The Internet Governance Forum (IGF)

The Advisory Group

Fri, 07 Dec 2007 15:08:00 +0100

As part of its mandate, the Advisory Group has been requested to make proposals on a suitable rotation among its members, based on recommendations from the various interested groups. A discussion thread has been created for this purpose in the Forum section of this Web site. All stakeholders are invite to participate in this discussion.

A first preparatory meeting will be held in Geneva on 26 February 2008.

Wed, 28 Nov 2007 16:04:30 +0100

The meeting will be held in the form of consultations open to all stakeholders. Its main purpose will be to take stock of the 2007 IGF meeting and to discuss how to prepare the New Delhi meeting. More details will be made available on this Web site in due course.

All stakeholders are invited to send to the IGF Secretariat (igf@unog.ch) their comments and views on the Rio de Janeiro meeting and make suggestions with regard to the preparation of the meeting in New Delhi. You may wish to address topics such as the preparatory process, the logistics of the meeting as well as its format and content. All contributions will be posted on the Web site. A Web based form is now available for this purpose.

Third meeting of the IGF

Thu, 29 Nov 2007 16:02:29 +0100

The third meeting of the IGF will be held on 8-11 December 2008 in New Delhi

Meeting of the Advisory Group

Wed, 05 Sep 2007 16:46:15 +0200

The Advisory Group is meeting in Geneva on 4 - 5 September 2007. The agenda is available. A summary report will be made available after the meeting.

The 3 of September open consultations have now concluded

Wed, 05 Sep 2007 16:44:15 +0200

The 3 of September open consultations have now concluded. The full transcript of the consultations is available. The audio and video archives will be made available in due course

Morning Transcript of the 3 September open Consultations

Mon, 03 Sep 2007 14:17:18 +0200

The transcript of the morning Session is now available.

Working draft of Synthesis paper

Sun, 02 Sep 2007 00:28:40 +0200

A working draft of a synthesis paper that summarises the content of contributions received is now available.

live webcast for 3 Sept. Open Consultations

Sat, 01 Sep 2007 12:23:51 +0200

A live Webcast of the open consultations will be made available at the start of the meeting. It is reconmended to use the VLC media player to access the Webcast. Participants who cannot be in Geneva are encouraged to send their comments and interventions on an ongoing bases to igf_3_sept@intgovforum.info they will brought to the attention of the floor. In addition a chat function will also be made available.

Participants are encouraged to act as proxies to remote participants within their respective stakholder groups.

Registration for the open consultations

Wed, 08 Aug 2007 14:13:40 +0200

Registration for the open consultations to be held in Geneva on 3 September 2007 has started.

Registration for the second meeting of the IGF is now open

Mon, 30 Jul 2007 16:04:57 +0200

Registration for the Second Meeting of the IGF in Rio de Janeiro taking place 12 - 15 November 2007 is now open.

The Secretary-General has issued an invitation

Tue, 24 Jul 2007 17:05:49 +0200

The Secretary-General has issued an invitation to all stakeholders to attend the second meeting of the IGF.

Workshop Proposals can now be viewed

Sat, 07 Jul 2007 09:44:17 +0200

The workshop proposals submitted within the 30 June deadline have now been posted for viewing.

Call for Best Practice Forums

Wed, 04 Jul 2007 22:11:06 +0200

In line with the revised draft programme outline, a call for Best Practice Forums is being issued. The deadline for submitting proposals is 31 July 2007.

More details are now available for those interested in proposing a Best Practice Forum session for the Rio de Janeiro meeting.

Call for Workshops

Thu, 21 Jun 2007 11:03:45 +0200

Following the May consultations on preparing the agenda and programme for the Rio de Janeiro Meeting, a call for workshops proposals is being issued according to the following schedule:

* Deadline for submitting proposal (abstracts + initial list of organizers ) - June 30 2007
* Completion of co-organizer and panellist arrangements and merge activities - month of July
* Notification of selection - July 31 2007.

All workshops need to conform to the IGF principles of multi-stakeholder participation in both the project proposal and in its implementation.

During July proponents of similar workshops will be encouraged to join forces and collaborate where it is feasible. Organizers of workshops are, therefore, expected to work with others who submit proposals on the same theme. A willingness to merge proposals is a requirement.

The online workshop proposal form is now available for those interested in proposing a workshop for the Rio de Janeiro meeting. The form contains the following questions.

