eG8 Forum (24-25 May, Paris) Request for Input from @InternetSociety #eG8

[Alert from Constance Bommelaer, Senior Manager – Strategic Global Engagement. Internet Society]

eG8Just before the G8 meeting (26-27 May, Deauville) there will be an eG8 Forum (24-25 May, Paris) gathering the “leaders of the Internet”. Several I* organizations have been invited to participate (ICANN, W3C, IAB, ISOC, etc.), and we understand that the outcomes of the discussions of the eG8 (format tbd) will be submitted to the G8 itself. Regarding ISOC’s participation, we are pleased to advise that our President and CEO, Lynn St Amour, and our Chapter Delegate for France, Gérard Dantec, have been invited to be part of the eG8.

Themes of the eG8/G8:
The eG8 Forum is expected to cover a variety of issues including the “Internet and Growth”, “Internet and Societal issues”, the “Future of the Internet”, “Innovation and Financing” and “Start-up Nations”.

What we hear from informal discussions with various stakeholders is that the preparatory process of the G8 included discussions on “Internet governance”. The G8 summit in May will be followed by the G20 next autumn where Internet issues will again be discussed, and probably in more depth. This seems to indicate that our community will need to continue monitoring the G8 and G20 meetings in the future.

Possible input of the I* community
Unlike the OECD High-Level Meeting on the Internet Economy (June 2011, Paris) where stakeholders (e.g. ITAC, Internet Technical Advisory Community to the OECD) are associated to the preparation of the Communiqué, the G8 protocol is more formal. However, opportunities to contribute should include participation in the eG8 Plenary Sessions and the parallel workshops (list of participants tbc) and also publishing a press release.

Our primary objectives at the eG8 Forum, in cooperation with the other I* organizations invited to attend, will be to:

  • shed light on the role and the work of the Internet technical organizations;
  • explain what the Internet ecosystem is and how the Internet works;
  • emphasize the importance of the Open Internet: i.e. open standards, open processes and open innovation.

ISOC community’s involvement
Your thoughts on the themes listed above would be extremely valuable to us by Wednesday 18 May. Additionally, as soon as we will have developed our messages (e.g. press release) we will invite the ISOC community to echo them through their own networks.

It is vital, in our view, to inform all forums addressing Internet-related issues about the multi-stakeholder nature of the Internet ecosystem, and, in particular, it seems that the G8 and G20 are environments where there would be great value in disseminating those messages.

Useful links:

http://www.eg8forum.com/ (factsheet)
http://www.g20-g8.com/g8-g20/g20/english/home.9.html

The e-G8 Summit, Unveiled