ICANN|ARCHIVES

Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers

>>PETER DENGATE THRUSH: GOOD MORNING, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN.
JUST FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO HAVE COME IN, THERE ARE TRANSLATION DEVICES AT THE TOP.
WE WILL BE USING ENGLISH AND FRENCH, AND THERE IS TRANSLATION TO THOSE LANGUAGES FOR YOU.
THANKS.
GO TO THE MAIN DOOR AND PICK ONE UP OUTSIDE.
(PAUSE.)
>>VITTORIO BERTOLA: PLEASE TAKE YOUR SEATS.
WE'RE GOING TO START IN SECONDS.
OKAY.
SO WELCOME, EVERYBODY.
I'M VITTORIO BERTOLA.
I AM THE CHAIRMAN OF THE AT-LARGE ADVISORY COMMITTEE, AND I AM HERE TO WELCOME YOU TO THIS WORKSHOP.
THIS IS THE THIRD OF IN GROUP OF WORKSHOPS THAT A GROUP OF CONSTITUENCIES HAVE ORGANIZED TO INCREASE THE AWARENESS OF WHAT'S HAPPENING IN THE WSIS PROCESS.
I WILL BE VERY QUICK.
BUT BEFORE, I WANT TO ANNOUNCE THAT WE HAVE AN INTERPRETATION IN ENGLISH AND FRENCH.
SO IF YOU WANT, YOU CAN TAKE THE DEVICES JUST OUTSIDE THE ROOM, AND -- WELL, IN FRENCH, I'D SAY (SPEAKING FRENCH).
OKAY.
SO I AM JUST GOING TO INTRODUCE THE FIRST SPEAKER.
SO MR. PAUL TWOMEY, OF COURSE, PRESIDENT AND CEO OF ICANN.
PLEASE, PAUL.
>>PAUL TWOMEY: THANK YOU, VITTORIO.
COULD I JUST SAY THANK YOU VERY MUCH TO YOU AND YOUR COMMITTEE AND WORKING GROUP HERE FOR PUTTING TOGETHER WHAT IS NOW THE THIRD SESSION ON THE WSIS IN AN ICANN MEETING CONTEXT.
I'D LIKE TO SAY WELCOME TO THE PEOPLE WHO ARE COMING INTO THE HALL AND WELCOME TO THE PARTICIPANTS IN THIS WORKSHOP AND FOR THE ICANN MEETING THIS WEEK.
I'D ALSO SAY WELCOME TO THE PEOPLE WHO ARE LISTENING TO THE VIDEO STREAMING AND READING THESE TRANSLATIONS ONLINE.
ICANN IS VERY SUPPORTIVE OF THE WSIS AND VERY SUPPORTIVE OF THE -- PUT FORWARD BY THE SECRETARY GENERAL WHEN THE WSIS WAS ANNOUNCED.
ICANN REPRESENTS IN MANY RESPECTS A 35-YEAR TRADITION OF A SET OF VALUES THAT ACTUALLY HELPED BUILD THE INTERNET.
AND THOSE SET OF VALUES WERE A MERITOCRACY OF EFFORT OPEN TO ALL, AN OPPORTUNITY FOR PEOPLE TO COME TOGETHER AND SHARE WHAT THEY HAD DONE, THE IDEA OF NOT ONLY TALKING THEIR TALK, BUT WALKING THEIR TALK, OPEN, BOTTOM UP, CONSENSUS BASED BUT MOVING ON AND PROGRESSING.
AND THESE SETS OF VALUES, I THINK, ARE IMPORTANT AS WE THINK ABOUT THE INTERNET GROWING AND CONTINUING TO GROW IN THE FUTURE.
I THINK THESE ARE ESSENTIAL VALUES WHEN WE THINK ABOUT THE INTERNET BECOMING -- INCREASINGLY BECOMING THE INTERNET USED AND OF VALUE TO EVERY PERSON ON THE PLANET.
AND I THINK, IMPORTANTLY, THESE VALUES ARE REFLECTED IN THIS WORKSHOP.
I THINK THE WORKSHOP AGAIN SHOWS THE MULTI STAKEHOLDER AND BOTTOM-UP NATURE OF THE ICANN PROCESSES.
I WON'T DO ANY INTRODUCTIONS.
BUT THE RANGE OF PEOPLE WHO HAVE BEEN INVOLVED IN PUTTING TOGETHER THESE WORKSHOPS, THE RANGE OF CONSTITUENCIES THEY REPRESENT, AND THE WAY IN WHICH THEY WORK TOGETHER TOWARDS A COMMON GOAL I THINK IS IMPORTANT.
I PARTICULARLY WOULD LIKE TO WELCOME HIS EXCELLENCY MR. NITIN DESAI, THE CHAIR OF THE WORKING GROUP GOVERNANCE, AND MR. MARKUS KUMMER, THE HEAD OF THE SECRETARIAT, GENTLEMEN, WELCOME, AND WE'RE SO PLEASED YOU CAN BE WITH US HERE.
I THINK WE'RE MOVING FORWARD TOGETHER.
I THINK WE'RE MAKING PROGRESS.
I THINK THESE WORKSHOPS HAVE BEEN AN IMPORTANT CONTRIBUTION.
AND I'M PLEASED WITH THE SORT OF DIALOGUE WE'RE SEEING INTERNATIONALLY ABOUT WHAT ARE THE OBJECTIVES AND WAY IN WHICH WE'RE MOVING FORWARD.
SO THANK YOU AGAIN.
CONGRATULATIONS TO THE TEAM WHO HAVE PUT THIS TOGETHER.
AND I LOOK FORWARD TO HEARING MORE OF YOUR DELIBERATIONS.

>>VITTORIO BERTOLA: I THANK YOU, PAUL.
AND THE NEXT SPEAKER IS MARKUS KUMMER, WHO IS THE SECRETARIAT FOR THE WORKING GROUP ON INTERNET GOVERNANCE, ABOUT WHICH WE ARE TALKING TODAY.
SO, PLEASE, MARKUS.
>>MARKUS KUMMER: THANK YOU.
BUT WE DECIDED TO SWITCH THE ORDER, AND I THINK IT'S BETTER IF OUR CHAIRMAN STARTS INTRODUCING.
SO IT IS MR. NITIN DESAI WHO WILL SPEAK FIRST.
>>VITTORIO BERTOLA: OKAY.
SO WE HAVE NITIN DESAI, WHO IS THE CHAIR OF THE WORKING WORK GROUP ON INTERNET GOVERNANCE AND SPECIAL ADVISOR TO THE SECRETARY GENERAL OF THE UNITED NATIONS.
>>NITIN DESAI: THANK YOU, VITTORIO.
LET ME FIRST SAY IT'S A PLEASURE FOR ME TO BE HERE WITH YOU IN THIS MEETING OF ICANN.
MARKUS AND I ARE TWO PEOPLE WHO PERHAPS ARE RATHER UNUSUAL IN THIS GROUP IN THE SENSE THAT WE HAVE -- CANNOT CLAIM TO HAVE MADE ANY SIGNIFICANT CONTRIBUTION TO THE ESTABLISHMENT OR EXPANSION OF THE INTERNET.
BUT WE HAVE BEEN THERE AS MAJOR USERS.
LET ME JUST SAY A WORD QUICKLY ON WHERE YOU COME FROM ON THIS ISSUE.
ESSENTIALLY, I HAVE SPENT A GREAT DEAL OF THE PAST DECADE IN THE UNITED NATIONS, MANAGING ITS GREAT, BIG POLITICAL PROCESSES, PARTICULARLY, ON THE DEVELOPMENTAL SIDE, STARTING WITH THE RIO CONFERENCE IN 1992, AND GOING ON TO THE OTHERS.
THE REASON I MENTION THIS IS BECAUSE MY CONNECTION WITH THE INTERNET HAS BEEN ESSENTIALLY THE INTERNET AS A SOURCE OF GREAT SUPPORT FOR GLOBAL DEMOCRATIC POLITICAL PROCESSES.
WHAT THE INTERNET HAS DONE AS FAR AS MY AREA OF WORK IN THE U.N. IS CONCERNED IS THAT IT HAS MADE POSSIBLE A CONNECTION BETWEEN CITIZEN GROUPS, ACTIVIST GROUPS ACROSS NATIONAL BOUNDARIES AND BROUGHT INTO INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS A NEW ELEMENT, AN ELEMENT OF A GROUP OF A VOICE WHICH DOES NOT REFLECT NATIONAL CONCERNS, BUT AN ISSUE CONCERN.
THE WOMEN'S GROUPS ARE CONNECTED THROUGH THE INTERNET, THE HUMAN RIGHTS GROUPS ARE CONNECTED THROUGH THE INTERNET, THE ENVIRONMENTAL GROUPS ARE CONNECTED THROUGH THE INTERNET, COME TO OUR DEBATES WITH A PERSPECTIVE WHICH IS A GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE ON AN ISSUE AND NOT A NATIONAL ONE.
AND THIS IS TRANSFORMING THE NATURE OF INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS PROFOUNDLY.
AND WHAT I HAVE SEEN, THEREFORE, IS THE INTERNET AS A BASE FOR GLOBAL DEMOCRACY.
AND THE MOST SPECTACULAR EXAMPLE OF THIS IS, OF COURSE, THE ANTIPERSONNEL LAND MINES TREATY, WHICH IS WHICH CAME ABOUT ALMOST ENTIRELY BECAUSE OF THE WAY CITIZEN GROUPS COULD CONNECT ACROSS NATIONAL BOUNDARIES.
I MENTION THIS BECAUSE I THINK YOU SHOULD BE AWARE THAT THOSE OF US WHO WERE -- I AM NO LONGER IN THE U.N. IN THE SENSE THAT I HAVE RETIRED.
BUT THOSE OF US WHO HAVE BEEN INVOLVED IN U.N. PROCESSES HAVE ALWAYS LOOKED TO THE INTERNET AS A WAY OF STRENGTHENING THE BASIC PURPOSE OF THE U.N., WHICH IS TO SPREAD THE IDEA OF DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION IN GLOBAL DECISION-MAKING.
BUT BACK TO THE WORKING GROUP.
THIS WORKING GROUP IS A PRODUCT OF THE DISCUSSIONS IN THE WORLD SUMMIT ON INFORMATION, THE FIRST LEG OF IT WAS HELD, AS YOU KNOW, IN GENEVA, IN DECEMBER 2003.
THE SECOND LEG IS TO BE HELD IN TUNIS IN NOVEMBER OF 2005.
IN MANY WAYS, THE DECISION TO SET UP A WORKING GROUP IS A RESULT OF THE INABILITY OF GOVERNMENTS TO AGREE ON WHAT IS ACTUALLY REQUIRED IN THIS AREA.
AND MARKUS IS GOING TO SAY MUCH MORE ON THIS, BECAUSE HE WAS A PERSON WHO HAD TO NEGOTIATE ALL OF THE TEXT WHICH FORMED THE BASIS OF OUR WORK.
AND I SHALL LEAVE THAT TO HIM.
WHAT IS THE MANDATE WHICH THIS GROUP HAS RECEIVED?
BASICALLY, THE GOVERNMENTS HAVE LAID OUT CERTAIN CRITERIA AND GOALS FOR INTERNET GOVERNANCE.
IN TERMS OF PROCESS, THEY SAY THEY WANT SOMETHING WHICH IS MULTILATERAL, TRANSPARENT, AND DEMOCRATIC.
THESE ARE THE PHRASES THAT THEY HAVE USED.
IN TERMS OF THE END RESULTS, THEY SPEAK OF ONE SHOULD SAY THREE, MAKE FOUR THINGS.
ONE, EQUITABLE DISTRIBUTION OF RESOURCES.
SECOND, ACCESS FOR ALL.
THIRD, STABLE AND SECURE FUNCTIONING.
AND A FOURTH WHICH IS NOT QUITE A FOURTH BUT SOMEHOW IT GOT MERGED WITH STABLE AND SECURE FUNCTIONING, IS MULTILINGUALISM AND LET'S SAY CULTURAL DIVERSITY.
THIS IS WHAT THEY'RE LOOKING FOR AS THE END RESULT OF WHATEVER PROCESSES OF GOVERNANCE ARE THERE.
AND THEY SET A WORKING GROUP UP, GIVEN US THREE CLEAR OBJECTIVES, FIRST, A WORKING DEFINITION OF INTERNET GOVERNANCE, MUCH MORE DIFFICULT THAN IT SOUNDS.
SECOND, IDENTIFYING THE PUBLIC POLICY ISSUES, PUBLIC POLICY ISSUES, THE ADJECTIVE IS QUITE IMPORTANT, WHICH NEED TO BE ADDRESSED.
THIRD, A COMMON UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT ARE THE ROLES OF THE DIFFERENT ACTORS WHO ARE INVOLVED IN THIS, GOVERNMENTS, PRIVATE SECTOR, THE VARIOUS FORAS WHICH EXIST, INTERNET COMMUNITY, CIVIL SOCIETY, ET CETERA.
AND TO THE EXTENT POSSIBLE, PROPOSALS FOR ACTION TO ADDRESS ISSUES -- WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE IN THE LIGHT OF THE CRITERIA WHICH THE GOVERNMENTS HAVE LAID OUT.
THE GROUP ITSELF HAS BEEN CONSTITUTED AFTER EXTENSIVE CONSULTATIONS.
IN SEPTEMBER, WE HAD A WIDE CONSULTATION IN GENEVA.
AND MY ASSESSMENT AS TO THE GROUP WHICH HAS BEEN PUT TOGETHER, IT'S A GROUP OF ABOUT 40 PEOPLE, IT'S A BALANCED GROUP.
BALANCED IN TERMS OF GEOGRAPHY, OF COURSE.
BUT BALANCED ALSO IN TERMS OF WHERE PEOPLE ARE COMING FROM, WHAT THEIR PERSPECTIVES ON THE INTERNET ARE.
WE HAVE PEOPLE WHO HAVE BEEN INVOLVED IN THE INTERNET AS -- AT THE DESIGN END.
WE HAVE PEOPLE WHO ARE INVOLVED IN THE INTERNET IN TERMS OF ITS CURRENT MANAGEMENT AT THE NATIONAL LEVEL AND AT THE GLOBAL LEVEL.
WE HAVE PEOPLE WHOSE MAIN INTEREST IS AS USERS OF THE INTERNET.
WE HAVE BALANCE IN TERMS OF THE VARIETY OF VIEWS ABOUT HOW -- WHAT GOVERNANCE COULD BE ABOUT.
WE HAVE BALANCE IN TERMS OF AS I SAID, WHICH END OF THE INTERNET PEOPLE ARE WORKING ON.
ONE AREA WE DON'T HAVE BALANCE IS GENDER.
WE TRIED VERY HARD.
MARKUS AND THE OTHERS TRIED VERY HARD.
BUT THIS IS ONE AREA.
BUT THEN, LOOKING AROUND THIS ROOM, I AM NOT SURPRISED.
I SUPPOSE THIS IS A TECHNOLOGY THAT STILL NEEDS TO WORK ON GENDER BALANCE.
BUT THAT'S A SMALLER ISSUE, I SUSPECT, THAN THE OTHERS.
WE HAVE HAD OUR FIRST MEETING.
I AM NOT GOING TO SAY MUCH ON PROCESS.
I AM GOING TO LEAVE THAT TO MARKUS IN TERMS OF HOW THE PROCESS IS EXPECTED TO WORK AND TRY AND GIVE YOU A SENSE OF WHERE I THINK WE ARE AT THE END OF THE FIRST MEETING.
FIRST, WHAT STRUCK ME ABOUT THE FIRST MEETING IS THAT THERE WAS NO ATMOSPHERE OF CONFRONTATION.
PEOPLE WERE NOT TALKING AT ONE ANOTHER.
THEY WERE TALKING WITH ONE ANOTHER.
IT WAS WHAT I WOULD DESCRIBE AS A DIALOGUE OF GOOD FAITH.
PEOPLE WERE WILLING TO LISTEN TO WHAT SOMEBODY ELSE'S CONCERNS WERE AND TRY AND RESPOND TO THAT.
AND IT WAS VERY CREATIVE.
PEOPLE WERE BOUNCING IDEAS UPON -- OFF ONE ANOTHER.
IT WAS VERY OPEN.
AND I WOULD DESCRIBE IT AS A VERY, VERY SUCCESSFUL FIRST MEETING IN THE SENSE THAT A CERTAIN CHEMISTRY HAS BEEN GENERATED BETWEEN THE GROUP MEMBERS.
WE ALSO HAVE TO RECOGNIZE THAT GIVEN THE INTEREST IN THIS ISSUE, WE CAN'T JUST RUN THIS AS A COMPLETELY CLOSED GROUP.
FOR THAT REASON, WE ALSO HAD A WHOLE DAY OF DIALOGUE.
AND WE'VE ALSO MADE SOME MODIFICATIONS IN HOW THE GROUP FUNCTIONS SO THAT THERE'S A GREATER SENSE OF OPENNESS.
BUT WE WILL PRESERVE THIS -- A CERTAIN DISTINCTION BETWEEN THE GROUP, BECAUSE A REPORT WHICH WILL COME OUT WILL BE A REPORT OF THE GROUP, NOT OF THE ENTIRE MEMBERSHIP OF THE U.N. OR OF THE ENTIRE COMMUNITY WHICH IS INVOLVED IN OUR WORK.
SO WE HAVE TO PRESERVE THE SENSE OF THE GROUP'S WORKING TOGETHER, BEING ABLE TO TALK FRANKLY, AND AT THE SAME TIME, A SENSE OF OPENNESS SO THAT ALL VIEWS CAN BE HEARD.
I HOPE MARKUS WILL SAY A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT WHAT ARE THE STEPS THAT WE ARE TAKING IN ORDER TO MAKE SURE THAT WE LISTEN TO AS MANY PEOPLE AS POSSIBLE.
I THINK ONE OF THE THINGS THAT THE GROUP HAS DONE IS TO, I THINK, CORRECTLY POSTPONE THE ISSUE OF DEFINING INTERNET GOVERNANCE TO A LATER DATE.
GOVERNANCE IS NOTORIOUSLY DIFFICULT TO DEFINE.
I HAVE BEEN INVOLVED A LOOT IN GOVERNANCE ISSUES IN THE U.N.
AND IF YOU WERE TO ASK ME IN A MUCH MORE TRADITIONAL AREA LIKE FINANCE, DEFINE FINANCIAL GOVERNANCE, I'D HAVE GREAT DIFFICULTIES.
I WOULD BE ABLE TO TELL YOU WHETHER SOMETHING IS OR IS NOT PART OF IT.
BUT DON'T ASK ME TO WRITE IT OUT IN, SAY, A PARAGRAPH.
IT WOULD BE QUITE TOUGH.
THERE ARE THINGS WHICH WE DO UNDERSTAND, GOVERNANCE IS ABOUT CRISIS MANAGEMENT, GOVERNANCE IS ABOUT COORDINATION, GOVERNANCE IS ABOUT ANTICIPATING FUTURE PROBLEMS.
BUT NEVERTHELESS, WE HAVE DECIDED, LET'S WAIT AND LOOK AT WHAT INTERNET GOVERNANCE IS AT A LATER STAGE.
AT THIS STAGE, WHAT WE HAVE DECIDED TO DO IS TO MAP WHO IS DOING WHAT WHERE, WHETHER WHAT THEY ARE DOING IS -- MEETS SOME OF THE CRITERIA WHICH THE MEMBER STATES HAVE PUT DOWN ABOUT (INAUDIBLE), DEMOCRACY, TRANSPARENCY, AND TO GROUP THE ISSUES OF GOVERNANCE WHICH ARE WIDELY KNOWN UNDER THESE FOUR HEADS IN TERMS OF END RESULTS, EQUITABLE DISTRIBUTION OF RESOURCES, ACCESS FOR ALL, STABLE AND SECURE FUNCTIONING, AND MULTILINGUALISM AND CULTURAL DIVERSITY.
OUR HOPE IS THAT ON THE BASIS OF THIS TYPE OF MAPPING, WE CAN COME TO AN AGREEMENT IN THE GROUP ON WHAT THE PRIORITY PUBLIC POLICY ISSUES ARE.
THIS, IN THE END, IS REALLY WHAT WE ARE CONCERNED WITH, THE PUBLIC POLICY ISSUES, NOT THE TECHNICAL ISSUES ABOUT MANAGING THE INTERNET, BUT, REALLY, THE PUBLIC POLICY ISSUES WHICH NEED TO BE ADDRESSED BY A MULTISTAKEHOLDER FORM.
AND I WOULD STRESS ONE THING.
EVEN THOUGH THIS GROUP WAS SET UP UNDER A DECISION TAKEN BY GOVERNMENTS, GOVERNMENTS HAVE ACCEPTED THAT IT HAS TO BE A MULTISTAKEHOLDER OPERATION.
AND IF YOU SEE THE COMPOSITION OF THE GROUP, THE U.N. HAS TAKEN THIS SERIOUSLY AND IT TRULY IS A MULTISTAKEHOLDER GROUP.
THIS IS NOW WIDELY ACCEPTED, THAT WHATEVER WE DO IN THIS AREA, IT HAS TO BE MULTISTAKEHOLDER IN CHARACTER.
LET ME JUST SAY A FEW WORDS ON ONE ASPECT OF THIS.
WHAT IS A CRUCIAL TASK BEFORE THIS GROUP.
TO ME, THE CRUCIAL TASK BEFORE THIS GROUP IS THAT TERM OF REFERENCE WHICH TALKS ABOUT COMMON UNDERSTANDING ABOUT THE ROLE OF DIFFERENT ACTORS.
THAT, I THINK, IS CRUCIAL.
IF AT THE END OF THE SIX MONTHS THAT WE HAVE WE DO COME TO THIS SO THAT THERE IS A COMMON UNDERSTANDING AMONGST GOVERNMENTS, AMONGST THE INTERNET COMMUNITY, AMONGST CIVIL SOCIETY, AND AMONGST CORPORATES WHO ARE INVOLVED ON THIS, A COMMON UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT THE RESPECTIVE RULES ARE, I THINK WE ARE THERE.
I THINK THE INSTITUTIONAL FORMS, ET CETERA, THAT WE MAY NEED TO REFLECT THIS COMMON UNDERSTANDING IS THEN A RELATIVELY EASY JOB.
SO THAT'S WHAT WE ARE GOING TO FOCUS ON.
THERE'S JUST ONE POINT I WANT TO STRESS HERE IN THIS COMMUNITY, WHICH IS ESSENTIALLY A COMMUNITY -- WHAT I WOULD DESCRIBE AS THE INTERNET COMMUNITY, THE, IF YOU LIKE -- I USE A SLIGHTLY LESS ATTRACTIVE PHRASE.
I CALL IT THE INTERNET TECHIE COMMUNITY.
BUT MAYBE I SHOULD USE THAT PHRASE HERE.
BUT THAT'S THE PHRASE I USE.
NOW, THE POINT I WOULD LIKE TO -- I UNDERSTAND WHY GOVERNMENTS WANT TO BE ENGAGED.
YES, SOME OF THEM MAY HAVE CERTAIN OTHER MOTIVES.
BUT THE REAL REASON THIS IS HAPPENING, THE THREE REASONS WHY I THINK YOU SHOULD WORRY ABOUT THE INTERFACE BETWEEN THE COMMUNITY, WHICH HAS BEEN RESPONSIBLE FOR THE ESTABLISHMENT AND EXPANSION OF THE INTERNET, AND GOVERNMENTS, THE THREE REASONS WHY I THINK YOU SHOULD WORRY.
FIRST, IF I LOOK AHEAD, THE GREATER PART OF THE GROWTH OF THIS -- THE USE OF THE INTERNET IS GOING TO TAKE PLACE IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES.
THAT'S WHERE THE FUTURE GROWTH IS GOING TO BE.
AND IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES, THE ROLE OF GOVERNMENTS AS PROVIDERS OF SERVICES, THE ROLE OF GOVERNMENTS, IN MANY CASES, EVEN AS INVESTORS, THE ROLE OF GOVERNMENTS AS FACILITATORS, IS MUCH GREATER THAN WHAT YOU HAVE BEEN USED TO IN THE OECD COUNTRIES.
IT'S MUCH MORE IMPORTANT TO GET ENGAGED WITH THE GOVERNMENTS, BECAUSE YOU, AS PEOPLE WHO ARE COMMITTED TO THE EXPANSION OF THE INTERNET TO PROVIDE -- ENSURING FULL ACCESS TO THE INTERNET, ARE MUCH MORE DEPENDENT ON THE GOVERNMENTS BEING PROACTIVE.
SECOND, IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES, THE GREAT -- THE APPLICATIONS, THE USE OF THE INTERNET FOR PUBLIC PURPOSES, FOR EGOVERNANCE PURPOSES, IS GOING TO BE FAR MORE IMPORTANT THAN ECOMMERCE.
THAT'S WHAT'S GOING TO DRIVE THE USE OF THE INTERNET.
BECAUSE IN MOST OF THESE COUNTRIES, YOU'RE NOT GOING TO GET ECOMMERCE DEVELOPING THE WAY IT IS IN THE OECD COUNTRIES.
THE DRIVING -- THE CUTTING EDGE OF INTERNET USE AND EXPANSION IN THESE COUNTRIES IS GOING TO BE EGOVERNMENT.
AND THAT SAYS GOVERNMENTS THEMSELVES ARE GOING TO DEPEND MUCH, MUCH MORE ON THE INTERNET THAN IN MANY OTHER PARTS OF THE WORLD.
THIS IS WHY THEY HAVE TO BE ENGAGED IN THIS EXERCISE.
THE THIRD IS A DIFFERENT ISSUE, CONVERGENCE, WHICH IS NOT UNIQUE TO DEVELOPING COUNTRIES.
IT APPLIES ALL AROUND.
THAT YOU WILL HAVE A CERTAIN INTERFACE BETWEEN THE INTERNET AND TELEPHONY AND TELEVISION WHICH IS GOING TO COME BECAUSE OF CONVERGENCE.
FOR ALL OF THESE REASONS, YOU TRY AND SEE WHAT SORT OF ROBUST MECHANISM WE CAN SET UP, THEN I WOULD ARGUE THAT THE TIME HAS COME TO REALLY WORK OUT A USEFUL RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE COMMUNITY WHICH HAS BEEN RESPONSIBLE FOR THE EXPANSION AND GROWTH OF THE INTERNET AND THE GOVERNMENTS WHO WILL HAVE TO TAKE A SUPPORTIVE AND PROACTIVE ROLE IN THE FURTHER DEVELOPMENT OF THIS TECHNOLOGY FOR THE BENEFIT OF ALL.
THIS IS WHAT MY PERSPECTIVE IS ON THIS.
AND I LOOK FORWARD TO LISTENING TO THE DISCUSSIONS OVER THE REST OF THE MORNING.
MY COLLEAGUE, MARKUS KUMMER, WILL SUPPLEMENT THESE REMARKS NOW.
THANK YOU.

