[IRP] Discussing the mandate/scope/schedule of the Expert Revision Group for the Charter of Human Rights and Principles on the Internet

Max Senges maxsenges
Sun Dec 6 17:38:35 EET 2009


Hello everybody

Please find below the message with which Lisa and I started the discussion
with the first three members of the "Charter Revision Expert Group". Rikke
has already gotten back, acknowledging the overall plan, while cautioning
regarding discussing the draft at EuroDIG.

Also Anriette has goten back: APC is still searching for human rights
experts from the south who'd volunteer to participate in the revision
group.

Anyways I thought it would be good to get the community started on
discussing and collabowriting the mandate/scope/schedule of the revision
process.

One new idea I'd like to bring up is to include governmental and private
sector human right expert feedback in the first feedback round.

Yours
Max



---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Lisa Horner <lisa at global-partners.co.uk>
Date: Fri, Nov 27, 2009 at 6:48 PM
Subject: Charter of Human Rights and Principles on the Internet
To: Meryem Marzouki <Meryem.Marzouki at lip6.fr>, wolfgang.benedek at uni-graz.at
Cc: Max Senges <maxsenges at gmail.com>, Anriette Esterhuysen <anriette at apc.org
>


 Hi Rikke, Meryem and Wolfgang



(Meryem ? please could you forward this to Rikke as I don?t have her email
address to hand).



I hope you?re all well and had a safe journey back from Egypt.  I?ve just
been talking to Max, and we thought it would be good to pick up on the
Charter process after our conversations in Sharm.



Firstly, thanks for agreeing to be our human rights experts and revise the
charter.  There are a few points I think we need to finalise so we can move
forward?.



*1)      **Timings*



I think we agreed on the following timescale:

-          Accept further edits and comments on the wiki until  Christmas
(shall we say Monday January 3rd, or maybe you?d like to use the quiet time
between xmas and new year?)

-          Expert committee works on the text until March 2010?.



We were then discussing whether it would be possible to present the draft to
the IRP coalition for comments at this stage, or whether we?d need to get
input from other experts first.



Eurodig is being held at the end of March this year, and it would be a great
opportunity to hold a coalition meeting to discuss the draft text.  We could
also consider presenting it to the wider Eurodig at that stage for input in
order to generate interest and a wider sense of ownership.  Do you think you
would (a) be able to get input from other experts by that stage or (b) do it
in parallel with/after the Eurodig meetings?



After that, I think we agreed to have a first version ready for the end of
May?



*2)      **Structure*



We were discussing in Egypt whether to keep the Charter in 2 sections, or
whether to try and incorporate the principles into the rights section.  I
personally think that they are two separate things, and that trying to
incorporate implementation principles (e.g. what policies do we need to
build an internet that supports the human rights defined in the first
section) into the rights section will result in repetition (e.g. some
version of ?network neutrality? may be necessary to protect free expression,
privacy and free association, as well as creating optimal conditions for
economic, social and cultural rights).



However, I?d personally be happy for you to try for the matrix approach that
Meryem was suggesting.  It may well work out better, and it would obviously
be good for you to have the scope to play around with the structure and come
up with something that works well.  But would it be possible to do it in
such a way so as to return to the original structure if we need to?  I.e.
still thinking in terms of (a) How do universal human rights translate in
the internet age.  What are our rights and freedoms that should be
protected.  And (b) what are the ?implementation policy principles? across
the different ?layers? of the internet environment that would foster an
internet that supports rather than undermines these rights.



Alternatively, it?d also be fine for you to focus on the first section of
rights to start with.  We could then move on to look at the principles
later, possibly through a consultation process with industry people.  We
could stick with the FoE Project Principles for now to form the basis for
section (b), and then move on to develop them and widen out ownership of
them by different stakeholders.  They were defined through a negotiation
process between an albeit small group of people, and so do have some
legitimacy.



*3)      **Including experts from the global south*



I?m not sure where we are with this.  Do you have ideas of HR experts who
might be interested in participating?  I have a possible contact in
Argentina, and could try and think of others?.



Please let us know what you think on all of this.  And thanks again for
agreeing to do the work ? it?ll make a huge difference.



All the best,

Lisa and Max



___________________________________________________________

*Lisa Horner*

*Head of Research & Policy  **Global Partners and Associates*

338 City Road, London, EC1V 2PY, UK

Office: + 44 207 239 8251     Mobile: +44 7867 795859

*lisa at global-partners.co.uk**  **www.global-partners.co.uk *
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