The following text is excerpted from an ongoing discussion on the IGF Multistakeholder Advisory Group mailing list. The only changes made relate to an effort to anonymize the comments in respect of the Chatham House rule and separate issues related to logistics and internal procedures. The discussion took place between 1 – 31 December, 2010.

(Writer A)

Hi -

I'm falling a little behind so apologies for not alerting you sooner, but I do want to share with you a link to the outreach we're doing to reach out to ISOC members, including an on-line petition.  I see we're up to 4 pages of signatures and it's only been up 3 hours or so.  Please feel free to circ the links to our site, or to the petition directly at:

http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/igf

best

(Markus Kummer)

Dear colleagues,

This is the last day of the first cycle of the IGF mandate and we can look forward to a second cycle, as the General Assembly extended the mandate for another five years. I take therefore this opportunity to thank you all for your support and cooperation throughout this first cycle - from Athens to Vilnius. We have every reason to be pleased with and proud of what we achieved, that is finding an innovative format for meetings bringing together all stakeholders to discuss public policy issues in a climate of trust of confidence. Participants generally appreciated the annual meetings as a platform to exchange ideas and information and share experiences and good practices. The good attendance and the increased remote participation are a good yardstick to measure the IGF's success. Maybe the most important and lasting legacy of the first five years is the work accomplished in the MAG which established a new model of cooperation where governments accept non-governmental stakeholders as equals. You are witness that this model worked and you all deserve to take credit for this achievement.

As I told you at our last meeting last month I will be leaving the UN at the end of January 2011, as I will reach UN retirement age next year. It was a privilege to have been able to serve the UN, first in the WGIG and then in the IGF context since July 2004. I look back at these years with a sense of deep gratitude and I also feel that I can leave UN services with a sense of achievement. I will remain active in the Internet space, but I will take a step back from the IGF, and I am confident that I will remain connected with many of you.

UNHQ will have to decide on how to move forward. As you know, Kenya has offered to host the 2011 IGF meeting and has suggested the last week of September as dates for the meeting. This will have to be confirmed by New York. As it will be important to have a seamless continuation of the IGF process, I recommended extending the MAG mandate on a provisional basis until a new and hopefully more sustainable solution has been found, taking into account our discussions last month. I hope that an official announcement in this matter will be made during the course of next month.

The open consultations/MAG meeting on 23 and 24 February will go ahead as planned and will be chaired by Mr Desai. In accordance with our decision at last month's meeting the MAG meeting will be open to observers and we will webcast its proceedings which will also be made available as real-time transcriptions. Chengetai will assure the Secretariat services and I am sure he will be able to count on your continued support.

Unfortunately, the state of our finances will not allow us to finance any attendance of MAG members at next month's meeting. Most donors' contribution schemes were in line with the mandate and donors will need to set in motion the process for contributing for the IGF Trust Fund for the second cycle. Experience shows that this will take some time, but I am confident that they will respond as generously as during the first cycle once the organizational contours for the next five years have become clearer.

I wish you  all the best for 2011. May the  New Year bring happiness, health and prosperity to you and your loved ones.

(Writer B)

Markus:

It has been a big pleasure to work with you both in WGIG and during all this IGF cycle.
Congratulations to you and all the IGF team, including our chairman Nitin Desai, for all the success in this new experience.

Best wishes for you and good luck in your next endeavors.

(Writer C)

Dear Markus,
Thanks for the detailed update and for the best wishes.
It has been a privilege working with you through this first stage of the IGF.
You contributed with your hard work and dedicatio to its success and the innovation involved.
All the best for the new stage in your career.
Best regards and Happy New year to all!

(Writer C)

Grande Markus, um fabuloso 2011 a você e família!

And to all our MAG colleagues and their families too!

(Writer D)

Dear Markus,

Best regards and Happy New year to you!

I wish you success in your new activities ...!!!

(Writer E)

Dear Markus,
It was great working with you ove the years and I look foward to meeting you again. Best wishes for you in 2011 and in your next endeavours.

Kind Regards,

(Writer F)

Dear Markus,

Thanks for the update about MAG but sad to know that you will be leaving IGF.
I'm sure each and everyone who worked with you will miss you. Your contribution
and dedication will alway's be remembered.

It was indeed a privilege working with you during my tenure as MAG.

Anyway, my all best wishes for your next venture and regards.

Happy New year to all of you.

(Writer G)

Dear Markus

Thank you for your message. Happy New Year to you.

I has been a privilege working with you on the MAG since 2006, and before that through the final stages of the WSIS.

Best of luck in your future career.

With warmest regards,

(Writer I)

Dear Markus,

It has been a great pleasure to work with you during the last
five years at IGF. We very much appreciate your contribution to
IGF, Internet and all stakeholders. Please continue to be closely
connected to future IGF activities all over the world.

Happy New Year to all.

(Writer H)

Dear Markus:

Thank you and wish you the best in your coming endeavors, as one who worked with you since many years (from WGIG days) want to thank you for the hard work you contributed to the WGIG and IGF together with our chair Desai.

Wishing all my colleagues a wonderful new year filled with happiness and success.