(APPLAUSE.)
>>VITTORIO BERTOLA: OKAY.
AND I AM QUITE GLAD TO INTRODUCE MARKUS KUMMER.
AS I WAS SAYING BEFORE, HE'S THE EX-COORDINATOR OF THE SECRETARIAT OF THE WGIG.
AND SO HE WILL HAVE TEN MINUTES TO INTRODUCE ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED AT THE MEETING OF THE GROUP.
>>MARKUS KUMMER: THANK YOU, VITTORIO.
GOOD MORNING TO YOU ALL.
IT'S A PLEASURE FOR ME TO BE HERE WITH YOU.
WHEN I SPOKE TO YOU LAST IN A SIMILAR SETTING AT THE MEETING IN KUALA LUMPUR, WE ARE RIGHT AT THE BEGINNING OF THE PROCESS.
WE WERE IN THE FIRST PHASE OF OUR ACTIVITIES TRYING TO SET UP THE WORKING GROUP.
MEANWHILE, THE WORKING GROUP HAS BEEN SET UP.
WE ARE ON TRACK, AND WE HELD OUR FIRST MEETING LAST WEEK.
YOU MAY RECALL THAT I INDICATED AS A PRIORITY IN KUALA LUMPUR THAT IT WOULD BE TO MAKE SURE THAT ALL GOVERNMENTS AND MAJOR STAKEHOLDERS WOULD FEEL REPRESENTED IN THE WORKING GROUP ON INTERNET GOVERNANCE.
AND MY FEELING IS THE SETTING UP THE COMPOSITION OF THE GROUP WAS VERY WELL RECEIVED, AND WE ARE OFF TO A GOOD START.
I DID AT SOME LENGTH DWELL ON THE HISTORY OF THE NEGOTIATIONS AT THE LAST MEETING.
SO I WILL BE SHORT ON THAT ONE.
ESSENTIALLY, WE HAD WHAT, IN FRENCH, IS CALLED (SPEAKING FRENCH) IT WAS A CLASH OF TWO VISIONS.
THERE WERE ALSO THOSE MAINLY DEVELOPING COUNTRIES WHO SAID THE PRESENT ARRANGEMENTS WERE NOT LEGITIMATE AND THEY NEEDED THE LEGITIMACY OF THE UNITED NATIONS.
AND THE OTHERS, THOSE WHO ARE REPRESENTED HERE IN THIS ROOM, WHO SAID THE ARRANGEMENTS ARE EFFICIENT AND THUS LEGITIMATE.
BUT WE DID NOT IN THE NEGOTIATIONS GO VERY MUCH INTO DETAILS.
AND THAT WAS THE RAISON D'ETRE FOR SETTING UP THIS WORKING GROUP.
AND ONE POINT I MADE IN KUALA LUMPUR I WOULD LIKE TO REPEAT.
WE HAVE TO LOOK AT THIS AS A TRIBUTE AT THE HIGHEST POLITICAL LEVEL BY HEADS OF STATE AND GOVERNMENTS TO THE IMPORTANCE OF THE INTERNET.
IF THE INTERNET WERE NOT THOUGHT TO BE IMPORTANT, THEY WOULDN'T HAVE ATTACHED THIS IMPORTANCE TO THIS AGENDA ITEM.
THE WSIS IN GENEVA PUT INTERNET GOVERNANCE ON THE AGENDA OF INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION, AND IT CAN BE SEEN AS THE BEGINNING OF A BROAD-BASED MULTILATERAL PROCESS ON INTERNET GOVERNANCE LEADING TO TUNIS AND BEYOND.
BUT I THINK IT ALSO NEEDS TO BE SEEN IN THE BROADER CONTEXT OF THESE DISCUSSIONS ON GLOBAL GOVERNANCE, ON ADAPTING GLOBAL GOVERNANCE TO THE NEEDS OF THE 21ST CENTURY, AND NEEDING THESE, I JUST ALLUDED TO THE IMPORTANT ROLE THE INTERNET ITSELF PLAYS AS A MEDIUM IN FACILITATING STAKEHOLDER TAKING PART IN GOVERNANCE DISCUSSIONS.
BUT THE ACTIVITIES OF THE WORKING GROUP, OF COURSE, HAS TO BE SEEN IN THE BROADER CONTEXT OF WSIS.
THE GROUP IS NOT HERE TO NEGOTIATE, BUT THE GROUP IS HERE TO PREPARE A REPORT THAT IS SUPPOSED TO FACILITATE THE NEGOTIATIONS AT THE SECOND PHASE OF THE SUMMIT IN TUNIS.
NOW, AS WE HAVE ALREADY SEEN, WE ARE AT THE BEGINNING OF THE SUBSTANTIVE PHASE.
BUT THE WGIG IS, INTERESTINGLY ENOUGH, IT'S THE CORE MAYBE OF THE DEBATE, BUT THERE ARE MANY OTHER EVENTS TAKING PLACE IN THE OUTSIDE.
WGIG IS NOT OPERATING IN A VACUUM.
IT WILL BE UNDERPINNED BY MANY EVENTS AND ACCOMPANIED BY MANY ACTORS.
NUMEROUS EVENTS HAVE ALREADY TAKEN PLACE, AND THE ISSUES BEFORE WGIG ARE DISCUSSED IN FORA SUCH AS THIS ONE RIGHT NOW.
I WILL NOT GO INTO THE COMPOSITION OF WGIG, BUT I NOTE WITH PLEASURE THAT QUITE A FEW MEMBERS ARE HERE PRESENT IN THIS ROOM, AT THE TABLE, AND ALSO IN THE ROOM.
AND I HOPE THEY WILL ENGAGE IN THE DISCUSSION.
BUT MAYBE SOME DETAILS ON OUR FIRST MEETING.
LAST WEEK, WE HAD THE FIRST MEETING ON THE 23RD TO 25TH OF NOVEMBER AND ON THE 24TH OF NOVEMBER, WE HAD OPEN CONSULTATIONS WHERE ALL GOVERNMENTS AND ALL STAKEHOLDERS, PRIVATE SECTOR ENTITIES AND NGOS WERE ALLOWED TO PARTICIPATE.
AND WE HOPE VERY MUCH, AND IT IS OUR INTENTION, TO REPEAT THIS PATTERN THAT ALL THE MEETINGS OF THE WORKING GROUP WILL BE HELD IN CONJUNCTION WITH OPEN CONSULTATIONS.
THE AIM OF THE MEETING WAS TO SET THE AGENDA, SET UP THE ROADMAP FOR THE FUTURE WORK, AND ALSO GET A CLEARER PICTURE AS REGARDS SCOPE OF WORK AND PRIORITIES.
BY AND LARGE, WE ACHIEVED OUR OBJECTIVES, AND, AS OUR CHAIRMAN SAID, WGIG IS ALREADY DEVELOPING ITS OWN IDENTITY WITH A VERY GOOD CHEMISTRY AMONG ITS MEMBERS.
WE STARTED THE WORK, AND WE AGREED ON THE AGENDA.
AND A VERY STRONG MESSAGE THAT CAME OUT OF THE MEETING IS THE STRESS ON THE DEVELOPMENTAL DIMENSION.
THE GROUP SEES INTERNET GOVERNANCE VERY MUCH IN THE CONTEXT OF ICTS FOR DEVELOPMENT, AND MANY DEVELOPING COUNTRY REPRESENTATIVES POINTED ALSO OUT THE NEED FOR IMPROVING DEVELOPING COUNTRY REPRESENTATION IN THE VARIOUS INTERNET GOVERNANCE MECHANISMS.
AND LAST, BUT NOT LEAST, IT WAS NOTED THERE IS A GREAT NEED FOR CAPACITY-BUILDING AMONG DEVELOPING COUNTRIES.
IN DETAIL, THE WORKING GROUP AT ITS FIRST MEETING AGREED ON THE PRELIMINARY DRAFT OUTLINE OF A REPORT.
THIS IS ALREADY ON OUR WEB SITE.
I HAD PREPARED A SLIDE ON THAT, BUT, UNFORTUNATELY, IT DOESN'T SEEM TO WORK HERE, OR MAYBE THE USB STICK GOT LOST THAT I GAVE TO THE SECRETARIAT.
BUT, IN ANY CASE, IT IS ON THE WEB SITE, AND IT IS NOT THE END OF THE STRUCTURE; IT'S THE BEGINNING OF THE STRUCTURE.
IT'S UNDERSTOOD THAT IT MAY LOOK COMPLETELY DIFFERENT AT THE END OF IT, BUT WE CAN WORK ON THAT.
THE CHAIRMAN ALREADY SAID WE DECIDED NOT TO DWELL TOO MUCH ON THE WORKING DIVISIONS NOW.
BUT WE WILL START ON THE EVOLUTION OF THE INTERNET.
AND THE INTERNET SOCIETY ALREADY KINDLY AGREED TO LET US HAVE AS A STARTING POINT AS A BASIS, THEIR MATERIAL TO DRAFT A CHAPTER ON THAT.
FROM THAT, WE MOVE TO A DESCRIPTION OF THE CURRENT SITUATION, AND WHERE WE TAKE AN INVENTORY OF THE PUBLIC POLICY ISSUES.
BUT WE ALSO THOUGHT IT WOULD BE IMPORTANT TO LOOK AT POSSIBLE FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS AND SCENARIOS TO TAKE INTO ACCOUNT THAT WHATEVER THE RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE GROUP SHOULD BE, THAT THEY SHOULD ALSO TAKE INTO ACCOUNT POSSIBLE FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS.
AND THE LAST POINT, THEN, OF COURSE OF THE REPORT WOULD BE THE PROPOSALS FOR ACTION, AS APPROPRIATE, AS THE NEGOTIATED LANGUAGE FROM GENEVA TELLS US TO DO.
THE CHAIRMAN ALREADY POINTED OUT THE INVENTORY OF PUBLIC POLICY ISSUES ON THE CATEGORIES WE DECIDED TO USE.
THE DIFFICULTIES WHEN DECIDING ON CATEGORIES IS THAT THERE IS NO UNIVERSALLY AGREED MODEL.
SO IT WAS FELT THAT MAYBE THE EASIEST WAY TO MOVE FORWARD WOULD BE TO FALL BACK ON THE AGREED LANGUAGE, ON LANGUAGE WE HAD IN THE GENEVA DOCUMENTS, IN PARTICULAR, IN PARAGRAPH 49.
IT WAS ACTUALLY THE CHINESE DELEGATION THAT MADE THE PROPOSAL IN THE OPEN CONSULTATIONS, AND THE GROUP FELT THAT WOULD INDEED BE A WAY FORWARD.
THEN WE HAVE SEVERAL CATEGORIES MENTIONED: EQUITABLE DISTRIBUTION OF RESOURCES, ACCESS FOR ALL, STABLE AND SECURE FUNCTIONING OF THE INTERNET, AND MULTILINGUALISM.
SO WE ADDED MULTILINGUALISM IN CONTENT AND WE ADDED YET ANOTHER CATEGORY, OTHER ISSUES FOR CONSIDERATION.
AND, HOPEFULLY, WE WILL BE ABLE TO WORK WITH THIS STRUCTURE.
BASED ON THIS, WE WILL START DRAFTING ISSUE PAPERS.
WE WILL HOLD ONLINE CONSULTATIONS.
AND IT WILL BE VERY MUCH A BOTTOM-UP, MEMBER-DRIVEN PROCESS, NOT ONLY BECAUSE WE DON'T HAVE THE HUMAN RESOURCES IN THE SECRETARIAT, BUT ALSO BECAUSE WE HAVE ALL THE EXPERTISE AMONG THE MEMBERS, AND IT'S -- SEEMS TO BE LOGICAL TO MAKE BEST POSSIBLE USE OF THIS EXPERTISE.
WE ARE RIGHT NOW DEVELOPING A TEMPLATE FOR THESE ISSUE PAPERS, AND THE IDEA WOULD BE THAT EACH OF THESE ISSUES WOULD BE MEASURED AGAINST THE PRINCIPLES, BENCHMARKS, CONTAINED IN THE DECLARATION.
THESE BENCHMARKS HAVE ALREADY BEEN MENTIONED BY NITIN DESAI.
THE MANAGEMENT OF THE INTERNET SHOULD BE -- THIS IS IN THE DECLARATION OF PRINCIPLE -- MULTILATERAL, DEMOCRATIC AND TRANSPARENT.
ANOTHER POINT THAT WAS MADE WAS THE -- A REFERENCE TO THE INTERNATIONAL INTERNET GOVERNANCE ISSUES SHOULD BE ADDRESSED IN A COORDINATED MANNER.
SO THE IDEA WOULD BE THAT WE LOOK AT EACH ISSUE AND DO THEY FULFILL THESE CRITERIA.
THESE PAPERS, HOPEFULLY, WILL BE DEVELOPED OVER THE NEXT TWO MONTHS.
WE HAVE THE CHRISTMAS PERIOD, AND WE WERE TOLD BY OUR MEMBERS FROM THE SOUTHERN HEMISPHERE THAT JANUARY IS A VERY BAD TIME FOR WORK THERE, AS THAT'S THE MAIN SUMMER HOLIDAY.
NEVERTHELESS, WE HOPE THAT BY AROUND THE 20TH OF JANUARY, WE WILL HAVE OUR FEET BACK AND WE WILL GET THE PAPERS, AND THEN THEY WILL BE ONLINE, AND ALL THE INTERNET COMMUNITY WILL HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY ALSO TO INTERACT, AS WE'LL HAVE ALL GOVERNMENTS AND OTHER STAKEHOLDERS.
IN THE MEANTIME, WE WILL HAVE TO DEVELOP TOOLS FOR ONLINE CONSULTATIONS.
AND VITTORIO IS ONE OF THE MEMBERS OF THE BOARD WHO VOLUNTEERED IN HELPING US TO DEVELOP MODELS.
WE VERY MUCH HOPE TO LEARN FROM CIVIL SOCIETY AND THE INTERNET COMMUNITY.
AND I THINK FROM THE ICANN COMMUNITY WE CAN LEARN A LOT ON HOW TO DO THAT SORT OF THING.
AND THEN, THE NEXT MEETING WILL BE BACK TO BACK WITH A SECOND PREPCOM OF WSIS FROM 14TH TO 18TH OF FEBRUARY, AND 15 AND 16 OF FEBRUARY WILL BE OPEN CONSULTATIONS AND WE WOULD HOPE AS MANY PEOPLE AS POSSIBLE FROM THE ICANN COMMUNITY WOULD BE ATTENDING. BUT WE WILL TRY AND STRUCTURE THESE CONSULTATIONS, AND PRESUMABLY ALONG THE LINES OF THE FOUR CATEGORIES -- FOUR OR FIVE CATEGORIES MENTIONED BEFORE; THAT WE HAVE ONE MORNING TO ONE CATEGORY, AN AFTERNOON TO ANOTHER CATEGORY.
AND TO LOOK AHEAD, AFTER THE FEBRUARY MEETING, OF COURSE, THEN WE SHOULD HAVE A MAP OF THE ISSUES AND WE WILL BE ABLE TO MOVE ON FROM THERE.
THE THIRD MEETING WILL BE IN MID-APRIL, AND THE FOURTH AND FINAL MEETING, DRAFTING OF THE REPORT, WILL BE IN MID-JUNE.
BUT ALSO, IN BETWEEN, THERE WILL BE MANY REGIONAL MEETINGS TAKING PLACE. THERE WILL BE ONE IN JANUARY, MAINLY ORGANIZED BY THE U.N. ECONOMIC REGIONAL COMMISSIONS THERE WILL BE ONE IN ACCRA, GHANA, THERE WILL BE ANOTHER ONE FOR THE AFRICAN STATES IN MAY, AND THERE WILL ALSO BE ONE IN BANGKOK IN MAY OR JUNE. AND ALSO, OUR BRAZILIAN FRIENDS WERE TALKING ABOUT HOLDING A MEETING IN MAY.
AND THE REPORT SHOULD BE ISSUED, THEN, NOT LATER THAN JULY 2005 TO ALLOW GOVERNMENTS TO TAKE NOTE OF IT, TO PREPARE THE NEGOTIATIONS.
THERE ARE MANY WHO NOW ALREADY START DISCUSSING WHAT INSTITUTIONAL ARRANGEMENTS SHOULD COME OUT OF ALL THIS. BUT TO THAT, I WOULD SAY IT'S CERTAINLY TOO EARLY TO TELL, AND LET'S HAVE SUBSTANTIVE DISCUSSION FIRST. AND AS OUR CHAIRMAN SAID, ONCE WE DEVELOP THIS COMMON UNDERSTANDING, I THINK THINGS MIGHT FALL INTO PLACE QUITE NATURALLY.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION.
(APPLAUSE.)
>>VITTORIO BERTOLA: THANK YOU. AND I WILL NOW GIVE THE FLOOR TO HILARY BOWKER, WHO IS THE MODERATOR FOR OUR NEXT PANEL ON INTERNET GOVERNANCE IN AFRICA.
>>HILARY BOWKER:THANK YOU. I'M GOING TO BE VERY BRIEF. IT'S A PLEASURE TO BE HERE. WE HAVE A VERY GOOD PANEL. BECAUSE OF THE WAY THESE MEETINGS ALWAYS HAPPENED, WE ARE STARTING VERY LATE. WE HOPED WE WOULD BE ABLE TO HAVE AN INTERACTIVE SESSION WITH YOU GUYS. THAT WILL PROBABLY BE CUT OFF. DENISE WILL BE LETTING YOU KNOW HOW TO PUT YOUR COMMENTS ONLINE AND WE WILL GET ONLINE FEEDBACK ABOUT THE POINTS THAT ARE GOING ON HERE.
SO I WOULD JUST LIKE TO START AND VERY, VERY QUICKLY, BY INTRODUCING -- OBVIOUSLY WE'RE TALKING ABOUT INTERNET GOVERNANCE IN AFRICA AND ALSO, TO A CERTAIN EXTENT, THE MIDDLE EAST, AND I WOULD LIKE TO START BY INTRODUCING MR. EKWOW SPIO-GARBRAH WHO IS THE PRESIDENT OF THE COMMONWEALTH TELECOMMUNICATIONS ORGANIZATION.

