Green Climate Fund for Development

Greetings from the Australian national University in Canberra, where Howard Bamsey, Executive Director of the Green Climate Fund is speaking on "The Green Climate Fund, climate finance, and the imperatives and pathways for global transformation". He started by pointing out the developed nations committed to "mobilize" $100B a year for developing nations actions on climate change by 2020. What "mobilize" means I am not sure. The DFAT "Roadmap to US$100 Billion" (2016) says "effectively mobilize private finance".
reetings from the Australian National University in Canberra, where

Ambassador Bamsey pointed out that the cost of PV solar power had dropped making it economic for use in developing nations. Also he pointed out that green bonds had taken off and the link to Islamic Finance. In 2008 I attended the Malaysian Corporate Governance Conference at the Securities Commission, Kuala Lumpur, the regulator for Islamic capital markets in Malaysia and noticed this link.

The IEA has a "Tracking Clean Energy Progress" page, which Ambassador Bamsey pointed to. He used the example of technology incubators as one initiative (but I am not sure who's or for what). He suggested that most investments are on mitigation and more is needed on adaption for the most vulnerable.

Ambassador Bamsey suggested that China has taken an engineering approach to climate change as the government is full of engineers (whereas the Australian Government is full of lawyers and economists).

This all seemed very general, so I asked for examples of investments and how much carbon emission, or other benefits resulted. This was perhaps because I spent the morning marking ICT Sustainability assignments from my students, where they had to say what improvement their proposals were expected to make.

Unfortunately while promising to get specific, Ambassador Bamsey would not say how much the Green Climate Fund had invested or how much mitigation and adaption this was expected to produce. Not everything can be reduced to a few numbers, but if the world is investing $100B a year, then it would be good to have some idea it was effectively spent. Also worrying is that fund is expected to run out money to invest by the end of the year. Interestingly the ACT Government is working on channeling private investment to the fund, however as a potential investor I would want to know what environmental and social return on investment I will get.

The current Ambassador for the Environment, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Patrick Suckling, spoke next. He pointed to the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) as a successful investment activity.  Ambassador Suckling then talked about having an investment bank rather than aid. I assume this was a metaphor, not the Australian government was going to have a bank to invest in development programs in the region and earn a return on investment.

Climate change and human rights

Greetings from the Australian National University where Dr Matthew Rimmer is speaking on "Mary Robinson’s declaration of climate justice: climate change, human rights and fossil fuel divestment". Former Irish President, Mary Robinson explains in her autobiography "Everybody Matters" how she came to see climate change as a human rights issue.She latest established the Mary Robinson Foundation - Climate Justice (MRFCJ).

Dr Rimmer then discussed the Declaration on Climate Justice, modeled on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. There is also a three minute video "Hunger, Nutrition and Climate Justice Conference Animation". 

Dr Rimmer then went through some options for the Paris Accord, such as financial aid, a climate fund and access to Green technology. He also mentioned Tesla's batter technology for homes. However, I suggest that adapting the batteries from luxury cars is unlikely to provide an affordable energy system for the world's poorest people.

While well meaning, I have doubts as to the practical value of such a climate declaration. Demanding fair and just opportunities for the poor and vulnerable is unlikely to change the decision making of those who are rich and in positions of power. What is needed is to provide the poor and vulnerable with a voice in negotiations.

I suggest making use of the Internet to make up of the lack of voice of the poor and vulnerable. As an example, developing nations could be provided with an on-line system which would provide them with real time expert advice in international negotiations. This would counter the advantage which wealthy nations have in negations where they have large teams of negotiators backs up by hundreds of researches.

Developing nations delegates could use their smart phones to transmit what is happening in the negotiations to a team of thousands of volunteers around the world, who would carry out analysis, compare what is happening in other forums and make recommendations. Perhaps such a system would make a good project for Australian Ethical Investment to fund.

Dr Rimmer presented an overview of authors on fossil fuel divestment and examples at universities. What struck me was these were all from the USA (and one from Australia). What struck me was that this seems to be rich westerners deciding how to help poor people in developing nations, without bothering to ask people in those countries what they think. About the only exception to this was one quote from Archbishop Desmond Tutu.

