International conference on Internet governance
An international conference being held in Malta this weekend has begun laying the foundations for the establishment of the new Internet Governance Forum to discuss public policy matters and other issues related to the deployment of the Internet...
An international conference being held in Malta this weekend has begun laying the foundations for the establishment of the new Internet Governance Forum to discuss public policy matters and other issues related to the deployment of the Internet worldwide, which is expected to be launched later on this year.
The main characteristic of the new forum, like the two World Summits on the Information Society (WSIS) - the first phase of which was held in Geneva in 2003 and the second phase in Tunis last November - is that it that it will not be restricted to intergovernmental diplomacy but will allow all stakeholders in Internet to have a say. This is the new multistakeholder approach.
The conference, entitled "Internet Governance: the Way Forward" and organised by DiploFoundation in co-operation with the Maltese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Malta Communications Authority and other international partners, convened international stakeholders who have been active in the IG discussions to date.
They included UN's Working Group on Internet Governance executive co-ordinator Markus Kummer, Ayesha Hassan from the International Chamber of Commerce, Professor Ang Peng Hwa from Nanyang Technological University of Singapore, and Theresa Swinehart from ICANN.
The conference, being held at the Radisson SAS Bay Point Resort, was launched on Friday by Foreign Minister Michael Frendo, and DiploFoundation president Dietrich Kappeler, with an introductory speech delivered by DiploFoundation director Dr Jovan Kurbalija and former Foreign Minister and DiploFoundation senior fellow Dr Alex Sceberras Trigona.
The conference also attracted representatives from Internet-related bodies such as the Internet Engineering Task Force, Internet Society (ISOC) and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) who shared their governance mechanism experiences and provided insight as to how the forum can complement existing institutions rather than replace.
Yesterday's session also discussed the composition and organisation of the forum, the various possibilities of working methodologies, and financial and logistical issues.
The conference closes this evening.