>>EKWOW SPIO-GARBRAH: THANK YOU VERY MUCH, HILARY. I HAVE COME TO UNDERSTAND THAT NOT EVERYONE KNOWS WHAT THE CTO IS, SO I'LL BE PERMITTED TO SAY A FEW WORDS ABOUT CTO, WHY WE'RE INTERESTED IN INTERNET GOVERNANCE AND WHAT CONTRIBUTION WE CAN BRING TO BEAR IN WORKING WITH MANY PEOPLE IN THIS ROOM AND ELSEWHERE TO MOVE AHEAD WITH AN AGENDA THAT EXCELLENCY, MR. DESAI. AND BY TELEPHONE OPPORTUNITIES IN THE 50 OR SO ENGLISH SPEAKING COUNTRIES THAT ARE GENERALLY KNOWN AS PART OF THE COMMONWEALTH. BUT AS A RESULT OF A CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT IN TWO YEARS AGO, WE ARE NOW ABLE TO OPERATE NOT ONLY IN THE COMMONWEALTH BUT OUTSIDE. AND EVEN THOUGH OUR MIDDLE NAME IS TELECOMMUNICATIONS, THE PRINCIPAL INTEREST IS IN TELECOMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLOGY TO PROMOTE THE DEVELOPMENT OF OUR MEMBER COUNTRIES.
THE RELEVANCE OF INTERNET GOVERNANCE TO OUR MEMBER INSTITUTIONS IS BASED ON WHAT WE'VE JUST HAD PARTLY BECAUSE OUT OF THE (INAUDIBLE) DEVELOPMENT GOALS, THE U.N. ESTABLISHED EIGHT GOALS, 18 TARGETS AND 14 INDICATORS FOR DEVELOPING COUNTRIES TO TRY TO ATTAIN BY THE YEAR 2015 AND FOLLOWING ON THE WSIS ACTION PLAN WHERE A LONG LIST, ACTUALLY 100 DIFFERENT ACTIONS WERE CALLED FOR MOSTLY ON THE PART OF GOVERNMENTS IN ORDER TO HELP THEM MEET THE MINIMUM DEVELOPMENT GOALS ESPECIALLY WITH REGARD TO CONNECTING VILLAGES, SCHOOLS, RESEARCH CENTERS, HOSPITALS, POST OFFICES AND SO FORTH, IT BECAME QUITE CLEAR THAT THIS ONEROUS RESPONSIBILITY COULD NOT BE ATTAINED IF THE INTERNET AND OTHER ICTS WERE NOT TO PLAY AN IMPORTANT ROLE IN HELPING TO BRIDGE THIS GAP. SO THIS IS HOW THE CTO BECOMES INVOLVED IN HOW THE INTERNET, RATHER THAN INTERNET GOVERNANCE ITSELF, BUT HOW THE INTERNET CAN BE A FACILITATOR OF DEVELOPMENT.
BUT IF IT IS TO BE A FACILITATOR OF DEVELOPMENT, THEN THE GOVERNMENT STRUCTURES THAT WORK WELL OR NOT SO WELL, AND THE ISSUES THAT WE ALL KNOW THAT MANY COUNTRIES AND STAKEHOLDERS ARE CONCERNED ABOUT THEN BECOME A CONCERN OF THE CTO.
THE CTO ITSELF IN ORDER TO HELP OUR MEMBER INSTITUTIONS TO BRING US HAS DEVELOPED A ROADMAP WHICH HAS.
(INAUDIBLE). WE ARE CONCERNED ABOUT BUILDING THE CAPACITY OF (INAUDIBLE) WITHIN THE VARIOUS COUNTRIES AND WE ARE ALSO INTERESTED IN BUILDING THE CAPACITY AND PROVIDING TRAINING TO EXECUTIVES AND OFFICIALS OF THE OPERATING COMPANIES, SOME OF WHOM HAVE TO WORK WITH INTERNET SERVICE PROVIDERS TO ENABLE THE DIGITAL DIVIDE TO BE BRIDGED.
AS PART OF OUR (INAUDIBLE) WE CONDUCTED A SURVEY OF SOME OF OUR MEMBER COUNTRIES THAT GATHERED IN SEPTEMBER FOR OUR COUNCIL MEETING. A STATEMENT HAS BEEN ISSUED ON IT, BUT IT DID REVEAL THAT THEY ARE QUITE A LARGE AREA WHERE VIEWS VARY CONSIDERABLY AS TO WHAT'S THE WAY FORWARD SHOULD BE. AND IN THE COURSE OF DISCUSSIONS, WE MAY GET INTO THAT. BUT I THINK PRINCIPALLY AMONG ALL THE MANY THINGS THAT HAVE BEEN SAID, BUT A SUBJECT WE DON'T TEND TO SAY VERY MUCH ABOUT IS THE FACT THAT THE INTERNET AND TO THAT EXTENT, INTERNET GOVERNANCE, ALSO IS ABOUT MONEY.
THE GREENBACK. SOMEBODY IS MAKING SOME MONEY SOMEWHERE. SOME MONEY HAS BEEN MOVED FROM ONE PART OF THE WORLD TO OTHER PARTS OF THE WORLD, OR FROM ONE (INAUDIBLE) TO OTHERS. AND PEOPLE ARE INTERESTED IN THAT. SO HOPEFULLY IN THE COURSE OF ALL THE DISCUSSIONS WE'LL GET TO UNDERSTAND HOW THIS WORKS.
THE CTO IS LOOKING FORWARD TO VARIOUS PARTNERSHIPS WITH INSTITUTIONS, SOME OF WHOM ARE REPRESENTED HERE AND OTHERS WHO ARE NOT HERE, IN ORDER TO DEVELOP PROGRAMS THAT WILL MAKE OUR MEMBERS UNDERSTAND THE ISSUES THAT AFFECT INTERNET GOVERNANCE IN A MANNER THAT WILL MAKE THEM MORE COLLABORATIVE AND MAKE THEM CONTRIBUTE MORE POSITIVELY TO THE OUTCOMES THAT HAVE BEEN DISCUSSED AS WE MOVE TOWARDS TUNIS IN NOVEMBER.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
>>HILARY BOWKER: THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
(APPLAUSE.)
>>HILARY BOWKER: A BIGGER HAND ALSO FOR SPEAKING ACTUALLY UNDER YOUR FIVE MINUTES, BUT DON'T WORRY; THOSE SECONDS WILL BE ADD TODAY LATER TIME.
I'M GOING TO GIVE THE FLOOR NOW TO DR. OLIVIER NANA NZEPA, BUT BEFORE I GIVE IT TO HIM I JUST WANT TO THANK ALL OF THE FRANCOPHONES ON THIS DAIS, AND THERE ARE A NUMBER OF THEM, TO SPEAK IN ENGLISH. IT'S NOT ALWAYS THE EASIEST THING TO DO.
(SPEAKING FRENCH) SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH, GUYS. WE DO APPRECIATE THAT.
DR. OLIVIER NANA NZEPA IS THE PROJECT COORDINATOR OF AFRICA CIVIL SOCIETY FOR INFORMATION SOCIETY, ACSIS. OLIVIER.
>>OLIVIER NANA NZEPA: GOOD MORNING TO ALL. THANKS, ICANN, FOR PROVIDING THIS OPPORTUNITY TO SHARE OUR PROSPECTIVE CONCERN AND HOPE AS FAR AS INTERNET GOVERNANCE IS CONCERNED.
I JUST WANT TO TELL YOU THAT AFRICA CIVIL SOCIETY HAS BEEN ACTIVE IN THE FIGHT FOR INTERNET IN MOST AFRICAN COUNTRIES TO THE POINT WHERE SOME GOVERNMENTS HAVE PUBLICLY ACKNOWLEDGED THAT WITHOUT THE SOCIETY THEY WOULDN'T EVEN BE AWARE OF WHAT IT'S ABOUT.
JUST TO SAY THE CIVIL SOCIETY HAS HERE IN AFRICA A TRACK RECORD OF SUCCESS IN BUILDING, SENSITIZING, ORGANIZATION, SO FORTH AND SO ON.
AND THIS HAS AN ACCORD IN A CONTEXT WITH VERY, VERY (INAUDIBLE) SOMETIMES INEFFICIENT (INAUDIBLE).
ONLINE CONSULTATIONS AND WORKSHOPS HERE AND THERE IN AFRICA HAS PROVED THAT INTERNET AND PERHAPS MORE THAN ANY TECHNOLOGY BEFORE IS CRITICAL FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF AFRICA.
STILL, WE SEE FIRST HERE MANY, MANY DIFFICULTIES, AMONG WHICH I CAN NAME FLOW AND TECHNICAL ADMINISTRATIONS, COORDINATION OF INTERNET, (INAUDIBLE) OF MOST COUNTRIES, LACK OF AWARENESS FOR THE CHALLENGES AT STAKE, LACK OF INSTITUTIONAL AND HUMAN CAPACITIES. AND WE HAVE ALSO PROBLEM RELATED TO THE MANAGEMENT OF TECHNICAL ASPECT OF THE INTERNET.
AND FROM THIS BROAD SPECTRUM OF DIFFICULTIES, THE AFRICA CIVIL SOCIETY HAS ESTABLISHED A LIST OF AFRICAN PRIORITIES. I'M NOT GOING TO BE EXHAUSTIVE IN NAMING THEM, BUT ON THE TOP OF THIS WE HAVE NATIONAL POLICIES AND RECOMMENDATIONS, COMPETITION POLICIES REGARDING PRIVATIZATION AND REGULATIONS, AFFORDABLE AND UNIVERSAL ACCESS, INTERNET COST, EDUCATION AND BUILDING OF HUMAN CAPACITY, DEVELOPMENTAL ASPECT. SPAM, WE DON'T WANT AFRICA TO BECOME A SAFE HAVEN FOR ALL THE SPAMMERS. ADMINISTRATION OF INTERNET NAMES AND IP ADDRESSES. CULTURAL AND LANGUAGE DIVERSITY, CONTENT AND ACCESS PROTECTION.
IN ORDER FOR ACSIS TO BECOME MORE EFFICIENT AND PERSONALLY HELPING TO RESOLVE THESE, WE HOPE AND WE WISH THAT ICANN AND THE VARIOUS PARTNERS PRESENT IN THIS ROOM ARE GOING TO HELP IN EMPOWERING AND LOOKING FOR THE AFRICAN CIVIL SOCIETY TO MAKE SURE THAT IN THE COMMITTEE WE HAVE MORE AFRICANS IN THIS ROOM THAN WE HAVE AT THE MOMENT. AND HELP US CARRY ON OUR ADVOCACY FOR (INAUDIBLE) AND ENVIRONMENT WITH OTHER COUNTRIES, THE PRESERVATION OF ACCESS INDEPENDENCE, DIRECT ACCESS TO FINDING, THE BUILDING OF SUSTAINABLE (INAUDIBLE) AND EFFICIENT GRASS-ROOTS ORGANIZATIONS. WE ARE GOING TO ELABORATE MORE LATER IF WE HAVE TIME FOR QUESTIONS.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR KIND ATTENTION.
(APPLAUSE.)
>>HILARY BOWKER: (SPEAKING FRENCH).
OUR NEXT SPEAKER -- FORGIVE ME HERE. SORRY, CHARLES. IS CHARLES SHABAN WHO IS A MEMBER OF THE TALAL ABU-GHAZALEH ORGANIZATION, TAGO, AND THE ARAB KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT SOCIETY.
CHARLES.
>>CHARLES SHABAN: THANK YOU. I WOULD CONCENTRATE IN THE NEXT FEW MINUTES ON THE PROPOSAL THAT REPRESENTED AS A BUSINESS SECTOR MAN FROM THE AREA AND HE IS INVOLVED IN THE BUSINESS SECTOR IN THE WORLD IN GENERAL. THIS PROPOSAL WAS SUBMITTED TO THE U.N. ICT TASK FORUM ON PROPOSING AND ENABLING ENVIRONMENT LESS THAN TWO WEEKS AGO IN BERLIN. IT CHOSE, OF COURSE, ONE OF THE PROPOSALS THAT SOME HAD TALKED ABOUT REGARDING THE INTERNET GOVERNANCE IN GENERAL. SO I'LL JUST GO VERY FAST AND CONCENTRATE ON THE MAIN ISSUES ONLY.
IT CONTAINS AROUND SIX SECTIONS. ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT SECTIONS HIGHLIGHTED THE ISSUES THAT ARE RELEVANT FOR EVERYONE, LIKE THE ROOT SERVERS, DOMAIN NAME SYSTEMS, RESOLUTIONS, CONSUMER PROTECTION, PRIVACY, CRYPTOGRAPHY, MULTILINGUALIZATION, VERSUS DEVELOPING BALANCE, VOICE OVER IP RULES, CIVIL SOCIETY RULES, SPAM, HUMAN RIGHTS AND SO ON. I WILL NOT GO ON WITH ALL THE LIST, OF COURSE.
THE NEXT SECTION IS TALKING ABOUT SOME OF THE CONSIDERATIONS THAT SHOULD BE TAKEN. I WILL HIGHLIGHT SOME OF THEM.
FOR EXAMPLE, WILL THE INDUSTRY INVEST IN WHAT IT DOES NOT MANAGE. OF COURSE, IF THIS WAS JUST TAKEN FOR THE GOVERNMENTS ONLY, AS SOME OF THE PROPOSALS SAYS THAT SOME POLICY ISSUES MAY BE OF CONCERN ONLY FOR GOVERNMENTS. BUT ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT CONSIDERATION HERE IS THAT EVERY ISSUE IS IMPORTANT FOR EVERYONE, NOT ONLY FOR THE SPECIFIC SECTOR. IT'S IMPORTANT FOR THE BUSINESS SECTOR, FOR THE CIVIL SOCIETY, FOR THE GOVERNMENTS AND EVERY STAKEHOLDER OF THE INTERNET.
ONE OF THE OTHER CONSIDERATIONS THAT IS MENTIONED IN THE PROPOSAL IS (INAUDIBLE) FOR SURE THERE COULD BE A GOVERNANCE BODY. BUT YOU SHOULD THINK OF THE CONSIDERATION OF HOW MUCH IT WILL COST TECHNICALLY, FINANCIALLY, MAYBE, AND A LOT OF CONSIDERATIONS.
SO I'LL JUST GO ON TO THE CONCLUSIONS SO AS NOT TO TAKE TOO MUCH TIME.
>>HILARY BOWKER: YOU'RE FINE.
>>CHARLES SHABAN: I WILL TALK ABOUT SOME OF THE CONCLUSIONS. IT CONTAINS HERE ABOUT A DOZEN CONCLUSIONS, BUT I WILL TALK ABOUT SOME OF THE THINGS I THINK ARE OF IMPORTANCE TO EVERYONE.
THE GOVERNMENTS ARE EXIST EXERCISING AND ARE CONTINUING TO EXERCISE GOVERNANCE RULES IN DIFFERENT WAYS OVER THEIR OWN PRIVATE SECTORS.
THERE IS A NEED FOR A U.N. RELATED FORUM FOR DISCUSSIONS OF INTERNET ISSUES BY ALL STAKEHOLDERS WORLDWIDE, CONTINUOUSLY AND CONSISTENTLY INTERNATIONAL, REGIONAL AND GLOBAL LEVELS.
SUCH A COMPLEX STRUCTURE NEEDS COMPLEX DISCIPLINES. OVERSIMPLIFICATION WILL NOT WORK.
PUBLIC POLICY ISSUE MUST BE DRIVEN BY GOVERNANCE.
TOGETHER WITH ALL STAKEHOLDERS.
THERE'S AN EXAMPLE HERE IN THE THE PROPOSAL THAT SAYS THERE'S NO SINGLE GOVERNANCE BUT THE INTERAIR SPACE DOMAIN AND HE'S COMPARING IT TO THE INTERNET GOVERNANCE. IT'S SIMPLY THAT THE INTERNET SHOULD BE. AIRPORT MANAGEMENT, AIR SECURITY, AIR TRAFFIC, ALL ARE MANAGED DIFFERENTLY; STILL, IT WORKS FINE FOR EVERYONE.
SO THE PROPOSAL CONCLUDES THAT THE U.N. SECRETARY-GENERAL WORKGROUP ON INTERNET GOVERNANCE OFFER AN UMBRELLA TO STREAMLINE AND ENHANCE THE SYNERGIES BETWEEN THE INTERNET COMMUNITY MEMBERSHIP AND TO PROVIDE CLEAR DEFINITION OF RESPONSIBILITIES. THIS MAY BE ACHIEVED THROUGH ESTABLISHMENT OF A PERMANENT INTERNET FORUM WHERE ALL STAKEHOLDERS CONSTANTLY PROVIDE INPUT IN A TRANSPARENT AND INCLUSIVE SETTING. A MULTISTAKEHOLDER, MULTIFUNCTION, MULTIDIMENSIONAL, VERTICAL AND HORIZONTAL, COMPLEX OF DISCIPLINES IS INEVITABLE. SO IN SHORT I THINK THE MAIN THREE POINTS IN MY LAST MINUTE, I WILL JUST SAY THAT THE PROPOSAL SUPPORTS THE WORK OF THE WORKGROUP ON INTERNET GOVERNANCE AND EVEN TAKE IT FURTHER THAT HE THINKS THAT THIS SHOULD BE PERMANENT BECAUSE THE INTERNET IS GROWING.
AND EVERY DAY WE HAVE DIFFERENT TECHNICAL ISSUES OF COURSE. AND THERE IS NO SINGLE ISSUE THAT IS OF IMPORTANCE FOR ONLY ONE SECTOR. EVERY ISSUE IS IMPORTANT TO EVERYONE AND THERE SHOULD BE COOPERATION BETWEEN THE EXISTING BODIES AND HOW TO COME TOGETHER.
THANK YOU.
(APPLAUSE.)
>>HILARY BOWKER: THANK YOU VERY MUCH, CHARLES. WELL, WE'VE HEARD NOW ON THIS PANEL FROM AN INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATION, CIVIL SOCIETY, BUSINESS, AND NOW I WILL GO TO MY OLD SCHOOL, MEDIA, JOURNALISM, AND CHRIS KABWATO IS THE DIRECTOR OF HIGHWAY AFRICA.
>>CHRIS KABWATO: THANK YOU, HILARY. MINE IS A SIMPLE CONTRIBUTION. WHAT I WOULD LIKE TO LOOK AT IS WHAT IS THE MEDIA'S INTEREST IN THIS WHOLE ISSUE OF INTERNET GOVERNANCE.
AND MR. DESAI POINTED OUT THE TENUOUSNESS OF THE PHRASE INTERNET GOVERNANCE. BUT I WILL CONFINE MYSELF TO WHAT IS REALLY THE MEDIA'S ROLE IN THIS WHOLE DEBATE AND I LOOK AT IT FROM THREE POINTS OF VIEW. THE MEDIA IS PRODUCERS OF CONTENT. THE MEDIA IS DEFENDERS OF WHAT I CALL PUBLIC INTEREST OR THE PUBLIC'S FEAR.
THE MEDIA IS INNOVATIVE USES OF THE INTERNET AND WEB APPLICATIONS.
SO GOING BACK THEN TO THE MEDIA AS PRODUCERS OF CONTENT WHAT ARE WE VERY MUCH INTERESTED IN? WE USE THE INTERNET, MOSTLY THE WORLD WIDE WEB. ISSUES OF AFFORDABILITY FOR OUR AUDIENCES, THAT'S QUITE KEY FOR OF US, ISSUES OF CENSORSHIP. WE SUBSCRIBE TO ARTICLE 19 OF OUR UNIVERSAL DECLARATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS FOR FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION OF OPINION, FREEDOM TO RECEIVE AND TO IMPART INFORMATION, HOLDING AN OPINION IS QUITE CENTRAL. SO ANY CONSIDERATION OF INTERNET GOVERNANCE HAS TO DERIVE ITS MANDATE OR ITS DRIVE, AS IT WERE, FROM ARTICLE 19 OF THE UNIVERSAL DECLARATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS.
THEN THERE'S ISSUES OF CONTENT, WHICH ARE RELATED TO ISSUES OF MULTILINGUALISM. THERE'S ISSUES OF PLURALITY, OF ISSUES OF THE DIFFERENT KIND OF CONTENT, DIFFERENT VOICES, BUT HOW DO YOU GIVE THAT INCREASED ACCESS.
THE MAGIC OF INTERNET OR GENIUS OF THE INTERNET IS THAT DEMOCRATIZATION OF THE SPACE THAT ENABLES OUR VOICES TO BE HEARD.
SO WHEN I COME TO THE DEFENDERS OF THE PUBLIC SPACE, WE SEE THE INTERNET JUST AS MR. DESAI SAYS, THIS GLOBAL PUBLIC SPACE WHERE ALL VOICES, GLOBAL VOICES, COMMUNITY VOICES CAN BE HEARD ON A GLOBAL SPHERE AND INCREASINGLY WE'LL BE ABLE TO INFLUENCE OR MOBILIZE OURSELVES AROUND THE INTERNET. NET ACTIVISM IS SOMETHING THAT'S ALREADY A REALITY. AND FOR THE MEDIA OF COURSE THAT KIND OF A SPACE IS QUITE IMPORTANT AS WE TRY TO ENSURE WE HOLD CERTAIN PARTIES TO BE ACCOUNTABLE. MEDIA AS GATEKEEPERS, MEDIA AS ADVOCATES. THE INTERNET FOR US IS THEN QUITE KEY.
AS I SAID, THAT GLOBAL SPHERE IS A CONTESTED SPHERE BY CIVIL SOCIETY, BUSINESS, GOVERNMENTS, AND OUR ROLE IS IN TWO WAYS.
WE COME IN WITH (INAUDIBLE). MEDIA IS AN INSTITUTION, BUT GE JOURNALISM IS THE PRACTICE WE BRING IN. ANY FUTURE OF THE INTERNET GOVERNANCE MUST BE ABLE TO ALLOW US TO DO OUR JOURNALISM.
WE OBVIOUSLY WANT IMPROVED CONNECTIVITY, INCREASED ACCESS, LOWER COST, BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY, A STABLE, PREDICTABLE ENVIRONMENT BECOMES KEY.
SO THEREFORE STABILITY, EFFICIENCY IN TERMS OF OPERATING SYSTEMS IS KEY. SO OUR POSITION IS IN THE MEDIA COLLECTIVELY WITHIN AFRICA IS THAT WE HAVE DEVELOPED CERTAIN KEY DOCUMENTS. WE HAVE COME OUT OF A CONFERENCE IN MARRAKECH, MOROCCO. WE WOULD LIKE TO OUR DECLARATION AS OUR SUBMISSION TO THE WORKGROUP ON INTERNET GOVERNANCE. AND WE WOULD ALSO WANT TO SUBMIT CERTAIN OTHER DOCUMENTS FOR EXAMPLE, ONE WAS DEVELOPED BY THE COMMITTEE TO PROTECT JOURNALISTS. BUT THEY ALL RELATE TO ISSUES OF ACCESS OF CONTENT PRODUCERS AND DEFENDERS OF ARTICLE 19 OF THE UNIVERSAL DECLARATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS. OF THAT THANK YOU.
(APPLAUSE.)
>>HILARY BOWKER: THANK YOU VERY MUCH, CHRIS.
AS I SAID, WE'VE BEEN KIND OF MOVING ON BUT THE INTERESTING THING HERE IS OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS NOT ONLY THE PRESIDENT OF THE FRENCH MOVEMENT, EXCUSE ME, OF THE AFRICAN ACADEMY OF LANGUAGES BUT HE IS ALSO THE FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE PREPCOM IN PHASE ONE OF THE WORLD SUMMIT ON THE INFORMATION SOCIETY THAT HAPPENED IN GENEVA. SO I THINK HE WILL GIVE US A LITTLE BIT OF HIS INSIGHT AND WHAT THAT TAUGHT HIM AND PERHAPS HOW WE CAN TAKE WHAT HAPPENED THEN TO LOOK FORWARD. IT'S WITH GREAT PLEASURE I INTRODUCE ADAMA SAMASSEKOU.
>>ADAMA SAMASSEKOU:THANK YOU VERY MUCH, HILARY. IT'S TRUE WE AGREED TO SPEAK IN ENGLISH, SO I JUST WANT TO GREET EVERYONE IN THIS LANGUAGE, THIS BEAUTIFUL LANGUAGE THAT MOLIER USED TO USE.
I WOULD LIKE TO STRESS REALLY TWO MAJOR ISSUES. FIRST OF ALL, AS PRESIDENT OF THE PREPCOM, OF GENERAL PHASE OF THE WORLD SUMMIT ON THE INFORMATION SOCIETY, I WAS ABLE TO SEE HOW THIS U.N. SUMMIT CHANGED THE RULES OF THE GAME.
IT WAS THE FIRST TIME THE U.N. ORGANIZED A SUMMIT ON A SUBJECT THAT WAS NOT CLEARLY DEFINED. INFORMATION SOCIETY MEANT DIFFERENT THINGS TO DIFFERENT PEOPLE. HOWEVER, GENEVA GAVE A FRAMEWORK OF COMMON VISION OF AN INFORMATION AND SHARED KNOWLEDGE SOCIETY.
BASED ON 11 CONSENSUAL KEY ISSUES, KEY PRINCIPLES.
FOR THE FIRST TIME, ALSO, THIS WAS A U.N. SUMMIT THAT INVOLVED ALL THE MAJOR STAKEHOLDERS. GOVERNMENT, CIVIL SOCIETY, THE PRIVATE SECTOR, AND INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS.
AND THIS WAS CALLED FOR IN THE ORIGINAL GENERAL ASSEMBLY RESOLUTION THAT CONVENED THE SUMMIT. IT WAS THE FIRST TIME A SUMMIT WAS PLANNED IN TWO PHASES. THIS DECISION WAS INITIALLY A POLITICAL COMPROMISE, BUT IT REPRESENTS A GOOD OPPORTUNITY TO ADDRESS ISSUES MORE COMPLETELY AND TO BUILD CONSENSUS.
FOR ME, HOWEVER, THE MAIN LESSON FROM THE SUMMIT WAS THAT WE WERE ABLE TO CREATE A NEW SPIRIT OF COOPERATION AND PARTNERSHIP, A SPIRIT THAT IS STILL FRAGILE BUT THAT ALLOWED US TO KEEP ALL THE PLAYERS AT THE SAME TABLE AND REINFORCE A CONSTRUCTIVE RESPONSE FROM THE CIVIL SOCIETY.
AND FOR THE FIRST TIME, WE HAD AN INTERNATIONAL CIVIL SOCIETY BUREAU. IT AND A PRIVATE SECTOR COORDINATING COMMITTEE SET UP BY ICC WERE REGULARLY INVITED TO MEET WITH THE GOVERNMENTAL BUREAU OF PREPCOM.
IN THE DECLARATION OF PRINCIPLES ADOPTED IN GENEVA, IT CLEARLY STATED, AND I WILL QUOTE IN FRENCH,.
ON PARAGRAPH 48, AS MR. DESAI SAID, INTERNET HAS BECOME A SOURCE OF -- A PUBLIC SOURCE AND ITS GOVERNANCE SHOULD BE A KEY ELEMENT OF THE INFORMATION SOCIETY. THE USE OF INTERNET MUST BE LATERAL AND TRANSPARENT. AND IT SHOULD ALSO ENSURE ACCESS FOR EVERYONE. AND IT SHOULD BE SECURE IN THE INTEREST OF EVERYONE.
THIS IS WHY I BELIEVE THAT TODAY THE BEST WAY TO ADDRESS THE QUESTION OF INTERNET GOVERNANCE IS TO ENFORCE THIS MULTISTAKEHOLDER APPROACH. IT IS AN APPROACH THAT ICANN HAS BEGUN, BUT I BELIEVE IT CAN BE STRENGTHENED AND WIDENED.
THE SECOND ISSUE AS PRESIDENT OF AFRICAN ACADEMY OF LANGUAGES IS OF COURSE THE MULTILINGUAL SUPPORT OF DOMAIN NAMES.
ONE CAN ASK WHY IT IS TAKING SO MUCH TIME WHILE IT SEEMS TO BE TECHNICALLY FEASIBLE. THIS IS WHY I WANT TO THANK ICANN FOR THE INTEREST SHOWN, AND THE FRANCOPHONIE AND THIS YEAR FOR THE (INAUDIBLE).
IN A CONTINENT WHERE INTERNET USERS REPRESENT LESS THAN 2% AS FAR AS THE AFRICAN LANGUAGES ARE NOT ABLE TO BE USED AS A TOOL FOR INFORMATION WRITTEN IN THE VARIOUS LANGUAGES, OUR CONTINENT WILL REMAIN ON A DIVIDE, A KNOWLEDGE AND CONTENT DIVIDE AND DIGITAL DIVIDE. FAR AWAY FROM AN EFFECTIVE INTERNET MANAGEMENT, LET ALONE THE PARTICIPATION TO INTERNET DEVELOPMENT.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
(APPLAUSE.)
>>HILARY BOWKER: AND OUR LAST, BUT DEFINITELY NOT LEAST, SPEAKER IS GOING TO BE -- I THINK ACTUALLY ANOTHER INTERESTING POSITION IN TERMS OF HIS -- HIS SPEAKING ON THIS PANEL, BECAUSE HE'S GOT CONNECTIONS TO ICANN, SINCE HE'S ON THE BOARD.
BUT HE ALSO IS A MEMBER OF THE AFRINIC POLICY WORKING WORK GROUP.
AND I'M ECHOING A LOT, SO, BY AFRICANS, FOR AFRICANS, TO MAKE SOME OF THE THINGS HAPPEN THAT YOU HAVE ALREADY STARTED TALKING ABOUT.
SO, MOUHAMET DIOP, DIRECTOR, ICANN BOARD MEMBER, AND AFRINIC POLICY WORKING GROUP.
>>MOUHAMET DIOP: THANK YOU, HILARY, AND -- THANK YOU, HILARY, AND GOOD MORNING TO EVERYBODY.
IT'S REALLY HARD TO TALK AFTER PRESIDENT ADAMA SAMASSEKOU, BECAUSE HE REALLY FOCUSED ON WHAT HE SAID AND REALLY EXPLICIT.
AND I ENFORCE EVERYBODY THAT HE HAS ALREADY STATED AND JUST WANT TO SHOW MY STRONG SUPPORT TO ALL OF THE IDEAS THAT HAVE ALREADY DEVELOPED.
I JUST AM GOING TO START BY ONE STATEMENT.
WE INTERNET COMMUNITY HAVE ALSO HAD TO SET UP THAT BEAUTIFUL INVESTMENT THAT IS THE INTERNET, AND WHEN YOU HAVE SOMETHING ON WHICH YOU HAVE SPENT YOUR WHOLE LIFE BUILDING IT AND IT BECOMES SOMETHING THAT EVERYBODY WANTS TO GET IT, SO YOU REALLY BECOME JEALOUS, AND YOU'RE GOING TO PUT YOUR ALL ENERGY TO SAVE IT.
SO WE'RE TALKING ABOUT PROTECTION OF THAT REALLY BEAUTIFUL THING THAT WE HAVE BUILT, THE INTERNET.
AND WHEN IT COMES TO THE DISCUSSION ABOUT THE MULTISTAKEHOLDER APPROACH, WE SAY THAT'S FINE.
WE ALL BUILD UP THINGS IN A MULTISTAKEHOLDER APPROACH.
BUT THE KEY WORD IS "PARTICIPATION."
THE KEY WORD IS NOT "CONTROL."
AND THAT'S THE ONLY THING WE NEED TO BE REALLY AWARE OF.
IT'S ABOUT CONTROL.
WE DON'T WANT CONTROL TO HAPPEN ON THAT BEAUTIFUL MEDIA.
AS CHRIS HAS ALREADY STATED, IT'S ABOUT FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION.
IT'S ABOUT -- I MEAN, FREEDOM OF USE.
AND WE KNOW THAT ALL OF THESE STAKEHOLDERS HAVE TRIED TO LAY OUT THEIR STRATEGY BASED ON THAT TECHNOLOGY.
THE SECOND THING IS TO FOCUS ON THE CULTURE DIVERSITY AND CONTENT POLICY.
I THINK THAT ON THE FIRST THING, ON THE CULTURAL DIVERSITY, WE ARE TALKING IN AFRICA.
NOT TALKING WORLDWIDE, JUST IN AFRICA.
THE REQUIREMENT FOR THE AFRICAN CONTENT PRESENT ON THE INTERNET IS NOT THERE.
THE LANGUAGE AND THE SCRIPT THAT ARE ALREADY REGISTERED IN THE UNICODE ARE JUST VERY FEW COMPARED TO THE NUMBER OF LANGUAGES AND SCRIPT THAT ALREADY EXIST IN AFRICA.
SO WHEN PEOPLE ARE TALKING ABOUT MULTILINGUALISM, THEY JUST THINK ABOUT THE CONTENT.
BUT BEFORE THE CONTENT, IT NEEDS TO BE LAID ON A SCRIPT.
AND THIS PROCESS IS NOT WELL DONE IN AFRICA.
SO THERE WAS A MISSING PART OF THAT PROCESS.
AND WE REALLY THANK ALL THE PEOPLE WHO NOW TRIED TO WORK SO HARD TO MAKE IT HAPPEN IN AFRICA.
BECAUSE IF THE LANGUAGE WAS NOT THERE, IF THE SCRIPT WAS NOT THERE, SO I CANNOT SEE AFRICAN PEOPLE STRENGTHEN THEIR PRESENCE ON THE INTERNET.
AND EVEN THE MEDIA, THEY UNDERSTAND THAT PROMOTION OF CONTENT ON THE MULTIMEDIA SUPPORT IS A VERY IMPORTANT ISSUE.
BUT AS WE STATED BEFORE, IF THE REQUIREMENT FOR THAT CONTENT TO BE THERE IS NOT ALREADY ACHIEVED, SO THERE IS NO WAY THAT PEOPLE CAN GET THE INFORMATION, WE WILL GET THAT DIVISION AND THAT EXCLUSION FROM THE AFRICAN POPULATION OF THE INFORMATION.
SO THE SECOND THING THAT WILL HAPPEN WHEN WE ARE TALKING ABOUT PROMOTION OF CONTENT IS TO ADAPT AN INTERFACE.
BECAUSE I THINK THAT IF WE KNOW HOW MANY PEOPLE GOT LITERATE IN AFRICA, IT'S JUST LIKE VERY FEW, SOMETIMES WE TALK ABOUT LESS THAN 40% WHO GET EDUCATION.
SO WE'RE INVESTING A LOT ON THE CONTENT BASED ON SCRIPT AND LANGUAGE, BUT WE FORGET ALL THE PEOPLE WHO DON'T HAVE ACCESS TO THAT.
AND WE'RE TALKING ABOUT AN INFORMATION SOCIETY THAT IS INCLUSIVE.
SO WE NEED TO USE THE TECHNOLOGY IN ORDER TO REACH THE POPULATION AND NOT ASK FOR PEOPLE TO BE LITERATE BEFORE THEY GET ACCESS TO THE INFORMATION.
SO THERE'S A LOT OF THINGS THAT NEED TO BE DONE IN THAT PART OF THIS ENFORCEMENT OF TECHNOLOGY, AND TO ADAPT THESE TECHNOLOGIES TO BE ABLE TO REACH THE POPULATION.
AND I JUST WANT TO RAISE A POINT.
IF WE -- WE CANNOT DO ANYTHING IN THIS PART OF THE WORLD IF THE FUNDING ISSUES ARE NOT ON THE TABLE.
AND I JUST WANT TO THANK THE -- ICANN FOR THE LAST STATEMENT THEY HAVE MADE ON THEIR STRATEGIC PLAN THAT THEY ARE PLANNING TO HAVE SPECIAL FUNDS FOR DEVELOPING COUNTRIES.
BECAUSE WE CANNOT DO ANYTHING IF FUNDING ISSUE IS NOT RAISED.
WE CAN HAVE VERY NICE PLAN FOR BRIDGING THE GAP, WE CAN HAVE, I MEAN, IMPRESSIVE INVESTMENT PROGRAM.
BUT IF THE FUNDING ISSUE ARE NOT RAISED, WE CANNOT DO ANYTHING ABOUT THIS.
SO I AM RECALLING THE U.N. TO BE FOCUSED MORE ON THE MISSING FUNCTION, LIKE THE GLOBAL CYBER TREATY, LAW ENFORCEMENT, THE CONTENT ISSUE, AND EVEN THE ENFORCEMENT AT THE GOVERNMENTAL LEVEL AND MAYBE SOMETIMES AT THE USER INTERFACE, AND TRY TO LET, I MEAN, THE TECHNICAL BODY LIKE ICANN STRENGTHEN THE INTERNET INFRASTRUCTURE LIKE THE DNS AND ALL THESE THINGS.
SO I JUST WANT TO THANK YOU, JUST TO SHARE SOME VIEWS ABOUT THE -- MY IDEA ON THE WSIS ON A, REALLY, AFRICAN PERSPECTIVE BASED ON THE WEAKNESS WE HAVE SEEN ON THE CONTINENT.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