Dr Rimmer's talk follows on from one by Christiana Figueres, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and Professor Broome, one of the authors of the International Panel on Climate Change (IPPC) report.

Efforts to Achieve a New Climate Change Agreement in 2015

Christiana Figueres, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) will speak on "The Road to Paris - Efforts to Achieve a New Climate Change Agreement in 2015" at the Australian National University in Canberra, 4.30, 7 May 2015.

"Christiana is in Australia to meet with the Australian government to talk about the upcoming climate change conference at the end of the year in Paris. Countries are currently developing a new legally binding agreement on climate change. It is hoped by many, that this new agreement will initiate new and decisive action to address climate change from 2020 onwards."

Terrorism Funded by BBQ Charcoal Smuggling

Greetings from the Australian National University in Canberra, where Alan Cole OBE of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime is speaking on "The ‘southern route’ and Indian ocean maritime crime". UNODC is looking for interns to work in the UNODC Maritime Crime Programme.

After discussing how the UN helped with the legal issues of warships dealing with piracy in the Indian Ocean. The UN has arranged for countries in the region to set up courts and prisons to accept those arrested for piracy.

Dr. Cole went on to the largely unsolved problem of interdicting drug trafficking outside territorial waters. While piracy is covered by international law, drug smuggling is under national jurisdiction and so difficult to deal with on the high seas.

Dr. Cole then made the surprising point that charcoal is being smuggled to fund Al Shabaab. Apart from the difficulty of finding a legal way to board ships and deal with people apprehended with something as harmless as charcoal, there is the issue of how to dispose of the seized cargo. In the case of charcoal it cannot be simply tipped overboard, as there could be hundreds of tons, which will float and be a pollutant. Reselling the contraband creates a risk of corruption and disrupting local markets. One option I suggest might be to turn the charcoal into briquettes or to burn it in the nearest coal fired power station or furnace. 

Quiet Achievers of the United Nations

Last night I attended the dinner for the United Nations Association of Australia annual conference (UNAA) in the Great Hall of the Australian National University. The after dinner speech was by Mr Ian Martin, Former Special Representative of the Secretary-General in East  Timor, Nepal and Libya on: ‘From East Timor to Libya: the Role of UN Political Missions’. It is very easy to be cynical about international bureaucrats attending diplomatic cocktail parties on on tax free salaries. But Mr Martin reminded the audience of the day in and day out work of not that well paid UN staff, unarmed in trouble spots, facing road side bombs and armed militias, to help with food, medicine and, most importantly, good government.

Role of UN Political Missions From East Timor to Libya

Mr Ian Martin, Former Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General in East Timor, Nepal and Libya, will speak on "From East Timor to Libya: the Role of UN Political Missions" at the Australian national University in Canberra, 7pm, 9 August 2013. This is at the dinner for the "UNAA National Conference 2013", with the conference program running at ANU, 8 to 10 August 2013.

UN Pictograms for Humanitarian Software

The OCHA Humanitarian Icons are a set of 500 pictograms for humanitarian relief operations from the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian affairs (OCHA). These can be used as computer icons for communicating information about relief operations where language may otherwise be a barrier.

Vint Cerf On Human Rights on the Internet

Greetings from the Australian National University 'remote hub' in Canberra for the United Nations Internet Governance Forum.

The IGF Meeting is being held in Nairobi, Kenya, on the theme 'Internet as a catalyst for change: access, development, freedoms and innovation'. Currently Vint Cerf, is discussing human rights on the Internet with several others. There is a Live Webcast, along with a live text transcript.

One amusing aspect that a UK representative claimed that recent riots in the UK were just criminal activity, not political. I expect that any government would make the same claim. ;-)

Internet Governance is Like Other Governance

Greetings from the The Sixth Annual United Nations Internet Governance Forum ANU Remote Hub, at the Australian National University in Canberra. Three local speakers are setting the scene, before the streaming commences from the United Nations Internet Governance Forum 2011 in Nairobi, Kenya.

