i2Coalition at IGF 2016 in Jalisco, Mexico

Today (December 6th, 2016) through December 9th, i2Coalition representatives are speaking at the IGF (Internet Governance Forum) 2016: Enabling Inclusive and Sustainable Growth in Jalisco, Mexico.

The Internet Governance Forum is three days of sessions held annually, bringing together representatives from various Internet stakeholders to discuss the policy issues that face the Internet. The multistakeholder model used by I-stars and others that govern the Internet is composed of representatives from various international governments, civil society, private citizens, business, and more.

The purpose of the forum according to IGF:

“While there is no negotiated outcome, the IGF informs and inspires those with policy-making power in both the public and private sectors. At their annual meeting delegates discuss, exchange information and share good practices with each other. The IGF facilitates a common understanding of how to maximize Internet opportunities and address risks and challenges that arise.”

A full list of the sessions at the 2016 Internet Governance Forum (IGF): ‘Enabling Inclusive and Sustainable Growth’ can be found here. It is possible to participate online through a variety of remote sessions. The easiest way to participate and find these sessions is through Twitter and other social media.

You can read the description of the panels i2Coalition representatives will be participating in below.

Aligning Multistakeholder Norms And The Digital Trade Agenda

Speakers

Burcu Kilic, Consultant, Public Citizen
David Snead, Co-Founder, Chairman of the Board, i2Coalition
Juan Antonio Dorantes, Trade Expert
Judith Hellerstein, Council, ISOC Washington D.C.
In-Person Moderator: Jeremy Malcolm, Senior Global Policy Analyst, Electronic Frontier Foundation
Remote Moderator: Michael J. Oghia

90 Minute Session

The role of the Internet in promoting economic and social development is often cited as a reason for the inclusion of Internet-related topics in bilateral and plurilateral trade agreements such as TPP, TTIP, TISA, and RCEP. However, the secrecy that clouds the negotiation of such agreements has stoked suspicion and opposition from stakeholders who expect that Internet-related public policy development should, in words of the NETmundial Multistakeholder Statement, “enable the full and balanced participation of all stakeholders from around the globe, and made by consensus, to the extent possible.”

How can this gap be bridged, in practical terms that go beyond grand statements of principle? At the beginning of this year, a network of activists, scholars and industry leaders came together to address this question. The first outcome of that meeting was the release of the Brussels Declaration on Trade and the Internet, which asserts that “Any international rule making process that affects the online and digital environment should adhere to human rights and good governance obligations to actively disseminate information, [and] promote public participation”.

A more enduring outcome was the formation of an Open Digital Trade Network as an outcome-oriented platform for collaboration on projects to catalyze specific reforms to trade negotiation processes. This workshop will present some of the most promising (and the most challenging) avenues for such reforms, and invite ongoing collaboration. There is also the possibility, to be discussed at this workshop, that the network could be more formally integrated with the Internet Governance Forum through the formation of a related Dynamic Coalition.

The main objective of the session is to start multistakeholder discussion between trade and internet community. Both trade and Internet community have lots to hear and learn from each other. This session will provide high-policy level interaction between trade officials, experts and Internet stakeholders. The speakers will include government officials, former trade negotiators, prominent trade experts, industry representatives and civil society.

The need for the reform of trade negotiation processes is one of the few issues on which there is broad agreement across members of all stakeholder groups, whether or not they identify as being for or against trade globalization, and despite their disagreements on substantive Internet policy issues. Therefore we have endeavoured to maintain the involvement of participants from across all of the stakeholder groups as panelists.

Reality Of The Answerability Of Multistakeholder Model

Speakers

Burcu Kilic, Consultant, Public Citizen
Tatiana Tropina, Senior Researcher, Max Planck Institute for Foreign and International Criminal Law
Emilar Vushe Gandhi, Africa Policy Coordinator, Association for Progressive Communications (APC)
Michele Woods, Director, World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO)
Jay Sudowski, CEO, Handy Networks
In-Person Moderator: Rafik Dammak, Chair, ICANN NCUC
Remote Moderator: Vladimir Radunovic, Director, E-Diplomacy and Cyber Security Programmes, DiploFoundation

90 Minute Session

There is an ongoing debate about the answerability of IG organizations and the various stakeholder groups involved,to the broader community and how to build that in practice.Continuing a previous IGF discussion regarding civil society participation in policy-making, this workshop will focus on civil society’s transparency, openness and answerability. The goals are to evaluate the current situation in different areas associated to IG including trade and cybersecurity, highlighting existing efforts to build frameworks and/or principles such as ICANN reform or Brussels Declaration and outline set of principles .

