[IRP] Call notes and next steps...

[M.I.Franklin]

Hi Parminder

Point well taken. Absolutely in terms of the structural, endemic issues and 
the fact that an IGF meeting is not a UNDP or MDG one. However, as a 
*coalition* I do think we can do something concrete and symbolic... 
precisely as the UN MDG's see ICTs as a panacea for poverty... !

My motion is at the Coalition/IGF grassroots level; otherwise, yes we may 
well be gesticulating for nothing.

No reason, though not to make just these connections in any statement; 
Indeed, what does a summit like this have to say about these crushingly 
inhumane conditions... !

Still... meanwhile let's get some cash together...

cheers
MF

--On Monday, August 08, 2011 13:53 +0530 parminder 
<parminder at itforchange.net> wrote:

> Dear Marianne, and all
>
> Yes, we need to show that we do notice abject poverty and hunger, and I
> am not sure there will be any other clear initiative at the IGF to do so.
> And of course, in any case, civil society should stand up first in case
> of such issues.
>
> However, perhaps by habit trying to be a little difficult :), could we
> actually look at what is happening in that part of the world and what are
> the normally recognised causes for it, and see where does global
> governance, and if indeed it does connect, Internet governance, figure
> in. And accordingly, what a meet on global Internet governance cna and
> should say to these people facing such trying conditions. That I think
> would be even more appropriate. Just my 2 paisa.
>
> best regards
>
> parminder
>
> On Monday 08 August 2011 01:10 PM, M.I.Franklin wrote:
>
> Dear All
>
> Thanks Dixie and others for getting us off on the right foot. I was sadly
> one of those trying to get powwoenow to work and so couldn't make it.
>
> Great to hear that others too feel that as a coalition we need to make
> some concrete show of solidarity with the refugees and also, as I have
> recently read, famine-like conditions within Kenya and issues around
> uneven distribution and inefficiency.,? This issue is so pressing and
> also an opportunity for us to put our rights-based mouths where our money
> is!
>
> There are many possibilities on a modest level, based on the important
> point that a show of solidarity in difficult situations is also
> worthwhile. Not sufficient but a start. I was thinking of three possible
> approaches
>
> 1) A statement to the Kenyan authorities; jointly issued (as we did
> during Tunis and Cairo); flag the issue and possible IG connections...
> 2) More concretely, get a fund-raising event going or simply raise funds
> leading up to and during the IGF; think now about perhaps a local NGO to
> give? the money to based on the networks of knowledge and access we have
> in the coalition.
> 3) A statement at the IGF, in strategic moments and places about the link
> between crisis managements, structural poverty and IG;
>
> I mention twice issuing statements because on a conscious-raising level
> there is a strong undercurrent 'out there' about IG issues being way down
> the list when it comes to basic necessities. As I recall Parminder saying
> at some point last year (Parminder hope I have got this right); there is
> no question about food and water coming first. So the IRP coalition and
> other DCs at the IGF can take this opportunity to make this point plain
> yet also contribute to raising funds and/or resources....
>
> Anyway, just a start.
>
> best
> MF
>
> --On Friday, August 05, 2011 16:03 +0100 Dixie Hawtin
> <Dixie at global-partners.co.uk> wrote:
>
>
>
>
> Dear IRPers,
>
>
>
> Great meeting yesterday ? thanks to those who attended (or tried to
> attend, apologies for any difficulties with the service!) Notes from the
> call are below ? please especially note the "next steps" stage and
> see if you would like to be involved with anything...
>
>
>
> Participants
>
> Rebecca Mackinnon, Brett Solomon, Matthias Ketterman, Sam Gregory and
> Dixie Hawtin.
>
> (A few people were unable to connect in to the call as Powwownow didn't
> work very well ? if anyone has suggestions for a different conference
> call service to use please let me know)
>
>
>
> Discussion
>
> We began the call with a quick overview of what the IRP has achieved so
> far since the IGF 2010 and our ongoing initiatives (for a list see the
> agenda sent around last week). Most of the call was spent preparing for
