[WSIS CS-Plenary] OECD Ministerial Meeting, Seoul, June 17-18 2008

[Milton L Mueller]

An interesting set of questions, Parminder.
 
First, let's dispose quickly of the "enhanced cooperation" theme. While
I can't speak for Jeanette, I am pretty confident that when she
expressed a view that nothing will come of it she is speaking in a
factual rather than normative sense. That is, she believes that the
governments involved, mainly US and EU, are either unable or unwilling
to move forward with the promised cooperation, and thus has no
expectations for it. In this, I (disappointedly) concur. 
 
Second, it seems to me that your first paragraph, which states that
"polices made by OECD often become de facto global polices, and one
can't miss the opportunity to engage with these process" answers many of
the questions in the later paragraphs. 
 
Third, you characterize OECD as an exclusive, closed club of rich(er)
nations, which it more or less is (it would like to add China, India and
Brazil as members, I suspect). But in this case OECD seems to be
exploring ways to engage with and open up to civil society. Since civil
society is not bound by national territories this is a chance for the
type of participants to be broadened significantly.
 
The more important point here is that powerful governments are very good
at Forum-shopping (a lot of the trouble with enhanced coop in the IGF is
due to that). If our voices are not present in that critical Forum and a
consensus around certain principles or ideas forms there, it could
undermine work in other arenas. 
 
You ask a question about why OECD doesn't try to formulate principles
via IGF rather than on its own. I guess you are smart enough to know
most of the answer, so this must be a rhetorical question. OECD like all
organizations has its own needs for self-promotion, growth, importance
and financial sustainability. Its very existence is predicated on the
value that a smaller, more homogeneous and focused "club" has for its
members, and on exercising leadership. If OECD will not completely come
to the Forum the Forum will have to come to it, as the old saying about
Mohammed goes. It would seem to me that participation in OECD by civil
society would construct a bridge between those two worlds and is indeed
the only way to proceed. 
 
There are of course serious questions about how much resources CS groups
should devote to these things, which are especially salient for
low-budget orgs like ours. 


________________________________

From: Parminder [mailto:parminder at itforchange.net] 
 

Dear Jeanette, 

 

> The OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation

> and Development) is currently preparing its 10th

> Ministerial Meeting on "The Future of the

> Internet Economy", which will take place in

> Seoul, South Korea, June 17-18 2008.

> ............

 

> A second message will soon follow, outlining

> these opportunities in more detail, include some

> of our preliminary thinking about priorities for

> civil society engagement with this process, why

> we think you should get involved and how you can get involved.

> 

> We look forward to working with you on this!

 

My response to this is at two levels. At one level, I understand that it
is important to engage with such important issues at all levels. IT for
Change will like to make use of all opportunities to influence any
policy that, by legitimacy, or by default, can affect possibilities and
processes of development. And polices made by OECD often become de facto
global polices, and one can't miss the opportunity to engage with these
process, with whatever effectiveness. So count us in for any combined CS
effort in this matter.

 

At another level, I will like to engage in a discussion about why would
you be ready to engage with an exclusive closed group of rich nations
meeting 'to formulate guiding principles and policies for the future
development of the Internet economy' and be not so enthusiastic about a
more legitimate process of 'enhanced cooperation' which is supposed to
include all countries and has some chance of CS involvement we well.
(Jeanette, if I am not wrong I have heard you say that you have no
enthusiasm or expectations from the enhanced cooperation process.) And
what about a civil society led process on framing such broad principles
for the internet, as we are trying to do through the dynamic coalition
of  'framework of principles for the Internet' (of which IGP is partner,
I invite your greater personal engagement with it as well, and also
invite others to become members) . Recently civil society led the
process of framing a disability rights convention, why don't we follow
their lead, or at least try to present some basis for developing broad
principles which can then be used by a more representative process. 