(APPLAUSE.)
>>HILARY BOWKER: THANK YOU, MOUHAMET.
THERE HAS BEEN ONE PRETTY COMMON THEME STARTED BY NITIN DESAI, WHICH IS THE FACT THAT DEVELOPMENT IS GOING TO BE KEY TO THE FUTURE OF THE INTERNET.
SO ONE OF THE LAST POINTS YOU MADE, EKWOW SPIO-GARBRAH, WHEN YOU WERE NEAR THE END BUT IT WASN'T YOUR FINAL POINT, WAS MONEY.
AND I THINK YOU WERE COMING AT IT FROM A SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE.
BUT THAT THEY ALL COME TOGETHER.
YOU WERE, I THINK, ASKING ABOUT IF THERE ARE PROFITS TO BE MADE, COULD NOT SOME OF THE PROFITS BE HERE IN AFRICA AS OPPOSED TO ELSEWHERE.
AND I GUESS AFRINIC IS GOING TO START ADDRESSING MORE OF THAT SITUATION.
BUT DO YOU WANT TO COME BACK TO THAT?
OR DO YOU WANT TO JUST GO FORWARD WITH THE DEVELOPMENT ANGLE?
>>EKWOW SPIO-GARBRAH: WELL, YES, THAT PICKS UP ALSO ON WHAT MOUHAMET ALSO SAID IN THE SENSE THAT TO THE EXTENT THAT SOME RESOURCES ARE TRANSFERRED IN ONE FORM OR THE OTHER BETWEEN THOSE WHO MANAGE THE INTERNET OR WHO CONTROL IT AND THOSE WHO USE IT, SOMEBODY IS PAYING FOR SERVICES, SOMEBODY IS RECEIVING SOME RESOURCES, AND I THINK FROM A DEVELOPMENT PERSPECTIVE, THE CHALLENGE OF DEVELOPMENT AS A WHOLE, NOT JUST AS INTERNET GOVERNANCE, BUT EDUCATION, HEALTH, IS HOW RESOURCES THAT MAY TEND TO BE MORE IN THE INDUSTRIALIZED WORLD CAN BE MOBILIZED FOR THOSE PARTS OF THE WORLD THAT DO NOT HAVE IT.
SO IF, WITHIN THE INTERNET COMMUNITY, SOME DISCUSSION OF THAT CAN TAKE PLACE, I THINK IT WILL MAKE IT EASIER FOR THE POORER COUNTRIES TO APPRECIATE THE ROLES THAT THEY ARE SUPPOSED TO PLAY IN THE PROCESS.
BUT I KNOW THAT ASIDE FROM THE ISSUE OF INTERNET GOVERNANCE, THE SECOND ISSUE THAT WAS ALSO OUTSTANDING FROM THE WSIS PROCESS AND FOR WHICH A SEPARATE TASK FORCE IS ALSO WORKING IS THE ISSUE OF FINANCING MECHANISMS.
SO, HOPEFULLY, WHEN THE WORKING GROUP ON INTERNET GOVERNANCE REPORT HAS COME OUT AND THE TASK FORCE ON FINANCING MECHANISMS HAVE COME OUT, IT WILL BE EASIER TO SEE HOW BOTH OF THESE ISSUES MELD TOGETHER.
BUT ONE ASPECT OF THE SITUATION ITSELF THAT -- IS WORTH A MINUTE OF MENTION, IS BECAUSE THE FACT THAT WE REPRESENT BOTH INDUSTRIALIZED COUNTRIES AS WELL AS DEVELOPING COUNTRIES WITHIN THE SAME UMBRELLA, SO YOU HAVE THE U.K. AND CANADA AND SO FORTH, AND MIDDLE-INCOME COUNTRIES LIKE ALGERIA AND MALAYSIA, OF COURSE, YOU ALSO HAVE A GEOGRAPHIC SPREAD ACROSS THE ATMOSPHERE, SO YOU HAVE PACIFIC, CARIBBEAN, OTHERS, IT IS POSSIBLE WITHIN THE ORGANIZATION, AS A TRUE MULTISTAKEHOLDER PARTNERSHIP TO DISCUSS SOME OF THESE ISSUES AND TO COME UP WITH SOME SUGGESTIONS AND SOLUTIONS THAT MIGHT BE HELPFUL TO THE BROADER DISCUSSIONS.

