UNITED NATIONS ESTABLISHES WORKING GROUP ON INTERNET GOVERNANCE

http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2004/pi1620.doc.htm

NEW YORK, 11 November (Working Group on Internet Governance) --
Secretary-General Kofi Annan announced today the establishment of the
Working Group on Internet Governance.  The Working Group will prepare the
ground for a decision on this issue by the second phase of the World Summit
on the Information Society, to be held in Tunis in November 2005.

The Secretary-General was requested to establish a working group on Internet
governance by the first phase of the World Summit on the Information Society
held in Geneva in December 2003.  The task of this Working Group is to
organize an open dialogue on Internet Governance, among all stakeholders,
and to bring recommendations on this subject to the second phase of the
Summit.

The two documents adopted by the Geneva Summit -- the Declaration of
Principles and the Plan of Action -- asked the Working Group �to investigate
and make proposals for action, as appropriate, on the governance of the
Internet by 2005�.  The Group was requested to:

-- Develop a working definition of Internet governance;

-- Identify the public policy issues that are relevant to Internet
governance; and

-- Develop a common understanding of the respective roles and
responsibilities of governments, international organizations and other
forums, as well as the private sector and civil society from both developing
and developed countries.

The Working Group on Internet Governance will be chaired by Nitin Desai,
Special Adviser to the Secretary-General for the World Summit.  It includes
40 members from governments, private sector and civil society, representing
all regions (see the list below).

�The Working Group is not a negotiating forum�, said Mr. Desai.  �Its
purpose is to facilitate the negotiations that will take place in Tunis.  We
come into this process as facilitators, and will strive to establish a
dialogue of good faith among all participants.�

The two Summit documents call for an �open and inclusive� process and �a
mechanism for the full and active participation of governments, the private
sector and civil society from both developing and developed countries,
involving relevant intergovernmental and international organizations and
forums�.  On the basis of these guidelines, the Working Group will hold
regular consultations and will seek to make the best possible use of
electronic working methods, including online consultations.

The first meeting of the Working Group is scheduled to take place in Geneva
from 23 to 25 November.  On 24 November, the meeting will be held in an open
format, allowing all governments and other stakeholders to interact with the
Working Group.

�There is a general convergence of views on the need to treat Internet
governance from a broad perspective and to build on what has been done
elsewhere�, said Markus Kummer, Executive Coordinator of the United Nations
secretariat of the Working Group.  �Issues that we expect to address include
the management of Internet resources, network security, cyber-crime, spam
and multilingualism.�

The report of the Working Group is expected to be submitted to the
Secretary-General in July 2005 and will be made available to the WSIS second
phase in Tunis.

Contact:  in New York, Edoardo Bellando, tel.:  (212) 963-8275, e-mail:
[EMAIL PROTECTED]; in Geneva, Markus Kummer, tel.:  +41 0 22 917 54 88,
e-mail:  [EMAIL PROTECTED]  Web sites:  www.wgig.org and www.un-wgig.org.

List of Members

Chairman:  Nitin Desai.

Members:

-- Abdullah Al-Darrab, Deputy Governor of Technical Affairs, ICT Commission
of Saudi Arabia;

-- Carlos Alfonso, Technical Director, RIT, Rio de Janeiro;

-- Peng Hwa Ang, Dean, School of Communication, Nanyang Technological
University, Singapore;

-- Karen Banks, Director, GreenNet, Association for Progressive
Communications, London;

-- Faryel Beji, President and CEO, Tunisian Internet Agency;

-- Vittorio Bertola, ICANN at-large Advisory Committee, Turin;

-- Jos� Alexandre Bicalho, Member, Brazilian Internet Steering Committee;
Advisor, Board of Directors, National Telecommunications Agency (Anatel);

-- Kangsik Cheon, Chief Operating Officer, International Business
Development, Netpia, Seoul;

-- Trevor Clarke, Permanent Representative of Barbados to the United Nations
in Geneva;

-- Avri Doria, Technical Consultant, Providence, Rhode Island;

-- William Drake, Senior Associate, International Centre for Trade and
Sustainable Development, Geneva; Chairman, Computer Professionals for Social
Responsibility;

-- Ra�l Echeberr�a, Executive Director, LACNIC, Montevideo;

-- Dev Erriah, Chairman, ICT Authority of Mauritius;

-- Baher Esmat, Telecom Planning Manager, Ministry of Communications and
Information Technology, Egypt;

-- Mark Esseboom, Director, Strategy and International Affairs, Directorate
General for Telecom and Post, Ministry of Economic Affairs, the Netherlands;

-- Juan Fernandez, Coordinator, Commission of Electronic Commerce, Cuba;

-- Ayesha Hassan, Senior Policy Manager for E-Business, IT and Telecoms,
International Chamber of Commerce, Paris;

-- Qiheng Hu, Adviser, Science and Technology Commission, Ministry of
Information Industry, China; former Vice-President, ChineseAcademy of
Sciences;

-- Willy Jensen, Director, Norwegian Post and Telecom Authority;

-- Wolfgang Kleinw�chter, Professor, International Communication Policy and
Regulation, University of Aarhus;

-- Jovan Kurbalija, Director, DiploFoundation, Geneva;

-- Iosif Charles Legrand, Researcher, California Institute of Technology and
CERN, Geneva;

-- Donald MacLean, Director, MacLean Consulting, Ottawa;

-- Allen Miller, Executive Director, World Information Technology and
Services Alliance, Arlington, Virginia;

-- Juan Carlos Moreno Solines, Executive Director, Gobierno Digital, Quito;

-- Jacqueline A. Morris, Consultant, Port of Spain;

-- Olivier Nana Nz�pa, Coordinator, Africa Civil Society, Yaound�;

-- Alejandro Pisanty, Director, Computing Academic Services, Universidad
Autonoma de Mexico;

-- Khalilullah Qazi, Permanent Mission of Pakistan to the United Nations in
Geneva;

-- Rajashekar Ramaraj, Managing Director, Sify Limited, Chennai;

-- Masaaki Sakamaki, Director, Computer Communications Division, Ministry of
Internal Affairs and Communications, Japan;

-- Joseph Sarr, President, NTIC Commission, Dakar Regional Council;

-- Peimann Seadat, Permanent Mission of Iran to the United Nations in
Geneva;

-- Charles Sha�ban, IT Manager, Talal Abu- Ghazaleh International, Amman;

-- Lyndall Shope-Mafole, Chairperson, Presidential National Commission on
Information Society and Development, South Africa;

-- Waudo Siganga, Chairman, Computer Society of Kenya;

-- Mikhail Vladimirovich Yakushev, Director, Legal Support Department,
Ministry of Information Technology and Communications, Russian Federation;

-- Peter Zangl, Deputy Director-General, Information Society Directorate
General, European Commission, Brussels; and

-- Jean-Paul Zens, Director, Media and Telecom Department, Ministry of
State, Luxembourg.



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