Summary Report: 2nd IGF MAG Meeting and Open Consultations 14-16 July

 

2nd IGF Open Consultations and Multistakeholder Advisory Group (MAG) Meeting

 12-14 July 2016

United Nations Headquarters, New York, USA
 

 Summary Report

 

1.  The 2nd Open Consultations and MAG Meeting of the 2016 IGF preparatory cycle took place from 12-14 July 2016 at the United Nations headquarters in New York. Online participation was made available (live transcription, Webex, webcast) for those who were unable to join in person. Ms. Lynn St. Amour moderated the meeting as Chair of the MAG. Mr. Victor Lagunes, Chief Information Officer, Office of the President of Mexico, acted as co-chair of the meeting representing the 2016 IGF Host Country. Mr. Chengetai Masango represented the IGF Secretariat and Mr. Wai-Min Kwok represented the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA).

 

2. The agenda for the 3-day meeting was focused on advancing preparations for the IGF 2016 annual meeting and taking stock of the ongoing IGF community intersessional activities and other relevant Internet Governance related fora. Transcripts[1] and archived webcasts[2] from the 3 days of proceedings held in plenary can be accessed via the IGF website and IGF YouTube channel[3].

 

3. The Open Consultations day opened with a welcoming statement[4] from United Nations Under-Secretary General for Economic and Social Affairs Mr. Wu Hongbo. who extended on behalf of the United Nations Secretary General a warm welcome and thanks to all IGF community stakeholders participating in the meetings both in-person in New York and online. In his remarks, it was emphasized that the United Nations was committed to help foster the growth and strengthen the IGF moving forward, together with the multistakeholder community. It was also emphasized that the theme that the MAG proposed for the 2016 IGF, on “Enabling Inclusive and Sustainable Growth”, was timely and forward-looking; particularly considering the broader work being undertaken to implement the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development which underscores that the Internet and information and communication technologies can play enabling roles in implementing the SDGs and their associated targets.

 

4. The IGF Secretariat gave a brief update to the community on programming progress for the annual meeting. It was noted that more than 260 workshop proposals[5] had been received, which is the most proposals the IGF has ever received. Some figures on the proposals - including stakeholder and regional breakdowns - are available on the IGF website[6]. It was also noted that 46 requests for Open Forums[7] had been received, which was also the most requests for Open Forums that the IGF has ever received. The Secretariat then reminded the community that requests for space on Day Zero[8] (5 December 2016) and for booths[9] in the IGF village during the annual meeting were currently being received by the Secretariat and that information for making such requests was available on the IGF website.

 

5. The 2016 Host Country organizing team from Mexico then gave an update on preparations for the 2016 annual meeting[10] set to take place from 6-9 December in Guadalajara, Mexico. It was emphasized that the host country organizing team was working closely with the United Nations and that all information for participants would be made publically available as soon as it was finalized. The venue for the 2016 IGF, the Cultural Institute Cabañas, has been designated as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. A number of suggestions and requests from the community present at the meeting and participating online asked for an annual meeting which logistically and substantively welcomed newcomers and those participating remotely. The host country, together with the MAG and IGF Secretariat; assured the community that the overall program would be built with this in mind.

 

6. The 2016 IGF Best Practice Forums[11] (BPFs) then provided brief updates to the community, and explained how all stakeholders could get involved in the various work of the BPFs. It was noted by representatives of the BPFs on IPv6, IXPs, Cybersecurity and Gender and Access that work was already well underway and that a number of inclusive and participatory processes were available for the broader community to get involved in. All stakeholders were invited to join this work by subscribing to the dedicated BPF mailing lists[12] and joining the open virtual meetings. There was agreement that increased outreach and working with a longer-term view was key to the ultimate success of the BPFs both in 2016 and moving forward and that BPFs can be better utilized as unique mechanisms to engage new stakeholders in IGF processes. Finally, it was announced that a new 2016 BPF on Anti-Corruption was being launched and that information on this BPF and ways to engage in its work would be made available to the broader community shortly.

 

7. Next, an update was provided to the community on progress made in the intersessional work IGF: Policy Options for Connecting and Enabling the Next Billion(s) (CENB) - Phase II[13]. It was noted that a final framework for the Phase II work, prepared in a bottom-up manner in consultation with the community, had recently been posted to the IGF website and that an open call for contributions had been launched. All stakeholders were invited to submit contributions in this regard. Information on how to do so as well as a list of guiding questions are available on the IGF website.