>>HILARY BOWKER: CAN I JUST ASK YOU, ARE YOU SAYING THAT PERHAPS BECAUSE -- BECAUSE MARKUS KUMMER DESCRIBED THE FACT THAT THERE HAD BEEN TWO VERY DISTINCT GROUPS, IF YOU WILL, WHERE IT WAS SOUNDING LIKE MAYBE AT THE BEGINNING IT WAS ON THE EDGE OF BEING A CLASH, MAYBE CLOSER THAN THE EDGE.
BUT COULD THE CTO THEN PERHAPS ALSO PROVIDE AN EASY FORUM FOR GOVERNMENTS AND SOME OF THE OTHER PLAYERS TO SORT OF START TALKING ABOUT THINGS?
>>EKWOW SPIO-GARBRAH: I'LL BE BRIEF BY JUST SAYING YES.
>>HILARY BOWKER: NOW, THAT'S BEING CONCISE.
OLIVIER.
I'M JUST WONDERING IF YOU'D LIKE TO PICK UP ON THIS, SOME OF THE POINTS THAT MAYBE YOU DIDN'T HAVE A CHANCE TO MAKE OR GOING FORWARD ON THE ISSUE OF DEVELOPMENT.
>>OLIVIER NANA NZEPA: OKAY.
THANK YOU, HILARY.
I JUST WANT TO SAY THAT WE ARE PUTTING A LOT OF EMPHASIS ON INQUISITIVENESS, AND IN ORDER TO (INAUDIBLE) SO, WE HAVE TO PUT OUR MOUTH WHERE OUR POCKETS ARE, AND THANKS TO FRANCOPHONIE AND OTHERS HERE, BUT WE HAVE TO GATHER FUNDS FOR ITS INDEPENDENCE.
IT'S VERY, VERY TOUGH, VERY, VERY DIFFICULT.
AND I HOPE THAT SOME PEOPLE HERE, INTERNET, COULD HELP IN SOLVING -- TO HELP CREATE AT THE GRASS ROOTS LEVEL CRITICAL MASS TO TAKE CARE OF THIS BUSINESS OF INTERNET AND THE INTERNET GOVERNANCE AS WELL.
BECAUSE WE WANT TO PLAY OUR ROLE OF WATCHDOG, AND WE NEED THOSE MEANS TO BE ABLE TO DO IT.
>>HILARY BOWKER: IF I COULD JUST JUMP IN HERE, HAVING OVERHEARD A CONVERSATION BETWEEN OLIVIER AND ONE OF THE OTHER PANEL MEMBERS, OLIVIER'S GROUP IS LOOKING FOR A HOME.
AND, OBVIOUSLY, IT COMES DOWN TO A PROBLEM OF IF YOU ACCEPT TO BE HOSTED BY A COUNTRY, DO YOU BECOME TIED TO THEM, AS OPPOSED TO MAINTAINING YOUR INDEPENDENCE.
AND I JUST WANT TO SECOND HIS COMMENT THAT THIS IS A GROUP THAT'S ACTUALLY WORKING TOWARDS INFORMATION SOCIETY WITH CIVIL SOCIETY.
AND IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT THAT THEY FIND THE FUNDS TO BE ABLE TO SO IN AN INDEPENDENT MANNER.
SO DIG YOUR HANDS IN YOUR POCKETS, FOLKS.

>>OLIVIER NANA NZEPA: THANK YOU.
I JUST WANT TO ADDRESS THE FACT THAT WHERE WE CAME FROM.
WE CAME FROM THE CONSIDERATION THAT A LOT OF THINGS HAVE BEEN DONE AT THE GRASS ROOTS LEVEL BUT IN A VERY, VERY FORMATTED WAY.
SO AFTER A LENGTHY DISCUSSION ON LINE, WE HAVE HAD THE NEED TO BAND TOGETHER AND TO BUILD A COHESIVE AND SOUND ORGANIZATION, TO BE ABLE TO RESPOND EFFECTIVELY AND PERTINENTLY TO THE VARIOUS CHALLENGES AHEAD OF AFRICA.
WE DID, FROM GENEVA TO TUNIS, WE ARE SET NOW, AS YOU SAY, WE ARE LOOKING FOR A HOST COUNTRY.
WE HAVE THREE COUNTRIES.
WE SHALL -- WHO PROPOSE TO HOST.
BUT IT'S VERY, VERY IMPORTANT FOR US TO KEEP OUR INDEPENDENCE.
AND WITH YOUR HELP, MAYBE WE ARE GOING TO FIND A COMPROMISE BETWEEN ACCEPTING THE OFFER OF THE COUNTRIES AND KEEPING OUR INDEPENDENCE TO MAKE SURE THAT GOVERNANCE DOES NOT STEP IN, AS CHRIS PUTS, BECAUSE INTERNET IS FREE, AND WE HAVE TO LEAVE IT THAT WAY.
>>HILARY BOWKER: THANK YOU, OLIVIER.
CHARLES.
I KNOW THAT THERE WERE MASSES THERE THAT YOU DIDN'T GET TO.
BUT ALSO, YOU SPENT A LOT OF TIME TALKING ABOUT TALAL'S REPORT.
I WAS WONDERING IF YOU HAD ANY PERSONAL COMMENTS THAT YOU WANT TO MAKE.
>>CHARLES SHABAN: SINCE I WEAR SOMETIMES MULTIPLE HATS AND I AM WITH THE GROUP OF THE WORKING GROUP ON INTERNET GOVERNANCE, I THINK THE BEST WAY NOW IS TO TAKE THESE PROPOSALS, LIKE TALAL'S AND ALL THE OTHERS AVAILABLE AND TAKE THE ISSUES THAT ARE OF CONCERN FOR EVERYONE AND I THINK UNDER OUR CHAIRMAN'S LEADERSHIP, MR. DESAI, SO WE WILL -- THIS WILL BE OUR -- TO FIND THE BEST SOLUTION FOR ALL, TO PRESENT TO THE WSIS, AND TO BE ACKNOWLEDGED BY THEM FOR THE BEST OF THE INTERNET COMMUNITY, AS MR. DESAI SAID, IN GENERAL.

>>HILARY BOWKER: BRIEF AND TO THE POINT.
THANK YOU, CHARLES.
CHRIS?
YOU'VE BEEN TAKING BETTER NOTES THAN I HAVE, SO.... HE'S STILL AN ACTIVE JOURNALIST.
>>CHRIS KABWATO: THANKS, HILARY.
I THINK ONE OF THE KEY PROBLEMS IN AFRICA IS REALLY AROUND, YOU KNOW, THE -- I THINK THERE ARE THREE MAIN FACTORS, REALLY, THAT DO AFFECT, YOU KNOW, ACCESS TO THE INTERNET.
THEY HAVE TO DO WITH THE ISSUES OF BANDWIDTH, THEY HAVE TO DO WITH COSTS, THEY THEN HAVE TO DO GENERALLY WITH JUST ACCESS, YOU KNOW, AVAILABILITY, AS IT WERE.
AND ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WAS REFERRED TO WAS THE SUBSIDIES.
AND I HAVE YET TO COME ACROSS ANYWHERE WHERE THERE'S MEANINGFUL, YOU KNOW, SOLUTIONS THAT HAVE BEEN PUT ACROSS.
AFRICA PAYS 250 TO 500 MILLION DOLLARS A YEAR IN THOSE SUBSIDIES, AS IT WERE.
THE HEART OF THE INTERNET IS REALLY THE TELECOMMUNICATION COMPANIES.
AND WE HAVE TO ADDRESS AN ISSUE OF, REALLY, OUR COSTS, AFFORDABILITIES IS REALLY THE KEY ISSUE.
SO I WILL DIRECTLY SAY THAT ONE OF THE SOLUTIONS OR SOMETHING THAT MUST COME TO BEAR IS REALLY HOW AFRICAN GOVERNMENTS MUST WORK CLOSELY WITH ORGANIZATIONS LIKE AFRINIC, AFRISPUR, THE NET (INAUDIBLE), THE ATU.
BUT ALSO, I THINK, THE G8 MUST REVISIT WHAT IT PROMISED A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO IN TERMS OF REALLY THE DOLLAR SUPPORT THAT I DON'T THINK HAS REALLY MATERIALIZED TO SUPPORT THE ROLLOUT FOR THE ICT INFRASTRUCTURE, WHICH IS REALLY QUITE MASSIVE.
SO....
>>ADAMA SAMASSEKOU: -- I THINK THE QUESTION HERE CONCERNING AFRICA IS THE QUESTION TO FIND OUT HOW AFRICA IS GOING TO BE INDEPENDENT AS FAR AS THE USE OF INTERNET IS CONCERNED THE KEY QUESTION HERE IS TO FIND OUT HOW AFRICANS ARE GOING TO BE PART OF THE CHANGE THAT IS SUPPOSED TO TAKE PLACE, HOW TO MOBILIZE EVERYONE.
SO WHAT WE HAD DURING THE PREPARATORY PROCESS IS THE FUNDAMENTAL BASIC PREPARATION.
THREE STEPS HAVE GUIDED US TO THAT PROCESS: INQUISITIVENESS, PARTNERSHIP, AND SOLIDARITY.
WHEN YOU MENTION THE QUESTION FOR ALL THE STAKEHOLDERS, IT IS IMPORTANT TO FEEL YOU ARE A STAKEHOLDER.
IN AFRICA, WHEN YOU HAVE LESS THAN 2% OF THE POPULATION THAT HAS ACCESS TO INTERNET, HOW CAN YOU MENTION OF THE MANAGEMENT IMPORTANT TOOL, SO I THINK IT IS IMPORTANT TO MAKE THAT TOOL ACCESSIBLE TO EVERYONE.
AND THAT IS, IN FACT, A QUESTION OF MEANS, FINANCIAL MEANS, THAT ARE AVAILABLE.
SO THE DIVIDE IS VERY (INAUDIBLE) AND DEPENDS ON -- IT IS A QUESTION THAT IS VERY IMPORTANT.
BUT ACCESS IS NOT ALL.
FOR WHAT?
FOR WHAT CONTENT?
AND THAT IS WHERE I SAY THAT IT IS IMPORTANT TO INCLUDE EVERYONE, ALL THE AFRICAN POPULATION.
TODAY, 98 OF THE AFRICAN POPULATION DO NOT MASTER EUROPEAN LANGUAGES.
SO HOW CAN YOU MAKE AVAILABLE THAT TOOL THAT THEY CANNOT EVEN MASTER IF THEY DON'T KNOW THE LANGUAGES IF THEY CANNOT UNDERSTANDING INFORMATION PRODUCED?
SO I THINK THIS IS A KEY QUESTION FOR AFRICA TODAY.
AND THEN, WHEN WE DEAL WITH THAT QUESTION, THEN WE CAN SPEAK OF SOLIDARITY, AND THEN WE CAN SAY THAT AFRICA IS ONE OF THE STAKEHOLDERS OF THE INTERNET GOVERNANCE.
>>HILARY BOWKER: FOR ANYONE WHO DOESN'T HAVE A HEAD PHONE AND DOESN'T SPEAK FRENCH, I AM GOING TO HIGHLIGHT THE IMPORTANCE OF ACCESS AND INCLUSIVITY, WHICH ALSO INCLUDES LANGUAGE.
MOUHAMET.
>>MOUHAMET DIOP: THANK YOU VERY MUCH, HILARY.
I AM JUST GOING TO JUMP ON THE -- ON THE PRESIDENT'S SPEECH.
BUT JUST WANT TO SPEAK ON THE PERSPECTIVE OF ICANN AND THE INTERNET COMMUNITY.
I THINK THAT THE MAJOR STEP THAT WE THINK IS VERY IMPORTANT FOR US TO REACH IS TRYING TO REACH THE POPULATION, IS TO GO TO OUR POPULATION AND TO BE REALLY A PART OF THAT ADVOCACY PROCESS.
ONE OF THE WEAKNESSES OF THE WSIS PROCESS IS, THE MEDIA WAS NOT REALLY INVOLVED TO GIVE THE INFORMATION TO THE POPULATION.
AND IT'S PART OF THE MISSING POINTS THAT MEANT THAT THE WSIS WAS REALLY AN IMPORTANT POINT AND FOCUSED FOR PEOPLE AT A HIGHER LEVEL OF THE SOCIETY.
FOR EXAMPLE, THE LESS THAN 2% THAT PROFESSOR -- PRESIDENT ADAMA SAMASSEKOU HAS RAISED I REALLY FEEL CONCERN ABOUT THE WSIS PROCESS.
AND IF ICANN HAS DECIDED TO STEP AND GET SOME REGIONAL PRESENCE AND HAVE MADE THAT ANNOUNCEMENT IN GRAHAMSTOWN DURING THE MEDIA FORUM HERE IN SOUTH AFRICA SOME MONTHS AGO, IT'S JUST BECAUSE WE UNDERSTAND, REALLY, THAT IT'S VERY IMPORTANT THAT INFORMATION GOES TO THE POPULATION AND IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT THAT ICANN TRY TO GET, THROUGH ITS CONSTITUENCY AND THROUGH ITS REGIONAL OFFICES, HOW TO MAKE PEOPLE INFORMED ABOUT WHAT THE INTERNET IS, WHAT ARE THE MAIN APPLICATIONS, WHAT ARE THE IMPLICATIONS FOR POPULATION, AND HAVE A BROADER PARTICIPATION FROM THIS POPULATION.
I JUST WANT TO CALL FOR ONE THING: PLEASE DON'T KILL THIS SPIRIT OF THE INTERNET.
WE REALLY HAVE FUN WITH IT.
IT'S A REALLY ENJOYABLE ENVIRONMENT.
SO TRY TO THINK ABOUT IT.
WE MAKE IT WORK.
SO PLEASE KEEP IT WORKING.
AND WE'LL BE REALLY HAPPY WITH IT.
OF.
>>HILARY BOWKER: WE ARE RUNNING OUT OF TIME, BECAUSE I WANT TO HAND THE FLOOR OVER.
BUT I'M GOING TO -- AND, I'M SORRY, WE REALLY DIDN'T HAVE ANY TIME FOR Q & A IN THE AUDIENCE.
BUT I AM JUST GOING TO ASK VERY BRIEFLY -- VERY BRIEFLY -- EACH ONE OF THE PANELISTS TO TELL ME THE MOST IMPORTANT POINT THE NEXT STEP FORWARD.
AND I KNOW YOU MAY BE REPEATING YOURSELF.
BUT IT'S WORTH IT.