> the IGF.
>
>
>
> * The IRP workshop: We discussed how best to use our workshop space and
> agreed that a very important issue to address is: copyright and human
> rights. Intellectual property is one of the main IG battlegrounds at
> present. Debates are very polarized, and influential copyright lobbies
> are successfully promoting "solutions" which erode human rights,
> enable unaccountable censorship and privacy violations and undermine due
> process rules. This is a problem in both developed and developing
> countries. We have decided to use our workshop to build support and
> awareness for the fact that while copyright infringement may be a
> problem, solutions cannot undermine human rights standards. We can
> explore how the problem is playing out in different countries and in
> different policy forums (e.g. ICANN, OECD etc.) and define the place of
> intellectual property within the human rights framework. If you would
> like to be involved in organizing the workshop please let me know and we
> can set up a smaller email group to focus on this. If you have
> suggestions for speakers and key questions/initiatives, please put these
> in the Google Doc (see below).
>
> *Effective Advocacy at IGF: As Brett noted ? business lobbies tend to
> be well-organized for maximum impact at the IGF. We are going to try and
> take a leaf out of their books and start strategising now. We need to
> identify: our key messages to promote at the IGF; the key challenges that
> we will need to rebut, and key workshops to attend. Please fill in your
> thoughts in the Google Doc (below). Nearer to the IGF we can have another
> conference call, using the Google Doc as a basis from which to build a
> coherent strategy. Note, there is likely to be disagreement over what
> messages we should be pushing and what are key challenged are ? throw
> everything in the Google Doc and we can argue it out later!
>
> *Solidarity with Somali Refugees: Marianne has suggested that the IRP
> find a way of showing solidarity with Somali refugees and some other IRP
> members have followed up to say this would mean a lot to them. However,
> we are still looking for ideas. Does anyone have any thoughts or any
> insight into which organisations/initiatives are well-respected?
>
>
>
> Next steps:
>
> *Locate further volunteers to help translating the 10 IRPs.? Priority
> languages include: Arabic, Mandarin, Japanese, Russian, Hindi, Urdu,
> Malay, and Persian.
>
> *The DRAFT Charter Commentary will be sent around in the next week. Look
> out for it and please give us comments.
>
> *The Google doc can be accessed here:
> https://spreadsheets.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0Ao4pSJn7RgATdEJPcktH
> UVVxSm1GRnVaZ0p2bTFZdEE&hl=en_US Please add your thoughts, or send them
> through to the list if you would rather!
>
>
>
> ALSO NOTE: when booking accommodation/travel make sure you account for
> the Human Rights Pre-event on 26 September ? more details to follow!
>
>
>
> All the best,
>
> Dixie
>
> ___________________________________________________________
>
> Dixie Hawtin
>
> Project Coordinator, Freedom of Expression and Communications Global
> Partners and Associates
>
> 338 City Road, London, EC1V 2PY, UK
>
> Office: + 44 207 239 8251
>
> mailto:dixie at global-partners.co.uk
>
> www.global-partners.co.uk
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Dr Marianne Franklin
> Reader/Convener of the Transnational Communications & Global Media
> Program
> Media & Communications
> Goldsmiths, University of London
> New Cross
> London SE14 6NW
> United Kingdom
> Tel (direct): #44 (0)207 919-7072
> Fax: #44 (0) 207 919-7616
> email: m.i.franklin at gold.ac.uk
> http://www.goldsmiths.ac.uk/media-communications/staff/franklin.php
> http://www.goldsmiths.ac.uk/pg/ma-transnational-communications-global-med
> ia.php
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>



Dr Marianne Franklin
Reader/Convener of the Transnational Communications & Global Media Program
Media & Communications
Goldsmiths, University of London
New Cross
London SE14 6NW
United Kingdom
Tel (direct): #44 (0)207 919-7072
Fax: #44 (0) 207 919-7616
email: m.i.franklin at gold.ac.uk
http://www.goldsmiths.ac.uk/media-communications/staff/franklin.php
http://www.goldsmiths.ac.uk/pg/ma-transnational-communications-global-media.php