<h1 class="title">ECOSOC extends IGF improvements working group</h1>
<span class="submitted">
<a href="http://news.dot-nxt.com/2011/08/03/ecosoc-igf-summary">http://news.dot-nxt.com/2011/08/03/ecosoc-igf-summary</a><br>by <a href="http://news.dot-nxt.com/user/166" title="View user profile.">Kristin Weinberger</a> | 3 Aug 2011 | </span>
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<p>The Commission on Science and Technology for Development
Working Group (CSTDWG) on improvements to the Internet Governance Forum
(IGF) has been given another year to fulfill its mandate.</p>
<p class="pullquote-container"><span class="pullquote-processed pullquote-quote">the United Nations (UN) secretary-general was urged to ensure the continued functioning of the IGF and its structures</span>On 26 July, the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) adopted <a href="http://www.un.org/ga/search/view_doc.asp?symbol=E/2011/31" target="_blank">a resolution</a>
extending the mandate of the working group until the fifteenth session
of the CSTD. The CSTDWG was invited to complete its task on the basis of
work already accomplished and <span class="pullquote pullquote-processed">the United Nations (UN) secretary-general was urged to ensure the continued functioning of the IGF and its structures</span>. </p>
<p><strong>Work already accomplished</strong></p>
<p>The mandate of the CSTDWG was to develop a list of recommendations
for improving the IGF based on feedback solicited from member states and
other relevant stakeholders. But the working group was unable to
extract a list of recommendations from the all questionnaire responses
and debates. </p>
<p>As we <a href="http://news.dot-nxt.com/2011/06/01/cstd-report">reported in June</a>,
over the course of two, two-day meetings in February and March of this
year, 68 participants were able to produce the questionnaire, generate
reports and debate at length. But even a marathon final session was
insufficient to overcome the "significant divergence of views" among
member states. As a result, it was suggested that the working group
extend its deliberations.</p>
<p><strong>High praise for the IGF</strong></p>
<p>The ECOSOC discussion of the working group prompted a few tributes to the IGF and its achievements of the past five years.</p>
<p class="pullquote-container"><span class="pullquote-processed pullquote-quote">The
United States government representative, John Sammis, declared the
success of the IGF the most notable accomplishment of the UN in
fulfilling commitments made at the World Summit on the Information
Society</span><span class="pullquote pullquote-processed">The United
States government representative, John Sammis, declared the success of
the IGF the most notable accomplishment of the UN in fulfilling
commitments made at the World Summit on the Information Society</span>
(WSIS) and, in particular, the Millennium Development Goals. According
to the UN secretary-general's report, said Sammis, the IGF enjoys nearly
universal support among stakeholders. </p>
<p>The International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) also identified the IGF
as one of the most effective and useful outcomes of the WSIS. According
to the ICC, the Forum has promoted a deeper understanding of Internet
policy issues and stimulated engagement in communities. </p>
<p>The IGF has enjoyed growing participation and support, which,
according to the United Kingdom (UK), demonstrate the IGF's unique
ability to link inter-governmental organizations, governments, industry,
civil society and academia. </p>
<p>Of course, no one is claiming that the IGF is perfect. The UK is
looking to the working group for improvements to the IGF that could
maximize the engagement of stakeholders from developing countries.
Still, the UK's Aaron Holtz described the IGF as agile, open and
inclusive and recognized its success in creating a space where all
stakeholders enjoy equal footing in engaging on Internet
governance-related issues. </p>
<p><strong>Equitable representation and enhanced cooperation</strong></p>
<p class="pullquote-container"><span class="pullquote-processed pullquote-quote">Other member states expressed much less confidence in the IGF's ability to serve developing countries</span><span class="pullquote pullquote-processed">Other member states expressed much less confidence in the IGF's ability to serve developing countries</span> and implement the <a href="http://news.dot-nxt.com/2005/11/18/tunis-agenda">Tunis Agenda for the Information Society</a>, the consensus statement of the WSIS.</p>
<p>Tshihumbudzo Ravhandalala, speaking on behalf of South Africa, as
well as India and Brazil, argued that Internet governance currently
lacks equitable representation, transparency and inclusiveness at the
international level. </p>
<p>Ravhandalala expressed concern that no substantial progress has been
made in executing the Tunis Agenda: all governments should have an equal
role and equal responsibility for Internet governance, and other
stakeholders should be consulted during the process of policy making.
