<nettime> wsis digest no. 6

["geert lovink" <geert@xs4all.nl>]

World Summit on Information Society
Nettime Digest, no. 6 February 14, 2004

1. Global Forum on Internet Governance (March 25-26, NYC)
2. Experts' Round at ITU
3. ICC Paper on Clearing Up Confusion Over Internet Governance
4. re: ITU Internet Governance Workshop
5. ICANN's At Large Advisory Committee on WSIS

--

1. NEW YORK, 5 February (UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs)-- A
Global Forum on Internet Governance will be held on 25-26 March 2004 at
United Nations Headquarters in New York, to bring together leading actors
and all relevant stakeholders, including Member States,civil society and the
private sector, interested in Internet governance issues. Organized under
the auspices of the United Nations Informationand Communication Technologies
(ICT) Task Force, the Global Forum will be an opportunity to engage in an
open discussion on all aspects of Internet governance.

The views expressed from around the world in on-line discussions to be
organized with other partners in the weeks ahead will contribute to the
Forum to ensure as broad and comprehensive a reflection of perspectives and
ideas on the issues to be addressed. The Global Forum will contribute to the
world-wide consultation process to be organized by the Secretary-General.
(For future announcements, please visit:
www.unicttaskforce.org/sixthmeeting, http://www.wsis-online.net/.

The Plan of Action adopted at the Geneva phase of the World Summit on the
Information Society (WSIS) in December 2003, requested the United Nations
Secretary-General "to set up a working group on Internet governance, in an
open and inclusive process that ensures a mechanism for the full and active
participation of governments, the private sector and civil society from both
developing and developed countries, involving relevant intergovernmental and
international organizationsand forums, to investigate and make proposals for
action, as appropriate, on the governance of Internet by 2005".

Among the principal issues that the group will address are a working
definition of Internet governance, identification of relevant public policy
issues, and the roles and responsibilities of different stakeholders. While
the Secretary-General has yet to make a final decision on how to organize a
Working Group on Internet Governance, he expressed his view that this Global
Forum "will be of great utility"for any future consultation process.

The Task Force is a multi-stakeholder initiative launched by the
Secretary-General in 2001. In supporting the first phase of the WSIS, the
Task Force successfully helped in placing the United Nations development
objectives at the heart of the Summit and mobilized the participation of the
multi-stakeholder networks, organized a series of side events and launched
new initiatives, including on education. The Task Force intends to
contribute actively to the preparations for the second phase of the WSIS
leading up to the Tunis Summit in November 2005.

The Secretary-General has decided to extend the initial three-year term
ofthe Task Force until the end of 2005. In his letter of 29 January 2004 to
the Chairperson of the Task Force, Mr. José-María FigueresOlsen, the
Secretary-General stated: "I have followed the work of the Task Force with
keen interest and wish to express my appreciation to you and the other
members for your successful efforts in helping to place ICT at the service
of development, making this a central theme of the WSIS".

--

2. 26-27 February 2004, ITU: Background and Objectives
The workshop objective is to contribute to the ITU's process that will
prepare its inputs and position vis-à-vis the United Nations working group
to be established on Internet governance, resulting from the Declaration of
Principles and Action Plan adopted on 12 December 2003 at the first phase of
the World Summit on the Information Society.

The workshop will provide a forum for invited experts to exchange views and
make analytical studies on definitions, viewpoints and visions on Internet
governance from several aspects, including legal, technological,
administration and commercial issues.

The format is one of the ITU Strategy and Policy Unit's New Initiatives
workshops held since 1999 in line with ITU Council Decision 496. These
workshops have limited space availability and are intended to foster
efficient and effective discussion among experts on specific topics. To this
purpose, individual experts in Internet governance have been invited from a
wide spectrum of backgrounds and views, including from the ITU's Membership.

Keeping in mind that the event is an experts workshop, with limited space
availability, ITU Members with an interest in participation should contact
the  ITU Strategy and Policy Unit at spumail@itu.int, with specific
reference to their individual background in Internet governance issues.

All discussions and results from the workshop will be compiled into a report
and communicated to the entire ITU Membership and submitted to the
appropriate ITU decision-making bodies for their further consideration.

