NRIs Virtual Meeting V, 27 May 2019, 15:00 p.m. UTC

NATIONAL, (SUB)REGIONAL AND YOUTH IGF INITIATIVES
- Virtual Meeting V, 27 May 2019, 15:00 p.m. UTC -

SUMMARY REPORT

About 

  1. The 5th virtual meeting of the National, Sub-regional, Regional and Youth IGF Initiatives (NRIs), took place on 27 May 2019 at 15:00 p.m. UTC.
  2. The meeting was hosted by the IGF Secretariat’s NRIs Focal Point. The final, adopted version of the Agenda is attached to this document as Annex A1 and a list of meeting Participants as Annex A2. The list of shared documents is attached to this report as Annex A3.

Summary of key points

  1. The Host opened the meeting by introducing the agenda and asking participants to briefly introduce themselves. The IGF-USA co-coordinator requested to add a discussion about the funding mechanisms for attending the IGF 2019 meeting and if the IGF Secretariat will attend any of the NRIs meetings in this year. With this addition, the agenda was adopted (Annex A1).
     
  2. The Host noted that the NRIs have endorsed six topics for the NRIs Collaborative Sessions, through an open, bottom up consultative process. These are:
    1. Cybersecurity: building trust and cooperation
    2. Achieving meaningful access: inclusion of vulnerable groups and developing digital capacity
    3. Data protection
    4. Human rights on the Internet
    5. Surveillance
    6. Regulation of harmful content on the Internet
       
  3. Participants were reminded that the overall concept of these sessions should be available by the next MAG meeting (5-7 June). It was agreed that the IGF Secretariat will call all NRIs to sign up to co-organize a maximum of two NRIs collaborative sessions, by the end of the current week.
     
  4. The IGF-USA inquired under which of six topics they can bring the aspect of emerging technologies. It was explained that six sessions are for now broadly defined to allow for multiple views to fall under them. This will be further narrowed down to a more focused topic.
     
  5. Regarding the duration of the session, it was informed that this was still to be decided, and most probably the sessions will be 60 minutes long as last year. A few participants noted that 60 minutes is not enough and advised for the sessions to be 75 minutes long.
     
  6. Participants moved to discussing the NRIs Main Session, following what has been agreed during the NRIs meeting IV, available in the shared document (Annex A3). An extensive discussion developed around the wording of the first aspect, initially worded as: ‘’How new emerging technologies can/are support inclusion and engagement of different stakeholders, including vulnerable groups and those not yet engaged at the national and regional levels?’’. A number of participants underlined that not all communities face implementation of emerging technologies and that the wording should be broader to allow for inclusiveness of all. In addition, many said that the proposed alternative words by some: ‘ICTs’ and ‘digital technologies’ bring redundancy to the aspect. Finally, participants compromised that the wording for the 1st aspect should be: ‘’How digital technologies can/are support inclusion and engagement of different stakeholders, including vulnerable groups and those not yet engaged at the national and regional levels?’’. It was agreed that under this aspect, the participants can outline the divide that exist between various countries and regions regarding the presence and application of new technologies.
     
  7. It was agreed to keep the working title as worded in the proposal. With the working title focused on emerging technologies and the aspects for consideration aiming at allowing for bringing inputs from existing and emerging technologies in a broader sense of word, it was agreed by everyone that the proposal levels space for everyone to need in, regardless if we speak about existing or new technologies.
     
  8. Coordinator from the Namibia IGF advised the NRIs to think about models for scheduling these sessions. The coordinator especially noted the challenge of having a number of sessions running in parallel and advised to think of ways to attract audience. The Host followed noting that the IGF Secretariat will carefully develop the schedule to avoid any overlap per topics, as well as session organizers. It was added that that in the NRIs Session Guidelines, the NRIs agreed to design an invitation for all their sessions and send to their networks.
     
  9. Given the time constraints, as the meeting went over 90 minutes, it was agreed that on the next virtual meeting, the agenda will focus only on the main session planning. With updates to the title aspects, the proposal gives good ground for informing about the overall aim of this session.
     