The roundtable focuses more on global organizations or processes in order to build practices that can be applied or adapted to other areas, also adjusted to national levels.

To steer an interactive discussion leading to actions-oriented outcomes the question below will be addressed:

1- How international organizations build their “constitution”, structure and processes to respond to expectations such as transparency, openness,diversity, inclusion, legitimacy, representation and accountability

2- How stakeholders in particular civil society strategize their participation ? what are they using as mechanisms and approaches to justify their actions and maintain transparency?

3- What is the influence of processes and restructuring within the organizations and stakeholders in term of agenda-setting, issues framing and yielding outcomes?

4- Can we envision a set of principles, best practices, mechanism or even process template that can be shared between all IG organizations and processes?

This workshop will not be a talk shop, it will provide concrete outcomes which stakeholders can improve upon and apply in processes. To provide the outcomes the rapporteur will list at the end point the main points raised and suggest at the wrap-up a way to go forward.

Trade Agreements And The Internet

Speakers

Burcu Kilic, Consultant, Public Citizen
Jeremy Malcolm, Senior Global Policy Analyst, Electronic Frontier Foundation
David Snead, Co-Founder, Chairman of the Board, i2Coalition
Joseph Alhadeff, VP Global Public Policy and CPO,Oracle
Juan Antonio Dorantes Sánchez, Trade Expert
Marcela Paiva Véliz, Counselor, Permanent Mission of Chile to the World Trade Organization
In-Person Moderator: Emily TaylorMember of Research Advisory Network, Global Commission on Internet Governance
Remote Moderator: Ayden Férdeline, Independent Internet Policy Consultant, ICANN NCUC
Remote Moderator: Haoran Huang, Youth@IGF
Remote Moderator: Lawrence Olawale Roberts, BC Member, ICANN
Remote Moderator: Koliwe Majama, Media Institute of Southern Africa

90 Minute Session

IGF was established as a global multi-stakeholder forum to address Internet-related public policy issues. But an increasing number of such issues—including domain name dispute resolution and access to registrant data, the use of encryption standards and source code disclosure mandates, and cross-borders information flows—are now also being dealt with in trade fora such as the WTO and in trade agreements such as the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), Trade in Services Agreement (TISA), Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), and Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP).

There is a need to ensure that discussions on trade policy are not isolated from broader multi-stakeholder discussions of those same topics. In particular, because national trade ministries and trade negotiators do not always perceive these as being Internet governance issues, but view them simply as trade issues.

The session will be to open multi-stakeholder discussion, between trade officials, experts and Internet stakeholders. Participants will include government officials, former trade negotiators, prominent trade experts, industry representatives and civil society representatives.

Meet TISA: The Trade Agreement You’ve Probably Never Heard Of

Speakers:

David Snead, Co-Founder, Chairman of the Board, i2Coalition
Maryant Fernández, Advocacy Manager, European Digital Rights (EDRi)
Deborah James, Director of International Programs, The Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR)
Kelly Kim, General Counsel, OpenNet Korea
Paulina Gutierrez, Head of Digital Rights Programme, Article 19
Mattias Bjarnemalm, Policy Advisor, European Parliament (Greens/EFA)
In-Person Moderator: Burcu Kilic, Consultant, Public Citizen
Remote Moderator: Pablo Villioer, Derechos Digitales

90 Minute Session

The Trade in Services Agreement (TISA) is part of a new generation of trade agreements that is currently being negotiated by 23 Parties of the World Trade Organisation (WTO). On the basis of the currently limited available information and leaked texts, the greatest concerns regarding TISA involve the introduction of greater limitations on the government’s right to regulate or legislate and the inclusion of potentially harmful provisions for the protection of the fundamental rights to privacy and data protection, as well as net neutrality.

TISA is likely to affect fundamental human rights in the online sphere in a non-democratic way. Without proper negotiation and inclusiveness, it is likely to have negative effects on the open, non-discriminatory and equitable multilateral trading system, inclusive prosperity, democratic decision-making and access to quality or accessible public services, as established in the Sustainable Development Goals. It may also constrain open and inclusive legitimate policy-making, such as the proper public engagement and oversight of the provision of online services, as well as the regulations regarding the internet economy.