[WSIS CS-Plenary] Nominations: Working Group on Internet Governance (WGIG)

[Adam Peake]

To Members of WSIS Civil Society, Caucuses and Working Groups

The WSIS Civil Society Internet Governance Caucus hopes to assemble a 
list of candidates for membership in the Working Group on Internet 
Governance (WGIG).  The purpose of the list is to give Mr. Kummer and 
Mr. Annan a set of candidates from which they can select members for 
the WGIG. This list will not be the only input into the membership 
decision process, and does not prevent any group or individual from 
submitting her or his recommendations. We wish to provide the 
collective recommendations of WSIS caucuses and working groups.

After much deliberation on the process by which the candidate list 
would be compiled, we, as coordinators of the Internet Governance 
caucus have made the decision to invite each of the WSIS civil 
society caucuses and working groups to suggest between one (1) and 
three (3) names for inclusion on the candidate list.

There is not agreement for this course of action among members of the 
IG Caucus, but time is pressing and we feel WSIS Civil Society must 
have an opportunity to participate in this process.  This can work if 
we all try to make it work.  It means trying to think what is best 
for civil society, and not any particular interest group.  Please 
read this note carefully. And refer to the draft statement on 
structure of the WGIG you can find at this URL 
<http://www.too-much.tv/internet_governance/> (Spanish, French, 
English and Portuguese.)

One of the goals for this candidate list is to make sure that all of 
the topical areas that might be included in the governance debate are 
covered. Indications are that the WGIG will take a broad view of 
Internet governance, and issues will include ICANN, Spam, information 
and network security, privacy and other ICT rights issues, 
intellectual property rights, and interconnection agreements to name 
just a few. Asking the other caucuses and working groups for 
recommendations is considered the best way to make sure that all 
topics of concern to WSIS civil society are present.

Note that our recommendations about the structure of the WGIG  (here 
<http://www.too-much.tv/internet_governance/>) say we think the group 
should be small, between 19 and 31 total core members. By asking for 
nominations from all of WSIS civil society we are inviting a 
potentially large number of names to be submitted. Some means of 
reducing the composite list we receive may be required. We look 
forward to your advice on how we might handle this situation, it is 
quite likely. We suggest discussions about this are started now on 
the CS plenary list.

Please attempt to prioritize your nominations. If you are unable to 
do so please state clearly that your list is not prioritized. 
Coordination of nominations among caucuses/working group will be very 
helpful.

Individual members of the CS plenary may also submit nominations. 
Individuals should submit their nominations based on the criteria 
explained below.

As background for making the caucus/working group decision on the 
candidates, a draft of the WSIS Civil Society caucus's contribution 
on the WGIG can be found online at 
<http://www.too-much.tv/internet_governance/>. These notes discuss 
some of the contents of the contribution.

We consider it critical that a balanced WGIG be drawn from a multi 
dimensional consideration of diversity.  That is, diversity in terms 
of sector, region, gender, and language background, among others, 
must be considered in assembling the WGIG.  It is also important that 
there be a balance between members from developing and developed 
countries.  It is also considered very important that candidates have 
a degree of knowledge of the issues, including policy, legal and 
technical, involved in the Internet governance debate. We also 
suggest candidates should have experience working in an international 
committee environment, be aware of ICT for development issues and 
human rights. No candidate is expected to have all these qualities, 
but we are suggesting they should be people with broad experience.

It is considered critical that though all participants come from 
different perspectives, they should be people who are willing to 
listen and consider carefully the views of others.  It is expected 
that the best outcome for the WGIG will come from an assembly of open 
minded individuals who can share their knowledge and expertise in an 
cooperative manner.

Finally it is considered important that any individual nominated as a 
candidate understand the amount of work this assignment would involve 
and indicate a readiness to participate.  While the work plan of the 
WGIG has yet to be determined, it is expected that the WGIG will 
begin work in the final months of 2004 and finish by July 2005. The 
schedule will most probably involve, email discussions, 
teleconferences and up to four (4) face to face meetings.  We 
anticipate that the working language of the WGIG itself will be 
English. It is expected, however, that there will be a great 
sensitivity to language issues as the WGIG conducts its work and 
consultations.

In making your caucuses/working groups recommendation, we request 
that you submit the following information, which will be passed on to 
Mr. Kummer, with the names of the candidates:

- Reliable contact information for the candidate; i.e. email, 
telephone, fax and postal address.

- A statement indicating the qualities that the person would bring to 
the WGIG.  While no particular content is being required, it is 
recommended that this section include a discussion of the concerns 
mentioned above and a discussion of the experience and perspective 
the candidate would bring to the WGIG discussions.

- A statement of the person's governance related affiliations.  That 
is information such as: which sector does the person belong to 
(government, industry or civil society), what caucuses/working groups 
do they participate in, employer, national background, and language 
skills.

- An indication from the candidate that they understand the work load 
they are volunteering for and that they are available during the 
expected period of deliberations.

- A short statement about your caucus/working group. Include 
information about the group's background and history, membership 
(numbers), and achievements or other information you think relevant. 
Please give a URL for a website if you have one.

It is recommended that these statements be no more then two pages in 
length. Candidate information will be collated and published on the 
Internet <http://www.too-much.tv/internet_governance/> (with 
candidates personal contact information removed.)

Members of the Internet governance caucus will aggregate the names 
received and send them along with the name of the caucus/working 
groups that made the nomination to Markus Kummer.  If any 
reconsideration of names is required in light of issues arising from 
the WGIG consultation on September 20-21 we will hold any relevant 
discussions about this on the plenary mailing list.

Time is short on gathering the list of candidates and you are 
requested to submit the candidate statements within the next two 
weeks.  The deadline for submission of candidate statements is 20 
Sept, 2004.  All statements should be sent to:

igov at tla.crepundia.net

In concluding, we thank you for helping us complete this important task.

Please try to coordinate your nominations with other caucuses and 
working groups.  And please consider the qualities your nominations 
will bring to the WGIG carefully. If you have questions about the 
process please contact the coordinators of the Caucus:

Jeanette Hofmann and Adam Peake
Coordinators, Internet Governance Caucus