[IGFmaglist] 2014 Interim Chair Selection

[Patrick Ryan]

Bill,

You're absolutely right on this.  The leadership from the Secretariat and
DESA is very strong under the circumstances (limited funding, limited
time-constrained mandate, etc). However, there really has not been any
cohesive effort on the part of the MAG to unite and make statements about
what we think is important.  My attempts to try and initiate that on an
individual level (with my draft reform doc
here<https://docs.google.com/a/google.com/document/d/1IpseDEXj9F25-RQkJWX6ERYl6_K3-jlC0HpTYuqFDCY/edit>)
have also failed, perhaps because of a combination of too much ambition,
too aggressive in scope, too aggressive generally, among other things.

Starting with the Special Advisor (I sort of address that in Point I.5 of
the doc linked above) might be a good place to start.  A statement from the
MAG----or even a subset----that expresses a view in a broader way is a
great idea.

Has there ever been a statement from the MAG to any effect?

If you or anybody would be interested in starting a letter or other doc to
see who might be willing to sign on, I think that could be useful.  As
reflected in this email exchange, it's often difficult to separate the
people from the problem (the people are extremely well intentioned and
effective----the problems arise instead from the complexities of the
institution).  Bringing focus to some of the problems in a way that shows
consensus from the MAG would be really smart.  I'm not suggesting a vote,
but working through a unified set of recommendations would be really smart.

Perhaps the initiative that Subi is leading could be part of this?

Patrick

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


On Thu, Jan 23, 2014 at 2:15 AM, William Drake <wjdrake at gmail.com> wrote:

> Hi
>
> Thanks Chengetai.  Not to belabor the point, but just to be clear,
>
> On Jan 23, 2014, at 9:32 AM, Chengetai Masango <cmasango at unog.ch> wrote:
>
> Dear Bill,
>
> I would not read it that way. My message also says that :
>
> “This step is only a stopgap measure, and the interim chair will serve
> while the process of selecting and appointing a Special Advisor is
> concluded. “
>
>
> I did see that. But as there’s been stopgap measures before, the process
> and timeline for this to be “concluded” is unclear, and it is unknown at
> least to some of us whether this would entail both positions or just the
> chair, as well as whether there’s an intention to solicit stakeholder input
> in advance of any choices, I was just wondering if there was any interest
> among MAG members in asking for clarity and urging action.  If the feeling
> is that it remains advisable for the MAG to say nothing, ok we can sit in
> the dark and wait for smoke signals.  Either way, I didn’t mean to cause
> any discomfort...
>
>
> Therefore action is being taken.
>
>
> Noted.
>
> Thanks much,
>
> Bill
>
>
> Best regards,
>
> Chengetai
>
>
>
>
> On 23 Jan, 2014, at 09:27, William Drake <wjdrake at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> Hi Chengetai
>
> On Jan 20, 2014, at 5:06 PM, Chengetai Masango <CMASANGO at unog.ch> wrote:
>
> With the announcement of the renewed MAG*,* the next step is to select an
> interim chair, to chair the open consultations and MAG meetings for the
> preparation of the  programme and schedule of the 2014 annual IGF meeting
>
>
> So I guess this means that DESA has no intention of filling the two posts
> that have been open for years any time soon, and we should just continue to
> reappoint interim chairs and crawl along that way?  I’m not sure this is
> the best solution at a time when the IG landscape is heating up and the
> need for the IGF to be strengthened is increasing, at least in the view of
> many folks. I would assume that funders would like more clarity
> too…although maybe it’s already all clear to them, I’m out of that loop and
> wouldn’t know.
>
> Perhaps this is naive, but is there any way to get some sort of
> declaration of intent out of DESA?
>
> If there’s no alternative given the timeline and UN politics and we must
> appoint an interim, could we perhaps tie this to a MAG statement saying we
> do not want to continue with this model beyond 2014 and need the open
> positions to be filled with full-fledged appointments thereafter?
>
> Best,
>
> Bill
>
> ***********************************************
> William J. Drake
> International Fellow & Lecturer
>   Media Change & Innovation Division, IPMZ
>   University of Zurich, Switzerland
> Chair, Noncommercial Users Constituency,
>   ICANN, www.ncuc.org
> william.drake at uzh.ch (direct), wjdrake at gmail.com (lists),
>   www.williamdrake.org
> ***********************************************
>
>
>
>
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