Status:
IGF Theme(s) for workshop: Taking Stock and the Way Forward
Main theme question address by workshop: Taking Stock and the Way Forward in general, but not to the specific main theme questions.
Concise description of the proposed workshop:
IGF is now in the second phase and “improvements” are mandated by the UN General Assembly. To fill this mandate, CSTD Working Group to the Improvement of the IGF was established in 2010 and tasked to publish its report by March 2011. The WG came up with the final report in March 2012. This report will be presented to the CSTD Session in May and further discussions are scheduled to take place at UN ECOSOC and General Assembly.
This workshop will examine the substance of the CSTD WG Report and share different views by different actors on the IGF improvements and their implementations. It will discuss the following major issues: Shaping the Outcome of IGF Meetings, Working Modalities, and Funding among others.
Though the basic nature of IGF as a non-binding forum has not been challenged, the WG Report proposes to enhance the impact of the IGF, with outcome documentation that includes messages that map out converging and diverging opinions on given questions clearly. On Funding, the WG could not reach full consensus: with Civil Society proposing more robust funding including the use of UN regular budget, while some others supported to stay with the current voluntary funding.
How the actual “improved” IGF remain relevant will be the central focus of this workshop.
Background Paper:
Name of the organiser(s) of the workshop and their affiliation to various stakeholder groups:
- Civil Society Internet Governance Caucus (CS IGC) [Civil Society]
- Consumer International [Civil Society]
- Diplo Foundation [MSH]
- Government of Finland
- Internet Society [Technical Community]
- Institute for InfoSocinomics, Tama University [Civil Society]
- IT for Change [Civil Society]
Have you, or any of your co-organisers, organised an IGF workshop before?: Yes
Please provide link(s) to workshop(s) or report(s):
Provide the names and affiliations of the panellists you are planning to invite:
We plan on showcasing 3 perspectives: government, industry, and civil society.
- Peter Major, Chair, CSTD Working Group on IGF Improvement, Special Advisor, Permanent Mission of Hungary to the United Nations in Geneva
- Wolfgang Kleinwächter, Professor for International Communication Policy and Regulation, University of Aarhus
- Mervi Kultamaa, Counsellor, Information Society & Trade Facilitation, Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland, Department for External Economic Relations
- Markus Kummer, Vice President of Public Policy, Internet Society
- N.Ravi Shanker- Additional Secretary, Universal Services Obligation Fund, Department of Telecommunication, India
- Parminder Jeet Singh, Executive Coordinator, IT for Change
Name of Remote Moderator(s):
Avri Doria