[A2k] UN: PREPARATIONS BEGIN FOR INTERNET GOVERNANCE FORUM

[Thiru Balasubramaniam]

http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2006/sgsm10366.doc.htm

02/03/2006

Secretary-General
SG/SM/10366
PI/1702


*Department of Public Information =95 News and Media Division =95 New York*


  PREPARATIONS BEGIN FOR INTERNET GOVERNANCE FORUM

The Secretary-General has decided to establish a small Secretariat in
Geneva to assist in the convening of the Internet Governance Forum
(IGF). The Secretary-General was asked by the World Summit on the
Information Society, held in Tunis in November, to convene such a Forum
for multi-stakeholder policy dialogue.


Nitin Desai, the Secretary-General=92s Special Adviser for the Summit,
held open consultations on 16 and 17 February in Geneva aimed at
reaching a common understanding on how the Forum should function. Those
discussions produced a consensus that the IGF should have a strong
development orientation. It was also felt that the Forum should be open
and inclusive, and allow for the participation of all interested
stakeholders with proven expertise and experience in Internet-related
matters.


The Secretariat will be headed by Markus Kummer, who has been the
Executive Coordinator of the Secretariat of the Working Group on
Internet Governance, which was established by the Secretary-General at
the request of the first phase of the Summit, in Geneva in 2003. The
first meeting of the Forum is expected to take place later this year in
Athens.


On a separate issue, the Secretary-General has also decided to ask Mr.
Desai to consult informally on how to start a process aimed at enhancing
cooperation on international public policy issues related to the
Internet. The Summit had requested the Secretary-General to start such a
process.