EU Commission wants to exchange views with civil society in preparation of the IGF – we want your input!

In preparation of the next Internet Governance Forum (IGF), which will be held in Istanbul on 2-5 September, the European Commission organises an exchange views with civil society and invited us to participate in a webinar on 7 August (see agenda below). The IGF is a platform where activists, industry, academics and policy-makers discuss and develop solutions to Internet governance problems.

While we welcome the EU Commission’s effort to increase the involvement of civil society, we are less sure if this is the solution to ensure “the multistakeholder model works well”. Especially after the NETmundial conference, the future of the “multistakeholder” approach has been heatedly discussed. Hopefully, the upcoming IGF will not only be an opportunity to move forward on this question but also to tackle real problems in Internet governance.

In order to make sure that important issues such as freedom of speech, surveillance, privacy and Turkey’s recent censorship activities are being discussed and tackled, EDRi-member Alternative Informatics Association is organising an Internet Ungovernance Forum (IUF) with logistical support from the Bilgi University.

If you wish us to ask your questions and raise your concerns regarding the upcoming IGF during the webinar organised by the Commission, you can tweet them mentioning #EUIGF #IGF2014 – or send us an email before 6 August to brussels [at] edri.org!

Here is the draft agenda of the webinar:

1. An intense year for Internet governance – taking stock of Internet governance developments
Debrief by the European Commission and exchange of information and views with participants

2. Preparations for the Internet Governance Forum in Istanbul
Debrief by the European Commission and exchange of information and views with participants

3. How can civil society play a bigger role in Internet governance discussions, and in particular in the IGF?
Debrief by the European Commission and exchange of views on on-going fundraising efforts for the IGF Trust Fund and other possibilities for in-kind contributions.

Btw, if you cannot make it in person to the next IGF, you can register for remote participation in the IGF before 15 August.