NETmundial Initiative defines its scope and activities

This week in São Paulo (Brazil) the Coordination Council of the NETmundial Initiative (NMI) held its inaugural meeting. During the full day session it took key decisions to define its future scope and activities. As a member representing the European industry on the Coordination Council, I attended the meeting together with my fellow members of the Council (a full list at the end) and over 80 remote community attendees and many observers on the ground (the meeting was open for attendance and live streamed)

The newly passed Terms of Reference (ToR) outlines the mission of the Initiative, which is “to provide a platform that helps catalyze practical cooperation between all stakeholders in order to address Internet issues and advance the implementation of the NETmundial Principles and Roadmap.”

The scope of NMI includes specifically six activities: furthering the implementation of the NETmundial Principles, serving as an impartial clearinghouse, providing a collaboration platform, enabling communities of expertise, facilitating participation in Internet governance, and enabling capacity-development efforts.

Both, mission and scope have been defined taking community feedback into account which asked for no duplication of existing initiatives and processes.

The Coordination Council also adopted its governance and operational framework, which detail its role, responsibilities and working methods, putting a focus on open, transparent and inclusive processes.

Additionally, two first activities of NMI were already reviewed and endorsed:

1. The beta version of the NETmundial Solutions Map (“Map”), a tool designed to support information sharing and collaboration on Internet governance issues. The Map is now open for content contributions.
2. The beta version of the NETmundial Collaboration Platform, a space intended to enable collaboration, cooperation and solicitation of Internet governance proposals.

A third proposed activity presented by the Brazilian CGI to open a space for sharing best practices on local multistakeholder Internet governance structures will be further discussed.

The Coordination Council also elected five Co-Chairs in its first meeting:

• Virgílio Almeida, Secretary for Information Technology Policy of the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation of Brazil and chair of the Brazilian Internet Steering Committee;
• Fadi Chehadé, President and CEO, ICANN;
• Eileen Donahoe, Director of Global Affairs – Human Rights Watch;
• Jack Ma, Founder and Executive Chairman, Alibaba Group;
• Marília Maciel, Center for Technology and Society – Rio de Janeiro Law School of the Getulio Vargas Foundation.

The Coordination Council also acknowledged the importance of complementing and providing practical support for the work of the IGF, and supported its renewal. Finally it expressed its commitment to collaborate with all stakeholders in order to work towards fulfilling the vision of the World Summit on the Information Society for “a people-centered, inclusive and development oriented information society post-2015”.

Overall, it was a fruitful and productive meeting, setting NMI on a clear course for its future. On the site of the historic NETmundial Conference last year (see previous post), we have seen another remarkable meeting where stakeholders and governments participated and exchanged views on equal footing. Where else would you be able to see an exchange of views on the importance of Human Rights between stakeholder and the Minister of Cyberspace of China, Lu Wei, in the presence of the U.S. Administration and EU Commission?

The NETmundial spirit was clearly present in these moments and I am sure will guide the next steps of NMI. And this is what is needed now: we need to get some things done.

COUNCIL MEMBERS

1. Jean-François Abramatic, Senior Scientist, Inria (France).
2. Pablo Bello, Secretary General, Association of Latin American Telecom Operators.
3. João Carlos Caribé, Policy Manager, Movimento Mega – Counselor Civil Society/LAC.
4. Fadi Chehadé, President and CEO of ICANN.
5. Eileen Donahoe, Director of Global Affairs – Human Rights Watch.
6. William Drake, International Fellow and Lecturer in the Institute of Mass Communication and Media Research at the University of Zurich.
7. Anriette Esterhuysen, Executive Director, Association for Progressive Communications.
8. E. Mr. LU Wei, Minister of Cyberspace Administration of the People’s Republic of China.
9. Jack Ma, Founder and Executive Chairman, Alibaba Group.
10. Marília Maciel. Center for Technology and Society – Rio de Janeiro Law School of the Getulio Vargas Foundation.
11. Akinori MAEMURA, General Manager, Internet Development Department, Japan Network Information Center (JPNIC).
12. Andile Ngcaba, Chairman and Founder, Convergence Partners.
13. Ian Peter, Technology and Policy Strategist; Participating in Personal Capacity.
14. Jim Poisant, Secretary General, The World Information Technology and Services Alliance (WITSA).
15. Nii Quaynor, Professor of Computer Science, University of Cape-Coast, Ghana.
16. Richard Samans, Head of the Centre for the Global Agenda, Member of the Managing Board, WEF.
17. Christoph Steck, Director Public Policy & Internet, Telefónica.
18. Jean-Jacques Subrenat, European Regional At-Large Organization.

COUNCIL MEMBERS’ REPRESENTATIVES

1. Carlos Alberto Afonso, the Brazilian Internet Steering Committee (CGI); Representing Virgílio Almeida, Secretary for Information Technology Policy of the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation of Brazil and chair of CGI.
2. Juan Pablo Altmark, Data Privacy Specialist; Representing Juan Cruz Gonzalez Allonca, National Director for Personal Data Protection, Ministry of Justice and Human Rights, Argentina.
3. Hartmut Glaser, Executive Secretary of CGI; Representing Virgílio Almeida (CGI).
4. Manal Ismail, Executive Director for International Technical Coordination at the National Telecom Regulatory Authority (NTRA) of Egypt; Representing Khaled Negm, Minister of Communications and Information Technology of Egypt.
5. Constantijn van Oranje-Nassau, Advisor, European Commission; Representing Andrus Ansip, European Commission Vice-President for the Digital Single Market.
6. Lawrence E. Strickling, Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information, U.S. Department of Commerce; Representing U.S. Secretary of Commerce, Penny Pritzker.

OTHER

1. Wolfgang Kleinwächter, Special Ambassador of the NETmundial Initiative.
2. Janis Karklins, Chair, Multi-Stakeholder Advisory Group (MAG), IGF.

ON-SITE OBSERVER

• Cristiana Gonzalez, Project Coordinator, Local Actions for Internet Rights (APC-LASIR).
• Javier Pallero, Policy Analyst, Access Now.
• Patrick Penninckx, Head of the Information Society Department, Directorate General of Human Rights and the Rule of Law, Council of Europe.
• Bruno Ramos, Regional Director for the Americas, ITU.
• Thiago Tavares, Chairman of Safernet and member of the Board of CGI.
• Percival Henriques, Chairman of the Brazilian National Association for Digital Inclusion (ANID) and member of the Board of CGI.
• Jandyr Ferreira dos Santos Jr., Head of the Information Society Division of the Ministry of External Relations of Brazil.