 

> The OECD Ministerial Meeting offers a broad

> international public space to discuss the

> economic and societal implications of the

> emerging information economy. Civil society

> groups active in the area of information society

> related issues should use this opportunity to

> network among themselves and collectively express

> their visions on guiding policy principles for

> the development of the Future of the Internet economy.

 

Why don't 'Civil society groups active in the area of information
society related issues' first express our vision of such 'guiding
principles' for the development of the Internet at a more representative
and multistakeholder UN forum of IGF rather than at the OECD. This can
be done through this dynamic coalition on 'framework of principles for
the Internet'- and this is an open invitation to everyone to join/work
with  the 'dynamic coalition on framework of principles  for the
Internet'. 

 

I quote the WGIG report building the justification for the IGF

 

"Existing institutions that address some of these Internet-related
public policy issues, such as the Organization for Economic Cooperation
and Development (OECD), are not generally global in their membership and
therefore developing countries lack a forum for discussing
Internet-related public policy issues. "

 

 

> Opportunities for Civil Society Engagement

> ==================================

> The next message will contain more detailed

> information about opportunities for Civil Society

> participation in the 10th Ministerial process including:

> 

> o  Linking work in other public policy processes

> (such as the World Summit on the Information

> Society and The Internet Governance Forum) with the OECD Ministerial

> meeting.

 

We will very much like to link the work in the IGF done by the dynamic
coalition of 'framework of principles for the Internet' to the OECD
processes.

 

I must repeat that I am for engagement with the OECD, and ready to
associate with the process. The other issues I have raised here came to
my mind as they seem connected to the basic objective and processes of
CS engagements with global internet policy processes to influence them
towards 'progressive' directions. 

 

The first question I will like to pose at the OECD meeting of course is
that why are they - the OECD - not engaging in developing global
Internet polices and policy principles at the more legitimate global
forums like the IGF and the enhanced cooperation process, and why should
the rest of the world just have to get co-opted into global polices made
by the OECD which become de facto applicable to all by the sheer
economic and political muscle of the OECD countries and the
mega-businesses of these countries. 

 

Parminder 

 

________________________________________________

Parminder Jeet Singh

IT for Change, Bangalore

Bridging Development Realities and Technological Possibilities 

Tel: (+91-80) 2665 4134, 2653 6890

Fax: (+91-80) 4146 1055

www.ITforChange.net 

 

> -----Original Message-----

> From: Jeanette Hofmann [mailto:jeanette at wzb.eu]

> Sent: Wednesday, August 22, 2007 12:39 AM

> To: WSIS Internet Governance Caucus

> Subject: [governance] Civil Society Participation in OECD Ministerial

> Meeting, Seoul, June 17-18 2008

> 

> 

> 

> Greetings,

> 

> The OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation

> and Development) is currently preparing its 10th

> Ministerial Meeting on "The Future of the

> Internet Economy", which will take place in

> Seoul, South Korea, June 17-18 2008.

> 

> APC and the Internet Governance Project, together

> with the 'Public Voice', is working with the OECD

> secretariat to increase participation of Civil

> Society groups in shaping the agenda of the

> Ministerial meeting and in organising a one day

> stakeholder pre-event on June 16th 2008.

> 

> This message contains general background

> information about the OECD and the 10th

> Ministerial meeting, and some of the

> opportunities for civil society participation.

> 

> A second message will soon follow, outlining

> these opportunities in more detail, include some

> of our preliminary thinking about priorities for

> civil society engagement with this process, why

> we think you should get involved and how you can get involved.

> 

> We look forward to working with you on this!

> 

> Jeanette Hofmann, Karen Banks, Milton Mueller

> 

> About The Event

> =============

> The OECD, an inter-governmental organisation that

> consists of 30 member Countries, will hold a

> Ministerial Meeting on "The Future of the

> Internet Economy" in Seoul, Korea, on 17-18 June

> 2008. www.oecd.org/futureinternet.

