Further clarifications on the NETmundial Initiative for discussions in the MAG


01 DEZ 2014





The Brazilian Internet Steering Committee - CGI.br, in a meeting on November 28, 2014, at its headquarters in São Paulo, SP, while fully subscribing to the last Public Note on the NETmundial Initiative prepared by its Working Group on Internet Governance, as available in <http://www.cgi.br/noticia/public-declaration-on-the-netmundial-initiative-issued-by-members-of-the-board-of-cgi-br/>, decided to provide  these additional clarifications in view of the starting of preparations for the 10th edition of the Internet Governance Forum (IGF):

1) The NETmundial initiative aims to provide a platform for presentation and discussion of proposals and ideas that contribute to operationalize the NETmundial Multistakeholder Declaration adopted at the end of the event with the same name, in April 2014, available at <http://netmundial.br/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/NETmundial-Multistakeholder-Document.pdf>.

2) On the one hand, adherence to the Internet Governance Principles contained in the NETmundial Declaration is a requirement for the submission of proposals and ideas in the context of the NETmundial Initiative.

3) On the other hand, proposals and ideas to be presented shall consider the Roadmap for the Future Evolution of Internet Governance, also part of the NETmundial Declaration, which recognizes the need to advance the governance of the Internet in various fora and processes (existing or under discussion) for the treatment of topics related to the Internet, bearing in mind the different roles and responsibilities of the various stakeholders.

4) The NETmundial Initiative is not intended to replace the existing or to be established Internet Governance fora and processes (ICANN, IGF, any new fora on "enhanced cooperation" and on forwarding issues such as cybercrime and cybersecurity, among others).

5) Working groups and spaces for discussion that may be created under the NETmundial Initiative will not have decision-making power over issues being discussed, nor will they constitute mechanisms for implementation of the proposed solutions - which should, as appropriate, be referred and remitted to proper fora and processes.

6) In particular, the NETmundial Initiative does not intend to overlap with the IGF. IGF’s role to serve as a focal point for the global Internet community in terms of the tasks set by the Tunis Agenda must be preserved. However, nothing prevents any concrete actions conceived within the NETmundial Initiative to be taken further in discussions at the IGF, to be forwarded to the IGF, or to dialogue with the IGF at any time. On the contrary, the NETmundial Initiative, by allowing the work in multistakeholder format on specific issues in line with the discussions in the IGF, may serve to strengthen the IGF, providing continuity and practicality to the discussions in the IGF realm.
 
7) Any questions or proposed solutions involving the government sector, such as cybercrime, for example, must necessarily be brought to the attention of national governments and / or be channeled to existing or planned international processes. This procedure is consistent with the provisions of the NETmundial Declaration, which recognizes that certain issues require international treatment, taking into account the role and responsibility of governments on specific topics related to their sovereignty; but at the same time reaffirms the need, even in these cases, that the discussions take place in a multistakeholder format.

8) When selecting the members who will compose the Coordination Council of the NETmundial Initiative, the Transitional Council will be guided by consensus within each community.

9) There will be no permanent seats in the Coordination Council for the initiators of the NETmundial Initiative (ICANN and CGI.br, with the support of the WEF); once installed, the Coordination Council will establish modalities for the selection of future members by consensus. From its second term on, every member should also go through a selection and validation process by the global multistakeholder community. It will be the task of the Coordination Council to ensure funding sources for the further development of the Initiative.

10) The initiators of the proposal, and in particular CGI.br, have been sensitive to the concerns and criticisms raised by members of the Internet community. Several modifications have been already introduced in relation to the proposal of the NETmundial Initiative originally drafted, and other changes are likely to be made to ensure that the Initiative is structured so as to ensure the participation and involvement of all from the beginning.

11) Many questions and concerns that have been expressed so far shall be mitigated on the basis of proposals and concrete ideas and of the conformation, as appropriate, of working groups and specific discussion fora. This will then demonstrate that the NETmundial Initiative intends to operate simply as a "bridge" between participants who have concrete proposals and ideas and others who are willing to contribute with expertise, funding or other forms of contribution to achieve these proposals and ideas. The initiators of the NETmundial Initiative will not have power to intervene in the development of such proposals and ideas and, once formed, the Coordination Council will serve as a facilitator, also without power to intervene on any initiatives.