<font color="#333333"><font><font face="verdana,sans-serif">Dear Alejandro,</font></font></font><div><font color="#333333"><font><font face="verdana,sans-serif"><br></font></font></font></div><div><font color="#333333" face="verdana, sans-serif"><div>
We had a discussion in Chapter Delegates list two years ago about ISOC having its own global event instead of limiting chapter interactions to short duration sessions during ICANN meetings. We talked about a Global I Net, the conversation progressed for a while in the Chapter Delegates list but eventually was moved to a sub-list called "I-Net", where the conclusion was that we could think of a gloabl I net during 2011. </div>
<div><br></div><div>The Global I-Net is to happen, but the event as taking shape is shaped out of ideas that do not entirely resemble the ideas discussed in the list two years ago. The earlier discussion was not revived and not all help offered by some older Chapter Leaders in organizing the chapter event has not been taken. There are observations that there is no publicly-known organizing committee nor program committee; it all seems to be in a rather closed within the staff circles.</div>
<div><br></div><div>I came across a comment that the Global I Net was to be setup as a Chapters meeting but it seems to turn to a NGL event. How could an organization celebrate 20 years of activities with “just” future leaders from Chapters (in exclusion of many of those who have been the part of its history for the last 20 years)? The Chapter sessions of the I-Net should be sessions that include Chapter Leaders and all former Chapter Trustees with good knowledge of the history (of the chapters) apart from external invitees and next generation chapter members. ISOC history needs to be shared with future leaders by older Chapter Leaders, and not only by staff as during an I Net workshop. Conceptually it does not make much sense, however it is made to look good on paper on a distance glance.</div>
<div><br></div><div>The larger question is this: Why would the Chapter sessions be designed simply as a chapter officers training workshop? We have had workshops in every region, why replicate it globally? The chapter agenda needs to be broader than that of training session for one person from every chapter. </div>
<div>It should be a purposeful event rather than a Chapter management workshop (which gradually brings Chapters more and more beneath staff control in an unseen design of a new hierarchy).</div><div><br></div><div>Now about the overall event:</div>
<div><br></div><div>The Global I Net should be one with a larger purpose. The Global I Net is happening when there are disturbing changes happening around the world in the form of legislation and policy changes about the way Internet is governed in various countries. We have seen various adverse changes in Policy in India, Brazil, China, France, United States and many other countries. </div>
<div><br></div><div>The Global I-Net is being organized in such troubled times. Internet Governance issues are debated at the Internet Governance forum, but the IGF is largely disconnected from actual policy decisions. Policy changes are happening around the world almost in complete isolation of and in total disregard of community inputs. In this context it becomes very, very important to strengthen the ISOC community. ISOC, if it stays strong - particularly with strong Chapters, could be of great help in shaping the right policies. </div>
<div><br></div><div>We need to keep ISOC strong as an organization of Internet Community individual members and organizational members. In situations where ISOC engages in providing policy inputs to (or engages in negotiations with) the European Community, United States Government, G8, OECD and the IGF, the ideas brought up in the name of ISOC must be that of the INTERNET COMMUNITY. In a situation where Chapters are weak and detached from Older Community Leaders, the ISOC inputs may not actually be bottom-up ISOC inputs but rather inputs from a handful of staff members. This is especially of concern in a situation where the majority of Staff appointed are from one Geographic region, because there is at least a theoretical possibility of "too much of leanings towards the policies and beliefs of one country. That could be expensive for the rest of the world".</div>
<div><br></div><div>For this an many other important reasons, it is important to include a formal or informal agenda item for discussion among older Chapter Leaders, Organizational Members, All Trustees including all former Chapter Trustees, the ISOC President and established and respected ISOC top Executives like Markus Kummer. Chapters have to provide inputs to the established ISOC Leadership and the Board of Trustees (a) on the process of selection of the right kind of staff; and also impress upon the Leadership that it is necessary to ensure that (b) staff remain supportive to organizational members and chapter members rather than become ISOC all by themselves. </div>
<div><br></div><div>The danger lies in staff representatives presenting their own opinions as policy inputs rather than elaborately gather the opinion of all Global, Chapter and Organizational members and summarize them in policy fora. To take it one step further, ideally ISOC staff may have to stand by the side of Members and Chapters and Organizational Members who are the ones who will have to be at the fora providing policy inputs. The role of staff is to support, and not to take over the role of Chapters, Organizations and Members. </div>
<div><br></div><div>(There are good people among ISOC Global and Regional Staff and in ISOC Chapter-Support, but in the long run, new and future staff could be influenced by a few or one or two Governments and Business Corporations. Worse, it could eventually come to a point of Governments and Organizations indirectly placing their own people as ISOC staff) I have faith in the ISOC President and while striking this note of caution, I am not thinking of any specific names, it is more of a theory that I am postulating.</div>
<div><br></div><div>This and other larger issues need to be taken up by the Chapter Leaders, Trustees with the established ISOC Leaders at the I Net Global. </div><div><br></div><div>Thank you.</div></font><br><div class="gmail_quote">
On Fri, Jan 13, 2012 at 11:04 AM, Dr. Alejandro Pisanty Baruch <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:apisan@unam.mx" target="_blank">apisan@unam.mx</a>></span> wrote:<br><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex">
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Hi all,
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<div>I am seeing in <a href="http://www.internetsociety.org/events/inet-conferences/global-inet-2012/agenda" target="_blank">http://www.internetsociety.org/events/inet-conferences/global-inet-2012/agenda</a> and <a href="http://www.internetsociety.org/events/inet-conferences/global-inet-2012/special-events" target="_blank">http://www.internetsociety.org/events/inet-conferences/global-inet-2012/special-events</a> that
the program for the 20th Anniversary INET is already in quite definitive shape. </div>
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<div>I am curious how many chapter delegates are attending and/or know if they or members of their chapters will be panelists or speakers. This will help decide how to promote the event adequately, don't you all think?</div>
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<div>Yours,</div>
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<div>Alejandro Pisanty</div>
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<div style="font-family:Tahoma;font-size:13px"><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:small;font:normal normal normal medium/normal 'Times New Roman'"><font face="Courier New">. . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . .<br>
Dr. Alejandro Pisanty<br>
UNAM, Av. Universidad 3000, 04510 Mexico DF Mexico<br>
<br>
Tels. <a href="tel:%2B52-%281%29-55-5105-6044" value="+5215551056044" target="_blank">+52-(1)-55-5105-6044</a>, <a href="tel:%2B52-%281%29-55-5418-3732" value="+5215554183732" target="_blank">+52-(1)-55-5418-3732</a><br>
<br>
*Mi blog/My blog: <a href="http://pisanty.blogspot.com" target="_blank">http://pisanty.blogspot.com</a><br>
*LinkedIn profile: <a href="http://www.linkedin.com/in/pisanty" target="_blank">http://www.linkedin.com/in/pisanty</a><br>
*Unete al grupo UNAM en LinkedIn, <a href="http://www.linkedin.com/e/gis/22285/4A106C0C8614" target="_blank">http://www.linkedin.com/e/gis/22285/4A106C0C8614</a><br>
*Twitter: <a href="http://twitter.com/apisanty" target="_blank">http://twitter.com/apisanty</a><br>
---->> Unete a ISOC Mexico, <a href="http://www.isoc.org" target="_blank">http://www.isoc.org</a><br>
Participa en ICANN, <a href="http://www.icann.org" target="_blank">http://www.icann.org</a><br>
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<br></blockquote></div><br></div>