lighting, Diplomacy

DiploFoundation and Geneva Internet Platform at 10th IGF in Brazil

10 November 2015 - 13 November 2015

João Pessoa, Brazil, and online

DiploFoundation and the Geneva Internet Platform (GIP) will be actively engaged at the 10th Internet Governance Forum (IGF), in Brazil and online. Join us for the following events and workshops, and stay tuned for the IGF Report daily summaries.

Once again this year, DiploFoundation and the Geneva Internet Platform (GIP) are actively engaged at the Internet Governance Forum (IGF), both in situ at João Pessoa in Brazil, and online.

1. IGF REPORT

DiploFoundation and the Internet Society have teamed up to provide just-in-time reporting from the IGF, which will complement the dynamic updates offered through GIP Digital Watch.

One of the aims is to address the challenge faced by participants and the wider community in general, both at the IGF and online, to absorb the vast amount of information and data provided in numerous and parallel workshops (close to 200 events held at this IGF alone) and other activities.

SBwVXVA A9tKnLYt0Prquf kj6dD2L4b0n49rwWFgDQZxHEp67fAvBLMqtVr96ShQHYqbylc D20vujcGJYUhYbGMkCYVwPvR4k9kA2gsRT5bE2GZyzo8zh2o 4mfaiJvFQmIfUWill you be following the IGF? Send us your favourite quote of the day, including the name of the speaker and the workshop. Every day, the chosen quotes will be included in the IGF daily summaries.

The format, layout, and timing of the outputs will be adjusted to the typical time-dynamics of the IGF participants. A full report will be published on Monday morning, 16th November. Learn more, and stay tuned to GIP Digital Watch for updates.

2. DIPLO / GIP BOOTH

Visit DiploFoundation/Geneva Internet Platform’s booth throughout the week, for news and updates on major Diplo projects (IGF Report, the Geneva Internet Platform, GIP Digital Watch, monthly briefings, data mining, capacity development activities, and more). A limited number of IG-related publications – including the latest issue of the Geneva Digital Watch newsletter, and the IG Acronyms book, will be available. The Diplo/GIP booth will also serve as an informal – and traditional – meeting place for alumni and associates.

[Invitation] Are you a Diplo student or alumnus, or a member of Diplo’s IG online community? Will you be attending the IGF in person? Join us on Thursday, 12th November at 17.45, for our traditional IGF get-together. 

3. WORKSHOPS AND EVENTS

Join us for the following workshops and events, dedicated to important digital policy areas:

Introducing GIP Digital Watch – Tuesday, 10th November, 10 – 11 am.
GIP Digital Watch is an online digital policy observatory operated by DiploFoundation and the Geneva Internet Platform in collaboration with the Internet Society. Read the session report

Building Internet Observatories: approaches and challenges (WS 169) – Thursday, 12th November, 2 – 3:30 pm.
This roundtable aims at bringing together people involved with the Internet observatories from different parts of the world – including, for example, the Geneva Internet Platform and GIP Digital Watch – to reflect upon the following fundamental question: how can different projects create synergies, avoid duplication of efforts in their activities and foster cooperation among different projects to leverage capacity-building and education as well as policy-making vis-a-vis Internet governance? Learn more.

A Dialogue on “Zero rating” and Network Neutrality (Main session) – Thursday, 12th November, 2 – 4 pm.
The session will provide the global Internet community and policymakers with an informed and balanced dialogue on the complex Internet policy issue of zero rating. The purpose is to help others, in their respective countries and locales, in their own analyses of zero-rating. The session will promote access to expert insight and multistakeholder community discussion, and will consider the full spectrum of ‘for and against’ views. In the case where zero rating is advanced as a means to drive Internet access and narrow the digital divide, this session will also explore alternative approaches, such as the use of community networks. Learn more.

