Day 2 – 23 October
10:45-12:30 (90 Minutes) - Focus Session: Principles of Multistakeholder Cooperation
Since the World Summit on the Information Society process began in Geneva more than 10 years ago, the ‘multistakeholder’ model has served to enrich the dialogue and add an important new layer to handle new complexities. Discussions on the Tunis Agenda set the premise for subsequent dialogues on the multistakeholder model for Internet governance. In fact, last year’s 7th IGF noted that more than 25 (and counting) sets of principles have been developed in various forums, from organizations such as the OECD, Council of Europe, CTU, Brazil’s Principles for Internet Governance and Use, and many civil society groups.
This session will continue the dialogue on the multistakeholder model for Internet governance – in a multistakeholder manner. The multistakeholder approach embraces and facilitates interdependent forms of engagement with respect to Internet governance.
For many the multistakeholder approach and engagement has become the norm. The accepted reality is that one needs to tap the collective expertise from government, business, the technical community, and civil society to properly understand the impact on all participants of certain approaches to governance and policy. Such multistakeholderism will have the effect of moving Internet governance forward in a positive manner, aimed at developing long-term solutions.
This session will also be a chance for stakeholders to challenge the ‘accepted’ norms and principles regarding the multistakeholder governance model, including: open and inclusive processes; engagement: processes enabling all stakeholders to engage and participate; participation and contribution: the ability to participate in and contribute to decision-making; transparency: in processes and decision-making, and how decisions made and input reflected; accountability: mechanisms for checks and balances in decision-making and decision-making: consensus-based decision-making, reflecting how input from the multistakeholder process are incorporated.
This discussion will aim to explore multistakeholder engagement and the thresholds of norms of engagement. The dialogue will aim to consider the next steps to bring cohesiveness to this next phase of engagement on Internet governance issues.
Speakers:
Host Country Chair: Dr. Setyanto P. Santosa (Chief of Indonesian Information and Communication Technology Association).
Adiel Akplogan (CEO of AfriNIC) and Matthew Shears (Director of Internet Policy and Human Rights, Center for Democracy and Technology) will moderate the discussion. The session will be an open discussion facilitated by the two moderators and stimulating input from the audience (no designated panelists).