 

8. Representatives from some of the National and Regional IGF Initiatives[14] (NRIs) and the MAG coordinators then gave short updates to the community on the overall status of NRI activities as well as some of the work being undertaken towards increasing the synergies and collaboration between the NRIs and the IGF. All stakeholders were invited to join an open mailing list[15] which supports the coordination of this work and it was also reported that bi-monthly virtual meetings were being convened by the IGF Secretariat, open to the community, to help NRI coordinators and participants both plan their main session for IGF 2016 and work on other cross-NRI projects and collaborative work, etc. There are currently 62 NRIs and other (including Youth initiatives) active around the world and many new initiatives expect to convene their first IGFs in 2016-2017.

 

9. There was also an update on the ongoing work of the IGF Dynamic Coalitions[16] (DCs). The community was reminded that the thematic IGF DCs are open to all interested stakeholders and that a DC coordination group has also been set-up, supported by the IGF Secretariat, to help the DCs plan their main session for IGF 2016 and to also allow the DCs to discuss common issues or questions horizontally. Those community members interested in joining a DC, joining the DC coordination group or learning more about their work were invited to visit the IGF website[17].

 

10. The majority of the afternoon of the Open Consultation day was then spent on an open discussion and community dialogue about the upcoming Retreat on Advancing the 10-year mandate of the IGF[18], which was set to take place immediately after the MAG meeting, from 14-16 July. The UN Secretariat, who convened the retreat, guided the discussion and took a number of suggestions from the community about items and issues set to be discussed in depth at the retreat itself. The community was assured that any outputs from the retreat would be shared with the community as part of a public consultation after the retreat.

 

11.The Open Consultation day concluded with some brief updates, proposals and invitations[19] from other related Internet Governance initiatives and organizations including Stanford University (Deliberative Poll), World Economic Forum Internet for All Initiative, Global Internet Policy Observatory, NetMundial Initiative, ITU, Friends of the IGF and Access Now. This was seen as a useful dialogue which allowed these related initiatives to brief the IGF community on their work to see how the IGF could further engage and partner with these initiatives and organizations.  It allowed the MAG to consider where this related work might be integrated into the annual meeting program.

 

12. The MAG meeting officially opened on the morning of day 2 and was open to observers. The Host Country then gave the MAG an overview of the state of preparations for the annual meeting, including the proposed layout of the workshop rooms and main/focus session hall, IGF village, etc. It was reported that an open space/extra room would be available for new, innovative sessions, some flash sessions, an un-conference space, etc. There was agreement that the IGF Secretariat and the host country would update and consult with the MAG as proposals for Day 0 and other sessions came in in the coming months ahead of the annual meeting. The Host Country also stated their commitment to work with the MAG to bring in as many newcomers, high-level participants, youth, and other under-represented groups to the annual meeting. It was also reported that a high-level meeting or substantive session would be organized by the Host Country and that all stakeholders would be invited to join. Further logistical planning, i.e. workshop room allocation, remote participation and translation facilities, will also be carried out by the Secretariat and Host Country in consultation with the MAG as needed for their overall aim to advise the UN Secretary-General on the program of the annual meeting.

13. The rest of the first day of the MAG meeting and much of the second day (day 3) was spent on the workshop selection process. The IGF Secretariat had compiled and circulated the results of the workshop evaluation carried out by the MAG in the weeks preceding the face-to-face meeting, and the selection process was guided by these evaluation scores and results. Workshops were then accepted and selected for the program by the MAG based both on their evaluation scores (following previously publically published criteria[20]) and with an aim to achieve and produce a balanced (thematically and regionally, with diverse stakeholder participation) inclusive program which encourages participation of newcomers to the IGF and stakeholders from developing and least-developed countries.

14. Other sessions such as Open Forums and meetings of IGF Dynamic Coalitions, among others, were also taken into account in this regard to ensure an overall balanced program. The MAG completed the workshop selection process and the IGF Secretariat then agreed to carry out the next steps in the programming work which includes contacting all of the workshop proposers to inform them if they’ve been accepted, accepted with some conditionalities, or not accepted for the 2016 IGF. Some workshops will also be asked to merge with other similar workshops in an effort to reduce redundancy and/or strengthen the resulting workshop. The Secretariat will also convey to some workshop proposer’s specific feedback from the MAG. The Secretariat will contact those who submitted Open Forum proposals conveying if they’ve been accepted or not based upon consultations with the MAG and whether the Open Forum proposal met the criteria[21] for an Open Forum.