The Host Country has launched a dedicated Web site to provide information as regards hotel reservations, visa and other practical arrangements

Sat, 16 Jun 2007 10:57:26 +0200

The Host Country has launched a dedicated Web site to provide information as regards hotel reservations, visa and other practical arrangements. The registration process will be handled by the IGF Secretariat. An online form will be made available on this Web site next month. Stakeholders wishing to reserve meeting rooms for related activities may contact the Secretariat at igf@unog.ch. (More details are available on the draft programme outline.)

Taking stock and the way forward

Tue, 16 Jan 2007 16:30:14 +0100

A stock-taking session open to all stakeholders will be held on 13 February 2007 at the Palais des Nations, United Nations Office in Geneva (Room XX). Stakeholders can register for the session by filling in the online registration form or by downloading the French or English registration form and emailing (igf@unog.ch) or faxing (+41 22 917 00 92) the form back to the Secretariat.

All stakeholders are invited to send us their comments and views on the Athens meeting and make suggestions with regard to the preparation of the meeting in Rio de Janeiro by filling out our online form, downloading the form [rtf] and emailing it back to us at igf@unog.ch or posting their comments on our discussion section. All contributions submitted by 2 February will be reflected in a sythesis paper prepared by the Secretariat that will be posted on this Web site prior to the consultations.

Programme and Schedule

Sat, 14 Oct 2006 13:18:09 +0200

n accordance with the Tunis Agenda for the Information Society, Internet Governance for Development has been chosen as the overall theme of the meeting, with capacity building as a cross cutting priority. The programme will consist of Main Sessions and Workshops. The Main Sessions will be structured as follows:.....

Introduction of a platform for related activities

Thu, 14 Sep 2006 12:00:00 +0200

This Web site introduces a platform for announcing IGF related activities by interested entities. Any entity taking part in the Athens meeting may use this Web site to showcase its activities. Please send your contribution to igf@unog.ch.

Introduction of a space for discussion

Wed, 13 Sep 2006 12:00:00 +0200

This Web site aims to develop a forum section. In a first phase, we would like to foster a discussion on how to enable remote participation at the Athens meeting. Remote participation Many people will not be able to travel to Athens, but they will be able to follow the discussions via Web cast on this Web site. We are therefore looking for proposals on how to facilitate remote participation as well as for volunteers willing to serve as ‘connectors’ to remote participants. The meeting could rely on different available solutions, from IM to more elaborate virtual collaboration systems. Please let us now what you think works best. Participants are encouraged to bring their own solutions to the meeting and act as ‘connectors’. However, they will be responsible for their own funding. The volunteer ‘connectors’ would serve as point of entry for remote participants into the IGF discussions. They could bring to the attention of the meeting the opinions from their respective communities across the world. Please join the discussion.

Workshops

Mon, 11 Sep 2006 20:09:09 +0200

The Advisory Group also discussed the proposals that have been submitted for workshops. Based on the number of proposals and the meeting facilities available, it provisionally agreed to offer slots to all workshop proposals. However, the Advisory Group had some questions with regard to some aspects of the proposals: It was not always clear whether the guiding organizational principle for holding workshops, i.e. the multi-stakeholder approach, is truly respected in all cases. Some clarifications may therefore be need in some cases and some adjustments may be necessary in other cases . The overall theme of the meeting - “Internet governance for development” was not given sufficient priority. All organizers are therefore encouraged to review their proposal under this aspect. There was some overlap between some workshop proposals. In a first phase, all organizers are therefore encouraged to examine whether they would like to join forces with other institutions and merge their proposals. Any wishes to do so should be addressed to the IGF secretariat at: igf@intgovforum.org. In a second phase, the Advisory Group may make concrete proposals for merging some workshops. All organizers will be contacted shortly. The workshop proposals can be viewed here. More background information can be found on the workshops page.

Advisory Group Meeting

Mon, 11 Sep 2006 00:00:00 +0200

The Advisory Group held a meeting in Geneva on 7 and 8 September 2006. It refined the draft programme for the inaugural meeting and developed criteria for the selection of speakers and panellists. More details will be made available on this Web site in due course.

