About the MAG

MAG Renewal FAQs

Who initiates the MAG renewal process?

On behalf of the United Nations Secretary-General, the Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs requests nominations from all stakeholders in an official announcement published on the IGF Secretariat’s website.

What is the ‘Call for Nominations’?

The call for nominations is a call to all stakeholders for names to be put forward for the UN Secretary-General (through the Under-Secretary-General and the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs - UNDESA) to consider when appointing the new MAG, as the mandate of the IGF was given to the Secretary-General.

Who can submit a nomination?

Any interested individuals or organizations are welcome to put forward candidates for the MAG to represent their stakeholder group, or individuals may nominate themselves, using the online form provided on the IGF website. Stakeholder groups should nominate candidates from the stakeholder group that they belong to.

All applicants will be given equal consideration in line with the MAG terms of reference.

Who does the nominated/selected candidate represent?

As explained above, individual candidates will be identified with a stakeholder group based on the group indicated in the original nomination form. After the candidates are selected, they serve in their personal capacity. The candidates represent the interests of the entire stakeholder group.

Who makes the final selection?

It is the prerogative of the UN Secretary-General to appoint the candidates.

What are the criteria for selecting MAG members?

Candidates are assessed based on a number of factors such as, but not limited to: broadness of support, likely contribution, and knowledge and expertise. During evaluation, an assessment is made as to whether the candidate would bring in a diverse viewpoint and knowledge of Internet Governance-related issues. Experts in subject areas as well as apparent newbies are welcome as part of IGF capacity building efforts.

In reference to the MAG composition, there is currently an excess of members from WEOG (the "Western European and Others Group"). A new selection process will therefore strive to make the MAG as regionally balanced - with a roughly equal number of members per region - and as globally representative as possible, both in the overall membership and within stakeholder groups. The process also aims to place a roughly equal number of members in each non-Government stakeholder group.

Approximately 40% of the 55-member MAG is made up of Government representatives and the rest is divided in more or less equal fashion among the remaining stakeholder groups (Civil Society, Private Sector, Technical Community).The proportions vary slightly from year to year. Representatives of intergovernmental organisations, are invited to attend and contribute to the meetings and work of the MAG.

The membership of the current MAG, with members' number of terms, can be found at the following url: https://www.intgovforum.org/content/mag-2016-membership

Do stakeholder groups have reserved or permanent 'seats' on the MAG?

There are no permanent or reserved seats - or guaranteed membership allotments - per stakeholder group on the MAG. During the annual selection and appointment process, a general balance is always sought among the groups but their respective numbers will fluctuate slightly from year to year. This is due to important factors which are given the same, if not higher, consideration than the need for numerically equivalent stakeholder groups, notably: priorities for regional diversity, with an emphasis on representation from developing and least developed countries; gender balance; and diversity of institutions and organizations with which members are affiliated.

Approximately 40% of the 55-member MAG is made up of Government representatives and the rest is divided in more or less equal fashion among the remaining stakeholder groups (Civil Society, Private Sector, Technical Community).The proportions vary slightly from year to year. Representatives of intergovernmental organisations, are invited to attend and contribute to the meetings and work of the MAG.

What is the duration of a MAG appointment?

MAG members are appointed for a term of approximately one year (variable according to the space of time between annual IGFs) with a possible extension of up to two more terms. The MAG is rotated by approximately one-third each year in order to enhance diversity and bring in new viewpoints.

Exceptionally, MAG members can serve for a longer period of time (on re-nomination!) if there is a lack of candidates fitting the desired criteria.

Do existing MAG members who have served fewer than three years have to be re-nominated?

MAG members who have served fewer than three years and want to continue to serve, do not have to be re-nominated; however, there is an evaluation at the end of each one-year term. Based on their performance, which takes into account their attendance at meetings and the level of their contribution and participation in the global IGF’s activities, members with low performance may be excluded from automatic renewal. Existing MAG members who wish to discontinue their service should inform the IGF Secretariat at [email protected].

What is the current membership of the MAG?

The 2020 list of MAG members can be found on the IGF website, under the section ‘MAG members': https://www.intgovforum.org/content/mag-2020-members
Past MAG membership lists are also available in this section.

Do MAG members receive funding support to attend IGF meetings?

MAG members from least developed, developing countries and transitional economies can apply to have their travel and/or accommodation financed by the IGF Secretariat, subject to the financial resources available in the IGF Trust Fund. The criteria for this process are spelled out here: ‘<a href="https://www.intgovforum.org/content/eligibility-criteria-for-funding-a-… Criteria For Funding A Participant</a>’.