THE INTERNET GOVERNANCE FORUM

Transcription

1 THE INTERNET GOVERNANCE FORUM Background and Context Damascus 17 June 2009 Charles Shaban Charles Shaban Abu-Ghazaleh Intellectual Property (AGIP) Internet Governance Forum (IGF) - MAG 1

2 Content: - Where have we come from? - What is the IGF? - Why does it matter? - What next? 2 2

3 Next IGF in Egypt and the IGF - Leadership role of our region - Great record in the use of state-of-the-art technology in the service of development. - IGF meeting in Sharm EL Sheikh: excellent opportunity to showcase the region experience. 3 3

4 The Internet as a bone of contention The World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) put a new issue on the agenda of international cooperation: the Internet. Recognition of the importance of the Internet as backbone of globalization. Clash between the private sector / Internet community and governments. Two visions of the world: Bottom-up distributed cooperation vs. Classical intergovernmental cooperation. 4 4

5 WSIS Principles - The management of the Internet should be multilateral, transparent and democratic. - Traditional IGO cooperation vs. bottomup multistakeholder co-operation? 5 5

6 Preliminary Synthesis: Multistakeholder Cooperation Multistakeholder cooperation between: - Governments - Intergovernmental organizations - Internet institutions - Private Sector - Civil Society - Academic and Technical Communities 6 6

7 Roles of stakeholders - Different roles for different stakeholders. - Governments are the decision makers, but - decisions need to be based on solid understanding of issues. - Need for dialogue between private sector, civil society, the technical community and governments. - Governments need to signal issues of concern. - Other stakeholders need to advise on feasibility and consequences of envisaged solutions. 7 7

8 What is Internet Governance? WSIS agreed on a definition of Internet governance: More than naming (DNS) and addressing (allocation of IP addresses). Public policy issues related to the physical and logical infrastructure of the Internet. Public policy issues related to the use (and abuse) of the Internet. 8 8

9 What is the IGF? Easier to define what it is not : not a UN Conference;.not a new organization; not a decision-making body; no defined membership. == >widely divergent expectations among stakeholders. In essence: the IGF is a platform to discuss public policy issues related to the Internet. Provisional mandate of five years subject to renewal. 9 9

10 The Internet Governance Forum as an experiment - Based on the convening power of the UN. - Soft governance approach. - IGF has no decision-making power, no power of redistribution. - IGF has the power of recognition: can identify issues of concern; can draw attention to an issue; can put an issue on the agenda of international cooperation. - Can shape public opinion and decision making

11 IGF Themes and Priorities - Access / Diversity - Security / Openness - Critical Internet Resources - Development / Capacity Building 11 11

12 IGF Methodology - Exchange of information. o - Sharing of best practices. - Think globally, act locally. - No one size fits all solution. - Solutions adapted to the needs of each country

13 Strengths and weaknesses Different views on strengths and weaknesses: - Some see lack of decision-making i power as a weakness: - They want the IGF to produce concrete results. - Others see it as a strength: - The lack of decision-making power creates a space for open dialogue

14 Sharm El Sheikh and the IGF Calendar - Preparing Sharm El Sheikh: Open Consultations in Geneva in February, May and September th IGF Meeting in Sharm EL Sheikh: Consultations with participants on continuation of IGF Mandate. - 5th IGF Meeting in Vilnius in October or November Secretary-General Recommendations to UN Membership - Decision by UN General Assembly on whether or not to extend the IGF Mandate in December

15 Preliminary Conclusion: - Athens, Rio and Hyderabad confirmed the value of a multi-stakeholder dialogue: Win-win situation for all stakeholders. - There is value in being involved for business & Civil Society: - From a policy perspective: they can contribute to a decision-shaping process; - From a marketing perspective: meet new business partners; - From a technology perspective: learn about new needs, trends and solutions

16 Sharm El Sheikh - The Sharm El Sheikh meeting as a continuation of Athens, Rio and Hyderabad: Think globally, ll with a regional perspective! - Sharm El Sheikh will point the way to the future of the discussion on Internet governance: Continue with the multi-stakeholder dialogue in the IGF - or are there better alternatives? 16 16

17 Thank you Questions? Charles Shaban Abu-Ghazaleh Intellectual Property (AGIP) 17 17