15. There was also a lengthy programming discussion about the main/focus sessions for the 2016 IGF. A MAG working group had produced main session guidelines[22] in the lead-up to the meeting and the IGF Secretariat had compiled a number of proposals received for main sessions from both MAG members and other IGF community stakeholders which were reviewed and discussed in-depth by the MAG. The MAG was reminded that the main/focus sessions are the only slots that are translated into all 6 UN languages, and therefore should be highlighted appropriately in the program. They are also traditionally held in the biggest meeting room, and this will be the case again for the 11th IGF.

16. There was agreement, building also on previous MAG discussions, that NRIs would be allotted a 3-hour main session, BPFs and CENB intersessional work would be given a shared 3-hour main session, and the IGF DC’s would also have space in a main/focus session. The other thematic proposals were then discussed and reviewed and there was some discussion about the timing of the sessions, as the translators allow for 3 hour blocks of time for the main/focus sessions in the morning and afternoons, excluding the space needed for the Opening and Closing ceremonies. The MAG agreed that further discussion was needed to finalize and further shape the main sessions, and this discussion and planning will be taken online and to future virtual meetings. As stated also in the main session guidelines, there was agreement that the main/focus sessions should be carefully planned to be highlights of the 2016 program, and should touch upon the most popular, timely and forward-looking for the IGF community, with an aim also to bring in newcomers to the IGF dialogue as well as media and other related organizations and initiatives. 

16. Finally, there was some discussion amongst the MAG about the need for and possible timing for a 3rd face-to-face Open Consultations and MAG Meeting ahead of the annual meeting in December. The Secretariat will look into this matter and consult with the MAG in the coming days to announce if a meeting will take place or not. It was also agreed that a new MAG working group would be established to re-examine the existing workshop proposal and selection process to see how it could be improved moving forward.

 

List of Participants

 

Chair

Ms. Lynn St. Amour

  Internet Matters 

 

Host Country Co-Chair

Mr. Victor Romero

CIO, Office of the President of Mexico

 

Host Country Representatives

Ms. Yolanda Martinez

Chief of the Digital Government Unit, Mexico

 

Special Advisor to the Chair

Ambassador Benedicto Fonseca

Brasilia, Brazil - Director of the Department of Scientific and Technological Affairs at the Ministry of External Relations

MAG Members

Ms. Abdulla, Rasha

Associate Professor at the American University in Cairo

Ms. Aquino Ribeiro, Renata

Professor at the Federal University of Ceara, IT Campus, Quixada City, Brazil

Mr. Bazlyankov, Iliya 

CIO, UNICART 

Ms. Bou Harb, Zeina 

OGERO Telecom, Ministry of Telecommunications, Lebanon

Mr. Boukadoum, Mourad 

Counselor, Permanent Mission of Algeria

Ms. Cade, Marilyn

CEO, Strategies mCADE llc.

Mr. Casasbuenas, Julian  

Director, Colnodo

Mr. Cheon, Billy Mooho

General Researcher, Korea Internet and Security Agency

Mr. Dengate Thrush, Peter

Counsel, Barrister

Mr. Elgamal, Hossam 

Board Member, AfICTA – Africa ICT Alliance

Ms. Doria, Avri

Independent Researcher, DBA Technicalities

Mr. Fernández González, Juan Alfonso 

Advisor, Ministry of Communications, Cuba

Mr. Estrada, Miguel Ignacio 

Internet Policy Analyst, Ministry of Modernization, Argentina

Ms. Franz, Liesyl

Senior Policy Advisor in the Office of the Coordinator for Cyber Issues at the Department of State, USA

Mr. Gjorgjinski, Ljupco Jivan 

Assistant Director, Cabinet of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Macedonia

Ms. Ho, Bianca Caroline

NetMission Ambassador, NetMission.Asia

Ho Chi Ping, Patrick 

Deputy Chairman and Secretary-General at China Energy Fund Committee 

Ms. Hutchison, Laura 

Policy Executive at Nominet

Ms. Kaspar, Lea

Programme Lead, Global Partners Digital

Ms. Kee, Jac sm

Women’s Rights Programme Manager, APC

Mr. Kenyanito, Ephraim Percy

Policy Fellow, Access

Ms. Laksmi, Shita

Programme Manager, HIVOs Regional Office Southeast Asia

Ms. Lazanski, Dominique

Public Policy Director, GSM Association

Mr. Lee, Xiaodong 

Chief Executive Officer, China Internet Network Information Center (CNNIC)