(Writer I)

Congratulations and happy new year!

(Writer J)

Very Happy and prosperous New year to Markus and all MAG members.

(Writer K)

Dear Markus and Fellow MAG members,

Happy New Year and Best Wishes for 2011

(Writer A)

I just want to add my best wishes to you all for a happy, satisfying and successful 2011!  It seems there will be many changes, personal and professional in the coming year.  Thanks to Markus for his exemplary leadership, and to the Secretariat staff for their contributions.  

Looking forward to seeing you all again soon.

(Writer L)

Dear Markus, the Secretariat and MAG members,

A very Happy New Year to you all and congratulations all on your great and successful efforts.

See you in Feb.

Warm regards,

(Writer M)

Dear Markus,


Thank you for your thoughtful note, and well said reminder of the accomplishments that surround the IGF to date. It has been a true privilege to have the opportunity to work with you, and wish you the very best for the future and that our paths cross again.

A 'wireless' toast to you, Nitin, the Secretariat team and all MAG members for a fruitful 2011 with good health and happiness to you and your families.

Best wishes,

The following text is excerpted from an ongoing discussion on the IGF Multistakeholder Advisory Group mailing list. The only changes made relate to an effort to anonymize the comments in respect of the Chatham House rule and separate issues related to logistics and internal procedures. The discussion took place between 1 – 31 January, 2010.

(Writer A)

I wanted to add to add my best wishes to all of you and especially
Markus as you move ahead towards other pursuits after a successful
number of years within the WSIS and IGF spheres. Indeed Markus has led
by example and his team at the IGF Secretariat have gone the extra
mile to help and facilitate important contributions.

While I wish you good luck in your future, I congratulate everyone for
the first cycle of the IGF mandate as well as entering into the second
with renewed energy and motivations. Adding to this is a happy,
successful and safe 2011

I am looking forward to seeing you all again soon despite the fact
that support will not be there during the first quarter for assistance
to MAG members from developing regions, remote maybe but the energy
crisis, electricity load shedding and lack of consistent Internet
remain the critical factors sustaining and adding to the digital
divide for us....some important points to ponder from this side
...........so with 2011, renewed hopes of improvements for the better.

Best

(Writer B)

Dear Mr Markus and all the fellow IGF MAG members,
I'd like to thank you to your excellence contributions, since you have
been serving the WGIG and then the IGF. Good luck to your new
assignment.

Have a very happy new year 2011. May God bless us with health,
prosperity, and happiness forever. I wish you all the best for 2011
and afterward.

(Nitin Desai)

Dear Collaborators,

Today is my last day as Special Adviser on Internet Governnace to the UN SG and as Chair of the MAG.  This e mail is to wish you all a happy and fulfilling new year.

The 7 years that I have been with you, two in the WGIG and five in the MAG,  have been very rewarding.  I believe we made a difference by building bridges between communities who did not see enough of each other.  We did not have any decision making authority but the openness of our debates and the wilingness to listen that we encouraged helped in changing minds and bringing about welcome changes in Internet governance. As a global governance professional, the most valuable contribution of the IGF for me was the way in which it brought together diverse stakeholders, each with their own lanuage of discourse into a common dialogue
In many ways the most pleasurable part was working with the MAG members.  Your good humour, tolerance and dedication made all tyhe difference.  I will miss your company more than anything else.

I think it is good that the IGF is progressing to a new stage with a new cast of cjharacters.  It should.  Otherwise it would have ossified into a convivial club for old friends.  We should welcome this and find ways of supporting it that are as flexible and creative as in the first phase of the IGF.

Many of youy wil continue to be involved and that is good because some of the ethos of the MAG and IGF we built will be passed on the next phase.

Wishing all of you continued fulfillment in whatever you do,

(Writer D)

Dear Nitin, dear Markus, dear MAGgis!

I join the chorus of thanks for great years where we together tried to find new ways for policy development and issue management in the unchartered territory of cyberspace.

I still remember the confusing first meeting of the sub-group on Internet Governance during the WSIS Intersessional in the basement of the UNESCO building in Paris in July 2003. It was late in the evening and nobody controlled badges. Suddenly governmental delegates were sitting next to people from the technical community, civil society and private sector. There were no rules of procedures and it was unclear who has a right to speak. But when the chair mentioned IP addresses and another delegate asked, what this is, an IP address, it was Paul Wilson from APNIC who broke the ice and intervened with a helpful contribution which was very welcomed and build a bridge among stakeholders which - so far - were swimming in different waters. Now we have so many bridges and channels which link the various troubled waters together to the Internet ecosystem of 2011. However we still have long way ahead of us to move from the right to speak to the duty to listen.

Best wishes to everybody

(Writer E)

Markus, Nitin, colleagues,

Warm thanks for an excellent 2010 that not only lead to the successful meeting in Vilnius, but also a continuation process. I further feel that the multi stakeholder _process_ that we started is something the world is asking for. Stronger than ever, and we see that not only in the form of strong push back against the first proposal of the CSTD working group composition, but even more via all the local IGF processes and conferences that have started and is starting.

There is no way back.

Happy New Year!