WGIG + 10 (WS 50) – Thursday, 12th November, 2 – 4 pm.
In December 2015, the UN General Assembly will mark the WSIS+10 anniversary with a high-level intergovernmental meeting. This year is also the 10th anniversary of a multistakeholder experiment that helped bring the WSIS to a successful conclusion – the Working Group on Internet Governance (WGIG). The WGIG + 10 Roundtable will reassemble 15 WGIG members who are still active in the field to take stock of progress on the WGIG+10 anniversary. Moderated by the Executive Coordinator of the WGIG secretariat and later of the IGF secretariat, the session will consider WGIG’s procedural and substantive contributions, whether its proposed mandate for the IGF has been implemented, and whether the WGIG could serve as a model for the resolution of other pressing issues. DiploFoundation director Dr Jovan Kurbalija will be among the panellists. Learn more.

Geneva Internet Platform and DiploFoundation: ideas, words and actions (Open Forum) – Thursday, 12th November, 4 – 5.30 pm.
This open forum will present an update of current activities of DiploFoundation and the Geneva Internet Platform (GIP) project. Main highlights will describe ongoing capacity building programmes (development of GIP Digital Watch observatory as tools to stay abreast of developments in IG for busy IG policy professionals, activities in Geneva within the GIP, data mining research of the IGF transcripts, Hivos and Diplo certificate online courses and MA in Contemporary Diplomacy, and others). The broad thematic areas will help generate discussions across policy, professional and regional silos. Learn more.

Viable application & debate: online participation principles (WS 27) – Day 3 – Thursday, 12th November, 4 – 5.30 pm.
In spite of continuous and fruitful discussions in the previous years, online participation is still not understood and implemented as a substantial part of the IGF. This shows the need to continue the efforts, and invites for formally finalising and outlining the principles for online participation and presenting at the IGF. The workshop will present the principles, which should serve as a formal and tangible output of the IGF2015; it will then bring an Oxford-style debate addressing an underlying question whether online participants should have equal footing with in situ participants in open conferences and meetings. The workshop will then offer attendees a chance to air the best and worst practices seen in online participation, in an effort to discuss the way to actually implement the principles, and identify the obstacles in this. Learn more.

Role of Women in IGF in the Past, the Present and the Future (WS 271) – Thursday, 12th November, 4 – 5.30 pm.
IGF statistics have shown that in 2013, there was only one session with no men among the panelists, as opposed to 24 sessions with no women panelists. Among the session themes, only 6% were related to gender. This roundtable will look at the role of women at  global IGFs on one hand, and at national and regional IGFs on the other, and will discuss the participation of women in all aspects of the IGF and N/R initiatives, including planning, organizing, facilitating, delivering and decision-making. Learn more.

IGF beyond 2015: Extend mandate, strengthen institution (WS 82) – Friday, 13th November, 9 – 10.30 am.
This roundtable will provide a more fulsome debate and discussion about: why it is important to extend the IGF mandate beyond five years; how the IGF has served to strengthen the multistakeholder model of Internet governance; identify critical needs that can further strengthen and stabilise the IGF in its mission; how all stakeholders can collaborate to address these needs; identify potential actions for all stakeholders to engage with their national governments and missions to extend the IGF mandate and strengthen its model; develop common messages about the IGF and the need for its renewal that can be leveraged by all stakeholders in support of the WSIS review. Learn more.

Cybersecurity, human rights and Internet business triangle (WS 172) – Friday, 13th November, 2 – 3.30 pm.
The main topic of the session is the interplay between cybersecurity, human rights and business. Typically, these issues are addressed in policy silos. Instead this session considers these three themes jointly linked and which can be visualized as three points of a triangular relationship where the individual internet users form a central link between each aspect. The discussion, based on examples from the Geneva Internet Platform experiences in Geneva and the MAPPING project, should provide a valuable contribution to the international community by discussing a functional and balanced interplay among cybersecurity, human rights and Internet business. Learn more.

Note: all times are João Pessoa local time (UTC -3), unless otherwise indicated.
Schedule is being constantly updated. Last updated: 5 November 2015.