>>EKWOW SPIO-GARBRAH: I THINK THE MOST IMPORTANT STEP FORWARD IS TO APPRECIATE THE CONCERNS OF AT LEAST THE DEVELOPING COUNTRIES AND THE MERITS OF PROMOTING THE MULTISTAKEHOLDER PARTNERSHIP THAT WE HAVE TALKED ABOUT SO THAT ALL PARTIES FEEL SUFFICIENTLY REPRESENTED IN THE PROCESS BY WHICH WE ACHIEVE A COMMON UNDERSTANDING OF INTERNET GOVERNANCE AND COMMON APPRECIATION OF THE MECHANISMS BY WHICH THE INTERNET SHOULD BE GOVERNED, MANAGED, AND THE RESOURCES THAT COME THROUGH THE PROCESS CAN ALSO BE MORE EQUITABLY DISTRIBUTED.
THANK YOU.
>>HILARY BOWKER: THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
OLIVIER.
>>OLIVIER NANA NZEPA: OKAY.
THANK YOU, HILARY.
IF YOU DON'T MIND, I AM GOING TO SAY THIS IN FRENCH.
I THINK THAT WE'VE BEEN WITHIN ICANN FOR THREE YEARS.
AND WE'VE BEEN MEETING FOR THREE YEARS.
AND WE HAVE COME UP WITH A DECISION, A CONSENSUS.
AND THIS IS A COLLECTIVE ISSUE, AND IT IS IMPORTANT TO REACH OUT TO HAVE MORE MEETINGS.
BUT, FINALLY, WE JUST MEET, ONLY MAYBE WE HAVE SOME MISUNDERSTANDING ON DETAILS.
BUT RATHER THAN HAVING IMPORTANT ISSUES DEALT WITH.
SO WE HAVE TO HAVE AN INCLUSIVE PROCESS, A TOOL THAT IS USEFUL FOR EVERYONE.
THAT'S MY QUESTION, MY ISSUE HERE.
>>HILARY BOWKER: THANK YOU.
CHARLES.
>>CHARLES SHABAN: THANK YOU.
I THINK THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IS TO KNOW IF WE HAVE ANYTHING THAT NEEDS TO BE UPDATED AND SO ON AND AT THE SAME TIME CONCENTRATE ON THE THING THAT'S GOING GOOD AND CONTINUE AS THEY ARE.
AND TO HAVE SOMETHING INCLUSIVE FOR EVERYONE IN THE WORLD.
THANK YOU.
>>HILARY BOWKER: THANK YOU, CHARLES.
CHRIS.
>>CHRIS KABWATO: GOING FORWARD, I WOULD LIKE TO ASK THE WORKING GROUP ON THE INTERNET THAT, YOU KNOW, THEY KEEP THEIR PROCESS, AS THEY PUT IT, YOU KNOW, AS PUT BY MARKUS, OPEN, TRANSPARENT, AND DEMOCRATIC; THAT MAYBE EVERY MEMBER HAS READ ARTICLE 19 OF THE UNIVERSAL DECLARATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS.
THAT YOU SHOULD ALSO NOT LET SECURITY CONSIDERATIONS AND OTHER ISSUES SUCH AS CRIME, WHETHER PORNOGRAPHY, PEDOPHILIA, SHOULD NOT CLOUD THEIR JUDGMENT.
YES, THOSE ARE CONSIDERATIONS, BUT, YOU KNOW, WE NEED LEGISLATION THAT TAKES INTO ACCOUNT THOSE KIND OF THINGS, AND WE DO HAVE, I THINK, OVER MAYBE 50 YEARS OF A BODY OF WORK DONE AROUND THAT AREA.
BUT, YOU KNOW, FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION IS QUITE KEY IN -- ON THE INTERNET.
THANK YOU.

>>HILARY BOWKER: THANK YOU, CHRIS.
MR. PRESIDENT.
>>ADAMA SAMASSEKOU: THE INTERNATIONAL COMMITTEE HAS BEEN ENGAGED IN THIS PROCESS, AND WITHIN THE WAY THAT WE HAVE OPENED WIDE -- AN OPEN WIDE WORKING FIELD.
IT'S NOT BECAUSE OF TECHNOLOGY, BUT BECAUSE OF THE QUESTIONS, THE ISSUES ON THE GLOBAL LEVEL.
AND THESE ARE ISSUES AND LESSONS THAT WE HAVE TO LEARN FROM ALL THE MEETINGS WE HAD, THAT WE ARE FACED WITH A NEW WORLD DIVIDE SOCIETY.
SO IF WE HAVE TO CALL UPON YOU IS THAT ALL THE STAKEHOLDERS HERE, YOU HAVE TO BE THE HOLDER OF THAT NEW SPIRIT, THAT PARTNERSHIP SPIRIT, THAT FROM HERE TO TUNIS, WITHIN ALL THE INSTITUTIONS.
AND I WOULD LIKE TO THANK ICANN FOR THAT PLATFORM.
I WOULD LIKE THAT WITHIN ALL THESE PLATFORMS, EVERYONE SHOULD COMMUNICATE AND IT IS VERY IMPORTANT WE HAVE TO COME UP WITH AN ADOPTION BY THE INTERNATIONAL COMMITTEE, A FINAL DOCUMENT THAT IS GOING TO ENFORCE WHAT HAS BEEN SUGGESTED IN GENEVA.
WE CALL THAT DIVIDE CHART, THAT INCLUDES ALL THE PARTNERS.
EVERYONE SHOULD PLAY HIS ROLE HERE.
IT IS VERY IMPORTANT IN THIS MORE AND MORE VIOLENT WORLD TO BE AWARE OF THAT FACT.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

(APPLAUSE.)
>>MOUHAMET DIOP: THANK YOU VERY MUCH, HILARY.
I THINK THAT WE JUST HAVE THE SAME OBJECTIVE, TO HAVE A VERY INCLUSIVE INFORMATION SOCIETY.
WE ALSO KNOW THAT WE DON'T HAVE ANY PERFECT MODEL THAT REFLECTS, I MEAN, ALL THE AMBITIONS WE HAVE AS A PERFECT ORGANIZATION TO DO EVERYTHING IN A PERFECT WAY AND WITH PERFECT SOLUTION.
I THINK THAT HUMAN BEING IS NOT PERFECT AND WE DON'T -- WE'LL NEVER HAVE A PERFECT ORGANIZATION FOR ANY PURPOSES.
WHAT HAS BEEN ACHIEVED WITHIN THE INTERNET COMMUNITY IS GREAT.
EVERYBODY KNOWS IT.
AND THE ONLY MESSAGE I HAVE TO SEND TO EVERYBODY IS, WE INTERNET COMMUNITIES ARE REALLY PROUD TO SET UP SUCH AN ENVIRONMENT, AND WE HAVE TO BE REALLY COHERENT AND WORK IN A VERY CLOSE COOPERATION ENVIRONMENT IN ORDER TO KEEP SUCH A BEAUTIFUL INVESTMENT THAT HAPPENED.
THAT'S MY MAIN MESSAGE TO ALL THE WSIS PROCESS.
AND WE ARE -- FROM THE INTERNET PERSPECTIVE, WE'RE JUST LOOKING AT THE WSIS PROCESS AS ALL THE INTERNET COMMUNITY USERS.
IT MIGHT BE GOVERNMENT, IT MIGHT BE CIVIL SOCIETY, IT MIGHT BE PRIVATE SECTOR.
BUT FOR ALL THESE YEARS -- BUT FOR WSIS, WE THINK THE MOST IMPORTANT THINGS IS TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE INVESTMENT AND HOW THEY CAN ENFORCE THE SOCIAL EVOLUTION OF THE INTERNET IN ORDER TO HAVE RULES THAT TAKE CARE OF ALL OF THE MISSING ASPECTS THAT WERE NOT TAKEN AT THE TECHNICAL LEVEL.
THAT'S THE MESSAGE.

>>HILARY BOWKER: THANK YOU, MOUHAMET.
NOW, WE'VE BEEN GIVEN A REPRIEVE.
BECAUSE, ACTUALLY, WE HAVE BEEN GIVEN, BY THE ORGANIZERS, A LITTLE BIT OF TIME FOR SOME Q & A.
NOW, PEOPLE HAVE TOLD ME YOU GUYS ARE NOT VERY INTERACTIVE.
SO PROVE THEM WRONG.
SOMEBODY COME DOWN AND ASK A QUESTION OR MAKE A COMMENT.
I KNOW THIS IS AN ISSUE THAT REALLY AFFECTS ALL OF US.
AND I'M SURE THAT MANY OF THE ISSUES MEAN SOMETHING TO YOU AND NOT LEAST, MOUHAMET'S PLEA NOT TO RUIN "MY INTERNET."
SO DO I HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS FROM THE FLOOR?
THERE'S A MIKE HERE.
IT'S A LONG, LONELY WALK.
BUT IS ANYBODY BRAVE ENOUGH TO MAKE IT?
AHA.
NOPE?
JUST LETTING SOMEBODY SIT IN THEIR -- THERE WE GO.
GREAT. I'M JUST GOING TO ASK YOU TO IDENTIFY YOURSELF.
>>DANIEL KARRENBERG: I WILL IF THIS WORKS. ONE, TWO, THREE, FOUR. OKAY. MY NAME IS DANIEL KARRENBERG, I'M CURRENTLY WORKING AT THE EUROPEAN REGIONAL INTERNET REGISTRY. I'D LIKE TO ECHO WHAT MOUHAMET HAS SAID. WHAT I SENSE IN THIS DISCUSSION, AND I'M AN ENGINEER, I'M NOT A POLITICIAN WHATSOEVER, I'M NOT AN ECONOMIST EITHER. WHAT I SENSE IN THIS DISCUSSION IS THAT THERE'S VERY OFTEN AN UNDERTONE OF TRYING TO SOLVE --
>>HILARY BOWKER: EXCUSE ME JUST ONE SECOND. CAN ANYBODY HEAR THIS GENTLEMAN? BECAUSE I THINK WE'RE HAVING PROBLEM WITH THE MIKE.
>>DANIEL KARRENBERG: I HEAR MYSELF.
OKAY. THERE'S VERY OFTEN AN UNDERTONE IN THIS DISCUSSION OF TRYING TO SOLVE PROBLEMS THAT ARE BASICALLY ECONOMIC IN NATURE BY CHANGING MECHANICS OF GOVERNANCE. AND ESPECIALLY CHANGING MECHANICS OF GOVERNANCE AT A VERY LOW LEVEL.
AND MY CONCERN IS VERY GENERAL, AND I DON'T WANT TO TAKE MUCH TIME TO GO INTO DETAILS, BUT IN A VERY GENERAL NATURE IS THAT THIS MAY ACTUALLY, IF YOU TRY TO CHANGE THE MECHANISMS OF GOVERNANCE AT THE LOWER LEVELS WHERE ACTUALLY ENGINEERING COMES INTO PLAY AS WELL, THAT THAT MAY ACTUALLY BREAK THE INTERNET.
SO YOU MAY WANT TO BE CAREFUL NOT TO GET INTO A SITUATION WHERE YOU SAY OKAY THE ECONOMIC PROBLEMS ARE TOO HARD TO TACKLE. LET'S DO IT BY REGULATION OR BY CHANGING THE WSIS GOVERNANCE. BE CAREFUL YOU DON'T BREAK THINGS. AND THAT'S WHAT I HEAR MOUHAMET SAY, BUT MAYBE I'M MISINTERPRETING HIM.
>>HILARY BOWKER: ARE YOU BEING MISINTERPRETED?
>>MOUHAMET DIOP: NO.
>>HILARY BOWKER: OKAY. THAT WAS ONE. DO I HAVE -- YEP. COME ON DOWN.
ONE MORE.
>>FRANCIS MUGUET: YES. I'M FRANCIS MUGUET, AND I'M ONE OF THE CO CHAIR OF THE (INAUDIBLE) SOCIETY WORKING GROUP AT THE SUMMIT ON INFORMATION SOCIETY. AND I WOULD LIKE TO MAKE A FEW REMARKS. THESE ARE LIVE REMARKS, NOT PREPARED STATEMENTS SO THEY ARE MY PERSONAL COMMENTS.
>>HILARY BOWKER: I WILL ASK YOU TO KEEP THEM BRIEF. WE HAVE A PERSON AFTER YOU.
>>FRANCIS MUGUET: CONCERNING THE BALANCE OF THE -- THE BALANCE OF THE WORKGROUP, WE ARE DEEPLY CONCERNED BY THE FACT THAT THE FREE SOFTWARE COMMUNITY IS NOT REPRESENTED IN THIS WORKGROUP.
THE SECOND CONCERN IS THAT THE W3C WHICH IS AN ORGANIZATION WHICH RELATES TO THE WORLD WIDE WEB IS NOT REPRESENTED EITHER.
NOW, AS ANOTHER COMMENT ON ANOTHER TOPIC, I THINK THERE IS A NEED FOR A LEGAL FRAMEWORK FOR MULTI-STAKEHOLDER PARTNERSHIP BECAUSE THERE IS NO LEGAL FRAMEWORK AT THE INTERNATIONAL PUBLIC-LAW LEVEL.
I WILL JUST MENTION THAT THERE IS A PROPOSAL TO (INAUDIBLE) PROVIDING SUCH A MECHANISM WHICH CAN BE FOUND AT THE FOLLOWING URL, UNMSP.ORG. THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION.
>>HILARY BOWKER: THANK YOU VERY MUCH. NOW I'VE GOTTEN YOU DOWN HERE I MAY HAVE STARTED SOMETHING WE HAVE TO STOP. HOW ARE WE DON ON TIME? DO WE HAVE TIME FOR ONE MORE OR NOT? AND I UNDERSTAND YOU HAVE TIGHT DEADLINES TO FOLLOW, SO....
OKAY. I DO APOLOGIZE FOR GETTING YOU DOWN HERE. THERE IS -- AND I HAVE TO UNDERLINE THAT THERE'S CAPETOWN ONE WORD, AT ICANN.ORG FOR COMMENTS.
>>RAYMOND LOUW: MA'AM, WE'VE COME A LONG WAY TO ATTEND THIS CONFERENCE AND TO MAKE A POINT, AND I DO SUGGEST THAT YOU SHOULD HEAR THE POINT. IT WILL BE VERY QUICK.
(APPLAUSE.)
>>RAYMOND LOUW: MY NAME IS RAYMOND LOUW, AND I'M REPRESENTING THE WORLD PRESS FREEDOM COMMITTEE, WASHINGTON BASED NGO BUT I'M FROM SOUTH AFRICA. SOME OF THE SPEAKERS HAS ALLUDED, CHRIS KABWATO HAS ALLUDED TO SECURITY CONCERNS AND ARTICLE 19 BUT ONLY IN A GENERAL WAY. I BELIEVE YOU HAVE A RESOLUTION YOU'RE ABOUT TO PASS HERE AND I THINK YOU SHOULD EXPAND THAT RESOLUTION TO INCLUDE THE FACT THAT ICANN WILL ADHERE TO THE WSIS DECISION WHICH WAS TAKEN IN DECEMBER LAST YEAR IN GENEVA TO MAKE A CORE VALUE OF ICANN, ARTICLE 19 OF THE UNIVERSAL DECLARATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS. AND IT IS VERY IMPORTANT FOR THIS TO BE DONE NOW BECAUSE GOVERNMENTS ARE STARTING TO EXERCISE CONTROLS OVER THE INTERNET BY MONITORING SERVICES AND FORCING THE CLOSING DOWN OF CERTAIN SERVICES IN THE SO-CALLED INTEREST OF SECURITY.
I THINK THIS IS AN EXTREMELY IMPORTANT TIME FACTOR IN THE DELIBERATIONS OF ICANN THAT THIS ISSUE BE DEALT WITH AND DEALT WITH PROMPTLY, RIGHT NOW. OTHERWISE, ALL THE THINGS THAT YOU STAND FOR AS ICANN, WHICH IS FREE EXCHANGE OF INFORMATION, THE FREE ACCESS TO INFORMATION, AND THE FREE DISSEMINATION OF INFORMATION, AND FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION WILL BE DESTROYED.
THANK YOU.
(APPLAUSE.)
>>HILARY BOWKER: THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
I'M GOING TO THROW THAT BALL OVER TO THE COURT OF THE PLANNING GROUP. AND FIRST OF ALL, I'D LIKE TO THANK THEM, BECAUSE WITHOUT THEM, NONE OF US WOULD BE HERE.
SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR ORGANIZING THIS PANEL. AND NOW I'M GOING TO GIVE THE FLOOR TO PETER DENGATE. PETER.
>>PETER DENGATE THRUSH: THANK YOU, HILARY.
IT'S MY PLEASURE TO INTRODUCE PRESENTATIONS NOW ON BEHALF OF MEMBERS OF THE WSIS WORKSHOP PLANNING GROUP. AS HAS BEEN SUGGESTED, WE ALREADY HAD THREE, THIS IS THE FOURTH SESSION ORGANIZED BY OUR WORKGROUP AND I PARTICULARLY WANT TO THANK PAUL TWOMEY, CEO AND CHAIRMAN. BOARD, VINT CERF, WHO HAVE ATTENDED BOTH OF OUR PREVIOUS WORKSHOPS AND AGAIN TODAY IN CAPE TOWN. THANKS ALSO TO MARKUS KUMMER WHO HAS WITH US IN KUALA LUMPUR, AND THANKS NOW TO MR. DESAI REPRESENTING THE SECRETARIAT.
AND THANK YOU ALSO TO PAUL TWOMEY FOR MAKING STAFF AVAILABLE TO OUR WORKING GROUP, PARTICULARLY, DENISE MICHEL. AND THANK FOR THE HILARY BOWKER AND THE PANELISTS FOR GIVING US A PERSPECTIVE. AGAIN, YOU CAN MAKE COMMENTS ON THE WEB SITE THAT'S BEEN SET UP, WHICH IS -- DENISE, AGAIN? CAPETOWN@ICANN.ORG.
SO PLEASE MAKE THOSE COMMENTS THERE.
WHAT WE'RE GOING TO MOVE ON TO IS THE WORKING GROUP MEMBERS ARE GOING TO INTRODUCE THEMSELVES AND EXPLAIN THE PERSPECTIVE OF THEIR STAKEHOLDER GROUPS. BY WAY OF BACKGROUND, LET ME SAY THE WORKING GROUP WAS FORMED IN TRUE ICANN BOTTOM-UP STYLE TO INFORM THE COMMUNITY ABOUT THE GOVERNANCE ASPECTS OF THE WSIS.
THERE WERE FIRST PRESENTATIONS I WAS AWARE OF AT CC PRESENT TASTES OF THE CCTLD. MOST IF NOT ALL MEMBERS OF THE WORKING GROUP HAVE BEEN INVOLVED WITH ASPECTS OF THE GOVERNANCE SINCE THE FORMATION OF ICANN AND ALL ARE CONCERNED ABOUT THE VALUE OF THE MULTISTAKEHOLDER, BOTTOM-UP PARTICIPATION, AND PARTICULARLY THE PRIVATE/PUBLIC PARTNERSHIP THAT ICANN REPRESENTS FOR COORDINATING THE UNIQUE IDENTIFIERS OF THE INTERNET.
AS A RESULT OF THE TWO PREVIOUS MEETINGS, ALL THE STAKEHOLDER GROUPS AT ICANN HAVE BEEN ASKED TO COMPLETE A QUESTIONNAIRE. THE RESULTS OF THAT HAVE BEEN FINALIZED IN THE LAST FEW DAYS AND WILL BE PRODUCED INTO A WHITE PAPER WHICH IS GOING TO BE, AGAIN, INTENDED TO SHOW A GENUINE BOTTOM-UP POLICY DEVELOPMENT THROUGH ICANN OF THE CONSTITUENTS' RESPONSE TO THE WSIS PROCESS.
FROM MY OWN PERSPECTIVE I'M FROM INTERNET NEW ZEALAND. WE MANAGE ONE OF THE 240 PLUS CCTLDS. WE ARE CONCERNED THAT WE'VE NOW SPENT SIX YEARS BUILDING STRUCTURES WITHIN ICANN TO ACHIEVE WE HOPE BALANCED INPUT FROM ALL OF THE INTERESTED STAKEHOLDERS IN THE PARTICULAR UNIQUE IDENTIFIERS. WE THINK THAT'S EXTRAORDINARY PROCESS IN CREATE AGO GLOBAL BODY AND WE THINK THAT'S ESSENTIAL FOR THE SPEED THAT INTERNET ISSUES REQUIRE.
WE THINK THAT THE LEGITIMACY COMES FROM ADHERING EXPRESSLY TO THE PRINCIPLES OF ICANN AND TRANSPARENT, BOTTOM-UP DIVERSE PROCESSES, AND IN THE MAIN WE THINK THAT THE ACTIONS OF ICANN ARE ACHIEVED BY TRYING TO LIVE BY THOSE PRINCIPLES.
WE CONSIDER THAT THE NEXT MOST IMPORTANT ISSUE FOR ICANN IS TO ACHIEVE A FORMAL LEGAL PROBABLY CONTRACTUAL RELATIONSHIP WITH ALL GOVERNMENTS AS THE NEXT PHASE AFTER THE CONTRACT BETWEEN ICANN AND THE U.S. GOVERNMENT ALONE EXPIRES.
TO DO THAT WE NEED TO EDUCATE GOVERNMENTS ABOUT THE TECHNICAL MISSION OF ICANN AND ALSO INSIST THAT ICANN NOT DO ONLY THAT NARROW TECHNICAL MISSION BUT ALSO DO IT SUPERBLY.
SO WE NEED TO LOOK INTO THE WAYS THAT ICANN CAN COOPERATE WITH GOVERNMENTS WHERE THE AREAS OF PUBLIC POLICY CONCERN THAT ARE THE LEGITIMATE CONCERNS OF GOVERNMENTS, SPAM, PORNOGRAPHY, TAX COLLECTION, SECURITY, THE COST OF CONNECTIVITY, WE NEED TO LOOK AT THE WAY THOSE IMPACT WITH ICANN AND CAN BE ASSISTED BY ICANN.
SO THAT'S OUR POSITION. I'M GOING TO ASK NOW TONY HOLMES, WHO IS A MEMBER OF THE ISP CONSTITUENCY OF THE GNSO, TO GIVE HIS.
TONY.
>>TONY HOLMES: THANK YOU. AS WAS JUST SAID I SIT HERE REPRESENTING ISPS, AND AS ISPS, WE'RE DIRECTLY IMPACTED BY EVERY ASPECT OF ICANN'S CORE MISSION, WHETHER IT'S DOMAIN NAMES, IP ADDRESSES OR ROOT SERVER OPERATIONS THAT WE'RE FOCUSING ON.
AND WE BELIEVE IT'S IMPORTANT THAT AS THE ISP COMMUNITY WE CHANNEL VIEWS INTO THE ICANN AND THE WSIS PROCESS. BUT IT'S EQUALLY IMPORTANT THAT THOSE VIEWS ARE REPRESENTATIVE OF THE GLOBAL ISP COMMUNITY AND IT'S CERTAINLY BEEN SITTING HERE THIS MORNING RELATING THAT BACK TO THE POINTS MADE BY OTHER PANEL MEMBERS.
WE DO TAKE FULL ACCOUNT OF ASPECTS THAT ARE PARTICULARLY PROMINENT TO A SPECIFIC REGION OR GROUPING. EVEN THOUGH I BELIEVE WITHIN THE ISP COMMUNITY THERE'S FULL AGREEMENT WITH THE STATEMENT THAT WAS MADE EARLIER IN THE DISCUSSIONS THAT REALLY THE DEBATE HAS TO BE ISSUE BASED RATHER THAN NATIONAL BASED.
WE CAN ONLY ACHIEVE OUR GOAL THROUGH THE COORDINATION AND DIALOGUE WITH OTHER GROUPS AND STAKEHOLDERS INVOLVED IN THE PROCESS. AND WHILE THE INTERNET IS GROWING AT A TREMENDOUSLY FAST RATE IT IS STILL YOUNG. WE SHOULD RECOGNIZE WHAT WAS SAID EARLIER THAT EVEN THE ADULT WILL NEVER BE PERFECT, BUT IT HAS TO BE RESPONSIBLE AND ACCOUNTABLE IN THE WORLD THAT IT HAS HELPED CREATE.
BUT SO AS ISPS, WE HAVE CERTAINLY BEEN INVOLVED IN EVERYTHING THAT'S HAPPENED IN THE INTERNET SINCE BIRTH, AND WE ARE LOOKING TO BE RESPONSIBLE ADULTS AND ASSIST WITH THAT PROCESS.
SO EVENTS SUCH AS THIS ASSIST WITH THAT GOAL. WE WILL CONTINUE TO WORK WITHIN THE BROADER COMMUNITY AND WITH RELATED ORGANIZATIONS TO ENSURE THAT THE INTERNET MEETS ALL REQUIREMENTS AND EXPECTATIONS; THAT WE, AS ISPS AND CONNECTIVITY PROVIDERS HOLD DEAR.
AND ENDING ON THAT NOTE, I'LL HAND OVER TO PAUL WILSON WHO REPRESENTS ONE OF THOSE PARTS OF THE BROADER COMMUNITY.
>>PAUL WILSON: THANK YOU, TONY.
I REPRESENT THE REGIONAL INTERNET REGISTRIES AND THE NUMBER RESOURCE ORGANIZATION, WHICH IS THE GLOBAL COORDINATOR REPRESENTATIVE OF THE RIRS.
THE RIRS HAVE BEEN PARTICIPATING IN THE WSIS PROCESS FOR OVER TWO YEARS, INDIVIDUALLY AND MORE RECENTLY THROUGH THE NRO, THE NUMBER RESOURCE ORGANIZATION.
THERE ARE QUITE A FEW WSIS AREAS WHERE WE MIGHT LIKE TO SPEND OUR TIME, AND DO SO PRODUCTIVELY, BUT THE WGIG IS NOW DEMANDING MORE OR LESS ALL OF OUR ATTENTION.
WE ARE PARTICIPATING IN WSIS AND NOW WGIG AS WELL IN EXPERTS IN THE AREA OF IP ADDRESSING. AND ALSO AS SUPPORTERS OF ICANN. AND WE'VE GIVEN OUR SUPPORT TO ICANN NOT AS COMPONENTS OF THE ICANN STRUCTURE WITHIN ICANN BUT AS INDEPENDENT MEMBERS OF A BROADER FRAMEWORK OF INTERNET ADMINISTRATION WHICH ICANN ITSELF IS INTENDED TO SUPPORT.
SO ON THE SECOND ROUND OF WSIS, WE ARE CONTINUING TO PLAY AN ACTIVE ROLE, ESPECIALLY IN THE WGIG. WE'RE GOING TO CONTINUE TO SUPPORT ICANN AND ALSO TO WORK WITH ICANN TO ADDRESS THE GENUINE QUESTIONS THAT IT FACES IN THIS CONTEXT.
WE FEEL THAT, WITHIN THAT CONTEXT, THE PRINCIPAL ISSUES ARE THOSE OF THE INDEPENDENCE AND GENUINE INTERNATIONALIZATION OF ICANN. WE'VE CALLED ON ICANN PREVIOUSLY TO CONTINUE ITS WORK IN THIS AREA. NOT ACTUALLY BY BUILDING A SORT OF MONOLITHIC MULTINATIONAL ORGANIZATION, BUT RATHER BY INCREASING ITS COOPERATION AND COLLABORATION WITH ALL OF ITS CORE STAKEHOLDERS.
WE'VE ALSO CALLED ON ICANN TO WORK WITH THE U.S. GOVERNMENT TO PUBLISH A GENUINE AND UNAMBIGUOUS PLAN FOR ITS INDEPENDENCE AFTER THE CURRENT U.S. GOVERNMENT MOU, AND TO REALLY COMMIT TO THAT PLAN BEFORE THE CONCLUSION OF THE SECOND PHASE OF WSIS.
THIS SEEMS TO BE CRITICAL TO PROVIDE THE WSIS COMMUNITY WITH SOME CERTAINTY ABOUT THE FUTURE FORM AND STATUS OF ICANN AFTER WSIS IS OVER, AND THAT'S A QUESTION WHICH IS CERTAINLY STILL UNCLEAR IN MANY MINDS WITHIN WSIS.
AS ANOTHER CRITICAL ISSUE OF INTERNET GOVERNANCE, THE NRO, THE RIRS REJECT ANY CONCEPT OF AN ALTERNATIVE INTERNET ADMINISTRATIVE MODEL LOCATED WITHIN A GOVERNMENTAL OR INTERGOVERNMENTAL STRUCTURE.
WE HAVE ACKNOWLEDGED AND DO ACKNOWLEDGE FULLY THAT THERE'S A ROLE FOR GOVERNANCE IN THE ADMINISTRATION OF THE INTERNET. HOWEVER, THIS CAN AND SHOULD BE PLACED IN THE CONTEXT OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATIVE MODELS.
RECENTLY THE NRO POSTED A PUBLIC RESPONSE TO HOULIN ZHAO'S SCHEME. LIKE MANY PEOPLE, LIKE THE CHINESE TASK FORCE, WE HAVE SERIOUS CONCERNS ABOUT THE TECHNICAL AND OPERATIONAL IMPLICATIONS OF SUCH A SCHEME. I WON'T GO INTO THOSE NOW, BUT CERTAINLY WE'LL MAKE AN EFFORT TO CLARIFY WHAT THOSE ARE.
THE ASSOCIATION OF SOVEREIGN CONCERNS IN THIS CASE IS CERTAINLY A POWERFUL AND LEGITIMATE ARGUMENT. HOWEVER, THERE ARE MECHANISMS WHICH ARE IN PLACE NOW WHICH ARE CERTAINLY FEASIBLE WHICH CAN ADDRESS THE SAME CONCERN WITH FAR LOWER RISK. FOR THE SAKE OF STABILITY AND SECURITY OF THE INTERNET SUCH SOLUTIONS SHOULD CERTAINLY BE EXPLORED.