  10. Participants moved to discussing the NRIs Session Guidelines. The Hots noted that the majority of suggestions are incorporated in the document. The coordinator of the South Korea IGF requested for his comments to be added. The comment related to having the session focal points take responsibility of ensuring that all speakers and moderators are in the room on the session date.
     
  11. The raw, draft design of the presentation for the NRIs Booth was shared with the participants. It was agreed that feedback will be sent via email or in a form of comments directly to the presentation design uploaded as a shared document:
  1. The Meeting was concluded with a few updates from the IGF Secretariat on the upcoming 3rd IGF Open Consultations and MAG Meeting, to be in Berlin from 5 – 7 June 2019, while the NRIs were invited to communicate updates via email.

 

Next Steps

  1.  A full summary report will be sent to the NRIs mailing list, for further consultations.
  2.  Within seven working days, the IGF Secretariat will share an updated draft proposal for the NRIs main/joint session and updated NRIs Session Guidelines.
  3. Next meeting: The IGF Secretariat will communicate the doodle pol for planning the next meeting in two weeks’ time.
  4.  For any suggestions or questions regarding the Report, kindly contact the IGF Secretariat, NRIs Focal Point at: anja.gengo@un.org.


ANNEX A1
AGENDA: Virtual Meeting V

  1. Welcome and Introductions
  2. Feedback to the 2nd IGF2018 Open Consultations and MAG Meeting
  3. Next steps: NRIs Main Session
  4. Next Steps: NRIs Collaborative Sessions
  5. NRIs collaboration with BPF on AI, Big Data and IoT
  6. Reminder to NRIs-BPF on Cybersecurity Call (17 July)
  7. AoB

 

ANNEX A2 
MEETING PARTICIPANTS (in alphabetical order):

  1. Adam Doungous
  2. Arthur Cardinal
  3. Babu Ram Aryal, Nepal IGF
  4. Bhredipta Socarana, Youth Indonesia IGF
  5. Concettina Cassa, IGF Italy
  6. Dajana  Mulaj, Albania Youth IGF
  7. Eun Chang Choi, South Korea IGF
  8. Eva Christina Andersson
  9. Everton T. Rodrigues
  10. Hisham Aboulyazed, Arab IGF
  11. Joseph Rugasira
  12. Julian Casasbuenas G., Colombia IGF
  13. Kristina Hakobyan, Armenia IGF community
  14. Lianna Galstyan , Armenia IGF, SEEDIG
  15. Lucien Castex,   France IGF
  16. Maheeshwara Kirindigoda, Sri Lanka IGF
  17. Mary Uduma, Nigeria IGF, West Africa IGF
  18. Melinda Clem, IGF-USA
  19. Michel M. Tchonang Linze
  20. Mohammad Abdul Haque
  21. Obed Sindy, Haiti IGF
  22. Priyatosh Jana, Youth India IGF
  23. Roberto Zambrana, Bolivia IGF
  24. Salyou Fanny, West African IGF
  25. Sandra Hoferichter, EuroDIG
  26. Sorina Teleanu, SEEDIG
  27. Taylor Bentley
  28. Tresor Mazandou
  29. Uffa Modey, Youth Nigeria IGF*
  30. Vinicius Santos, Brazil IGF
  31. Xiang Wei, IGF Secretariat
  32. YingChu Chen, APrIGF community
  33. Zeina Bou Harb, Lebanon IGF, Arab IGF

 

ANNEX A3 
LIST OF SHARED INPUTS

  1. NRIs Main Session Proposal: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Qb4Z80gNX6vfh8ndfBIO6U83VS-6m-bPt3k5mJc6eok/edit?usp=sharing
  2. NRIs Session Guidelines: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1aVMvFE1ul4KXZWu4_XHD6wujmfNke-85f4N1_MmLLGk/edit?usp=sharing
  3. NRIs Presentation for the NRIs Booth: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1G-lYHxyYE5d3jgCzYvbfAIOGuc1aWe7vo2h6TB4exVU/edit?usp=sharing