[IGFmaglist] Draft Open Letter on Funding

Mon Jul 29 19:21:11 EDT 2013

Dear MAG Colleagues,

As we discussed on Friday, we are working with other colleagues in the
private sector and elsewhere to try and fundraise for the IGF.  In order
for this to work, we still need a number of things from UNDESA, the Host
Country and others.

I've taken a stab at an open
letter<https://docs.google.com/a/google.com/document/d/1gFbL06F7ZdE205jj8vO9HmCZGK80Oi3Da-DRDBeQRu0/edit>
(a
draft) to be sent to various parties that makes these requests (a version
has been cut and pasted below as well).

Along these lines, I have a few questions for each of the MAG members (past
and present)

   1. Do you have any comments to this draft letter?
   2. Would you be willing to sign the letter?
   3. If the answer to 2 is no, are there any changes that you would like
   to be made for you to be willing to sign it?

I look forward to your comments.

Patrick

=========

DRAFT OPEN LETTER, CIRCULATING FOR COMMENT AND DISCUSSION

Please provide comments by going in Google Docs
here<https://docs.google.com/a/google.com/document/d/1gFbL06F7ZdE205jj8vO9HmCZGK80Oi3Da-DRDBeQRu0/edit#null>to
Insert>Comment, or by email to
patrickryan at google.com

To: Mr. Ban Ki-moon, Secretary General of the United Nations

Mr. Wu Hungbo, Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs

Mr/Ms __________, Government of Indonesia

Mr/MS __________, ID-IGF

Dear _____,

The undersigned individuals and entities are all supportive of the Internet
Governance Forum (“IGF”) and would like to participate jointly in an effort
to keep the IGF in Bali this year.  The issues related to the possible
cancellation are budgetary nature.  Many of us are working on a
private-sector effort to help defray the costs of the IGF for now and the
future, but we need your help to make this work.

The principle for funding UN meetings is found in Resolution 40/243 of 18
February 1986, which finds that meetings should be held at UN Headquarters,
except "when a Government . . . has agreed to defray . . . the actual
additional costs directly or indirectly involved."  As we know, all IGF
meetings are held away from UN headquarters by design, and the IGF is not a
government-only event as envisioned in 1986, the time that Resolution
40/243 was passed.  Instead, the IGF is multistakeholder as described in
the Tunis Agenda, WSIS-05/TUNIS/DOC/6 (Rev. 1)-E, Paras. 72-80.  In order
to finance the IGF’s activities, a trust fund has been organized by UNDESA
in GLO/06/X01<http://www.intgovforum.org/cms/2013/TrustFund/Project%20document%20IGF2011-2015.pdf>and
in Resolution
65/141 of 20 December
2010<https://docs.google.com/a/google.com/file/d/0BylRrf_lFlA9UGlwYkVDZGtnNDA/edit>.
 This Resolution addresses involvement and voluntary financing, and the
U.N. General Assembly:

19. Stresses that  the  consideration of improvements to the Internet
 Governance Forum should be based on the inputs to be provided to the
working group by all Member States and all other stakeholders [ . . .
]exploring further voluntary options for financing the Forum and
improving the modalities of the preparation process and the work and
functioning of the secretariat of the Forum; (emphasis added)

In light of the funding concerns, the premise in the Tunis Agenda is to
include all stakeholders further, Resolution 65/141 stresses the need to
find voluntary financing options.  In this spirit, we are mounting an
initiative to provide the required financing to move the IGF forward.
 However, we have the following requests:

Request #1, for UNDESA, the Government of Indonesia and the ID-IGF
Committee: tell us what the fundraising goal needs to be.

We ask the parties above to share with the community in a definitive and
transparent way what the fundraising target is that is required to keep the
IGF in Bali this year, together with details of the uses of the funds.
 With a clear target number from the three parties above, the community can
set targets for its fundraising effort, and further, the community can also
evaluate what areas may be able to be supported through in-kind services.

Request #2, for the Indonesian Government: Reassure the community that the
government will host the IGF if the funding issues are satisfied.

Even if the funding issues are addressed, the IGF will require the
execution of a Host Country Agreement.  In order for the community to
engage in fundraising activity for the IGF this year, we respectfully
request assurance from the Indonesian government that the HCA will be
signed.  Along these lines, a letter from the Indonesian Government to
assure the community of the host country’s commitment will help counter the
many rumors and reports in the press and provide a stable environment for
our fundraising efforts.

Request #3, for UNDESA: Clear the path for Tides.  As of right now, if any
individual wants to fund the IGF, they need an individual contract with
UNDESA to do so.  Yet, Resolution 65/141 encourages the community to
“explor[e] further voluntary options for financing the Forum.”  Consistent
with this Resoultion, a non-exclusive proposal from
Tides.org<http://www.tides.org>is in circulation with UNDESA and it is
a matter of finalizing that
agreement for Tides as a donoer (Tides is a non-profit that works with
foundations, donors, corporations, social investors,  government
institutions, community organizations, activists, social entrepreneurs, and
others for social good benefit).  If the Tides proposal is finalized, it
could broadly widen the ability for individuals and entities to
contribute----and provide a model for other similar funds in the future.
 Note that it will be crucial to ensure that all contributions are
disclosed in a transparent way.

Request #4, for UNDESA: Share the budget details with the community.  This
builds on Request #1, and we ask for further transparency in the IGF
budget.  Although the projected budget for 2011-2015 is available on the
IGF website, the budget has been significantly revised since 2011 and the
revisions and current version are not available to potential sponsors.
  Additionally, there have never been any details on in-country costs from
any prior IGF, and while venue and other related local expenditures may not
be necessary, the costs that are incurred by the UN and the IGF Secretariat
for the in-country portion (for translation, security, personnel) should
all be public.

Request #5, for UNDESA: Involve the MAG regularly on site selection issues
and open the site-selection process up to transparency.  In the past, the
selection of the host country has been a matter that’s solely between the
Secretariat and the host countries, with no input from the MAG on either
process or selection. Yet site selection is crucial to the functioning of
the IGF.  In the future, the site selection procedures should be more
transparent with clear public deadlines set for submission by candidate
countries, together with information about what the IGF can do for local
economies.  Although the ultimate decision on site selection can be made by
UNDESA, we request that a committee of MAG members be constituted to
participate in the selection and review process. This should start
immediately for the selection of a location in 2014.

cc: Markus Kummer

Chengetai Masango

Members of the Multistakeholder Advisory Group

[ . . . ]

Sincerely,

Parties signing this open letter:

______________

______________

______________

______________

______________

------
*patrick ryan *
public policy & gov't relations sr. counsel, free expression and int'l
relations
patrickryan at google.com | +1.512.751.5346
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