> 

> The OECD Ministerial Meeting aims to formulate

> guiding principles and policies for the future

> development of the Internet economy. Recognizing

> that the world depends to a growing degree on the

> Internet, the goal is to help governments

> establish policies responding to new developments

> and concerns arising from the changing role of

> the Internet in our society and economy.

> 

> The Ministerial meeting will be preceded by a day

> of "stakeholder fora" on June 16 2008, to give an

> opportunity to civil society and the business

> sector to present their viewpoints on the future

> development of the Internet economy. More

> information on the Ministerial and Stakeholder fora are available
online.

> 

> The OECD Ministerial Meeting offers a broad

> international public space to discuss the

> economic and societal implications of the

> emerging information economy. Civil society

> groups active in the area of information society

> related issues should use this opportunity to

> network among themselves and collectively express

> their visions on guiding policy principles for

> the development of the Future of the Internet economy.

> 

> About The OECD

> =============

> Membership in the OECD includes the majority of

> European countries, Canada, the United States,

> Mexico, New Zealand, Australia, Turkey, Japan and

> Korea. The OECD headquarters (the secretariat) is based in Paris.

> 

> The OECD provides a setting where governments can

> compare policy experiences, seek answers to

> common problems, identify good practice and work

> to co-ordinate domestic and international

> policies. The OECD engages in policy analysis,

> data gathering, monitoring, and forecasting in

> many different areas but in particular for

> economic, environmental and social issues. In the

> fields of digital economy and information

> society, the OECD covers many areas that are of

> interest to civil society, such as privacy law

> enforcement, user-created content, network

> neutrality and gender in ICT employment. Reports

> of the OECD Committee of Information, Computer

> and Communications Policy can be found at (www.oecd.org/sti/ict)

> 

> The OECD has relationships with about 70

> non-member countries and a number of

> non-governmental entities such as the Business

> and Industry Advisory Committee (BIAC) and the

> Trade Union Advisory Committee (TUAC). There is

> as yet no formal link to civil society

> organisations, but the OECD is currently

> considering its relationship to the

> non-governmental sector with a view to greater inclusion.

> 

> 

> Public Consultation - open until September 14th 2007

> =========================================

> The OECD Online Public Consultation provides an

> opportunity for all stakeholders to comment on

> the topics and issues to be discussed at the

> OECD's Ministerial meeting on the Future of the

> Internet Economy. The online consultation is open

> until September 14th and can be found here:

> 

>
http://www.oecd.org/document/9/0,3343,en_21571361_38415463_38985417_1_1_
1_

> 1,00.html

> 

> Please contact us if you have difficulty

> accessing or completing the online version.

> 

> Opportunities for Civil Society Engagement

> ==================================

> The next message will contain more detailed

> information about opportunities for Civil Society

> participation in the 10th Ministerial process including:

> 

> o  Linking work in other public policy processes

> (such as the World Summit on the Information

> Society and The Internet Governance Forum) with the OECD Ministerial

> meeting

> 

> o  Gathering Civil society statements and reports

> that deal with future development of the internet

> 

> o  Preparation of a Civil Society Declaration

> 

> o  Preparation for a one day civil society stakeholder event on June

> 16th2008

> 

> o  Information about preparatory events in the run up to the meeting

> 

> o A time-line of the process and important dates

> 

> References

> =========

> o  The Public Voice has a resource site with

> links to useful background documents, a calendar

> of related events and a schedule for the Public

> Voice monthly

> calls:http://www.thepublicvoice.org/events/oecdministerial.html

> 

> o About the OECD:

>
http://www.oecd.org/pages/0,3417,en_36734052_36734103_1_1_1_1_1,00.html

> 

> o About the 10th Ministerial Meeting: www.oecd.org/futureinternet

> 

> o The OECD Public Online Consultation:

>
http://www.oecd.org/document/9/0,3343,en_21571361_38415463_38985417_1_1_
1_

> 1,00.html

> 

> o The OECD Organising Committee: www.oecd.org/sti/ict

> 

> ____________________________________________________________

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