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Dear all,<br><br>
Please find below an announcement about a workshop co-hosted by the
Council of Europe, the UNECE and APC - on public participation in
internet governance - to be held during the WSIS series of events on May
23rd at the ITU<br><br>
We are particuarly interested to hear from people outside the UNECE
region who might contribute as speakers or discussants.<br><br>
Many thanks<br><br>
karen<br>
====<br><br>
Dear Sir/Madam:<br><br>
On behalf of the organizers, the UNECE ICT Group for Development is
pleased to invite you to participate in the following event, being held
within the context of the Cluster of World Summit on the Information
Society-related events, 13-30 May 2008, in Geneva.<br><br>
Stakeholder Consultation on Public Participation in Internet
Governance:<br>
Towards a code of good practice building on the principles of WSIS and
the Aarhus Convention<br>
23 May 2008, 14:00-17:00, Room C2 – International Telecommuniications
Union Headquarters, Geneva<br><br>
The Stakeholder Consultation is being jointly organized by the Council of
Europe, United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) and the
Association for Progressive Communications (APC). Attached please find an
information note concerning this event. [included below also as
text]<br><br>
Please note that due to limited resources, the United Nations would not
be able to fund your participation. <br><br>
To register online for the event, please see
<a href="http://www.itu.int/wtisd/2008/events/index.html" eudora="autourl">
http://www.itu.int/wtisd/2008/events/index.html</a>. For more
information, see
<a href="http://www.unece.org/env/pp/related.htm%A0or" eudora="autourl">
http://www.unece.org/env/pp/related.htm or</a> contact
public.participation@unece.org.<br><br>
====<br><br>
The Stakeholder Consultation on Public Participation in Internet
Governance will discuss the results of the exploratory research into a
“Code of good practice on public participation, access to information and
transparency in Internet governance”, undertaken through a trilateral
initiative of the Council of Europe, the United Nations Economic
Commission for Europe (UNECE) and the Association for Progressive
Communications (APC), initiated at the 2nd Internet Governance Forum
(IGF) in Rio de Janeiro in November 2007.<br><br>
The aim of the proposed “Code of good practice on public participation,
access to information and transparency in Internet governance” would be
to enable all the institutions which play a role in some aspect of
governing the Internet to commit to ensuring transparency, public
participation (of all stakeholders) and access to information in Internet
governance.<br><br>
The objective of the consultation is to present some initial research,
consider the purpose and scope of the proposed instrument and discuss
with panellists and participants its possible opportunities, limitations
and risks. Any related initiatives in the field of Internet governance,
such as on participatory issues, human rights including freedom of
expression, content control, as well as the proposed Internet Bill of
Rights, should be discussed and analysed with respect to their
compatibility or complementarity with the proposed instrument.<br><br>
The consultation also aims to identify other interested stakeholders from
different stakeholder groups with a view to associating them with the
initiative. It will lay the groundwork for a proposed workshop to be held
at the 3rd Internet Governance Forum (IGF) in Hyderabad, India, 3-6
December 2008, which will present a concrete proposal for the envisaged
Code of Good Practice.<br><br>
Programme:<br><br>
Chairperson: <br><br>
Ms. Anriette Esterhuysen, Executive Director, Association for Progressive
Communications (APC)<br><br>
Speakers: <br><br>
Prof. David Souter, Department of Communication and Media, London School
of Economics (Consultant expert)<br><br>
Dr. Michael Remmert, Project Manager, “Good Governance in the Information
Society”, Directorate General of Democracy and Political Affairs, Council
of Europe<br><br>
Mr. Michael Stanley-Jones, Environmental Affairs Officer, UNECE
secretariat to the Convention on Access to Information, Public
Participation in Decision-making and Access to Justice in Environmental
Matters (“Aarhus Convention”)<br><br>
Discussants: <br><br>
Ms. Karen Banks, Network Development Manager, Association for Progressive
Communications (APC)<br><br>
Dr. William Drake, Director, Project on the Information Revolution and
Global Governance/PSIO, Graduate Institute<br>
of International and Development Studies, Geneva <br><br>
Ms. Donata Rugarabamu, Senior Legal Officer, Secretariat of the Basel
Convention, United Nations Environment<br>
Programme (UNEP) (invited)<br><br>
Additional speakers and discussants are being sought from outside the
UNECE region. Please contact Michael Stanley-Jones (e-mail:
michael.stanley-jones@unece.org) for further details.<br><br>
For more information, please see the Council of Europe press release 782
(2007) of 13 November 2007. <br>
<font size=3>
<a href="https://wcd.coe.int/ViewDoc.jsp?id=1210975&Site=DC&ShowBanner=no&Target=_self&BackColorInternet=F5CA75&BackColorIntranet=F5CA75&BackColorLogged=A9BACE" eudora="autourl">
https://wcd.coe.int/ViewDoc.jsp?id=1210975&Site=DC&ShowBanner=no&Target=_self&BackColorInternet=F5CA75&BackColorIntranet=F5CA75&BackColorLogged=A9BACE<br>
<br>
</a></font>See also the Aarhus Convention website.<br>
<a href="http://www.unece.org/env/pp/related.htm" eudora="autourl">
http://www.unece.org/env/pp/related.htm</a><br>
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