FINALLY, IN RELATION TO WGIG, I'D LIKE TO REVISIT SOME COMMENTS I MADE DURING THE GENEVA MEETING LAST WEEK.
IT SEEMS THAT THE DEFINITION OF INTERNET GOVERNANCE, WHICH IS THE FIRST OF THE WORKING GROUP'S TASKS, IS BEING DRIVEN BY THE NEGATIVE ASPECTS OF THE INTERNET AS A LIST OF PROBLEM AREAS. IN OTHER WORDS, IT'S A LIST OF BUGS RATHER THAN FEATURES OF THE INTERNET.
THE POINT HERE IS THAT THERE ARE MANY, MANY ASPECTS OF THE INTERNET WHICH ARE NOT BEING SUGGESTED AS TOPICS OF GOVERNANCE, BUT ONLY BECAUSE THEY'RE NOT CURRENTLY PRESENTING PROBLEMS. THEY WORK WELL ENOUGH NOT TO BE ON THE RADAR. SO THESE INCLUDE SUCH THINGS AS THE ROUTING SYSTEM, WHICH IS PRETTY STABLE, COMPETITION BETWEEN ALTERNATIVE ROOT SERVERS. THIS WOULD CERTAINLY BE AN ISSUE IN THE ABSENCE OF THE CONCERTED EFFORTS WHICH HAVE BEEN MADE TO MANAGE THAT IN THE PAST. THE GLOBAL INTEROPERABILITY OF ALL PARTS OF THE INTERNET. THAT'S ASSUMED WITHOUT QUESTION THESE DAYS, BUT IT'S BY NO MEANS GUARANTEED.
SO I'M SUGGESTING TO THE THE WORKING GROUP AND I SUGGESTED LAST WEEK THAT THESE AND OTHER ASPECTS OF THE INTERNET MUST NOT BE TAKEN FOR GRANTED AND THERE IS THIS FAMOUS, WELL USED PRINCIPLE OF DO NO HARM WHICH SHOULD BE BORNE VERY STRONGLY IN MIND BY THE WORKING GROUP.
RATHER THAN SEEING INTERNET GOVERNANCE JUST AS A LIST OF BUGS, THE WORKING GROUP SHOULD CONSIDER THE FEATURES WHICH ARE TO BE APPRECIATED, PRESERVED, AND INCLUDE THAT CONSIDERATION IN THE SCOPE OF ITS WORK, BECAUSE THE RISK OF OVERLOOKING THAT -- AND THIS IS A REAL RISK -- IS TO DO HARM TO THE INTERNET AND POTENTIALLY LEAVE A MUCH LONGER LIST OF PROBLEMS FOR SOME FUTURE WORKING GROUP TO SOLVE.
SO THAT'S MY COMMENT
(APPLAUSE.)
>>PAUL WILSON: THANK YOU. AND I'LL HAND OVER TO DAVID MAHER OF THE THE DOT ORG REGISTRY. DEOXYRIBONUCLEIC ACID I'M HERE AS THE TEMPORARY REPRESENTATIVE OF THE REGISTRY CONSTITUENCY. JEFF NEUMAN WOULD BE HERE BUT ASKED ME TO STEP IN FOR THIS MEETING. THE REGISTRY CONSTITUENCY REPRESENTS ALL THE OPERATORS OF THE INTERNET REGISTRIES, BOTH SPONSORED AND UNSPONSORED. COM/NET ORG, INFO, AND DOT AERO, DOT MUSEUM AND OTHERS.
THE MEMBERS, AS RESPONSIBLE FOR OPERATING EACH TOP-LEVEL DOMAIN, MAINTAINING THE REGISTRY, ARE AT THE HEART OF THE DOMAIN NAME SYSTEM. WE OPERATE THE CONSTELLATIONS OF SERVERS THAT SUPPORT THE GLOBAL INTERNET WITH A TRANSACTIONS NUMBERING IN EXCESS OF 15 BILLION EVERY SINGLE DAY.
THE CONSTITUENCY IS INVOLVED IN ALL ASPECTS OF ICANN FUNCTIONS, ALL OF THE RECENT POLICY DECISIONS REGARDING THINGS LIKE REGISTRATION GRACE PERIODS, RENEWAL GRACE PERIODS, TRANSFERS AND SO ON.
WE SUPPORT THE STATEMENT MADE BY PAUL WILSON ABOUT THE WAY WSIS SHOULD ACKNOWLEDGE THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE -- OF ICANN AS THE PARAMOUNT FORCE IN THE TECHNICAL ADMINISTRATION OF THE INTERNET.
WE THINK THAT THIS DIVISION OF INTERESTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES BETWEEN WSIS AND ICANN HAS TO BE DEALT WITH, AND THERE NEEDS TO BE MORE SPECIFICITY THAN HAS REALLY YET BEEN RECOGNIZED ON THE RESPECTIVE RESPONSIBILITIES OF WSIS AND ICANN.
IN SOME CASES, LINES CAN BE DRAWN WHERE WSIS WILL HAVE ITS RESPONSIBILITIES AND ICANN REALLY WILL NOT TAKE PART. IN OTHER AREAS, ICANN CERTAINLY SHOULD BE ALLOWED TO DO ITS JOB, AND WE BELIEVE IT'S DOING IT VERY EFFECTIVELY.
THERE ARE, HOWEVER, A NUMBER OF AREAS WHERE THE TECHNICAL ADMINISTRATION AND THE POLICY ISSUES ARE SO INTERTWINED THAT THE PARTIES MUST WORK TOGETHER. AND THE REGISTRY CONSTITUENCY WILL DO EVERYTHING IT CAN TO SUPPORT THAT KIND OF COOPERATION.
THANK YOU.
VITTORIO.
(APPLAUSE.)
>>VITTORIO BERTOLA: HELLO. I ALREADY INTRODUCED MYSELF, BUT BEFORE I GET INTO MY COMMENTS, MAYBE I WILL MAKE A PROPOSAL. I MEAN, I DIDN'T CHECK WHETHER IT'S ALREADY ON THE AGENDA BUT I THINK WE SHOULD DEFINITELY DEVOTE MAYBE ONE HOUR IN OUR PUBLIC FORUM TO CONTINUING THE DISCUSSION ABOUT THE WSIS AND THINGS DISCUSSED TODAY BECAUSE I THINK IT'S A VERY IMPORTANT THEME, MAYBE MORE IMPORTANT THAN A LOT OF THINGS WE MIGHT HAVE ON THE AGENDA. SO SINCE WE HAVE VINT HERE, MAYBE WE'LL TRY TO ARRANGE THAT.
AS FAR AS THE AT LARGE, I THINK WE ARE VERY HAPPY ABOUT THE WAY THE WGIG HAS STARTED, BECAUSE OF COURSE I'M A MEMBER SO I KNOW IT FROM THE INSIDE, BUT I CAN ASSURE YOU, IT'S REALLY AN OPEN PROCESS. AND BY THE WAY, IT INVOLVES A GOOD NUMBER OF PEOPLE WHO ARE LONG-TIME ICANN PARTICIPANTS, INCLUDING ALEJANDRO WHO IS A MEMBER OF THE BOARD.
SO I THINK IT -- I REALLY HAVE TO ENCOURAGE YOU TO PARTICIPATE AND MAKE THE PROCESS YOURS AS WELL, SO THERE WILL BE WAYS TO PARTICIPATE. EVEN LINE, WE ARE SETTING THEM UP AND WE ENCOURAGE EVERYONE TO PARTICIPATE.
AS AT LARGE, WE ARE PARTICULARLY HAPPY BECAUSE THE ROLE OF WSIS IS BEING RECOGNIZED INCREASINGLY IN THE U.N. ENVIRONMENT AND HERE. TWO YEARS AGO WHEN THE AT LARGE ADVISORY COMMITTEE WAS CREATED IT WAS A NEW ADDITION TO THE ICANN BYLAWS AND IT WAS BASICALLY UNFUNDED AND IT WAS UNCLEAR WHETHER WE COULD ACTUALLY HAVE ANY KIND OF FEEDBACK FROM THE ICANN COMMUNITY. AND NOW I CAN SAY THAT THE WORK OF THESE TWO YEARS HAS BEEN VERY POSITIVE. AND I THINK THAT EVERYBODY IN THE COMMUNITY HAS STARTED TO RECOGNIZE THE AT LARGE AT ONE OF THE IMPORTANT STAKEHOLDERS IN THIS PROCESS.
I THINK THERE IS STILL A LOT OF WORK TO BE DONE TO INCREASE THE COOPERATION BETWEEN USERS AND THE INDUSTRY, BUT I THINK WE ARE REALLY ON A GOOD PATH AND I THINK THIS APPLIES TO ICANN IN GENERAL. SO WE CAN PRETEND IT'S NOT TRUE THAT WHEN THIS CORPORATION STARTED IT WAS MOSTLY A SMALL CALIFORNIA CORPORATION, MOSTLY DOMINATED BY AMERICAN BUSINESSMEN, AND NOW IT'S START TO GET REAL DIFFERENT SO IN THE LAST TWO YEARS WE'VE SEEN A LOT OF CHANGE IN THE VARIETY AND STRUCTURE OF THE MEETING AND IN THE MEETING ITSELF. SO THE INTERNATIONALIZATION OF THE STAFF IS VERY, VERY IMPORTANT.
AND SO I DON'T HAVE ANY DOUBT ANY MORE THAT THIS ORGANIZATION WILL EVENTUALLY GET TO THE PLACE WHERE IT WANTS TO BE, BECAUSE OF COURSE IF YOU WANT TO BE A GLOBAL PLAYER, ADMINISTERING, EVEN IF JUST A SMALL TECHNICAL PART OF THIS GLOBAL, VITAL RESOURCE WHICH THE INTERNET IS NOW, THEN YOU HAVE TO BE -- TO WORK IN A CERTAIN WAY.
SO I'M VERY CONFIDENT THAT WE WILL BE DOING THE STEPS THAT STILL ARE MISSING AND MAYBE THERE WILL BE A TIME NOT VERY FAR IN THE FUTURE WHEN ALL OF OUR MEETINGS WILL BE AVAILABLE IN TWO OR THREE LANGUAGES, FOR EXAMPLE, AND WE WILL HAVE EVEN A BROADER DIVERSITY IN THE AUDIENCE.
SO BASICALLY MY BOTTOM LINE IS I'M VERY CONFIDENT BOTH IN THE WGIG PROCESS AND IN THE WORK WE ARE DOING HERE. AND I'M MUCH LESS NEGATIVE THAN I WOULD PERHAPS BE ONE YEAR AGO.
AND NOW I WILL GIVE THE FLOOR TO IZUMI.
>>IZUMI AIZU: WE'RE A GROUP, AND WE ARE COMPOSED BY THE JAPANESE COMMUNITY INDUSTRY AND SOME FROM ACADEMIA AND CIVIL SOCIETY. IT'S A TRIAL FOR THE MULTISTAKEHOLDER APPROACH WE ARE TALKING ABOUT. I'D LIKE TO SHARE ONE PIECE OF CONTRIBUTION WE MADE AT THE WGIG MEETING LAST WEEK IN GENEVA WHICH RELAYS WHAT PAUL MENTIONED. THAT MR. HOULIN ZHAO MADE SOME PROPOSAL TO ALLOCATE A PORTION OF IP VERSION 6 (INAUDIBLE) BASIS THROUGH ITU AND MEMBER NATION STATES TO MANAGE THEM AS A (INAUDIBLE) WHAT MIGHT HAPPEN VERY SPECIFICALLY IF INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS SUCH AS ITU BECOMES THE GOVERNING BODY OF THE INTERNET RESOURCES ALREADY TAKEN CARE BY EXISTING RESOURCE. IT'S THE GENERAL ARGUMENT THAT NEW PLURAL SYSTEM WILL INTRODUCE CHOICE WHICH WILL ULTIMATELY BENEFIT THE END USERS. I HOPE SO.
HOWEVER, WE THINK THAT HIS PROPOSAL HAS, IF IMPLEMENTED WITH CAREFUL EXAMINATION, A BIG RISK OF CAUSING FRAGMENTATION OF THE INTERNET. THAT RISK OF THE FRAGMENTATION OF THE ROUTABILITY OF IP PACKETS. IT MAY RESULT IN NECESSARY COST INCREASE OF ROUTERS AND THEN THAT COST WOULD BE PASSED ON TO THE END USERS.
SO WE THINK THE MOST IMPORTANT POLICY AND ALLOCATION OF THE IP ALLOCATION SPACE IS FAIRNESS, NOT TO PROMOTE COMPETITION. IN CASE THERE ARE POORER BODIES THAT PROVIDE ALLOCATION SERVICES, THE DIFFERENCES IN ALLOCATION STANDARDS MUST NOT BECOME ELEMENTS OF THE COMPETITION. WE NEED MORE TECHNICAL DETAILED KNOWLEDGE ABOUT THAT, AND I HAVE NO TIME TO EXPLAIN THAT. WE'LL PUBLISH THAT ON OUR WEB SITE, WGIG WEB SITE, HOPEFULLY.
LET'S ASSUME THAT IP ADDRESSES ARE ALLOCATED BY NATION STATES. THIS MAY ACTUALLY BE A VERY INTERESTING, ATTRACTIVE APPLICATION SUCH AS EASY RECOGNITION OF SOME USERS' NATIONALITY LOCALE AND SUCH AS AUTOMATIC TRAFFIC SEGMENTATIONS.
BUT IT WILL ALSO ENABLE QUESTIONABLE APPLICATIONS SUCH AS EASY CENSORSHIP, TRACKING, OR RESTRICTION OF COMMUNICATION CONTENT. IN ANY CASE, IF IT'S PARTIALLY IMPLEMENTED WITHIN SOME SPACE OF THE IPV6, NOT IPV4, THEN NOT ALL TRAFFIC WILL ENJOY THESE SERVICES. BUT THERE'S A DANGER. SO WE DO UNDERSTAND THAT NATIONAL GOVERNMENTS HAVE A SERIOUS INTEREST IN INTERNET GOVERNANCE INCLUDING THE ADDRESS ALLOCATIONS AND THAT THEY WANT TO PROTECT THESE RESOURCES UNDER THE NATIONAL SOVEREIGNTY PERSPECTIVITIES AS INTERNET IS NOW BECOMING A CRITICAL SOCIAL INFRASTRUCTURE. HOWEVER, WE STRONGLY BELIEVE THAT THE CONDITIONS REQUIRED FOR AT-RISK MANAGEMENT FISCALLY SHALL NOT BE CONSTRAINED BY NATIONAL SOVEREIGNTIES BUT EVOLVE FOR THE SMOOTH AND MOST COST EFFECTIVE FUNCTIONING INTERNET FOR ALL THE PEOPLE OF THE WORLD INCLUDING THOSE FROM THE DEVELOPING COUNTRIES.
WE WELCOME GOVERNMENTS TO PARTICIPATE INTO THE EXISTING SYSTEM TO IMPROVE THE AREAS IF WE NEED TO BUT NOT SEPARATE THE SYSTEM AND MAKE IT THEIR OWN. THAT IS ESSENTIALLY WHAT IS PROPOSED. I THINK THAT IS WHAT TRUE MULTISTAKEHOLDER APPROACH MEANS. SO I REALLY ASK YOU WGIG MEMBERS TO EXAMINE, THERE ARE CERTAIN GOOD INTENTIONS OR IDEAS TO MAKE A NEW SYSTEM BUT THEY MAY HAVE SOME UNWANTED IMPLICATIONS.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
(APPLAUSE.)
>>MARILYN CADE: MY NAME IS MARILYN CADE AND I'M A MEMBER OF THE COMMERCIAL AND BUSINESS USER COMMUNITY AND I'LL HE SAY ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF THE STABILITY AND GLOBAL OPPORTUNITY OF THE INTERNET. THE BUSINESS USER COMMUNITY HELPED TO FOUND ICANN AND WE REMAIN A STRONG SUPPORTER OF ITS MODEL AND GROWING THE OPPORTUNITY FOR PARTICIPATION. AND TODAY WHAT I'M GOING TO DO IS COVER VERY, VERY QUICKLY SOME OF THE WORK OF THE GROUP.
I HOPE THAT AS YOU CAME IN, THAT YOU WERE ABLE TO PICK UP A COPY OF OUR RESOLUTION HE, AND I WANT TO TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHAT WE'RE DOING NOW AND WHAT I WANT TO ASK YOU TO DO WITH US, FIRST OF ALL, WE ARE INVOLVED IN DEVELOPING A WHITE PAPER WHICH WILL SUMMARIZE INPUT FROM THE CONSTITUENCY AND STAKEHOLDERS AND WE'VE ALSO DEVELOPED A RESOLUTION. THE RESOLUTION IS AVAILABLE IN DRAFT FORM, AND WE'LL BE TALKING ABOUT IT AND ASKING THE MEMBERS OF THE WORKING GROUP, THE WORKSHOP PLANNING GROUP AND OTHERS TO TAKE THIS RESOLUTION INTO YOUR GROUP AND TALK ABOUT IT. DON'T GIVE US YOUR FINAL WORDS WHILE YOU'RE HERE, BUT GIVE US ANY EDITS THAT YOU HAVE AND THEN COME BACK TO US WITH COMMENTS BECAUSE WE DO WANT TO OFFER THIS RESOLUTION WITH TRUE PARTICIPATION AND INPUT FROM ALL INTERESTED PARTIES.
WE ARE THEN GOING ON TO DEVELOP A WHITE PAPER AND WE WILL START OUR WHITE PAPER WITH A KEY -- NUMBER OF KEY HEADINGS, ONE WHICH HAVE IS THAT ICANN IS A PUBLIC/PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP AND WE BELIEVE IT REMAINS THE RIGHT MODEL FOR RESPONSIBILITY, FOR MANAGING AND COORDINATING THE UNIQUE IDENTIFIERS OF THE INTERNET. WE'RE GOING TO TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE FACTORS THAT LED TO THE CREATION OF ICANN, THE RATIONALE FOR CONTINUED SUPPORT AND PUT SOME INFORMATION IN OUR WHITE PAPER ABOUT THE GROWING GLOBALIZATION OF THE INTERNET. AND SOME OF OUR SPEAKERS HERE TODAY TALKED A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THIS ALREADY, BUT I THINK IT -- WE HOPE TO PUT INTO OUR PAPERS SOME OF THE FACTS ABOUT THE GROWING CHANGES, THE CHANGES IN THE USE OF THE INTERNET, WHERE THE NEW USERS ARE COMING FROM, AND I THINK WE HEARD A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE -- REALLY, THE GROWTH OPPORTUNITY OR CHALLENGE THAT'S FACED HERE IN AFRICA.
WE ARE GOING TO COVER, THEN, A LITTLE BIT THE OBJECTIVES AND CONCERNS THAT HELPED LEAD US TO CREATE ICANN AND THEN WE'LL GO INTO THE FEEDBACK ABOUT WHO IS INVOLVED IN ICANN TODAY, WHY ARE WE INVOLVED AND HOW ARE WE INVOLVED NOT ONLY IN ICANN BUT ELSEWHERE IN INTERNET GOVERNANCE BODIES. AND I THINK YOU'LL SEE IN THE WHITE PAPER THAT PEOPLE WHO WORK IN ICANN ARE ALSO INVOLVED IN OTHER BODIES THAT ARE INVOLVED AND CONCERNED ABOUT INTERNET GOVERNANCE.
WE'LL TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT INTERNET GOVERNANCE, JUST AS A GROUND, AND THEN WE ARE GOING TO TALK ABOUT PERHAPS A KEY MESSAGE HERE, ADVANCING THE WORK OF ICANN AND THE BROAD COMMUNITY STAKEHOLDERS AND INTERNET GOVERNANCE CALLS FOR, TO US, THE FOUR C'S, COOPERATION, COLLABORATION, COORDINATION, CO-EXISTENCE, AND PERHAPS CO-CONVENING. AND THEN WE'LL INCLUDE CONCLUSIONS AND CALL TO ACTION. THE RESOLUTION AND THE WHITE PAPER ARE AN OPPORTUNITY FOR A BOTTOM-UP INPUT INTO ICANN AND ICANN STAKEHOLDERS AND THE BROADER INTERNET GOVERNANCE PROCESSES. WE'RE GOING TO WELCOME YOUR FEEDBACK, COMMENTS AND INPUT. IT'S WORK IN PROGRESS. BUT WE WANT TO MOVE THIS ALONG. AND THEN I WANT TO JUST CLOSE MY COMMENTS BY SAYING THAT WE HAVE TALKED INFORMALLY AS A GROUP AND HAVE SPOKEN TO THE ICANN STAFF, AND WE WILL PLAN TO WORK WITH THE ORGANIZING COMMITTEE IN ARGENTINA TO TAKE THIS FURTHER. I'D LIKE TO TURN THIS OVER NOW TO VINT CERF.
>>VINT CERF: THANK YOU VERY MUCH, MARILYN, AND THANK YOU ALL, PANELISTS, WHO HAVE COME FROM FAR AWAY AND PERHAPS SOME OF YOU FROM NOT SO FAR AWAY, TO PARTICIPATE IN TODAY'S WSIS DISCUSSION.
I'M GOING TO TRY TO MAKE MY REMARKS BRIEF BECAUSE WE ARE PROBABLY RUNNING A BIT OVER TIME.
LET ME JUST MAKE A COUPLE OF OBSERVATIONS. THE WSIS GOALS, IT SEEMS TO ME, ARE THINGS THAT WE CAN ALL APPLAUD. EQUITABLE DISTRIBUTION OF RESOURCES, ACCESS FOR ALL, WHICH IS AN ENORMOUS MANDATE, STABLE AND SECURE OPERATION OF THE INTERNET, AND OF OTHER INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES, AND APPRECIATION FOR MULTILINGUALISM AND DIVERSITY, I COULD HARDLY ARGUE WITH ANY OF THOSE OBJECTIVES.
THE QUESTION, THOUGH, IS HOW TO EMPLOY GOVERNANCE METHODS TO ACHIEVE THESE GOALS WITHOUT ACCIDENTALLY WRECKING WHAT HAS BEEN BUILT. AND I THINK YOU'VE HEARD THAT THEME IN MANY DIMENSIONS TODAY, AND I THINK IT'S ONE WE NEED TO KEEP IN MIND.
MR. DESAI MADE A VERY INTERESTING OBSERVATION ABOUT DEVELOPING COUNTRIES AND THE ROLE THAT GOVERNMENTS HAVE IN THOSE COUNTRIES IN THE SUPPORT OF COMMUNICATIONS AND OTHER SERVICES.
I'D LIKE TO RECALL, HOWEVER, THE HISTORICAL RECORD FROM THE DEVELOPED WORLD AS WE LOOK BACK ON THE EVOLUTION OF THE INTERNET, WHAT YOU DISCOVER IS THAT GOVERNMENTS PLAYED A VERY IMPORTANT ROLE IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE INTERNET.
THEY ARE THERE IN SUPPORT OF STANDARDIZATION IN DEVELOPMENT AND RESEARCH.
OUR TASK IS TO BALANCE THE WSIS AND WGIG OBJECTIVES WITH THE NECESSARY TECHNICAL DEVELOPMENTS THAT ARE NEED TODAY ACHIEVE THOSE GOALS. AND AGAIN THE TECHNOLOGY HAS TO WORK BEFORE WE CAN SUPPORT SUCH THINGS AS MULTILINGUALISM IN A SMOOTH AND CONVENIENT WAY.
SO WE HAVE TO WORK TOGETHER TO ACHIEVE THOSE OBJECTIVES.
ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I FOUND INTERESTING IN LOOKING AT THE HISTORICAL RECORD OF GOVERNMENT INVOLVEMENT IS THAT THE GOVERNMENTS IN THE OECD COUNTRIES WHO HAVE PARTICIPATED IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF INTERNET HAVE, IN GENERAL, FORBORNE TO REGULATE THE OPERATION.
THEY HAVE GONE OUT OF THEIR WAY, IN FACT, TO DIVEST THEMSELVES OF CONTROL.
AND THIS, OF COURSE, HAS BEEN QUITE EVIDENT IN THE CASE OF THE DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE, WHICH IS ON A REGULAR BASIS WORKED TOWARDS THE SEPARATION OF ICANN AS AN INDEPENDENT OPERATION FROM ITS CURRENT CONNECTION.
THE POINT HERE IS THAT IN ORDER TO PROMOTE PRIVATE SECTOR DEVELOPMENT AND SUPPORT FOR THE USE OF THE INTERNET, GOVERNMENTS, I THINK, SHOULD TAKE INTO ACCOUNT THE VALUE OF ALLOWING PRIVATE SECTOR AND MULTISTAKEHOLDER INVOLVEMENT.
IN MY PERSONAL EXPERIENCE, AS FAR BACK AS 1988, I BEGAN TO PROMOTE THE IDEA OF A COMMERCIAL INTERNET AS OPPOSED TO THE ONE WHICH WAS ESSENTIALLY PAID FOR BY THE U.S. GOVERNMENT.
MY COLLEAGUES THOUGHT THAT THIS WAS, FRANKLY, CRAZY.
THE ACADEMICS IN PARTICULAR DIDN'T MUCH LIKE THE IDEA OF THE PRIVATE SECTOR FOR-PROFIT COMMUNITY GETTING INVOLVED IN THE INTERNET.
BUT, IN MY VIEW, IT WAS THE ONLY WAY TO GENERATE SUFFICIENT ECONOMIC FORCE TO ALLOW THE INTERNET TO EXPAND TO BECOME AVAILABLE TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC.
PERHAPS THAT SAME SEQUENCE COULD BE ANTICIPATED IN THE DEVELOPING WORLD, AND THAT THE STEPS TAKEN BY THE GOVERNMENTS IN THE DEVELOPING WORLD TO PROMOTE THE GROWTH OF INTERNET COULD THEN BE FOLLOWED BY INITIATIVES TO STIMULATE PRIVATE SECTOR SUPPORT AND EXPANSION.
ONE VERY INTERESTING OBSERVATION TO MAKE ABOUT ICANN ITSELF IS THAT ITS STRUCTURE AND PROCESSES ARE AN EXPERIMENT.
I THINK THIS REPRESENTS A RATHER UNIQUE ORGANIZATION IN TERMS OF BRINGING TOGETHER STAKEHOLDERS FROM SUCH A WIDE RANGE OF INTERESTS, INCLUDING GOVERNMENTS.
AND I WOULD ARGUE THAT AN OUTCOME OF THE WORK OF WSIS AND THE WORKING GROUP ON INTERNET GOVERNANCE MIGHT BE TO HELP INFORM ICANN AS TO HOW ITS PROCESSES COULD EVOLVE TO IMPROVE ITS ABILITY TO ADDRESS THE OBJECTIVES THAT THE WSIS SEEKS TO FULFILL.
MOUHAMET'S COMMENTS ON LANGUAGE, AND OTHER MEMBERS OF THE PANEL, REGARDING LANGUAGES AND THE INTERNET, STRUCK ME AS EXTRAORDINARILY IMPORTANT.
BUT THEN IT OCCURRED TO ME THAT FOR THOSE LANGUAGES THAT WE DO NOT YET HAVE WRITTEN FORMS FOR, OR FOR WHICH THERE IS A POPULATION WHICH SPEAKS BUT DOES NOT WRITE, THAT PERHAPS WE SHOULD TAKE INTO ACCOUNT THAT AUDIO AND VIDEO ARE MODALITIES THAT CAN BE SUPPORTED IN THE INTERNET.
A SERIOUS EFFORT TO USE ORAL INTERFACES MIGHT ACTUALLY ALLOW THE INTERNET TO BECOME ACCESSIBLE AND USEFUL TO A POPULATION WHICH IS NOT YET COMFORTABLE IN WRITTEN FORMS.
I'M VERY EXCITED BY THE POSSIBILITY OF USING SPEECH UNDERSTANDING AS A WAY OF MAKING THE INTERNET'S KNOWLEDGE AND INFORMATION MORE ACCESSIBLE.
AND I WOULD POINT OUT THAT THOSE ORAL INTERFACES AND AUDIO INTERFACES WILL BE VERY IMPORTANT FOR PEOPLE WHO CAN'T SEE.
AND SO IF WE TALK ABOUT ACCESSIBILITY ON THE INTERNET, ADDRESSING THIS PARTICULAR QUESTION MAY TURN OUT TO BE QUITE USEFUL IN SEVERAL DIFFERENT DIMENSIONS.
DANIEL KARRENBERG'S COMMENTS AND THOSE OF SOME OF THE OTHER PANEL MEMBERS, SUMMARIZED SIMPLY, IF IT ISN'T BROKEN, DON'T FIX IT, OR IF IT AIN'T BROKE, DON'T FIX IT, I THINK IS VERY IMPORTANT.
AS WE ADDRESS THE QUESTION OF INTERNET GOVERNANCE, IT'S VITAL TO UNDERSTAND THAT AT LEAST SOME ASPECTS OF GOVERNANCE ARE TIED INTIMATELY TO THE TECHNOLOGY AND THAT POLICIES WHICH SOUND ON THE SURFACE AS IF THEY ARE USEFUL, HELPFUL, MAY TURN OUT, IN FACT, TO BE QUITE DAMAGING.
IT'S VERY IMPORTANT THAT WE UNDERSTAND THAT.
AND I RELY HEAVILY ON THE INTERNET ENGINEERING TASK FORCE AND OTHER TECHNICAL -- MEMBERS OF THE TECHNICAL COMMUNITY TO ENSURE THAT WE DON'T MAKE POLICIES THAT WILL, IN FACT, CAUSE THE NETWORK TO FUNCTION POORLY OR TO BREAK ENTIRELY.
MR. KUMMER, YOU ISSUED AN OUTLINE OF ISSUES AND PRIORITIES THAT YOUR WORKING GROUP MIGHT ADDRESS.
AND YOU INVITED PEOPLE TO PREPARE WHITE PAPERS ALONG THOSE LINES.
I THINK THAT IS A VERY HELPFUL STEP TO HAVE TAKEN.
AND WHAT I WOULD LIKE TO SUGGEST IS THAT ALL OF THE PARTIES INTERESTED IN THE OUTCOMES OF THE WGIG SHOULD SEEK TO CONTRIBUTE TO THAT MATERIAL IN ORDER TO ALLOW YOUR COMMITTEE AND MR. DESAI'S COMMITTEE TO BE WELL INFORMED OF ALL OF THE ISSUES AND SIDE EFFECTS OF VARIOUS POLICY DECISIONS.
FINALLY, I WANT TO REMIND EVERYONE, AS MARILYN HAS, THAT COOPERATION, COORDINATION, AND COLLABORATION HAVE BEEN AND WILL CONTINUE TO BE KEY TO THE INTERNET'S STABLE GROWTH AND EVOLUTION.
IT CANNOT WORK AND IT WILL NOT WORK IF WE DON'T SHARE A COMMON UNDERSTANDING OF ITS CAPABILITIES, ITS POTENTIAL, AND THE NECESSITY FOR ALL PARTIES TO COOPERATE TO MAKE IT FUNCTION ON A GLOBAL SCALE.
SO I THANK ALL OF THE PARTICIPANTS, THE ORGANIZERS OF THIS SESSION.
I TAKE MR. BERTOLA'S COMMENT ABOUT ADDITIONAL TIME IN THE PUBLIC FORUM.
I WILL INCLUDE THAT HOUR FOR ADDITIONAL COMMENTS FROM THE PARTICIPANTS.
AND I THANK YOU ALL FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO ADDRESS YOU THIS MORNING.
I SEE THAT CHRISTOPHER IS WAITING AT THE MICROPHONE.
AND I ASSUME IT'S A REASONABLE THING TO ALLOW HIM TO MAKE A COMMENT.
SO, CHRISTOPHER, PLEASE.

