Whereas previous meetings of the Internet Governance Forum (IGF) have served above all as a platform for exchanging ideas, the meeting on 10 – 13 November in João Pessoa will set the future agenda in important ways. eco Chair Prof. Michael Rotert is participating again this year in the IGF. In the following short interview, he explains the background to the event and gives voice to his own personal expectations.
Professor Rotert, what is the “IGF Meeting” and what is it for?
The IGF – Internet Governance Forum – was established in 2005 in Tunisia at the World Summit on the Information Society. It forms a discussion platform for all questions relating to Internet Governance. This includes the developments and the applications in the Internet, and it involves the participation of governments, the private sector and the civil society, each in their respective role. In brief, the discussion revolves around the question of who actually governs the Internet.
How is eco involved in the event?
eco contributes to individual discussion forums as a part of the private sector – the industry, to be specific – in order to explain technical limitations and the possibilities for implementation of particular measures and developments. Many of the other participants from other groups do not have this technical knowledge. For such assessments, our members and their businesses are of course in the focus, but the special regulations/legislation and the technical implementation of these for Internet providers can often represent an example of “Best Practices” for other participants.
What are the important points on the agenda for this meeting in João Pessoa?
Along with the extension of the IGF mandate through the United Nations, the topics on the agenda include general questions about the Internet, as well as human rights, cyber security and critical Internet resources. Although the IGF has so far been a pure discussion forum without the production of output, the question will certainly be discussed as to whether results and the direction of development should in future be published. This has been called for previously by governments and industry representatives.
What does the event promise for you personally?
The discussion forums provide a good view of the attitudes relating to the social development of the Internet and how this is managed in individual countries. It is important for me to take up this point and to make use of it in our work with our own members – particularly as eco is gaining more and more international members.
The further development of the multi-stakeholder approach is certainly interesting – seeing as we have just recently used such a process successfully to develop a paper in Germany on the reform of the domain administrator ICANN.
And, of course, personal networking also plays a very important role.