[WSIS CS-Plenary] Tunis Parallel Event: WGIG Book Release, Wed. 16th

Wed Nov 9 17:47:23 GMT 2005

A parallel event to be held during the World Summit on the Information Society at Tunis

Presented by Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility (CPSR), in cooperation with 

the Secretariat of the UN Working Group on Internet Governance (WGIG)

Reforming Internet Governance: 

Perspectives from the UN Working Group on Internet Governance---

Book Release Event

Wednesday. November 16, 11:00-13:00, Hammamet room, the Kram Exhibition Centre

At the December 2003 World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) in Geneva, governments adopted a Plan of Action that, inter alia, called on the Secretary-General of the United Nations to set up a Working Group on Internet Governance (WGIG). The WGIG’s mandate was to analyze the governance of Internet and make proposals for action, as appropriate; develop a working definition of Internet governance; identify the public policy issues involved; and advance a common understanding of the respective roles and responsibilities of the various stakeholders. In November 2004, Secretary-General Kofi Annan appointed forty individuals from government, the private sector, and civil society to the WGIG. After seven months of work, the WGIG’s Report and a longer Background Report were released in July 2005. The two reports surveyed the landscape of public and private sector Internet governance mechanisms; advanced recommendations for improved governance in a range of key issue-areas; offered alternative models for the future oversight of the Internet’s core resources and logical infrastructure; and proposed the establishment of a global, multistakeholder forum to facilitate continuing, inclusive dialogue on Internet governance. The reports elicited much debate around the world and served as key inputs in the second phase of the WSIS process, which culminates with the November 2005 Summit in Tunis. The issues they addressed will remain of central importance in the post-WSIS global debate on Internet governance.

With the continuing debate in mind, after the release of the two reports, a group of former participants in the WGIG process decided to collaborate on the production of a book on the WGIG experience  and Internet governance issues.  Edited by William J. Drake, the book includes contributions by the WGIG’s Chairperson and Executive Secretary, twenty one members of the WGIG, and four members of its Secretariat.  Writing in their personal capacities, the authors offer reflections on the value of the multistakeholder cooperation in the WGIG and beyond, and on some of the key substantive issues and institutional reform proposals currently under consideration by the international community.  The volume is being published in the United Nations Information and Communications Technologies Task Force’s book series and will be released at this parallel event in Tunis.  The book will subsequently be available on the WGIG and UNICT Task Force websites, which are www.wgig.org and www.unicttaskforce.org, respectively.  The book’s Introduction and Conclusion are now online at http://www.wgig.org/book-Launch.html 

Overview of the Event

Opening Remarks:

Markus Kummer, Executive Coordinator of the Secretariat supporting the Working Group on Internet Governance

Moderator:  

Nitin Desai, Special Adviser to the Secretary-General of the United Nations for the World Summit on the Information Society, and former Chairperson of the Working Group on Internet Governance

Panel Participants :

Peng Hwa Ang, Director of the Singapore Internet Research Centre and Dean of the School of Communication and Information, Nanyang Technological University, on, “Self Regulation After WGIG”

Vittorio Bertola, Chairman of ICANN's At Large Advisory Committee, on, “Oversight and Multiple Root Server Systems”

Avri Doria, independent researcher, on, “WSIS, WGIG, Technology and Technologists”

William J. Drake, President, Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility, on, “Why the WGIG Process Mattered”

Baher Esmat, Telecom  Planning  Manager  at  Egypt's  Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, and Juan Fernández,  Senior Advisor in the Ministry of Informatics and Communication of Cuba and Coordinator of the Cuban Commission for Electronic Commerce, on, “International Internet Connections Costs”

Willy Jensen, Director General of the Norwegian Post and Telecommunications Authority, on, “Striking the Appropriate Balance Between all Stakeholders”

Wolfgang Kleinwächter, professor of international communication policy and regulation, University of Aarhus, Denmark, on, “DeMystification of the Internet Root: Do we Need Governmental Oversight? ”

Alejandro Pisanty, Head of Academic Computing Services for the National Autonomous University of Mexico, and Vice-Chair of the Board of ICANN, on, “Internet Names and Numbers in WGIG and WSIS: Perils and Pitfalls”

Others possible, TBC

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Reforming Internet Governance: 

Perspectives from the UN Working Group on Internet Governance 

Table of Contents of the Book

Preface 

Nitin Desai                             

Introduction

Markus Kummer                                 

The Dynamics of Multistakeholder Collaboration: WGIG and Beyond

A Brief History of WGIG

Donald Maclean                                

A Reflection from the WGIG Frontline

Frank March

The WGIG Process: Lessons Learned and Thoughts for the Future

Tarek Cheniti

Internet Governance: Striking the Appropriate Balance Between all Stakeholders

Willy Jensen

WSIS, WGIG, Technology and Technologists

Avri Doria

The Current Landscape of Internet Governance: Selected Issues

Internet Names and Numbers in WGIG and WSIS: Perils and Pitfalls

Alejandro Pisanty

Multilingualism and the Domain Name System

Kangsik Cheon

International Internet Connections Costs

Baher Esmat & Juan Fernandez

Intellectual Property, e-Commerce, Competition Policy and Internet Governance

C. Trevor Clarke

Internet Governance and International Law

Jovan Kurbalija

Internet Governance: Strengths and Weaknesses from a Business Perspective

Ayesha Hassan 

Self Regulation After WGIG

Peng Hwa Ang

The Development Dimension

Driving the Public Policy Debate: Internet Governance and Development

Howard Williams 

Encouraging Internet Public Policy Development and Capacity Building in Developing Countries: Lessons from the FLOSS Community

Chengetai Masango

The Case for National Internet Governance Mechanisms

Waudo Siganga

Challenges for Africa

Olivier Nana Nzépa

Challenges for the Caribbean

Jacqueline Morris                                    

Options for Institutional Change

The Need for International Internet Governance Oversight

Abdullah a. Aldarrab      

Internationalized Oversight of Internet Resource Management

QIHENG HU

A Scenario for a New Internet Governance

Carlos Afonso

DeMystification of the Internet Root: Do we Need Governmental Oversight?

Wolfgang Kleinwächter                      

Oversight and Multiple Root Server Systems

Vittorio Bertola

Proposal for the Establishment of an Internet Governance Forum

Charles Sha’ban         

Conclusion

Why the WGIG Process Mattered

William J. Drake 

*******************************************************
William J. Drake  wdrake at ictsd.ch
President, Computer Professionals for 
   Social Responsibility www.cpsr.org 
Senior Associate, International Centre for Trade
   and Sustainable Development www.ictsd.org 
   Geneva, Switzerland 
http://mitpress.mit.edu/IRGP-series
http://www.cpsr.org/board/drake 

Morality is the best of all devices for leading 

mankind by the nose.---Nietzsche
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