Invited experts:

  a.. Izumi AIZU, Principal, Asia Network Research (biography)
  b.. Karl AUERBACH, InterWorking Labs
  c.. Vittorio BERTOLA, Chairman, ICANN At-Large Advisory Committee
  d.. Derrick COGBURN, Professor, School of Information, University of
Michigan
  e.. Ken CUKIER, Research Fellow, Kennedy School of Government, Harvard
University
  f.. William DRAKE, Senior Associate, International Centre for Trade and
Sustainable Development
  g.. Michael GEIST, Professor of Law, University of Ottawa
  h.. Ayesha HASSAN, Senior Policy Manager for E-Business, IT and Telecoms,
International Chamber of Commerce
  i.. Marc HOLITSCHER, Research Associate, International Relations
Department, University of Zurich
  j.. Paul KANE, Chairman, CENTR
  k.. Daniel KARRENBERG, Chief Scientist, RIPE NCC
  l.. Sergei KAMBALOV, Deputy Executive Coordinator, Secretariat of the UN
ICT Task Force
  m.. Wolfgang KLEINWAECHTER, Professor, University of Arhaus
  n.. Jovan KURBALIJA, Director of DiploFundation and Author, "Internet
Governance: Cyber-Empires and Digital Divides"
  o.. Bertrand de LA CHAPPELLE, Editor, OpenWSIS Initiative
  p.. Bill MANNING, Managing Partner, EP.NET
  q.. Milton MUELLER, Professor, School of Information Studies, Syracuse
University
  r.. John PALFREY, Executive Director, Berkman Center for Internet &
Society, Harvard Law School
  s.. Ewan SUTHERLAND, Executive Director, International Telecommunications
Users Group (INTUG)
  t.. Paul VIXIE, President, Internet Systems Consortium
  u.. Daniel J. WEITZNER, Technology & Society Domain Lead. World Wide Web
Consortium
  v.. Johannes Christian WICHARD, Head, Legal Development Section,
Arbitration and Mediation Center, WIPO
--

3. ICC Paper on Clearing Up Confusion Over Internet Governance
See: CircleID
http://www.circleid.com/article/463_0_1_0_C/>

--

4. From: Abel Caine <acaine@itc.gov.fj>
Subject: [wsis-pacific] re: ITU Internet Governance Workshop
Date: 04 Feb 2004 11:53:19 +1200

To all,

"Internet Governance" was one of the most contentious issues at the World
Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) held in Geneva from 10 - 12 Dec.
Fiery debates raged on the plenary floor and in working groups on the
subject with no consensus except to form a very high-level UN working group
to make a decision for adoption at the Tunis phase of the WSIS (Nov, 2005).

The International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) is the lead
business/private-sector organisation that essentially argues for the
retention of the status quo structure and mechanisms (ICANN for the
technical aspects, and the various IGOs for thematic aspects, e.g. WIPO for
intellectual property).

Naturally, there is an equally vocal opposing body of opinion (not exactly
represented by a central coordinator such as the ICC) who are calling for
either an existing IGO such as the ITU to take on the responsibility of IG
or even the creation of a new IGO as the ITU tend to focus on technical
telecommunications issues. This would give Governments perceived control thr
ough the well-established IGO protocols (e.g. 1 Govt 1 vote (Fiji = USA),
and private sector or civil society have speaking time but no powers).

For those who are interested in IG, this is a small chance to contribute to
the debate. The ICC will definitely be invited to participate in the UN
Group (as will ICANN). The primary author of the paper is seeking comments
which you can forward to me to her.

I'm not an IG expert, but please allow me to make 1 small suggestion, I
found the ICC paper did not list the issues from the "other side" and make
counter-arguments. Yes, they're arguing not all ccTLDs are administered by
the relevant Govt Dept of that country (e.g. I believe the Nigerian ccTLD
belongs to an enterprising Nigerian living in the US), but they're also
arguing a whole host of other IG issues.

The 1 I recall is from all the hype at WSIS was cyber-terrorism (ala there
should be 1 central organisation instead of each developed country having
their own and developing countries never having any). Your counter-argument
could be capacity building, funding, etc at regional then national levels
but not 1 big organisation that would morph into a "global Gestapo" (I like
that phrase :).

Cheers,
Abel

--

5. ALAC on WSIS Declaration of Principles and Plan of Actions

ICANN's At Large Advisory Committee (ALAC) has released this statement about
the results of the World Summit on Information Society (WSIS).
http://www.circleid.com/article/454_0_1_0_C/ and
http://alac.icann.org/wsis/statement-wsis-20jan04.htm

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