So it begins.
ITU's Strategic Policy unit will hold a workshop on Internet Governance, February 26-27.
Quote:
"Background and Objectives
The workshop's goal is to initiate a process to prepare ITU's position vis-à-vis the UN Secretary-General's Working Group on Internet Governance to be established as a result of the World Summit on the Information Society Declaration of Principles and Action Plan agreed on 12 December 2004."
And:
"Participation
Attendance is by invitation only to ITU Member States and Sector Members."
Thursday, February 26 and Friday, February 27, is convenient for the ICANN meeting in Rome (Tuesday, March 2 to Friday March 6, but can expect pre-meetings on the Monday and perhaps weekend?)
Relevant text from WSIS plan of action (as adopted in Geneva, see the Summit website for links to the full document) is:
b) We ask the Secretary General of the United Nations to set up a working group on Internet governance, in an open and inclusive process that ensures a mechanism for the full and active participation of governments, the private sector and civil society from both developing and developed countries, involving relevant intergovernmental and international organizations and forums, to investigate and make proposals for action, as appropriate, on the governance of Internet by 2005. The group should, inter alia:
i) develop a working definition of Internet governance;
ii) identify the public policy issues that are relevant to Internet governance;
iii) develop a common understanding of the respective roles and responsibilities of governments, existing intergovernmental and international organisations and other forums as well as the private sector and civil society from both developing and developed countries;
iv) prepare a report on the results of this activity to be presented for consideration and appropriate action for the second phase of WSIS in Tunis in 2005.
It will be interesting to see if the ITU will manage a transparent and open process. Perhaps as the much criticized ICANN does: open to all (to at least observe), transcribed, with documents and records of the meeting promptly posted for the public.