(Writer F)

Dear Markus

It was indeed a pleasure to work with you.
Wishing you all the best.

(Writer G)

Dear Markus:
Wish you a happy new year. May the new year be blessed with health and
happiness to you, the IG Secretariate and my colleagues in the MAG.

It has been a pleasure to work with you. Your effort along with the
secretariat have been significant to the success of IG and it was a
good learning experience to me . I am honored to work with you during
the last and wish you all the best on your next endeavors.

Best regards,

(Writer H)

Dear Markus, dear Nitin, dear all,


we've been lucky to have the opportunity to experiment for more than
five years with new and more inclusive forms of policy making. You,
Markus, and Nitin managed to create - and maintain - the institutional
space that enabled us to develop a functioning and yet always evolving
forum structure. No small achievement, indeed! The concept of
multi-stakeholder collaboration has found a practical example with lots
of regional offsprings and online material as remaining evidence. We all
learned a lot about the potential of such processes, and I am sure we
will make use of these insights also in other areas.

One important element in my view till missing is the acceptance of
multi-stakeholder collaboration independent of its personal experience.
New participants, particularly with a public administration background
often struggle to understand its value. Multi-stakeholderism thus needs
to become part of a general political culture. That would perhaps be a
nice mission for the next five year term?

(Writer I)

Dean Nitin,
I always value your leadership at the MAG  and sorry that you are relinquishing the position of special adviser.
all the best to all your future endeavours. I like to believe our path would cross  again in the future, and till then,
my best regards

(Writer J)

A very happy 2011 to everyone!

And special gratitude and thanks to Nitin and Markus for leading the IGF process so remarkably well in its early difficult times. Very best wishes to both of them as they move on, no doubt to even more interesting and fulfilling pursuits.

(Writer K)

Dear Markus,
It was a big pleasure to work with you. I wish you nice and active retirement.
I wish all of you that 2011 will be better than 2011.
May the  New Year bring health, happiness and prosperity to you and your family.

(Writer L)

Dear Nitin, Markus and MAG colleagues,

Belated Happy New Year from me.
It has been a real pleasure working with you all and it's been a great learning experience being part of this rather unique process so far.

A special thank you to Markus and Nitin for your inspiring leadership throughout this whole process. I feel privileged having had the opportunity to work with you. Thank you also to the secretariat for all the hard work behind the scenes!

The future of this process will indeed be very different without you. But we will do our best to  continue in your constructive and diplomatic spirit.

Wishing you all a sucessful and fruitful 2011!

(Writer K)

Dear Nitin,
Thank you for your leadership since thé beginning of IGF.
We will miss your efficient sharing method.

(Writer M)

Dear Markus,

Happy New year for you and the best wishes for your new endeavors.

(Writer N)

Dear Nitin, Markus, et al,

As a MAG alumnus and lurker on the mailing list I would like to take this opportunity to express my gratitude for your leadership over the past many years. Your leadership has been an inspiration to me and I am immensely grateful having had the privilege to serve with you in the initial years of the MAG and to see it progreess over the years. I see your departure with sadness, especially as you both seem to be leaving in the same year, which will surely leave a big gap and introduce anxiety about your successors as well as the changes that may be introduced. Therefore I hope that a sufficient number of experienced MAG members will remain to assure that the important precedents both in leadership style as well as in the cooperative and professional communication among MAG members, will be carried forward and be defended against attempts to change things in a way that could be detrimental to the functioning of the MAG and indeed the IGF.

Much has been achieved, but that is no reason for complacency. The principle that Internet Governance requires the collaboration of all stakeholders is hopefully now established in a sufficient manner to withstand repeated attempts to turn back the clock, although the events around the CSTD working group on IGF improvements show that the specter of that is not mote, but real. We managed to hold our stand on this aspect, but we need to remain vigilant. Changes will need to be proposed and implemented in a sensible way, just as the Internet has evolved and is changing every day in response to innovation and challenges. In the same way, the MAG and the IGF will change, and Nitin, Markus and the MAG members of the past and present have shown how this can be done, becoming more open and more transparent, more responsive and more responsible to the community, but not disruptive or threatening to the functioning of the discourse.

Again, much has been achieved also in the discourse itself, the topics covered, bridges being built between stakeholders. I see it as a great achievement, and credit it to Nitin's and Markus's leadership, that we have managed to become that "convivial club of friends". I am honored to be an alumnus if such a distinguished group of people. Thank you for your friendship.

Happy new year to you all!

(Writer O)

Greetings All and Happy New Year!

The IGF web site refers to a open consultations on 23 Feb and a MAG meeting on 24 Feb. Markus’ email indicated that they would take place but I have heard nothing since.

Do we know if these are happening? Do we have any idea who is organising them? Who will Chair? Is there a secretariat? Is there a MAG?

(Writer A)

Hi Writer O,

Happy New Year to you too.

I had some communication with Chengetai a week or so ago regarding
visa support to participate in the MAG meetings. I have been issued
the support letter that certifies MAG status and carries the
information of Open Consultation and MAG Meeting from 23-24 February
2011 respectively and I have forwarded my application for visa. This
shows that the MAG is definitely there. What will it look like in the
coming days remains a question.