There are two speakers from ANU and one from the Department of Communications:

1. Dr. Jacinta O'Hagan, Department of International Relations, ANU
2. Andrew Mauer, Department of Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy
3. Dr. Matthew Rimmer, College of Law, ANU
   

Dr. O'Hagan discussed what "Governance" is and how that addresses the needs of those in need internationally. This seems a little naive to me, as in the rest of life, the Internet will mostly be government by those who have resources and power to preserve their interests. There is no reason why the Internet should suddenly make people altruistic.

In my view, current Internet governance issues are around the division of power between the USA, Europe and emerging economies in Asia, particularly China. The Internet was designed in the USA and the World Wide Web in Europe. Even where there was a deliberate attempt to be inclusive the results were limited. As an example, the Internet was designed to work primarily with the English language and, to a less extent, other European languages. Even when Unicode was introduced to allow other languages, it had the US ASCII character set built in, making it easier to use for English than Asian languages.

Andrew Mauer explained ICANN's origins in academia and its diverse makeup. He emphasized that ICANN is not a UN body and operates differently to some other international bodies. He discussed various proposals for more government control of the Internet. But in my view ICANN works much like other voluntary standards bodies, with similar government and commercial tensions.

In my view many international systems which look as if they were run by monolithic government control, such as the banking system and telecommunications, really are not like that. Tensions in the international standards process are well documented. Kenneth R. McConnell's book "Fax: Facsimile Technology and Systems" (1999) describes the disputes between the USA and Japan over the development of fax standards. Carl Malamud's 1992 book "Exploring the Internet: A Technical Travelogue" discussed the dysfunctional nature of international telecommunications standards, which held up adoption of the Internet. Marc Levinson's book "The Box" discussed commercial and national rivalries in developing the ISO shipping container standard.

Dr. Rimmer, talked about the Washington Declaration on Intellectual Property and the Public Interest. But as with Internet governance, in my view Intellectual Property (IP) law is understandably designed by those with power and resources to maintain their position. Essentially the developed world, after building their industry by freely copying inventions, wants to now limit access to inventions by developing nations. This is acknowledged, for example with the Australian Trade Minister Mark Vaile referring to called section 17.4.4 of the Australia—US Free Trade Agreement as the "Mickey Mouse clause".

ps: I will be talking about "Education on-line for development" at the forum at ANU, 3pm, 29 September 2011

Education on-line for development

I will be talking about "Education on-line for development" at the The Sixth Annual United Nations Internet Governance Forum ANU Remote Hub, Australian National University in Canberra, 3pm, 29 September 2011.

The United Nations Internet Governance Forum 2011 is considering how to provide access to knowledge and content via the Internet in developing countries, for education and development. The main obstacle to access to knowledge and content on-line in both developed and developing countries is education. A bootstrap process can be used, where existing Internet access is used to provide better education, which then stimulates economic development and makes faster Internet access affordable.

The Internet was introduced to the government, community and business sectors in developed nations by the education sector and this process can be actively supported in developing nations. An example of how education can be provided on-line at low cost to help development is the work being done on ICT Sustainability. Using open access course content and open source software, professionals are being educated online to improve government and industry energy energy efficiency, in a way which allows for disabilities and multilingualism.

UN Internet Governance Forum in Canberra

The Australian National University is providing a free 'remote hub' in Canberra for the United Nations Internet Governance Forum, 3:00pm to 7:30pm, 27 to 30 September 2011.

The IGF Meeting is being held in Nairobi, Kenya, on the theme 'Internet as a catalyst for change: access, development, freedoms and innovation':

1. Internet governance for development (IG4D)
2. Emerging Issues
3. Managing critical Internet resources
4. Security, openness and privacy
5. Access and diversity
6. Taking stock and the way forward

The ANU will have a video link to Nairobi for remote participation. Due to time zones, ANU will only participate in the morning sessions of the conference (from 4pm Canberra time). There will also be brief presentations on the theme of the meeting by local speakers in Canberra (see the call for participation to volunteer to speak).

