Sep 12, 2018 Following an open and transparent process, the Civil Society Coordination Group has endorsed the following nominations for the MAG renewal (the names are listed in alphabetical order of first name): Alex Comninos (M, Africa) Arsene Tungali (M, Africa) Bruna Martins dos Santos (F, GRULAC) Kemly Camacho (F, GRULAC) Maria Canales (F, GRULAC) Norbert Bollow (M, WEOG)
Sep 12, 2018 Dear IGF Secretariat, Please forward a copy of this E-Mail to UN DESA, Executive Office of the Secretary-General. We, the Civil Society Coordination Group (CSCG), write with regards the selection process for members of the Internet Governance Forum Multistakeholder Advisor Group. We refer you to our previous E-Mail, dated 31 March 2018 (copied below for your convenience), and respectfully request a response to the issues we raised at that stage. As we embark on process to select nominees from within the global civil society stakeholder community for the 2019 MAG renewal, we reiterate our concern that the IGF 2018 MAG composition does not appear to have fully considered the CSCG recommendations. As detailed in our previous E-Mail, the CGSG endeavors to carry out a fully open, inclusive and transparent process in line with the recommendations of the CSTD Working Group on IGF Improvements. We believe there should be transparency regarding when the list of candidates is first vetted, what comments and recommendations are made, what elements UN DESA takes into account, and the reasons for which UN DESA deviates from the recommendations made by a stakeholder group's own decision-making procedures and mechanisms. Otherwise the processes and measures that CSCG has taken up are undermined. We take this opportunity to also raise the rotation of the MAG Chair, which we feel requires more transparency. We reiterate the importance of rotating the appointment of the MAG Chair to someone from the global south and to a stakeholder group that has not yet held the position, such as civil society. More transparency and consultation are needed around the selection and appointment of the next MAG chair and we believe that the MAG should be consulted on the renewal of the Chair. Finally, we request an update on where the IGF retreat process stands. A number of thoughtful and constructive suggestions were made regarding the issues raised above. It is incumbent upon DESA to take this process forward. We look forward to your reply to our comments above. Sincerely, R. Hill on behalf of the CSCG ================ Copy of our 31 March E-Mail --------------------------- Dear IGF Secretariat, We, the Civil Society Coordination Group (CSCG), write with regards to the recent appointment of MAG members: https://www.intgovforum.org/multilingual/content/mag-2018-members With regards to the civil society member appointments, the IGF 2018 MAG composition does not appear to have fully considered the CSCG recommendations, which were sent to the IGF Secretariat on 9 November 2018 (see http://internetgov-cs.org/2017-11-08 ). Those recommendations were established via an open, inclusive and transparent process within the global civil society stakeholder community. Of the 8 names we put forward, only one (Jeremy Malcolm, the third name on the slate) was appointed. The report of the CSTD Working Group on improvements to the IGF includes reference to the selection process for the MAG, and recommendations for improvements, as noted below: "2. improve the structure and working methods of the MAG "20. The proposed Selection Process for the MAG: "(a) The three non-governmental stakeholder groups should propose lists of candidates that should be balanced, including in terms of gender distribution and in reflecting the diversity of geographical distribution. This will enable a wide range of diversity within the MAG, especially those groups which have been underrepresented in the MAG, and be sufficiently large to provide some flexibility when selecting MAG members. "(b) Stakeholder groups should identify and publicize the process that works best for their own culture and methods of engagement and which will ensure their self-management. "21. During the Selection Process the following measures should be kept in mind: "(a) The process of selection of MAG members should be inclusive, predictable, transparent and fully documented." Considering the appointment of only one of the members nominated by the CSCG, we have concerns with regards to the selection process: namely with regards to its transparency, predictability and the documentation process. In particular, we believe there should be transparency regarding when the list of candidates is first vetted, what comments and recommendations are made, what elements UN DESA takes into account, and the reasons for which UN DESA deviates from the recommendations made by a stakeholder group's own decision-making procedures and mechanisms. Both the Stakeholder Groups and the UN DESA can benefit from more transparency in the above mentioned process as any inputs provided with regards to the suggested names would allow us to enhance given mechanisms for the nomination and selection of MAG appointees. We also suggest that a timeline, which clearly states the date for the nomination, selection, appointment and announcement of new MAG members, be made publicly available. In this context, we stress that civil society, through the CSCG, uses a public process to select the candidates that it recommends, so we have ensured self-management in accordance with the cited CSTD Working Group report. All our previous communications regarding MAG nominations can be found at: http://internetgov-cs.org/ We have been consistent in our efforts for diverse networks to come together and openly and transparently identify civil society slates for MAG renewals. We urge UNDESA and the Secretariat, likewise, to follow the cited CSTD recommendations. We look forward to your reply to our comments above. Sincerely, R. Hill, for the Civil Society Coordination Group.
Our vision is that Internet governance should be inclusive, people centered and development oriented. Our contributions to the various forums relevant to Internet governance, will strive to ensure an information society which better enables equal opportunity and freedom for all. The current representatives are Arsène Tungali and Bruna Santos.
Best Bits is a civil society network on Internet governance and Internet rights. It offers an open space where each group can present and advocate for the initiatives that they believe offer the best positive agenda for advancing broadly shared civil society interests in Internet governance. The current representatives are Sheetal Kumar and Poncelet Ileleji.
The Just Net Coalition (JNC) is a global network of civil society actors committed to an open, free, just and equitable Internet. Founded in February 2014, the coalition engages on topics of the Internet and its governance, with the goal to promote democracy, human rights and social justice. The current representatives are Norbert Bollow and Parminder Jeet Singh.
The purpose of the Non Commercial Stakeholder Group (NCSG) is to represent, through its elected representatives and its Constituencies, the interests and concerns of noncommercial registrants and noncommercial Internet users of generic Top-level Domains (gTLDs). The current representatives are David Cake and Robin Gross.
For those of us who have access to it, the internet has become an essential part of our daily information and communication needs. However millions of people still do not have affordable, reliable or sufficient connectivity. APC believes the internet is a global public good. Founded in 1990, we are an international network and non-profit organisation that wants everyone to have access to a free and open internet to improve our lives and create a more just world. The current representatives are Chat Garcia Ramilo and Deborah Brown.
CSCG is currently chaired by Analía Aspis and Richard Hill, who serve as equal Co-chairs.
The Civil Society Coordination Group (CSCG) exists solely to ensure a coordinated civil society response and conduit when it comes to making civil society appointments to outside bodies. It comprises representatives of the coalition members of the Best Bits, Association for Progressive Communications, Internet Governance Caucus, Just Net Coalition, and Non-Commercial Stakeholders Group of ICANN.
CSCG is currently chaired by Analía Aspis and Richard Hill, who serve as equal Co-chairs.
The CSCG has co-operated with such bodies as international Telecomunication Union, WSIS+10, UNDESA, Internet Governance Forum, CSTD Working Group on Enhanced Cooperation, Netmundial Conference and Intiative and 1Net Initiative to nominate a diverse range of civil society members as speakers and members of committees and working groups