However, I had requested a possible link or document that carries the
approval of renewal of the IGF mandate. I still haven't received
anything on that. I haven't been able to find any document online or
the press release Markus mentioned in his last message to this list.
So silence with regards to all that.

I believe the improvements to the IGF and MAG under the renewed
mandate is subject to the CSTD consultations that too are very quiet
now. There is no news on who will take up the secretariat or the
Chairmanship.

I must acknowledge the concerns of many that participation in this
Open Consultation and MAG meeting by MAG members is crucial to lay the
foundation for the coming 5 IGFs as well as building the channel for
communication and intervention with the new Executive Coordinator and
Chair.

(Markus Kummer)

Dear Writer O and colleagues,


Yes, indeed, the meeting in February will take place. All the arrangements have been made and the rooms have been reserved. There are still a few open questions, in particular with regard to the MAG. I mentioned in my last email I sent out that I had suggested renewing the MAG mandate on a provisional basis for that meeting while figuring out a more permanent solution, and issuing a press release to that effect. I hope that such a press release will be issued in time ahead of the meeting. Should this not be possible, then both days could presumably be held in form of open consultations.

The chairmanship is also an open issue, as Nitin Desai seems to have a scheduling conflict. However, this can be decided on the spot, as necessary.

Lastly, the Secretariat will continue to function and Chengetai will continue to provide Secretariat services. While not prejudging any decision on any future arrangements, the current set-up is guaranteed until 31 March 2011.

(Markus Kummer)

Dear Writer I, colleagues,


You are right, there is no doubt that the GA has decided to extend the IGF mandate and has adopted a resolution in this matter. The problem is that so far I have not yet found the final text. The GA Web site leads us to a press release, but not the final text, as adopted:

http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs//2010/ga11040.doc.htm

The press release contains the following sentence:

"By a resolution on information and communications technologies, the Assembly extended the mandate of the Internet Governance Forum for five more years and stressed the need for it to improve its working methods and functions."

We have every reason to believe that the final text is identical to the draft adopted by the Second Committee in November. However, before posting the text I would like to have 100% certainty. I hope to get confirmation from colleagues in New York in due course.

(Markus Kummer)

Dear colleagues,

The time has come to for me let you know what I will be doing after leaving the UN. I will be joining ISOC as VP for Public Policy as from 1 February.  ISOC will issue a press release shortly, announcing my appointment, so I thought it would be appropriate for me to inform you directly.

I hope to stay in touch with many of you also in my new function, although I will not be dealing with the IGF.

(Writer P)

Dear Markus,
this is great news for ISOC.
As secretary of the Argentina ISOC Chapter I am so happy to know you will be related to this great institution.
All the best for you in this new stage of your career.

(Writer L)

Dear Markus,

I have previously expressed what a great loss to the IGF process it will be to have you step down from the secretariat.
But I am very happy to hear this news.

I believe you will do great work with ISOC, continuing to contribute constructively within the Internet policy and governance arena and beyond. I can only congratulate ISOC on hiring you!

Best wishes in your new role. And I look forward to continuing working with you in this new capacity!

(Markus Kummer)

Dear colleagues,

Meanwhile, I have received an authoritative answer from New York:

The mandate of the IGF was renewed by the GA in its resolution 65/141 of 20 December 2010. The text of the resolution as adopted is contained in A/65/433, para. 12. The GA plenary adopted the resolution based on the recommendation of the 2nd Committee without further discussion or amendment (see UN Journal no. 2010/244 of 21 December 2010).

The text of the resolution should appear on its own in document A/RES/65/141 in due course.

(Writer Q)

Dear Markus,

All my best wishes for the new job. It will always be a pleasure to have to build something positive together. It doesn't matter the hat you wear….

(Writer A)

Congratulations Markus!  You have definitely taken a wonderful step.
This is indeed very different from your role within IGF but still,
this is a great task in itself and you will surely both fulfill it and
enjoy it in its own perspective.

I wish you good luck and hope to see you as you progress in to your
new role in ISOC! ISOC is an important multistakeholder engagement
model for the Internet Community. In many regions of the world, ISOC
Chapters have stimulated considerable improvements within the areas of
access, technical capacity and advancing the Internet and Telecom
infrastructure as well as guiding public policy with regards to the
Internet. This opportunity will also help you stay in touch with
almost all the IGF community but will engage you with the broader
linkages within the global technical Internet community.

This has been a great piece of news for me! Take good care and best
wishes Markus!

(Writer A)

And Markus, here is the news spreading like viral over the Internet:

GLOBAL INTERNET COMMUNITY LEADER JOINS INTERNET SOCIETY AS VP FOR PUBLIC POLICY

Markus Kummer takes on leadership role for global, regional and
national Internet issues

GENEVA, SWITZERLAND and RESTON, VIRGINIA, USA - 19 January 2011 - An
internationally recognized leader in a broad range of Internet policy
issues will join the Internet Society as head of its public policy
department. As the Internet Society's Vice President of Public Policy,
Markus Kummer will advance key Internet Society policy positions on
issues such as privacy, cybersecurity, and network neutrality. Most
recently the Executive Coordinator of the Secretariat supporting the
United Nations' Internet Governance Forum, Kummer has extensive
experience with Internet policy at the global, regional, and national
levels.