The Program For Canberra

Day one: 27 September: Human rights and Internet governance for development

• 3pm Workshop
• 4 to 5.30pm Human rights comes first: a constitutional movement for Internet Governance
• 6 to 7.30pm Internet governance for development

Day two 28 September: Cyber security

• 3pm Workshop
• 4pm to 5.30pm Cyber security: safeguarding the global Internet and emerging issues
• 6pm to 7.30pm: Blocking content: issues, principles and paths forward

Day three : 29 September: Global Internet governance issues

• 3-4pm Workshop
• 4-5.30pm The governance dimension of the Internet of things
• 6-7.30pm Access and diversity

Day four: 30 September 2011: Participation and resources

• 3pm Workshop
• 4 to 5.30pm Public sector information online: towards a global framework
• 6-7.30pm Managing critical Internet resources
  

Here are some excerpts from the UN Draft Programme for the 2011 Meeting:

Internet Governance Forum (IGF)

Draft Programme for the 2011 Meeting

15 September 2011

I. Programme Overview

The Sixth Annual meeting of the IGF will be held on 27-30 September 2011. ...

II. The agenda of the Nairobi meeting

The proposed theme of the meeting Internet as a catalyst for change: access, development, freedoms and innovation. ...

• IG4D / Internet governance for development (IG4D)

• Emerging Issues

• Managing critical Internet resources

• Security, openness and privacy

• Access and diversity

• Taking stock and the way forward

... basic questions which each key theme will address are as follows:

• The Development Agenda / Internet Governance for Development (IG4D).

As one of the innovations for IGF 2011, it is being recommended by the MAG that in addition to being a key theme and having a ninety (90) minute session to be held on the first afternoon of the IGF 2011 meeting, that the development agenda would be a cross-cutting focus in each of the other key themes and that this cross-cutting focus would be represented in at least one of the questions posed as part of each of the key themes

Main question

“What are examples of specific global Internet governance issues that may have particular relevance to development?”

Sub questions

• How are Internet Governance decisions at the national and international level related?

• How can Internet Governance be integrated into development approaches?

• How can the IGF foster the development process?

• What are the developmental issues/concerns that to-date have not received sufficient attention in the IGF?

• What are the current substantive policy outputs of governance arrangements vis-a-vis developing country interests?

• What are the institutional processes vis-a-vis equitable participation of developing countries?

• How can an IG4D agenda be explored within IGF and moved forward to other international settings?

Moderators:

• Mr. Ben Akoh, Project Manager, IISD

• Olga Cavalli, Adviser for Technology, Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Argentina)

Panelists

1. Mr. William J Drake, International Fellow, University of Zurich, Overview and background: (5 minutes)

2. Dmitri Dilani, Head of Africa Region, Nokia
   Siemens Networks, Mobile internet: (5 minutes)

3. Ms. Joy Liddicoat, APC, Security/Openness/Privacy: (5 minutes)

4. Natasha Pinheiro Agostini, Government of Brazil
   Access & diversity (5 minutes)

5. Mr. Katim Touray, ICANN, Managing critical Internet resources: (5 minutes)

6. Khaled Fourati, International Development Research Centre, Summary and Synthesis: (5 minutes)

Remote moderators:

• Mr. Fouad Bajwa, MAG member

• Mr. Barrack Otieno, former IGF Secretariat

Emerging issues

Main question

“Is governance different for the mobile Internet from the wired Internet?”

Format: 2 co-moderators and 6 panelists to set the stage and interact with participants

No presentations

Sub questions

o What are the key development issues given strong mobile penetration in developing countries and the use of new equipment and applications that did not exist before?

o How do Internet policy and regulation choices in the mobile Internet context impact the range of human rights, openness and neutrality?

o What are the policy and governance choices and opportunities in the mobile Internet space that foster innovation, skills building, entrepreneurship and maximizing the Internet for economic development?

