Diplofoundation Comments for Open Consultations and MAG meeting, February 2012

In view of the forthcoming open consultations and MAG meeting that form part of the preparation for IGF 2012 in Azerbaijan, DiploFoundation proposes the following summary points for emphasis at the meetings.

  • Continuation of the IGF is a priority for global Internet governance (IG) processes, it being indispensable to continue IG discussions in such a multistakeholder forum.
  • Government involvement the IGF process is critical to maintaining momentum and underlining the importance of this process.
  • An important way to address misunderstandings between stakeholder groups is to give concrete support to capacity building of those involved in IG at all levels, to ensure that the issues being discussed are clearly understood by all. The IGF agenda should address this issue directly instead of continuing to touch upon it tangentially.
  • E-participation and support for hubs should be addressed as part of planning and infrastructure from the first meeting to ensure that overarching strategies and details take into account the planning, training, technical, and financial needs of this critical process.