[AfrICANN-discuss] Statement by the Internet technical and academic community on the CSTD WG on improvements to the IGF

[Anne-Rachel Inné]

To the following CSTD Community members. Please help us continue a good
dialogue at IGF.
*
CSTD Africa Members:*
Democratic Republic of Congo 2012
Equatorial Guinea 2012
Ghana 2012
Lesotho 2014
Mali 2012
Mauritius 2014
Rwanda 2014
South Africa 2012
Tanzania 2014
Togo 2014
Tunisia 2014

Statement by the Internet technical and academic community on the Commission
on Science and Technology for Development Working Group (CSTD WG) on
improvements to the Internet Governance Forum (IGF)

12 April 2011

Representatives of the Internet technical and academic community today call
for an extension to the mandate of the United Nations Commission on Science
and Technology for Development Working Group (CSTD WG) on improvements to
the Internet Governance Forum (IGF).

The Working Group has met twice but, despite the best efforts of all
parties, it has not been able to complete its work in the allocated time. We
strongly believe the IGF effectively brings all stakeholders together to
increase their understanding of the interplay of public policy, business and
technical forces in Internet governance. With the extension of the IGF
mandate, it is now vital to take the time needed to carefully consider
options for the further development of the Forum.


The technical and academic representatives to the CSTD Working Group on
improvements to the IGF would like to express their gratitude to the Chair
of the WG, Mr Frédéric Riehl, and the CSTD Secretariat for the effort they
put into facilitating the WG meetings and discussions.

We are pleased that the CSTD WG embraced multistakeholder participation
during its deliberations, and was able to compile and review inputs from all
stakeholders on improvements to the IGF. We believe there were many useful
contributions submitted in response to the questionnaire drafted at the
first meeting of the WG in Montreux. Unfortunately, due to time limitations,
the WG was not able to discuss those contributions in detail, or to produce
a report of recommended improvements by the end of its second meeting, held
in Geneva. The technical and academic representatives, like many of the
other WG participants, had travelled large distances to attend both two-day
meetings of the WG, held in February and March 2011. We had also taken the
time to respond in significant detail to both calls for submissions to the
WG.


The technical and academic representatives strongly support the IGF model
and are committed to seeing it improve, both in response to ongoing changes
from within the IGF process itself, as well as from the improvements
requested in the UN General Assembly Resolution on “Information and
communications technologies for development”, approved on 24 November 2010.
Only through such improvements will the IGF be better able to meet the needs
of all stakeholders in Internet governance.


This statement was written by the Internet technical and academic community
representatives to the CSTD WG on improvements to the IGF:

Ms Constance Bommelaer

Senior Manager, Strategic Global Engagement

Internet Society

Email: bommelaer at isoc.org



Ms Samantha Dickinson

Internet Governance Specialist

APNIC

Email: sam at apnic.net



Mr Baher Esmat

Manager, Regional Relations – Middle East

ICANN

Email: baher.esmat at icann.org



Ms Nurani Nimpuno

Outreach & Communications Manager

Netnod

Email: nurani at netnod.se



Mr Oscar Robles-Garay

General Director for NIC México

LACNIC Board of Directors

Email: orobles at nic.mx
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