Moderators:

• Mr. Virat Bhatia, President, AT&T India

• Sebastian Bellagamba, ISOC Regional Bureau Director for Latin America
  
  

Panelists

1. Ms Jacquelynn Ruff, Vice President, International Public Policy & Regulatory Affairs, Verizon

2. Mr. Hossein MOIIN, Chief Technology Officer

3. Dr Burt Kaliski, Chief Technology Officer, Verisign

4. Mr Vagner Diniz, Manager, W3C Brazil office

5. Mr Steve Song, Founder, Village Telco

6. Mr Shri N Ravi Shanker, Additional Secretary, Department of Information Technology (Government of India)

Remote moderator(s)

1. Claudia Selli, EU Affairs Director, AT&T

• Managing critical Internet resources

• What is the role of each Stakeholder in managing Internet resources?

• How to evaluate accountability, transparency and inclusiveness the management of Internet resources?

• How do we promote capacity building in critical Internet resources?

• IPv4 and IPv6 transition, what are the burdens, impacts and opportunities for developing and developed countries?

Moderators:

• Mr. William J Drake , International Fellow, University of Zurich

• Ms. Emily Taylor , Independent Consultant

Panelists:

1. Ms. Shane Tews, Vice President, Global Public Policy and Government Relations at VeriSign Inc.

2. Avri Doria

3. Ms. Fiona Alexander, Associate Administrator, Department of Commerce, National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), Office of Affairs (OIA)

4. Ms. Alice Munyua-Wanjira, Chair, Kenya Internet Governance Steering committee, Convener of the East Africa Internet Governance Forum (EA-IGF); Kenya ICT Action Network (KICTANet) Vice Chair ICANN Government Advisory Committee (GAC); Kenya Network Information Centre (KENIC)

5. Ms. Anriette Esterhuysen , Executive Director, APC

6. Ms. Tulika Pandey, Director, Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (Government of India)

7. Mr. Patrik Faltstrom

Remote moderator:

• Ms Salanieta Tamanikaiwaimaro, Group Legal Regulatory Officer, Telecom Fiji Limited, FIJI

Feeder Workshops

• 18. Policy issues affecting ccTLDs in Africa.

• 64. Interconnecting Africa: Opportunities and Obstacles along the way

• 70. On the outside, looking in: real-world solutions to effective participation in ICANN, IGF and ITU

• 82. The Governance Dimension of the Internet of Things

• 96. Economic Aspects of Local Content Creation and Local Internet Infrastructure

• 135. 'Strengthening ccTLD's in East Africa'- interrogating the research findings

• 165. Understanding IPv6 Deployment and Transition

• 178. Institutional Choice in Global Internet Governance

• Security, openness and privacy

This session will discuss the cross-border Internet governance issues that are encountered at the intersection of security, privacy and openness. Current examples include actions taken by a range of Internet actors in relation to whistleblowers sites, the “seizure” of domain names, proposals for blocking of websites and filtering of networks, the role that cybersecurity operations centers and law enforcement can play in protecting the Internet and its users from cyber attacks and cybercrime, and the impacts of action taken to cut access to the Internet for individuals, groups or entire countries from the global Internet. The session will also discuss the role of traditional and new media, journalism and citizens' media role. The session will build upon last year's Security, Openness and Privacy main session on the role of intermediaries can take to protect freedom of expression and innovation.

Sub Questions

• What are the most significant cross-border Internet governance issues that affect security, privacy and openness?

• What is the role of traditional and new media, journalists and citizen journalists in the Internet 3.0 world?

• Is the ability to read over the Internet essential in a democratic society? What are the implications for Internet governance when online censorship is imposed by the private sector (e.g. a web hosting provider) and not the government? Is it a violation of human rights to cut Internet access that individuals, specific groups or entire countries rely on?

• What are the implications of those actions for online freedom of expression, assembly and association?

• Is the content distribution and communication capacity that the Internet affords important to fostering human rights?

• Should we identify self-regulatory policies, regulatory choices and best practices for players in the Internet eco-system that protect openness, privacy, and security for all individuals?

