MAG renewal process for 2015 is now open

The Multistakeholder Advisory Group (MAG) established by the UN Secretary General carries out the important task of advising on the programme and schedule of the Internet Governance Forum meetings. The MAG, which comprises of members from governments, the private sector and civil society, including representatives from the academic and technical communities, holds meetings three times a year and is preceded by open consultations meetings.

UN DESA Under-Secretary-General Mr Wu Hongbo has issued a public request for nominations for the 2015 Multistakeholder Advisory Group, which will advise the Secretary-General on the programme and schedule of the IGF 2015 meeting.

As we (DiploFoundation) have done in previous years, we again ask you to be involved in this selection. While Diplo does not do advocacy work in IG, we work to strengthen informed multistakeholder participation, particularly from underrepresented groups and regions.

We therefore call on interested and qualified Civil Society individuals (see Criteria below) to volunteer to represent their regions and communities, especially those that need more inclusive, multistakeholder global Internet governance. If you cannot serve yourself, please encourage other qualified people to step forward. The deadline for nominations is Wednesday 24th September, at midnight UTC/GMT.

After the self-nomination period, we will ask this community to vote for candidates. The names of the chosen candidates will be forwarded to the Civil Society Coordination Group (CSCG) by Tuesday, 30th September. CSCG will consider nominations made by a larger civil society coalition, including Best Bits, IGC, APC, Diplo, NCSG, and Just Net Coalition.

The deadline for nominations is short, but we will again accelerate the process through an open call for inclusive governance. The process is explained in more detail below:

1. Criteria

Civil society nominees to serve on the MAG must have:

- a past record of active engagement as part of Civil Society groups working on IG issues, acting or speaking out assertively on behalf of public interest concerns;

- the willingness and commitment to consult with and report back to Civil Society networks (including beyond those focused on internet governance where appropriate) on MAG discussions;

- previously attended an IGF meeting at a global or regional level; and

- be willing, available and able to participate effectively and constructively in the MAG deliberations.

Nominees must therefore have experience in previous IGF processes, and must have sufficient time to dedicate to duties as a MAG member. Several meetings will be held before the IGF 2015 in Brazil. Discussions take place by e-mail during the whole year of tenure, and nominees must have time available to attend to this volume of discussions promptly.

Note: This endorsement process is only for Civil Society stakeholders. Government stakeholders are usually selected by their own governments. Technical community representatives may contact ISOC for a wider technical stakeholder endorsement process. Private sector stakeholders may contact the ICC, and academics may contact GigaNET. In any case, all those interested must submit their nominations directly using the submission form at http://www.intgovforum.org/cms/mag-nomination (also accessible from the IGF Secretariat’s website).  

2. Your application

If you are qualified to serve as a MAG member:

First, submit your own application to the IGF secretariat, including a short biographical background, and the reasons why you think that you can contribute to the MAG, who you can represent (in terms of communities, ideas, projects), and what you would like to achieve. Self-nomination is important: it indicates willingness and self-confidence; it has great legitimacy; and it is free from pressure, in the true spirit of volunteerism. If you have not already done so, you must submit your nomination by filling in the form at http://www.intgovforum.org/cms/mag-nomination (also available from the IGF Secretariat’s website).

Then, complete the information below, and post as a blog post here, that is, on Diplo’s IG community space at www.diplointernetgovernance.org, by Wednesday 24th September, at midnight UTC/GMT:

Family name:

First name:

Gender:

Country of residence:

Organisation:

Stakeholder group:

Background and/or experience in IG (about 50 words):

Motivation and goals (about 50 words):

Note: current MAG members who are interested in continuing to serve on the MAG are requested to re-nominate themselves to ensure their inclusion for consideration. Please indicate this in your nomination blog post.

3. Community consensus

All nominations posted on the community blog by Wednesday 24th September, at midnight UTC/GMT, will be included in the Diplo poll which will open on Thursday, 25th September at 12h UTC/GMT, following procedures to be posted soon.

The entire Diplo civil society community is encouraged to participate, to ensure the most complete community consensus possible. Voting will close on Monday, 29th September at 12h UTC/GMT.

The Diplo community results will be posted here, that is, on the main blog at www.diplointernetgovernance.org, and sent to the Civil Society Coordination Group (CSCG) on 30 September. CSCG will consider nominations made by a larger civil society coalition, including Best Bits, IGC, APC, Diplo, NCSG, and Just Net Coalition, and the final list of candidates endorsed by CSCG will be published by 16 October.

4. Final Diplo community recommendations (endorsements) will be calculated as follows:

40% - results of poll

20% - experience in IG global policy processes, including efforts such as APC, IGC, Diplo discussions, regional work and other work. Please describe these activities in your post

10% - representation from least developed countries

10% - representation from small island states

10% - representation from countries never before represented on the MAG

10% - gender (to support gender balance and more women on the MAG)

5. Final list of candidates

We will send the final list of candidates that have strong community endorsement to the CSCG, with Diplo community’s recommendation/endorsement.

Note: If you are selected, you will act as an individual, representing the positions of your choice. You will not represent Diplo, whose role is simply to facilitate a more inclusive selection for the CSCG and the MAG.

If you have any suggestions, feedback, or questions, please post them to www.diplointernetgovernance.org, or e-mail me at stephaniep@diplomacy.edu

Once again, please join us to support Civil Society stakeholder voices. The time is short, and we must act now. Good luck to all!

Warm wishes,

Stephanie