[WSIS CS-Plenary] WGIG Progress Report

[Adam Peake]

Wolfgang,

Thank you very much for this.

Could you tell us about the role of observers, 
the intergovernmental organizations, who are they 
and what rights do they have? I'd guess observers 
can be called to speak but otherwise keep quiet, 
is that how it works?

And for the open/close session, are onlookers 
also bound by the semi-Chatham house rules you 
have adopted?

Anyway: substance.

You say "And please, come with concrete, innovative but short papers."

I can think of things I'd like to comment on, but 
just writing on some subject and throwing it to 
the working group is a bit vague.

Could you --perhaps all of you who joined the 
WGIG via the WSIS CS-- tell us what issues you'd 
like to hear people's ideas on, what questions 
you have that we might all discuss.

Thanks again, and best wishes to all --list 
members and WGIG-- for the New Year.

Adam


At 3:54 PM +0100 12/29/04, Wolfgang Kleinwächter wrote:
>
>Dear list,
>
>here is a progress report from the ongoing activities of the WGIG.
>
>1. The initiative of  WGIG Secretary Kummer, to 
>ask members of the group to indicate their 
>preferences from the 50+ issues list produced a 
>very constructive reply. The majority of members 
>of the group selected three to six subjects 
>where they indicated that they will be ready to 
>write an issue paper or to contribute to the 
>writing of an issue paper. The "issue paper" is 
>not yet a "position paper". It is a "fact sheet" 
>which describes the problem, collects the 
>relevant facts, and maps the subject into the 
>existing mechanism of governing bodies. 
>Probably, if members of the group can agree, it 
>adds a SWOT analysis to indicate already, where 
>problems exists and controveries can emerge. The 
>"issue paper" will be not longer than 3 - 5 
>pages. The plan is to have the papers ready for 
>internal distribution until January, 25 or so so 
>that after a inner consultation process  they 
>can constitute a basis for the first part of the 
>forthcoming report which will be also 
>descriptive by nature and include next to the 
>"Map" also a brief history, based mainly of 
>existing contributions from ISOC and others.
>
>2. While some issues of the 50+ list got low 
>priority, other got high. Highest priorities got 
>issues like Root Server, Names and Numbers (not 
>a surprise). For a number of issues, voluneers 
>have started to coordinate the work and to 
>invite all members of the group who have 
>indicated their willingness to make 
>contributions to a special issue to join special 
>sub-working groups. The sub working groups are 
>at this stage for fact finding only. There is no 
>discussion on the political, economic, cultural, 
>legal and other "controversial" aspects of a 
>problem. It is jst a correct factual overview 
>about the issue with the aim to enable an 
>informed discussion among group members at a 
>later stage. The sub working groups are open for 
>all WGIG members. Contributions are welcome. If 
>somebody feels, an issue is not covered she/he 
>can initiatie another sub-group. One member of 
>the sub-group of "Names and Numbers" has already 
>proposed to seperate the issues and to  create 
>two sub-groups because number allocation is 
>different from name space enlargement and name 
>registration. But the debate has just started. 
>No substantial discussion so far.
>
>3. The whole process is a member driven bottom 
>up process, very closer to traditional listserv 
>discussion than to intergovernmental diplomatic 
>negotiations.  WGIG members who are silent or 
>position themselves as "observers" risk to 
>become sidelined. It will be difficult, to 
>articulate dissend voices if you have missed the 
>train. But so far the general climate in the 
>e-mail discussion is very constructive. Each 
>message is driven by the will of the members, to 
>make a constructive contribution and to move 
>foreward. But again, this is only the beginning. 
>No hot potatoes has been on the table so far.
>
>4. The time table has been reorganised. Some 
>members of the group disagreed with the idea, to 
>have the 3rd meeting of the group as a follow up 
>the the ICANN Mar del Plata Meting in Sao Paulo. 
>The Brazilain government did invite the group. 
>Some members saw this as a good idea to enable 
>WGIG members to have a look into the ICANN 
>practice and then to move to Brazil for the WGIG 
>meeting. Others had a different approach. First 
>point was timing. The planned dates were  in 
>conflict with the dates of the already fixed 
>8th meeting of the UNICTTF in Dublin (which 
>coincides with another meeting of the TFFM). 
>Members of the group gave this meeting a higher 
>priority and wanted to have a date which would 
>enable them to go to Dublin. The new dates of 
>the 3rd WGIG meeting are now April 18 - 20, 2005 
>in Geneva. Only a small number of members had 
>problems with the Brazilian invitation (fearing 
>that this will undermine the neutrality of the 
>group) . Another proposal to go to New York has 
>been also watered down, in particular with 
>regard to the Visa Probkems members of the group 
>could have if they want to enter the US.
>
>5. Concerning the 2nd meeting  a more detailed 
>programme was discussed. There will be a closed 
>meeting on Monday morning (14.2.) followd by an 
>open closed meeting at the same day. (Opne 
>C.osed means that the meeting is closed in 
>principle, but so-called onlookers will have a 
>right to sit in the room without speaking 
>rights). Tuesday, 15th, will be open ended for 
>everybody. The Wednesday meeting (16.2.) will be 
>again partly "open closed" or "full closed". On 
>Thursday and Friday, probably a drafting group 
>will work on the formulation of the Interim 
>Report, which has to be tabled to PrepCom2 on 
>Monday, 21st, in the morning. There will be a 
>full day during PrepCom2, where the delegates 
>(and observers) will discuss the Interim Report 
>in Plenary (probably Wednesday, 23rd).  The 
>Interim Report will - like the Issue Papers - 
>avoid to formulate already "positions". It will 
>be  procedural and factual and will, probably, 
>invite input from broader constituencies. So the 
>hard work will be done between April and June.
>
>Hope this brings some light into the process. 
>Feel free to contact me if you have any idea how 
>to improve the interaction among WGIG members 
>and the broader public. And please, come with 
>concrete, innovative but short papers.
>
>So far so good.
>
>I wish everybody a  nice "Silvester Party" and 
>to all uf us a great 2005 with a succesfull 
>WSIS II.
>
>Best
>
>wolfgang
>
>
>
>
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