[IGFmaglist] MAG Virtual Meeting - Main Session discussion

Mon Jul 3 09:47:08 EDT 2017

Dear Renata,

I also think it is a good idea for the MAG facilitators of the Main Sessions to be from multiple SH groups and also have appropriate diversity (regional, gender, etc.).   If this is not already part of the Main Session guidelines, could the authors of those guidelines consider this?  And, we can certainly take this suggestion up on this weeks MAG call.

Best,
Lynn

> On Jul 2, 2017, at 3:21 PM, Renata Aquino Ribeiro <raquino at gmail.com> wrote:
> 
> Dear all
> 
> It is important indeed that the main sessions bring newer
> perspectives, I agree w/ Zeina on this.
> I believe there will be other opportunities for the theme "Human and
> Social Dimensions of the Internet", to be worked within the IGF
> options.
> 
> Chair, on the proposals: I agree w/ the Straw Chair proposal for the
> sessions. Topic-led is as well a good approach.
> I also agree on having main sessions for NRIs, DCs and CENB.
> 
> What concerns me more of all the main sessions is that the topics have
> "owners" who will disregard, if not, de-characterize important issues.
> It would be best if Chair could identify teams of MAG members to
> support the topics and work to ensure a handful of organizations does
> not continue to "own" main session spaces, therefore they would not be
> ignored by IGF participants as it was in some cases last year.
> 
> Best,
> 
> Renata
> 
> 
> On Sun, Jul 2, 2017 at 3:35 PM, Zeina BOUHARB <zbouharb at yahoo.com> wrote:
>> Dear All,
>> 
>> The purpose of proposing the session on Social and Human dimensions of
>> Internet was to look at internet from different angles. it was intended to
>> highlight how internet is shaping our social, familial, cultural, and
>> medical future. the issue of e-reputation and digital identity is very
>> sensitive too.
>> 
>> But if you like to keep on discussing topics that were first raised since
>> 2006 and repeat sessions from last year, I withdraw my proposal.
>> 
>> Zeina
>> 
>> Sent from Yahoo Mail for iPhone
>> 
>> 
>> On Saturday, July 1, 2017, 12:49, Juan Fernandez Gonzalez
>> <juan.fernandez at mincom.gob.cu> wrote:
>> 
>> Dear Lynn:
>> 
>> Thank you for an excellent summary of the state of the discussion regarding
>> the Main Sessions.
>> 
>> I want to give my support to the proposal of the 4 themes.
>> 
>> This results in the following 6 Main Sessiones:
>> 
>> 1-  Gender (2 hours)
>> 2-  Cybersecurity (3 hours)
>> 3-  Digital Economy (3 hours)
>> 4-  Technical Subject (3 hours)
>> 5-   NRI (3 hours)
>> 6-   DC (1.5 hours)
>> 
>> I am attaching a document with two grid proposals for possible distribution
>> of these Main Sessions.
>> 
>> I hope that it can help in the discussion on the next virtual meeting.
>> 
>> Best regards
>> 
>> Juan
>> 
>> --
>> Juan Alfonso Fernández González
>> Asesor
>> Ministerio de Comunicaciones
>> República de Cuba
>> Email: juan.fernandez at mincom.gob.cu
>> Tel.: +535 2885103
>> 
>> ________________________________
>> De: "Lynn St.Amour" <st.amour at bluewin.ch>
>> Para: "IGF Maglist" <Igfmaglist at intgovforum.org>
>> Enviados: Viernes, 30 de Junio 2017 18:37:14
>> Asunto: [IGFmaglist] MAG Virtual Meeting - Main Session discussion
>> 
>> Dear MAG members,
>> 
>> at our next virtual MAG meeting we are scheduled to finalize the Main
>> Sessions.
>> 
>> We made some good progress at our last MAG meeting and after carefully
>> reviewing the transcript and the Adobe Connect chat log, I have tried to
>> capture the current state below.  Apologies for the length of this email,
>> but I thought it best to pull all the threads together.
>> 
>> Back to the Beginning
>> 
>> So we know what we are working with:
>> 
>> "Day 0”  2017 is slightly unusual.  Given the IGF is being held late in the
>> year, the IGF meeting schedule was advanced one day.  This means that Day 0
>> is on a Sunday (not Monday).   This complicated some of the Day 0 events.
