Key points
Primarily involved in managing telecommunications infrastructure, the ITU is becoming increasingly involved in broader internet-related policy issues through the work of the ITU Council, through its sectors, and as one of the facilitators of the WSIS+10 review process. Various stakeholders have expressed concern with ITU’s expanding role in internet governance due to its inter-governmental and closed nature. The upcoming Plenipotentiary conference 2014 will serve as a platform for the organisation to review its basic texts (ITU Convention and Constitution) and strategy for the next 4 years, and, with this, its role within the broader internet governance context.
Output
The goal is to create an engagement model or road-map that BB can use going forward.
General questions:
- Is this forum important or not to civil society? Why?
- What are the key issues at stake? How important are those issues to civil society?
- How have we engaged to date and how successful were we?
- How can we engage in the future and what approach should we take?
- What are our messages/proposals and how and when do action them?
- How will we measure success and learn from the process and experience?
Additional specific questions – either for now or for later as the work progresses:
- Define what kind of engagement we want (through national delegations / Civil society membership?)
- What are the best strategies for changing the ITU – what do we want to change? Its ambition, its structure, etc.
- Do/how do we push for openness at the WTDC and the Plenipot?
- The CWG closed ranks to openness – is this the reality we are working with?
- Are there implications of the discussions/outputs of the WCIT for the WTDC/Plenipot?
- What will come of the “Internet resolution” from WCIT?
- What is the role and what will become of the WTPF opinions? How does civil society ensure that they do not get amended and remain the workable proposals that they are?
- What is the civil society narrative for plenipot?