Mr. Markovic, Slobodan 

Advisor for ICT Policy and Internet Community Relations, Serbian National Internet Domain Registry

Mr. Mazzone, Giacomo 

Head of Institutional Relations, European Broadcasting Union

Ms. Miller, Cheryl Ann 

Director of International Public Policy and Regulatory Affairs, Verizon

Mr. Moisander, Juuso 

Commercial Secretary, Information Society and ICT, Ministry for Foreign Affairs

Mr. Nelson, Michael 

Public Policy, CloudFlare, and Adjunct Professor, Internet Studies, Georgetown University

Ms. Okutani, Izumi 

Policy Liaison, Japan Network Information Center (JPNIC)

Mr. Olugbile, Segun 

CEO, Continental Project Affairs Associates

Mr. Ostrowski, Igor

Chairman, Polish Digitization Council

Mr. Pérez Galindo, Rafael

Head of Unit, Directorate for Information Society Services, Ministry of Industry, Energy and Tourism, Spain

Mr. Sabir, Sumon Ahmed

Chief Strategy Officer at Fiber@Home Limited

Ms. Sakalova, Marianne

Consultant on Internet related Policies, Legal Transformations Center

Ms. Tamanikaiwaimaro, Salanieta

President, South Pacific Computer Society 

Ms. Thomas Raynaud, Elizabeth 

Senior Policy Executive, Digital Economy and Project Director at International Chamber of Commerce (ICC)

Mr. Valdez, German 

Executive Secretary, Number Resource Organisation

Mr. Wagner, Flávio 

Board Member, Brazilian Internet Steering Committee (CGI.br) 

Mr. Wanawit, Akhuputra 

Deputy Executive Director, Electronic Transactions Development Agency, Ministry of Information and Communication Technology, Thailand

MAG Members Participating Online

Mr. Bhatia, Virat

Chairman, Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) Communication and Digital Economy Committee

Ms. Bidart, Silvia

Director General, Federation of ICT Ibero-Latin American Industry Nationals Associations

Mr. Donkor, Wisdom

Information Technology Manager, Technical Lead for Ghana Open Data Initiative, National Information Technology Agency

Mr. Onyango, Douglas

Chief Technology Officer at Delta IT Solutions

Ms. Erramuspe, Alejandra

Communications Manager and Head of Internet Governance, Agencia de Gobierno Electronico y Sociedad de la informacion y el Conocimiento

Ms. Mahmutovic, Aida

Programme Manager, Oneworld – Platform for Southeast Europe (OWPSEE) Foundation

Mr. Mansoor Ansari, Omar

President, TechNation Afghanistan

Ms. Paque, Virginia

Director Internet Governance Programmes, DiploFoundation

Former IGF Host Country Representatives

Ms. Arida, Christine

Director of Telecom Services and Planning Division, National Telecom Regulatory Authority, Egypt

 

Mr. Sardjoeni, Moedjiono

National ICT Council Executive Team Member, Indonesia

Mr. Santos Jr., Jandyr

Counsellor, Head of the Information Society Division, Department of Scientific and Technological Themes, Ministry of External Relations, Brazil

Representatives of Intergovernmental Organizations (IGOs) and European Commission

Ms. Contreras, Claudia

UNCTAD

Mr. Faye, Makane

UNECA

Mr. Fowlie, Gary

ITU

Mr. Hibbard, Lee

Council of Europe

Ms. Hu, Xianhong

UNESCO

Mr. Major, Peter

UN CSTD

Ms. Monti, Christina

European Commission

Mr. Owade, Victor

WIPO

Other Participants

Peter Olugbenga Adeleye

Africa Centre for Citizens Orientation

 

Carolina Aguerre

CETYS; UDESA

Rahman AHM Bazlur

Bangladesh Internet Governance Forum/BNNRC

Funmilola Ajayi

Industrial Training Fund

Flavia Alves

Facebook

Yusif Amadu

University of Ghana

Meshesha Legesse Bedane

Addis Ababa University

Anupkamal Bishwakarma

Dali Welfare Association (DWA)