>> This combined with the Swiss government’s desire for the Host Country
>> opening and ceremonial sessions to be more interactive and more integrated
>> with the rest of the IGF program, led to a new proposal.  It was proposed
>> that the Opening session (Monday afternoon) include a topic-based discussion
>> among high-level speakers, tentatively titled, ‘What rules for our global
>> digital polity?’ This would be followed on the second day of the IGF meeting
>> with a high-level thematic (Main) session on (again tentatively titled) 'the
>> Impact of digitization on politics, public trust and democracy’.  These
>> sessions would be multistakeholder in nature with participation from all SH
>> groups.  After some discussion within the MAG, it was agreed to proceed,
>> despite there being some concern re setting a precedent and using an
>> additional Main Session slot.   At the same time, many welcomed the
>> innovative approach noting it addressed concerns heard in many of the
>> previous years.  So, this is a pilot.
>> 
>> Where are We?
>> 
>> Given we have the Opening and Closing Ceremonies/Sessions and the "High
>> Level Thematic” Session, this leaves five (5) 3 hour Main session slots (see
>> attached grid).
>> 
>> Coming out of the MAG meeting we have:
>> 
>> a)  6 Main Session proposals remaining: 1 - Gender Inclusion and Future of
>> the Internet (2 hours), 2 - Human and Social Dimensions of the Internet (1.5
>> hours), 3 - Creating an Inclusive Workforce in a Digital Economy,  4 -
>> Empowering Global Cooperation, Cybersecurity for Sustainable Development and
>> Peace, 5 - Data for Sustainable Development Roadmaps, 6 -  Local
>> Interventions, Global Impacts, How Can International Multistakeholder
>> Cooperation Address Internet Shut-downs, Encryption and Data Flows?
>> 
>> b)  a request from the DCs for a 1.5 hour Main session slot - Title: TBD
>> (preference was for a 3 hour slot, but recognizing various program
>> constraints this was reduced)
>> 
>> c) a request from the NRIs for a 3 hour Main session slot: ‘Rights in the
>> digital/online world’ (separate document has been sent by the NRIs to the
>> MAG)
>> 
>> d) the Connecting and Enabling the Next Billion(s) Phase III has said they
>> will work to integrate their activities into the overall IGF Program.
>> 
>> And, to be discussed separately from Main Sessions, we also have a request
>> from the NRIs for  6 - 12 thematic Workshops.
>> 
>> MAG members made several suggestions regarding Main Session selections,
>> notably to look at possible mergers as well as to shorten requested
>> durations.  The first pass of this was done during the MAG meeting.
>> 
>> One proposal (supported by several MAG members from different SH groups) was
>> to select a small number of main themes to align/develop Main Session
>> proposals around (something we lost when we moved to the community “tags”
>> process for the workshops).   Suggestions were: Cybersecurity, Gender,
>> Digital Economy, and a Technical Subject ("such as the merged proposal on
>> the local interventions, multistakeholder cooperation on Internet shutdowns,
>> encryption and data flows").    If the MAG decides to go forward with this
>> approach we would align/develop the Main Session proposals above with these
>> 4 themes.  This will require either consolidation or potentially moving some
>> of the Main Session proposals above to a WS slot if the MAG feels this is
>> appropriate.
>> 
>> There was also a proposal made by a MAG member that there were overlaps
>> (“super-positions of subjects”) between 3 Main Session proposals: "Creating
>> an Inclusive Workforce in the Digital Economy”, "Human and Social Dimensions
>> of the Internet", and "Data for Sustainable Development Roadmaps” and that
>> these should be factored down to (2?) main subjects.  I believe this
>> proposal complements the one above.
>> 
