Information Society Watch

August 2007, IT for Change

IT for Change has prepared a background paper for providing a Southern perspective on key issues for the UN - Internet Governance Forum in Rio from November 12th – 15th, 2007. These issues are: a) Development Agenda in Internet Governance, b) Public Domain and the Internet, c) Governance of Critical Internet Resources, d) Role of the IGF. The input paper argues for greater debate on developing a good framework for clearly understanding and articulating developmental priorities in the Internet Governance arena which till now has been largely ignored. Without a solid discussion on structural issues of Internet Governance, a discussion on capacity building will simply not help. The paper also calls for developing a robust space for public interest over the Internet which till now has seen to favour the interests of developed nations and private entities. This space could be in the form of a '.pd' (public domain) where all the information is 'public' by default and cannot be used for commercial purposes. Thirdly, the paper looks at a more democratised nature of Internet Governance including creating a framework convention which would bring various actors together. Finally, the paper talks about the mandate of the IGF which must adhere to its multistakeholder principles and deepen democratic processes.

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