Moderators

• Ms. Katitza Rodriguez, International Rights Director, Electronic Frontier Foundation

• Mr. Lee Hibbard, Coordinator, Internet Governance & Information Society, Council of Europe

Panelists

1. Ms. Neelie Kroes, Vice President, European Commission and European Digital Agenda Commissioner

2. Ms. Meryem Marzouki, Senior Academic Researcher, CNRS and European Digital Rights

3. Mr. Frank LaRue, UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression

4. Ms. Christine Runnegar, Senior Policy Advisor, Internet Society

5. Ms. Heba Ranzy, Director of MEA Corporate Affairs, Microsoft Middle East and Africa

Remote moderator:

TBA

Feeder Workshops

• 85. Free Flow of Information and Social Networks: A Role for Democracy and Social Participation

• 160. Global Trends to Watch: The Erosion of Privacy and Anonymity and The Need of Transparency of Government Access Requests

• 202. Cybersecurity: Safeguarding the Global Internet and Emerging Issues/Opportunities for Developing Countries

• Access and diversity

Main Question:

“Internet access as a basic human right: What challenges and opportunities does this pose for policy makers and the broader Internet community?”

Sub Questions:

• What are the main technical, commercial and policy obstacles on the ground for achieving universal affordable access to infrastructure (particularly to broadband Internet access) in developing countries?

• What are the main current obstacles to access to knowledge and content online?

• What are the regulatory and policy options to address those obstacles to access to both infrastructure and knowledge/content and what are the roles of the policy makers and the broader Internet community on that regard?

• How can access to infrastructure and knowledge in the context of developing countries contribute to a) foster transformation of education, innovation, entrepreneurship; b) fight poverty and promote social and human development?

• How does access to the Internet and the regulation of digital content impact diversity on the Internet, especially on content production in developing countries?

• How can Internet governance enable a movement towards a participatory and inclusive Internet, taking into consideration the right to access of people with disabilities, multilingualism and the inclusion of the most socially excluded groups?

Moderator:

• Ms. Theresa Swinehart, Executive Director, Global Internet Policy - Verizon Communications

• Mr. Laurent Elder, Programme leader Information and Networks, International Development Research Center (IDRC)

Panelists:

1. Ms. Paul Kukubo, CEO, Kenya ICT Board (Government of Kenya)

2. Mr. Dawit Bekele, Regional Bureau Director for Africa, ISOC

3. Ms. Grace Githaiga, Associate, Kictanet

4. Mr. Robert Pepper, Vice President, Global Technology Policy Cisco

5. Mr. Fred Haga, Regional Officer Eastern Africa, Kenya Institute of Education

Remote Moderator:

• Ms. Virginia Paque, IGCBP coordinator, DiploFoundation

Feeder Workshops

• 87. Citizen empowerment through the social use of ICTs

• 101. Are we meeting the challenges of bringing content and access to the world?

• 113. Access and diversity of broadband Internet access

• 126. Internet for democratic participation of vulnerable people in public life-best practices exchange

• 136. Implementing good practices in accessibility for an inclusive society

• 137. Mainstreaming the disability perspective for an inclusive society

• 163. Right to Information, Internet Access & Inclusive Development

• 188. Transforming Higher Education through Broadband– Maximizing the Opportunities

• Taking stock and the way forward

Topics for discussion in this session:

• Has IGF 2011 contributed to the development agenda and how can IGF 2012 better serve the development agenda?

• Has IGF 2011 contributed to capacity building? How can efforts to build capacity be continued between IGF2011 and IGF 2012?

• Given the recommendations that have come from CSTD/ECOSOC, how should the IGF 2012 be organized?

Moderators:

• Mr. Bertrand de La Chapelle, Program Director, International Diplomatic Academy

• Ms. Anriette Esterhuysen , Executive Director, APC

Panelists

1. Ms. Maimouna Diop, ICT Director, Ministry of Post, Telecommunications and ICT, (Government of Senegal)

2. Hon Minister Haruna Idrissu, Ministry of Communications (Government of Ghana)

3. Luis Magalhães, President, Knowledge Society agency (UMIC), Ministry of Science, Technology and Higher Education, Lisbon (Porto Salvo) Portugal. cc: Ana Neves.

