[Chapter-delegates] INET program aparently ready

Fri Jan 13 23:35:11 PST 2012

Dear Alejandro,

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.

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.

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.

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.
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).

Now about the overall event:

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.

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.

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".

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.

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.

(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.

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.

Thank you.

On Fri, Jan 13, 2012 at 11:04 AM, Dr. Alejandro Pisanty Baruch <
apisan at unam.mx> wrote:

>  Hi all,
>
>  I am seeing in
> http://www.internetsociety.org/events/inet-conferences/global-inet-2012/agenda
>  and
> http://www.internetsociety.org/events/inet-conferences/global-inet-2012/special-events that
> the program for the 20th Anniversary INET is already in quite definitive
> shape.
>
>  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?
>
>  Yours,
>
>  Alejandro Pisanty
>
> .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . .  .  .  .  .  .
>      Dr. Alejandro Pisanty
> UNAM, Av. Universidad 3000, 04510 Mexico DF Mexico
>
> Tels. +52-(1)-55-5105-6044, +52-(1)-55-5418-3732
>
> *Mi blog/My blog: http://pisanty.blogspot.com
> *LinkedIn profile: http://www.linkedin.com/in/pisanty
> *Unete al grupo UNAM en LinkedIn,
> http://www.linkedin.com/e/gis/22285/4A106C0C8614
> *Twitter: http://twitter.com/apisanty
> ---->> Unete a ISOC Mexico, http://www.isoc.org
>  Participa en ICANN, http://www.icann.org
> .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .
> .
>
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