The Secretary-General of the United Nations has decided to set up a Secretariat for the IGF

Thu, 02 Mar 2006 10:58:38 +0100

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

Date for the first meeting of the IGF

Thu, 09 Mar 2006 11:00:53 +0100

Following informal consultations held by the Government of Greece, it was decided that the first meeting of the IGF will take place in Athens from 30 October - 2 November 2006.
More details on the venue and the logistics of the meeting will be made available soon on the host country website: .

Advisory Group to be set up to prepare for the first meeting of the IGF

Thu, 16 Mar 2006 13:00:53 +0100

In light of the consultations on the convening of the IGF, the Secretary-General will set up a multi-stakeholder Advisory Group to assist him in this task. The Group will consist of about forty members, representing governments, private sector and civil society and include members of the academic and technical communities. The members of the group will be chosen in their personal capacity. All stakeholders are invited to submit recommendations for members of the Advisory Group to the IGF secretariat by 18 April (igf@unog.ch). Relevant intergovernmental organizations are welcome to attend the meetings of the Advisory Group. The first meeting of the Advisory Group will be held after another round of consultations open to all stakeholders. A date for these meetings will be communicated as soon as possible.

Dates for consultations and meeting of the IGF Advisory Group

Fri, 17 Mar 2006 12:40:38 +0100

A new round of consultations on the convening of the IGF will be held at the United Nations in Geneva on 19 May 2006. They will be open to all stakeholders and will focus on the substantive preperation of the inaugural meeting of the IGF. The consultations will be followed by a meeting of the IGF Advisory Group on 22 - 23 May 2006. Logistical details will be communicated in due course.

Logistical details for the new round of consultations on the convening of the IGF

Thu, 27 Apr 2006 15:00:38 +0100

Participants are invited to register for the new round of consultations to be held in Geneva on 19 May 2006. Please fill in the registration form (EN|FR) and send it back to the IGF Secretariat (preferably by email: igf@unog.ch). For ease of processing please register as soon as possible, but not later than 17 May 2006. Participants who are registered for the around the World Information Society Day do not need to re-register for the consultations. However, for purposes of establishing a list of participants, they are encouraged to submit a registration form with the top half filled in (name and affiliation).

The substantive agenda of the first meeting of the Internet Governance Forum

Thu, 04 May 2006 10:22:00 +0100

A paper with a summary of the discussions and contributions with some preliminary conclusions and questions is now available on the IGF website.

The Secretary-General establishes an Advisory Group to assist him in convening the IGF

Wed, 17 May 2006 18:00:00 +0100

Secretary-General Kofi Annan today established an Advisory Group to assist him in convening the Internet Governance Forum (IGF), a new forum for a multi-stakeholder dialogue on Internet governance. The Group includes 46 members from government, the private sector and civil society, including the academic and technical communities, who represent all regions of the world. Its chair is Nitin Desai, the Secretary-General’s Special Adviser for the World Summit on the Information Society........

Meeting of the IGF Advisory Group

Wed, 24 May 2006 18:00:00 +0100

The IGF Advisory Group held a meeting in Geneva on 22 and 23 May 2006. It agreed on recommendations for the agenda and the programme as well as the structure and format of the first meeting of the IGF in Athens. The recommendations have been transmitted to the United Nations Secretary-General who was mandated by the second phase of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) to convene “by the second quarter of 2006, a new meeting for a multi-stakeholder policy dialogue”. The meeting will be held over four days from 30 October – 2 November. The Advisory Group recommends the following programme outline and broad themes: - Openness - Security - Diversity - Access Read more about the proposed programme outline, call for contributions and meeting format.

Call for Workshop Proposals

Mon, 10 Jul 2006 15:24:00 +0100

This is a call for proposals for workshops which will be held in parallel to the General Sessions. Proposals should respect the organizational principles and criteria for the selection of workshops. The Advisory Group will assess the proposals and establish a final programme for the Athens meeting in light of the proposals received. The online workshop proposal form is now available. More information can be found on the workshops page.

Deadline extended for contributions to the IGF meeting -- new deadline: 2 August 2006

Wed, 12 Jul 2006 10:38:55 +0200

The deadline has been extended for contributions to the IGF meeting. The New deadline: is now 2 August 2006.

The Secretary-General of the United Nations has announced the convening of the Internet Governance Forum, to be held in Athens on 30 October - 2 November.

Tue, 18 Jul 2006 09:48:47 +0200

The Secretary-General of the United Nations has announced the convening of the Internet Governance Forum, to be held in Athens on 30 October - 2 November.