Constance Bommelaer

The Internet Society

Hanane Boujemi

Hivos

Doug Carey

United States Mission to the United Nations

Mark Carvell

United Kingdom Government Department for Culture, Media & Sport

Justin Caso

IEEE

Susan Chalmers

NTIA

Jennifer Chung

DotAsia, APrIGF Secretariat

Martha Cisneros

ISOC

Nick Dagostino

Access Now

Ankhi Das

Facebook

Anriette (Anna) Esterhuysen

Association for Progressive Communications

Justin Fair

U.S. Department of State

Kamal Uddin Faridi

22 Four International Corporation

MARTA FONSECA

GENERAL ACCOUNTABILITY OFFICE OF COSTA RICA

Fabienne  FOSSUO KENGNE

Center for Public Interest Law CAMEROON Yaoundé

Alexandre  Gonzales

UFRGS

Jorge Gonzalez

Universidad Centroccidental Lisandro Alvarado

Robin Gross

IP Justice

Buddhadeb Halder

Digital Empowerment Foundation

Stuart Hamilton

IFLA

Liyun Han

Institute of Internet Governance Research (IGR)

Nigel hickson

ICANN

Muataz Ishag

Sudan CERT - NTC

Zahid Jamil

Jamil & Jamil

Towela Jere

NEPAD Agency

ZACHARIE KALALA TSHIZANGA

D R CONGO GOVERNMENT

Koubaa Khaled

Arab World Internet Institute

Stoll Klaus

Pathfinder

AYAOVI OLEVIE AGBENYO KOUAMI

INTIC4DEV/NPOC

Markus Kummer

IGFSA

Paolo Lanteri

WIPO

Marcel Leonardi

Google

Xiaodong Li

CNNIC

Xiaokai Liu

Information center of administration of Press and Publication

KINGSTON MAGAYA

MINISTRY OF JUSTICE, LEGAL AND PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS

Dinesh Mainali

Tribhuwan university

Victor Martinez

IFT

mildred mbajira

techno brain

Karen McCabe

IEEE

Desiree Miloshevic

Afilias PLC

Paul Mitchell

Microsoft

Maria Navarrete

Federal Conciliation and Arbitration Institute

Coppens Pasteur NDAYIRAGIJE

BurundiX ASBL, Burundi Internet Exchange Point

Mai-Huong Nguyen

Microsoft

Bakary Njie

Internet Society Gambia

Jean Renel OREVIL

NATCOM S.A

Virginia Paque

DiploFoundation

Christoforos Pavlakis

Hellenic Information Society

Rafael Perez Galindo

Ministry of Industry, Energy and Tourism

Dustin Phillips

ICANNWiki

Olga Popova

UNICART EOOD

Jim Prendergast

The Galway Strategy Group

Kal  Raustiala

American Society of International Law

Shreedeep Rayamajhi

RayZnews

Felix Ritchie

Before40-Africa

David Jacob Ruhinda

Ministry of works and transport

kamel saadaoui

ministry of Ict , Tunisia

Lori Schulman

International Trademark Association

Ritu Sharma

SDG Nexus

Hascall Sharp

Cisco Systems

Jimena  Sierra

IFT

Alice Siu

Stanford University, Center for Deliberative Democracy

Faheem Soomro

Pakistan Mobile and Communication Pvt. Ltd.

HAMMA Soumana

Haut Commissariat NTIC

Sharada Srinivasan

Center for Technology, Innovation and Competition

Richard Tackie

CHILDLINK FOUNDATION

Thiago Tavares

CGI.br

Barbara Wanner

U.S. Council for International Business

Silvia Rosa Way Naupay

Asoc. Civil SABER

Eric White

World Economic Forum

Deirdre Williams

Independent

Yunusa Ya'u

CITAD

Amina Youssef

OGERO

Najwane Youssef

OGERO

   
   
   

 

 

 

UNDESA

Mr. Wai-Min Kwok

Senior Governance and Public Administration Officer

 

IGF Secretariat

Chengetai Masango

Programme and Technology Manager

Luis Bobo

Associate Information Systems Officer

Wim Degezelle

Consultant

Eleonora Mazzucchi

Programme Management Assistant

Anja Gengo

Consultant

Brian Gutterman

Associate Programme Officer

Anri van der Spuy

Consultant

     

 

 

[19] Further information on updates and invitations provided by some of these related initiatives can be found here: http://www.intgovforum.org/cms/component/jevents/icalrepeat.detail/2016/07/12/753/-/igf-2016-second-open-consultations-and-mag-meeting#input-documents