4. Vint Cerf, Chief Internet Evangelist, Google.

5. Ms. Anriette Esterhuysen, Executive Director, APC

6. Mr. Markus Kummer, Vice President, ISOC

7. Ms. Shane Tews, Vice President, Global Public Policy and Government Relations, VeriSign

8. Mr. Wolfgang Kleinwächter, Professor, University of Aahrus

9. Ms. Jeanette Hofmann, Senior Researcher, London School of Economics

Remote Moderator:

• Ms. Valeria Betancourt, Communication and Information Policy Programme Manager, Association for Progressive Communication

III. Programme outline

... Flag raising ceremony

On the morning of the first day (27 September), a UN ceremony raising the UN flag will be held. This ceremony will mark the beginning of the IGF 2011 meeting.

Internet governance: Regional perspectives on setting the scene

In light of the logistical changes imposed on the timetable it is now proposed rather than having one three hour session of regional perspectives there will be three 90-minute sessions on regional perspective and that these sessions will be interpreted. The objective of these sessions is to provide participants with some historical context on and an introduction to the main issues of the Nairobi meeting as well as inform delegates of the way in which national and regional IGF activities have been addressing key issues. There was very strong support for keeping this stream of sessions and for ensuring adequate time be given to allow all multi-stakeholder and regional interests to be voiced. The MAG again recommended that this suggestion be implemented.

Each of the regional and national IGF-type meetings that wish to participate in these sessions will be requested to send in a substantive discussion of their perspectives as they emerged from their meetings held throughout 2011.

After a brief historical overview given by a representative of the IGF secretariat, there will be a moderated session with representatives of the various regional meetings held in 2011. The goal for these sessions is twofold. These sessions will:

• Provide regional input on the thematic themes of IGF 2011 to give participants a cross-regional perspective;

• Allow the representatives of the regional and national meetings to inform IGF 2011 of concerns and topics beyond those included in the programme for IGF 2011.

...

Main session on key themes

Three, 120 minute, main sessions will be devoted to each of the following key themes:

• Managing critical Internet resources

• Security, openness and privacy

• Access and diversity

...

Sessions for the other 3 key themes will be scheduled as follows:

• The Development Agenda / IG4D - Day 1 morning 11:00 – 12:30

• Emerging Issues - Day 2 morning 11:00 – 12:30

• Taking stock and the way forward - Day 4 Afternoon – 14:30 – 16:00 ...
  

IV. Workshops

One of the main objectives of the 2011 meeting is to continue the 2010 practice on the linkages between workshops and main sessions. ... All workshops will have real time transcription and will be webcast.

Feeder workshops

Selected workshops, called feeder workshops, will be woven into the proceedings of the relevant main sessions. Participants from the feeder workshops will be encouraged to attend the main sessions related to the feeder workshops in order to broaden the discussions on the themes of the sessions when possible. ...

	No of feeder workshops	Total number of workshops before main session
IG4D	1	2
Emerging Issues	0	3
Access and Diversity	6	11
Security, openness and privacy	3	12
Critical Internet resources	7	12
Taking stock/way forward	0	6

...

Background papers

All workshops are requested to provide background papers prior to their sessions and are invited to produce substantive analysis papers after the workshops. Workshop organizers are also required to make available a brief report with a few bullet points describing the discussions, any outcomes, and future directions within a half-day after the workshop. For those workshops designated as feeder workshops, these can be used as the input into the main sessions.

V. Proposed Schedule

The most updated schedule can be found at http://www.intgovforum.org/cms/.

VIII. Remote Moderation

Each session will benefit from a remote moderator. All event organizers are requested to arrange for a remote moderator to help in the process of moving from remote observation to genuine remote participation.

A complete job description of the remote moderator can be found at http://www.intgovforum.org/cms/component/content/article/514-job-description-for-remote-moderators.

...

IX. List of resource persons

Individuals who would like to be a resource person, either as part of a workshop or a main session, are invited to register with the IGF secretariat.

Organizers of workshops and sessions who are looking for people to fill a slot on a panel or be otherwise involved within their workshop proposals, including as remote moderators, will be invited to access that list maintained by the Secretariat to find speakers and contributors for their sessions. ...

UN cash for green phone app

The United Nations telecommunications agency is offering $10,000 for the most innovative mobile phone application about climate change.