"Markus' broad experience with and deep understanding of the key
policy issues facing the Internet will help ensure the Internet
Society has an even greater impact on issues critical to the
Internet's continued evolution as an open platform for innovation and
economic development," said Lynn St.Amour, the Internet Society's
President and CEO.

Before joining the United Nations in 2004, Kummer held the position of
eEnvoy for the Swiss Foreign Ministry in Berne. Mr. Kummer was a
member of the Swiss delegation during the first phase of the World
Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) where he chaired several
negotiating groups, including the group on Internet governance. He
went on to serve as the Executive Coordinator of the WSIS Working
Group on Internet Governance from 2004 to 2005. Before his involvement
with the WSIS, he served as a career diplomat in several functions in
the Swiss Foreign Ministry and was posted in Lisbon, Vienna, Oslo,
Geneva, and Ankara.

"In joining the Internet Society, I look forward to advancing the
multistakeholder approach to policy that has been so central to the
Internet's development and is even more critical to its future," said
Markus Kummer, who will officially take up his position on 1 February
2011. "With its technical roots, the Internet Society is already
established as a uniquely credible leader on policy issues, and a key
contributor to policy discussions at the national, regional, and
global levels."

The Internet Society is the world's trusted independent source of
leadership on Internet issues. The Internet Society works with its
tens of thousands of Members and nearly 100 Chapters around the world
to promote the continued evolution and growth of the open global
Internet.

About the Internet Society
The Internet Society is a non-profit organisation founded in 1992 to
provide leadership in Internet-related standards, education, and
policy. It is dedicated to ensuring the open development, evolution
and use of the Internet for the benefit of people throughout the
world. See: www.internetsociety.org

Contact
Greg Wood
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
+1-703-439-2145

(Writer R)

Dear Markus;
Congratulations Markus for your new appointment. I wish you all the best.. You will definitely be missed in the IGF process.

(Writer S)

Markus,

Congratulations!  What a great match for Internet.

(Writer T)

Dear Markus

I just want to add my best wishes to you for the new job. I am sure you will do a great work within ISOC.

As President of ISOC Morocco I am happy to know that I will have the opportunity to continue working with you in the family of ISOC. My all best wishes for your next venture and regards

(Writer U)

Congratulations to you and ISOC, all the best. By the way ISOC was fast yesterday and Baher twitted about it just before your email J

(Writer V)


Best wishes from the Kenya business community Markus.

(Writer X)

Dear Markus
Congratulations on your new position. You will be a great asset to ISOC as you have been to the IGF. Look forward to seeing you soon.

Best wishes

(Writer Y)

Congratulations!  Inshallah you will be a great asset. Looking forward to continuing working with you!

(Writer Z)

Dear Nitin and Markus,

It's really a nice memory to recall the days working with both of you during the last years. I sincerely wish you a happy, healthy, and prosperous New Year 2011.

And also congratulations to Markus for the new position in ISOC.

Best,

(Writer AA)

From BBC News Europe. Sorry for possible cross-postings.

fraternal regards


http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-12272800

25 January 2011 Last updated at 03:19 GMT

UN defends Ban Ki-moon against rights 'cowardice' claim
HRW said Mr Ban placed "undue faith" in his persuasion skills

The UN has defended its Secretary General Ban Ki-moon over accusations
that he has failed to speak out over human rights issues.

Mr Ban has been singled out for harsh criticism by Human Rights Watch in
its annual report.

The group said he had been "notably reluctant to put pressure on abusive
governments".

Mr Ban's office denied this, saying he used both quiet diplomacy and
public pressure to promote human rights.

But HRW says it wants its annual report to draw attention to "the
failure of the expected champions of human rights" to defend those
rights and stand up to abusive governments.

While there is "nothing inherently wrong with dialogue and cooperation
to promote human rights", the group says, there was a danger that it
could become "a charade designed more to appease critics of complacency
than to secure change".

"Whether out of calculation or cowardice, many [UN Security] Council
members promote dialogue and cooperation as a universal prescription
without regard to whether a government has the political will to curtail
its abusive behavior."

The BBC's Barbara Plett at the UN says Mr Ban's style has been more
discreet than that of his predecessor Kofi Annan. He has often often
opted to work behind the scenes to pressure governments on human rights
issues.
Continue reading the main story
“Start Quote

The record shows he has achieved results through both quiet
diplomacy and public pressure”

End Quote Farhan Haq Spokesman for Ban Ki-moon

But HRW says Mr Ban's "disinclination to speak out about serious human
rights violators means he is often choosing to fight with one hand tied
behind his back".

It says that while Mr Ban has made strong comments on human rights when
visiting, for example, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan, he has failed to do
so with Chinese officials.
'Infatuated'

HRW also says Mr Ban appeared to have "placed undue faith in his
professed ability to convince by private persuasion", citing his
discussions with leaders including Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir,
Burma's military leader Than Shwe and Sri Lankan President Mahinda
Rajapaksa.