Even as public policy issues proliferate, he said, the mandated process
toward enhanced cooperation has still to be operationalized.</p>
<p>'Enhanced cooperation' is a process for global Internet policy
making. While the US and Europe try to maintain the status quo of loose
government control and private sector-run development, other countries
-- including South Africa, India, Brazil and Iran -- would prefer
enhanced cooperation through an inter-governmental framework such as the
ITU, the UN agency for information and communication technologies.</p>
<p><strong>Re-locating Internet governance to the UN</strong></p>
<p class="pullquote-container"><span class="pullquote-processed pullquote-quote">The
marginalization of developing countries in the area of international
Internet governance is contrary to the WSIS outcomes, said Iran's
Alireza Tootoonchian</span>According to Iran's representative, enhanced
cooperation is required if governments of developed and developing
countries are going to be made equal. <span class="pullquote pullquote-processed">The
marginalization of developing countries in the area of international
Internet governance is contrary to the WSIS outcomes, said Iran's
Alireza Tootoonchian</span>, and needs to be reversed. He contended that
policy authority for Internet-related issues is the sovereign right of
states and the Internet is no less important than other areas benefiting
from inter-governmental institutional structures.</p>
<p>Saudi Arabia requested a governance process "institutionalized and
enhanced by members of the UN family" in order to maximize the
representation of all governments. And, although Juan Antonio
Quintanilla of Cuba expressed support for the extension of the work of
the IGF, he also shared the view that the best forum for discussing the
issue was within the UN, at the General Assembly. Cuba would like to see
the IGF move beyond (or give up) its role as a forum for open dialogue
and begin issuing recommendations to governments. </p>
<p>South Africa's Ravhandalala urged member states to create a platform
under the UN for comprehensive and systematic consideration of -- and
decision-making on -- public policy issues pertaining to the Internet. </p>
<p><strong>Or Not</strong></p>
<p class="pullquote-container"><span class="pullquote-processed pullquote-quote">Other
stakeholders believe that 'enhanced cooperation' should not be limited
to government representatives, but should include civil society and the
private sector</span><span class="pullquote pullquote-processed">Other
stakeholders believe that 'enhanced cooperation' should not be limited
to government representatives, but should include civil society and the
private sector</span>. What makes the IGF unique is its
multi-stakeholderism, its financial independence and its status as a
non-decision-making forum, a place where dialogue is never squelched by
negotiation.</p>
<p>According to the US, the multi-stakeholder forum facilitates an open
and constructive dialogue and acts as a catalyst for the creation of
other national, regional and international multi-stakeholder processes
-- just as envisaged in the Tunis Agenda. </p>
<p>The US credits the openness and inclusiveness of the
multi-stakeholder model with the ability to manage issues with the speed
and flexibility required and with the broader and more creative
involvement available for problem solving. </p>
<p>Distributed systems require distributed action, so no single
institution, document, arrangement or instrument could on its own
address the needs of a networked world. What is required, said Sammis,
is collaboration and respect for the expertise and roles of all
responsible parties. </p>
<p>In order to ensure the IGF's continued success (according to some)
and improvement (desired by all), the UK supports the effort to give all
stakeholders the opportunity to review the IGF's procedures, planning
and structure. </p>
<p><strong>Moving forward: the resolution</strong></p>
<p>The resolution passed by the ECOSOC (available in the <a href="http://www.un.org/ga/search/view_doc.asp?symbol=E/2011/31" target="_blank">report of the CSTD's fourteenth session</a>) extends the mandate of the CSTDWG and also calls upon all states to: </p>
<ul><li>Not get in the way of economic and social development; </li><li>work with all stakeholders to bridge the digital divide, move toward
e-Government and focus on pro-poor information and communications
technology policies and applications, including access to broadband;
and, </li><li>ensure the continued functioning of the IGF and its structures in preparation for future IGF meetings.</li></ul>
<p>The fifth meeting of the Internet Governance Forum will take place 27 to 30 September 2011, in Nairobi, Kenya.</p>
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