>> Also there was considerable interest in the proposal on "Data for
>> Sustainable Development Roadmaps” but a number of MAG members felt this was
>> better suited to a WS format rather than a Main session.
>> 
>> Straw Chair Proposal
>> 
>> Building on the suggestions above and in order to help focus our
>> discussions, I would like to put forward a 'Straw Chair Proposal’, subject
>> obviously, to the MAG's approval.
>> 
>> Chair Proposal: We go forward with the 4 themes proposed (tentative Main
>> Session alignment below):
>> 
>> Four (4) Themes:
>> Cybersecurity - (4) Empowering Global Cooperation, Cybersecurity for
>> Sustainable Development and Peace
>> Gender - (1) Gender Inclusion and Future of the Internet (2 hours)
>> Digital Economy - (3) Creating an Inclusive Workforce in a Digital Economy,
>> Technical Subject - (6) Local Interventions, Global Impacts, How Can
>> International Multistakeholder Cooperation Address Internet Shut-downs,
>> Encryption and Data Flows?
>> 
>> This leaves 2 Main Session proposals: 2 - Human and Social Dimensions of the
>> Internet (1.5 hours), and 5 - Data for Sustainable Development Roadmaps to
>> either be integrated into other Main sessions or perhaps moved to a WS slot
>> if the MAG feels this is appropriate.
>> 
>> Going forward with the 4 Themes above leaves us with the following slots: 1
>> x 3 hour Main session, and 1 x 1 hour Main Session slot (as the Gender Main
>> session is requesting 2 hours).  Total Available: 4 hours
>> 
>> The DCs have requested a 1.5 hour slot (title: TBD), and the NRIs have
>> requested a 3 hour slot titled: ‘Rights in the digital/online world’.  As
>> agreed, the NRIs will speak to this in our upcoming MAG meeting.  Total
>> Requested: 4.5 hours
>> 
>> My reading of the discussions in the MAG meeting and on the MAG mailing list
>> with respect to the importance of all the Intersessional work is that there
>> is substantial support for Main session slots for the DCs and the NRIs (from
>> several SH groups).  At the same time there were questions raised by some
>> MAG members and alternative proposals put forward; and these are under
>> review by the NRIs and the MAG.  Note: there has not yet been a consensus
>> call within the MAG, this will take place at our MAG meeting next week.
>> Also, please note: while I am personally very supportive of giving the DCs
>> and the NRIs Main Session time, I am only trying to reflect what I hear from
>> the MAG overall.   If someone sees a different 'emerging consensus', please
>> say so.
>> 
>> If the MAG approves the 4 Themes approach above, and *if* the DC and NRI
>> requests are approved *as they stand*, we will be over the available time by
>> 30 minutes - so I see a few possible paths: 1 - the MAG asks the Main
>> session proposers (and NRIs) if anyone could make a *2.5 hour split* Main
>> session slot work (that is a 1 hour slot followed by a break and then a 1.5
>> hour slot or vice versa (giving 2.5 vs. 3 hours), 2 - another alternative is
>> the NRIs have a 1.5 hour slot mirroring the DCs or, 3 - one of the "4 Theme”
>> sessions above reduces their time to 1.5 hours (allowing the NRIs a 3 hour
>> slot).  Note: if Option 2 is selected (a 1.5 hour slot for the NRIs), we
>> still have a 1 hour slot available (perhaps for either the CENB program or
>> one of the other 2 proposed Main Sessions?).
>> 
>> I very much appreciate the clear intent from everyone to work together to
>> build a great IGF program.  Clearly, there is work to be done going forward
>> to weave all the IGF activities together and this work will be undertaken in
>> the MAG WGs (and are open to non-MAG members).
>> 
>> Thankfully, there are a lot of creative people on the MAG.  So please review
>> this carefully and send in any comments or suggestions, preferably ahead of
>> next weeks MAG meeting so we can close expeditiously on this topic.
>> 
>> Best,
>> Lynn
>> 
>> 
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