Mr Ban's spokesman Farhan Haq defended the secretary general's record,
saying he did speak publicly about human rights when he visited some of
those countries named by HRW.

"In each case he makes a strategic decision on the most effective to way
to secure respect for HR [human rights] and accountability," said Mr Haq.

"The record shows he has achieved results through both quiet diplomacy
and public pressure."

Mr Haq cited the freeing of a jailed gay couple in Malawi as one example
where quiet diplomacy had proved successful.

The EU also comes under fire in the report - HRW says it has "become
particularly infatuated with the idea of dialogue and cooperation" and
criticises foreign policy chief Baroness Ashton, "for repeatedly
expressing a preference for 'quiet diplomacy' regardless of the
circumstances".

Meanwhile US President Barack Obama is accused of lacking his "famed
eloquence" when defending human rights in bilateral contexts with China,
India and Indonesia, and of failing to ensure other areas of US
government "convey strong human rights messages consistently".

(Writer AB)

Dear Nitin and Markus,

The Diplo Team joins with our heartfelt thanks and appreciation for your work with the IGF.   We are particularly grateful for your personal efforts in making capacity building more than just a line item in the documents and resolution. Both of you, together with MAG and the IGF Secretariat managed to give real meaning to the concept of capacity building. You have supported many young people and those trying to find their way in the relatively new field of Internet governance. Today, they are important contributors to IG on global, regional and national levels.

Despite our hard work and preparation with remote participation, it only finally took off with your support. For this alone we are indebted to you. The IGF regional meetings have filtered Internet governance knowledge and awareness building down to local level, offering more opportunities for learning, sharing, and discussion closer to home. A real achievement.

Nitin, your premise that the IGF is not about negotiations in the formal sense of the word, but that practically speaking, it thrives on negotiations without the documented formalities, has greatly influenced our perspective. The IGF, under your joint leadership, has also promoted values which the world will need even more in the forthcoming period. You were professional but also humble in your knowledge. You were flexible but also firm when it was needed. You were generous in sharing your ideas, but also listened to others. All of us have had your in vivo lecture on how to chair international meetings and govern global processes.

As a mark of our appreciation for your contribution to Internet governance and, indeed, to all of us, please accept this small gift from Diplo's Creative Lab:  Negotiating skills.

Wishing you both the very best for the future.

The Diplo Team

(Chengetai Masango)

Dear All,

Registration for the February meeting is now open at : http://info.intgovforum.org/regfeb2011.php

As you will have noticed,  we have issued a call for proposals for the programme of the 2011 meeting.   So far,  we have received no contributions. We would therefore be grateful if you could all circulate the call within your respective stakeholder groups. Contributions can be sent to the IGF mailbox at  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ,  the deadline for submission is 7 February 2011.

Best regards

(Writer A)

Dear Chengetai,

Thank you for the information update. I have registered. Secondly our
stakeholder group the IGC is already in the process of finalization of
its contribution and should soon be sending it to the secretariat.

(Writer AC)

Dear MAG members -

Attached is a submission made by the 5 "Internet technical and academic" representatives ot the CSTD Chair's Working Group on Improvements to the IGF.  No action required; this is for your information only.

best regards

(Markus Kummer)

Dear colleagues,

With this email I am taking leave from the IGF, as today is my last day in the office. Once again, many thanks for your support throughout the years and I trust that you will be as supportive of Chengetai in the preparation of the next meeting.

It was a pleasure working with you and I look forward to staying in touch.

(Writer AA)

Nos vemos pelos caminhos, caríssimo Markus!

(Writer AD)

Dear Markus,

Wishing you all the best for the future. It was a pleasure to work with you. I am sure your new path will cross with ours in different ways. Looking forward to it.

Best,

(Writer A)

Hello Markus,

Your last day at office marks a new beginning for you through ISOC
where there is a lot to do and there is a global community that will
benefit from your knowledge. This brings an opportunity to bridge two
perspectives within IG between governmental view and non-government as
there is a great need to do so. It will be great meeting up with you
in your new role. Take care and good luck Sir!

(Writer P)

Dear Markus,
All the best for this new stage in your career and many thanks for your invaluable work done in the IGF.
Best regards

The following text is excerpted from an ongoing discussion on the IGF Multistakeholder Advisory Group mailing list. The only changes made relate to an effort to anonymize the comments in respect of the Chatham House rule and separate issues related to logistics and internal procedures. The discussion took place between 1 – 28 February, 2011.

(Writer A)

All the best Markus!

Thanks once again for everything you have achieved with the IGF, and good luck to your new position at ISOC.

(Writer B)

Very best wishes to you, Markus. The MAG and the IGF will need to quickly figure out how are they going to carry on without you :)

(Writer C)

Dear Markus:
It was a pleasure to work with you in the MAG and IGF. Your effort was a key factor in what was achieved so far. We wish you all the best in your work with the ISOC.

(Writer D)

Dear Markus,


It was wonderful working with you Markus, I am sure we will have plenty of opportunities to work together in your association with ISOC.

Looking forward to remaining in contact with you.

(Writer E)

Dear Markus

Your leadership at the IGF will be hugely missed!

