Status:
IGF Theme(s) for workshop:
- Internet Governance for Development [IG4D] cross cutting priority
- Taking Stock and the Way Forward
Main theme question address by workshop: IG4D Question 2; Taking Stock and the Way Forward Question 1 and 5.
Concise description of the proposed workshop:
"Internet governance is the development and application by governments, the private sector and civil society, in their respective roles, of shared principles, norms, rules, decision-making procedures, and programmes that shape the evolution and use of the Internet." Tunis Agenda for the Information Society
Anyone who has attended an Internet Governance Forum has heard people singing the praises of multi-stakeholder governance of the Internet. On the whole, there is general agreement that governance structures should remain dispersed, multi-stakeholder and bottom-up, rather than top-down and controlled by governments. And there are a number of models developing which seek to address internet governance issues in multi-stakeholder ways including at ICANN, the Council of Europe and of course, the IGF.
But multi-stakeholderism is far from uncontroversial – both as a theory, and in terms of how it works in practice. How does multistakeholder governance relate to important governance principles like: representation, participation, accountability, responsibility, transparency, and efficiency? These are difficult questions that too often are swept under the carpet. But in recent years we are seeing more and more challenges to multistakeholder governance, paving the way for governments to exercise far more control.
If we want to protect multi-stakeholder governance, we need to scrutinise exactly what it is we are protecting. It is time to reconsider and revive the concept and practice of multistakeholder governance. This workshop seeks to address this challenge head on by examining some key questions:
Who gets to participate in internet governance processes (and who is excluded or underrepresented)? What incentive do different stakeholders have to engage in these policy processes? What legitimacy do different stakeholders have to influence policy? Is multistakeholder governance non-democratic? Where are “users” and “citizens” wants and needs expressed in the current regime? How do we explain, and justify, multistakeholder governance to the general public?
Background Paper: NoN_Multistakeholder_InternetGovernance.pdf
Name of the organiser(s) of the workshop and their affiliation to various stakeholder groups:
Dixie Hawtin, Internet Rights and Principles Coalition and Global Partners & Associates.
Carlos Affonso, Fundação Getúlio Vargas, Brazil
Have you, or any of your co-organisers, organised an IGF workshop before?: Yes
Please provide link(s) to workshop(s) or report(s):
http://www.intgovforum.org/cms/component/chronocontact/?chronoformname=Workshops2011View&wspid=967
http://dcexpression.wordpress.com/2010/11/11/meeting-report-from-the-igf-2010-of-the-freedom-of-expression-and-freedom-of-the-media-on-the-internet-dynamic-coalition/
http://www.intgovforum.org/cms/component/chronocontact/?chronoformname=WSProposalsReports2010View&wspid=126
Provide the names and affiliations of the panellists you are planning to invite:
Jeremy Malcolm, Consumers International
Brett Solomon, Access Now
Marilia Maciel, Fundação Getúlio Vargas
Bertrand de La Chapelle, International Diplomatic Academy
Wolfgang Kleinwachter, University of Aarhus (TBC)
Theresa Swineheart, Verizon
Max Senges, Google (TBC)
Elvana Thaci, Council of Europe
Romulo Neves, Brazilian Ministry of Foreign Relations (TBC)
Dr. Govind or Tulika Pandey, Government of India (TBC)
Name of Remote Moderator(s):