(APPLAUSE.)
>>CHRISTOPHER WILKINSON: THANK YOU, VINT.
THANK YOU, MADAM CHAIR.
I HAVE A VERY SHORT ANNOUNCEMENT.
FIRST, ALLOW ME TO RECALL TO OUR GUESTS THAT GOVERNMENTS HAVE BEEN CLOSELY ASSOCIATED WITH ALL ASPECTS OF ICANN'S WORK OVER THE PAST SIX YEARS.
AND MY ANNOUNCEMENT IS THAT THE 20TH MEETING OF THE GOVERNMENTAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE WILL NOW CONVENE IN ROOM 1.4 AS SOON AS THIS MEETING IS CONCLUDED.
WE ARE WAY BEHIND SCHEDULE, SO I DO INVITE ALL MEMBERS OF THE GAC TO PROCEED TO ROOM 1.4 ON THIS LEVEL DOWN THE CORRIDOR AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
>>VINT CERF: THANK YOU, CHRISTOPHER.
>>VITTORIO BERTOLA: THANK YOU.
AND WE ARE SORRY WE ARE BEHIND SCHEDULE, BUT I JUST WANT TO THANK VINT AND ALL OF THE PARTICIPANTS AND ALL OF YOU FOR ATTENDING THIS.
SO THANK YOU FOR COMING. AND PLEASE DON'T FORGET TO GIVE BACK YOUR HEADPHONES WHEN YOU LEAVE THE ROOM.
THANK YOU.
(APPLAUSE.)
(10:50 A.M.)