It also goes without saying that I have all the trust in Chengetai to prepare next meetings really well.

(Writer F)

Thanks again Markus.
Good luck in your new position!
All the best,

(Writer G)

Dear Mr. Markus,
Again, it was a great pleasure to work with you in the MAG and IGF. I
wish you all the best in your future work at the ISOC. Hoping we will
still meeting you in IGF and other forum.
Best regards,

(Writer H)

Dear Markus,
It was a great pleasure to work with you in the MAG and IGF. I wish you all the best in your future work at the ISOC.
Looking forward to remaining in contact with you.

(Writer I)

Dear Colleagues,

I would like to request a bit of time from your busy schedules to
contribute towards the updating of the IGF Wikipedia entry at
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_Governance_Forum.

This entry serves as a major source of public information about IGF
and as it progresses requires regular updates and improvements.

I thank you in advance.

(Writer J)

Greetings All,

Now that the request for comments period had closed, I assume we will soon receive a copy of the first draft of a programme paper.

However, time is short and it occurs to me that it might be helpful if we kick off our discussions on the list. I have no idea how many comments have been received but for your information and edification I attach the one put in by auDA. I would be interested to read comment papers posted by others on the MAG, or their organisations.

Finally, since we know that Markus has now left and that Nitin will not be chairing our MAG meeting on 24 February, may I suggest that we take the opportunity of this list to consider who we would like to appoint to Chair our meeting. Perhaps we could have it jointly chaired by both a government (our hosts, Kenya?) and non-government member of the MAG?

Thoughts?

(Writer K)

Writer J,

Thank you for bringing this subject up.

I think your suggestion is excellent, and I support your idea.

(Writer L)

Writer J good point, full support.

Alice would be a good chair and it would help her to adjust the preparations for Nairobi according to the local needs. Any volunteers for the non-governmental co--chair? What will be the rolöe of Chengatai?

(Writer F)

I am in full support of Alice Munyua as a chair.
Would also be in support of Chengetai as a co-chair.

(Chengetai Masango)

Dear All,

The question about who will chair the February meeting is under consideration by NY.
We gave them our recommendations and they said they would get back to us as soon as a decision is made.
I will refrain  from  commenting  on this in order not to prejudge any decision that NY will make.
I cannot be a candidate for  co-Chair as I will be in charge of providing Secretariat support for the meeting.

As you may recall from Markus'  email to the MAG list of 31 December, he recommended that the mandate of the
MAG, which ended after the Vilnius meeting, "be extended on a provisional basis until a new and hopefully more
sustainable solution has been found". I am still awaiting an official announcement on the matter but I trust that one  
is forthcoming.  Should this not be the case then we could have 2 full days of open consultations.


Best regards

(Writer M)

I support the proposal. Alice and Chengatai can co-chair. I have spoken
to Alice and she is ready.

(Writer N)

Hi,
I also support Alice for chair and Chengetai for co-chair.
Best regards to all.

(Writer O)

Hello all,

I fully support the idea of having Alice as chair.  Attached, please find the inputs APC submitted for the IGF programme.

(Writer P)

Chris,
I understand we are still "between" decisions, however I think this is an excellent idea and will support it

(Writer Q)

Dear all,
I support Alice as well as Co-Chair or Chair and am certain this will ensure productive meetings on the 23rd and 24th of February. I think it would be useful to consider how best to select a Co-Chair from the non-governmental stakeholder groups and candidates for Co-Chair that would help support these preparatory meetings, and distribute the burden of Chairing these sessions.

I have also attached ICC BASIS’ reflections on IGF 2010 and recommendations for the IGF 2011 programme for your convenience.

(Writer R)

Thanks for kicking this off, Writer J.  It will be valuable to have these contributions in advance of the meeting.  I've attached the Internet Society contribution with suggestions for the program for Kenya.  I've been told by colleagues that they don't think we highlighted sufficiently our enthusiasm about the youth theme, so I'll take this opportunity to draw attention to it more specifically.

I also support Alice as co-Chair or Chair, and I too have a preference for having a co-Chair drawn from among the non-government members.

I believe that the private sector, civil society and Internet technical community now have sufficient experience of working together to have developed the trust needed to facilitate selection of an appropriate co-Chair.

(Writer J)

Chengetai, (and everyone),

I appreciate your note and acknowledge that it would be impossible for you
to take the role as co-chair.

In respect to the appointment of a Chair or Chairs, both the IGF and the
MAG are open multi-stakeholder bodies and discussions like this are
healthy and indeed should take place on the list. After all, how else will
the people in NY have any idea what we think. And, given our involvement
in the last 5 years of the IGF I'd have thought that what we think might
be worth listening to.

As a side point, I would also argue that a distinction can be drawn
between the Chair for the open consultation day and the Chair or Chairs
for the MAG day.

With respect to your point regarding the MAG 'mandate', I hope that this
does indeed occur prior to the planned meetings next week. However should
members of the MAG wish to meet, that is a matter for them irrespective of
whether any mandate has been renewed or not.

Further, given the experience in planning for IGFs that currently resides
in the collective minds of MAG members, I think we should at the very
least offer our services to our Kenyan hosts so they may utilise them if
they wish.

