[IGFmaglist] FW: Change of dates for IGF 2014

[Markus Kummer]

Dear all,

Base on the feed-back received after my last email, I sent the email below to Assistant-Secretary-General Thomas Gass.

Best regards
Markus

From: Markus Kummer <kummer at isoc.org<mailto:kummer at isoc.org>>
Date: Tuesday28, January, 2014 11:13 AM
To: Thomas Gass <gass at un.org<mailto:gass at un.org>>
Cc: Elia Armstrong <armstronge at un.org<mailto:armstronge at un.org>>, "cherkasov at un.org<mailto:cherkasov at un.org>" <cherkasov at un.org<mailto:cherkasov at un.org>>, Chengetai Masango <cmasango at unog.ch<mailto:cmasango at unog.ch>>
Subject: Re: [IGFmaglist] Change of dates for IGF 2014

Dear Mr Gass,

Last Friday, the IGF Secretariat sent out a message announcing a change of dates for the IGF 2014 meeting. This message has caused some dismay among MAG members and I am writing to you to convey their concern that this might have a negative impact on the success of the Istanbul meeting.

In the discussion on the MAG list that followed the message, it was pointed out that there are various factors that need to be considered, first and foremost the fact that the August dates would fall into the middle of the European holiday season. Participants from Europe are traditionally well represented in any IGF meeting and of course they are expected to be even more so if the meeting takes place in the European region. In August, it would be practically impossible to get any high-level participants from Europe, as most Ministers and Parliamentarians will be on their summer break. Also, non-governmental participants would find it difficult to attend, as prices for tickets and hotels are expected to be high during the peak holiday season, with Turkey being a popular destination.

In addition, having the meeting earlier would reduce the time necessary for a careful preparation of the meeting. The preparatory period for finalizing workshops, presentations and speeches would be negatively impacted due to many stakeholders taking holidays in mid-July/August.  Lastly, the change of dates would also interfere with the calendar of some of the national/regional IGF initiatives.

All in all, the view was held that it would be best for the IGF to stick to the originally proposed dates, in a year with many important meetings in a rapidly evolving Internet governance landscape. 2014 will be crucial for the IGF's future, as we have to prepare the renewal of its mandate by the General Assembly. A successful Istanbul meeting is the 'sine qua non' for maintaining the IGF as an indispensable part of the Internet governance ecosystem. A badly attended meeting with limited high-level participation would be perceived as a failure -- and failure is not an option, if we are committed to the future of a strong IGF.

On behalf of the MAG members who expressed these concerns,  I kindly ask you to take up this issue with the Host Country and urge them to hold the meeting on the dates originally proposed, that is on 2-5 September 2014.

With many thanks in advance for your kind consideration of this request.

Best regards


Markus Kummer
Vice President, Public Policy
Internet Society
Geneva

http://www.internetsociety.org



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