken by different stakeholders as a result 
> of the engagement and discussions of Internet related issues at the 
> various IGFs (international, regional or national)./
>
> /In this respect, I would like to invite all of those organizations 
> and institutions that would be willing to share information, *on a 
> voluntary basis*, about concrete decisions or actions that have been 
> taken as a result of engagement during the current mandate of the IGF 
> the 2011,
> 2012 and 2013 IGFs to do so by sending brief information to the IGF 
> Secretariat (/_/discussion_questions@//intgovforum.org/_
> <mailto:discussion_questions at intgovforum.org>/) by 30 June 2014. The 
> Secretariat will compile all information received and will present a 
> synthesized report at the Istanbul IGF./
>
> /Thank you for your participation/
>
>
> /Janis Karklins/
>
> /Interim Chair of the MAG/
>
>
> The IGF Secretariat will compile all submissions and I intend present 
> them at the opening of Istanbul IGF meeting. I hope that report will 
> dissipate, at least partially, perception that IGF is merely a talk-shop.
> With greetings from sunny and warm Riga JK
>
> Sent from Surface
>
> *From:* Avri Doria <mailto:avri at acm.org>
> *Sent:* ‎Saturday‎, ‎April‎ ‎26‎, ‎2014 ‎10‎:‎59‎ ‎PM
> *To:* discuss at 1net.org <mailto:discuss at 1net.org>, 
> internetpolicy at elists.isoc.org <mailto:internetpolicy at elists.isoc.org>
>
> Hi,
>
> And beyond exegesis and spin on the document we should try to import 
> some of those techniques into the IGF so that it can also learn how to 
> produce some outcomes, e.g. inputs from IGF to other Ig organizations.
>
> Following the lead of NetMundial, it is time for the IGF MAG to throw 
> off its self imposed limitation of being merely a program committee so 
> it can make recommendations to the UNSG on how to turn the IGF into an 
> organization that can actually produce results.  While it is true that 
> the IGF has achieved a little just by existing, at this point if it 
> wants to remain viable it needs to move beyond its infancy and become 
> a useful organization.
>
> In addition to some of the important work done by NetMundial in 
> bridging the gap between the Internet and Human Rights and opening the 
> door to discussions on revising the government defined roles and 
> responsibilities of the actors in the Internet ecosystem from 2003, it 
> has shown us that it is possible for a multistakeholder organization 
> to produce outcomes.  It is now time for the IGF to figure out how to 
> do the same.
>
> Additionally, the NetMundial has sent some tasks the IGF's way.  I 
> look forward to work on such issues as Net Neutrality at IGF2014.
>
> The mission of the IGF has been given a real push by NetMundial, I 
> hope we don't waste the opportunity.
>
> avri
>
>
> On 26-Apr-14 16:36, John Curran wrote:
>  > On Apr 25, 2014, at 9:58 PM, Marilyn Cade <marilynscade at hotmail.com  
> > <mailto:marilynscade at hotmail.com>> wrote:
>  >
>  >> I think the opportunity ahead is how to further examine what the  
> >> "statement of Sao Paolo" says and how to continue work, especially 
> at  >> IGF,  but not only there.
>  >
>  > Indeed.
>  > /John
>  >
>  > Disclaimer: My views alone.
>  >
>  >
>  >
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