(Writer S)

Writer J and others
While I fully understand the issues you raised I think any improvisation
regarding the Chair would be out of context and may not give legitimacy to
the meeting.
Appointment of a Chair temporary or other is the prerogative of the
Secretary General

(Writer L)

It would be helpful if the SG consult with the stakeholders before making any decision.

(Writer T)

At a minimum!

(Chengetai Masango)

Dear All,

Below is an announcement by UNDESA on the February IGF consultative meetings.
It will answer some of the questions raised on this thread.
The announcement will also be posted on the IGF website.

Best regards

Chengetai   
___________________________________________


An open consultation meeting with all stakeholders will take place as
scheduled at the Palais des Nations in Geneva on 23 February 2011 to
discuss the preparation of the programme of the sixth Internet Governance
Forum, which will be hosted by the Government of Kenya in Nairobi with
dates under consideration. The open consultation meeting will be followed
by an informal MAG meeting with the same objective on 24 February 2011.

The open consultations and the informal MAG meeting will be moderated by
Ms. Alice Munyua, Head of Delegation of the Kenyan Government, with the
support of UNDESA on behalf of the United Nations Secretary-General.

Please be informed that the appointment of the Special Adviser to
the United Nations Secretary-General for Internet Governance and the
recruitment of a new Executive Coordinator of the IGF Secretariat are
underway and we will keep you informed of any future developments on this
matter.

We look forward to your participation at the forthcoming meetings.

(Writer N)

Many thanks Chengetai,
will there be remote access during next week meetings and consultations?
Best regards and thanks

(Writer K)

Thank you Chengetai for this information.

Choice of Alice as the moderator is excellent!

(Writer U)

I agree

Best wishes to Alice for the coming meeting.

(Writer D)

Thank You Chengetai for the information, it will be nice to work with Alice, I will be there for the meeting.

(Writer V)

Dear list ,

After the first conference of the Council of Europe Ministers responsible for media and new communication services  in Reykjavik in 2009, the Council of Europe  has been exploring possible international law  responses to the need to protect and preserve the Internet as a means of safeguarding freedom of expression and access to information regardless of frontiers, taking into account its trans-border nature and multi-stakeholder model of governance.

In order to discuss with state and non-state actors how to work together to promote and preserve the Internet values including freedom, universality, integrity and openness, the Council of Europe will  be organising the conference:


Internet Freedom - from Principles to Global Treaty Law?

Content, Stakeholders, Form  

The conference will be held in Strasbourg, Agora Building, on 18 and 19 (morning) April 2011.    

Registrations are possible and other information is available at http://www.coe.int/t/dghl/standardsetting/media-dataprotection/conf-internet-freedom/

(Chengetai Masango)

Dear All,

Please find attached the draft of the programme paper we will be woking from and changing during the informal MAG meeting.

Best regards

(Writer J)

All,

I have volunteered to lead this so that we can take the large number of questions suggested and bring them down to around 6. Proposed deadline is 10 March.

So may I please ask for volunteers to assist with this on the list. Please let me know asap if you want to help.

(Writer P)

Writer J
I will be happy to volunteer/help.

(Writer F)

So will I.
Kind regards,

(Writer X)

Hi, although physically absent this time, I am happy to help with this
task.

(Writer Q)

Dear all,

I have volunteered to lead the effort to synthesize the proposed questions/issues for the EMERGING ISSUES session at the IGF in Kenya. Please let me know if you would like to join a small group to work on this effort.

We will need to have completed our work and submitted the synthesized questions by 10 March.

Let me know asap if you would like to help!

(Writer Y)

Estimados/as:

I have volunteered to lead the SOP discussion re: work on the proposed
questions/issues. Please, let me know who is interesting to join this
discussion.

All the best,

(Writer Z)

Hi Writer Y,

I would be happy to join and help on this.

(Writer Y)

Deadline: March 10.

(Writer R)

I am willing to work on it as well Writer Y.

(Writer AA)

Dear Writer J,
I'm volunteer to join.

(Writer X)

Hi again, it seems my reponse did not make it. So I resend it.

(Writer AB)

Thanks Writer Y for your effort. Pls count me in as usual.

(Writer O)

Hello everyone,

I will be helping with synthesizing the questions for the Access and  
Diversity team.  Writer AC has volunteered to assist with it so far.   
Please let me know who might want to join us for the discussion/work.

Best,

(Writer AD)

Dear Writer Q,

I am ready to help you with this task.  Please let me know more details on work to be done.

Best regards,

(Writer O)

I should have mentioned that the deadline is March 10th.

(Writer Z)

Hi Writer Q,

I'm happy to join and help on this.

(Writer AE)

Happy to help

(Writer Y)

Please Writer Q. Add me. I will try to find out someone else from civil society to join this group, too!

(Writer AF)

I'm in.

(Writer AF)

I'm in.

(Writer AG)

Thank Writer Y. I would be happy to join.

(Writer AH)

Dear Writer O and all,

I'm keen to collaborate in this group.

(Writer AI)

Happy to assist

(Writer AJ)

Writer J, I will be happy to help.