ICT in Framework Convention on Climate Change

One of the obvious was to reduce carbon emissions is with Green ICT. But I could find no mention of computers or telecommunications in the Framework Convention on Climate Change from United Nations Climate Change Conference COP 16 and CMP 6 in Cancun. Has anyone seen any mention of ICT?

Senator Conroy on Broadband for the World

Greetings from the World Computer Congress 2010 in Brisbane, where Senator Conroy, Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy is speaking on the National Broadband Network. He just returned from New York, where the United Nations Broadband Commission report was released (he was one of the commissioners). The Minister spent most of his speech defending the NBN on costs and benefits. This was one of the best presentations of the Congress and provided a passionate and clear outline of the issues. This complemented Professor SV Raghavan's keynote address on "National Knowledge Network of India: An Instrument of Social Change" this morning.

I was a little disappointed that the Minister did not spend some time talking about the UN report. There is the full report "2010 Leadership Imperative: The Future Built on Broadband" (1.6 Mbytes, 36 pages, PDF), Broadband Commission for Digital Development’s Declaration and Report, UN 19 September 2010 and an Executive Summary (791 kbytes, 32 pages, PDF). This work deserves more detailed examination.Hopefully the UN will release a more accessible web version.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. A 2010 Declaration of Broadband Inclusion for All
2. Executive Summary - A 2010 Leadership Imperative: Towards a Future Built on Broadband
3. Creating a Broadband Development Dynamic: A Strategic Framework for Action
3.1 Policy: From Clear Policy Leadership to an Enabling Environment
3.2 Infrastructure: Investing in Infrastructure for the Future
3.3 Technology: Future-proofing Technology
3.4 Innovation: The Changing Face of Innovation
3.5 Content and Applications: The Growing Importance of Content and Applications
3.6 People: Building the Network of Ideas and Information
3.7 Government: Government takes the lead in creating demand

4. Broadband and the Interlinked and Interdependent MDG Agenda
5. Broadband and Beyond the MDGs
6. Recommendations and Proposed Plan of Action
Acknowledgements

Social Networking Technology for Emergencies

The United Nations Foundation has released "New Technologies in Emergencies and Conflicts: The Role of Information and Social Networks" (2009). The full report is available online, as one donw load and by chapter. The report recommends remove regulatory barriers for better early warning and emergency response and putting more resources into
local preparedness. The call for standardisation of communications is timely, including a global standard for cell broadcast technologies. Australia is entering another bushfire season with limited standardisation of systems at the national level. The report has received some criticism on the Humanitarian ICT discussion list for the breadth of coverage, but such a report can include online a limited amount of material.

1. Foreword
2. Acknowledgements
3. Executive Summary
4. Introduction
5. Alerts: Early Warning And Communication Needs
6. Preparedness: Building Communities’ Resilience
7. Response: Coordination In Emergencies
8. Rebuilding: Post-Crisis Services And Development
9. Recommendations
10. Endnotes

Executive Summary

Natural disasters and violent conflicts have always been part of human existence. But the number of humanitarian crises has been rising in recent years. Moreover, disasters strike
most frequently, and with the most devastating impact, in the least developed countries. These countries also have the weakest communications infrastructures, which poses a
particular challenge to governments, aid agencies, and the affected population at every stage of a crisis, from the runup to a disaster through to long-term reconstruction.

There have been dramatic advances in communications technology: in the number of new technologies, the mobility and range of functions available, and the spread of these technologies. Growth has been particularly strong in the penetration of mobile phones and more recently the uptake of social networking websites including Facebook and Twitter. One important change is a shift from one-to many forms of communication, such as television and radio, to many-to-many forms of communication, such as social
networking and crowdsourcing websites, that is changing the way in which information is delivered and exchanged.

Communications advances present an opportunity forhumanitarian organizations to harness modern technology to communicate more effectively with communities affected by disasters and to allow members of those communities to communicate with each other and with the outside world.

People in affected communities can recover faster if they can access and use information. A look at the use of communications technology during disasters in recent years shows
that while it has played a positive role, its full potential has not yet been realized.

Moreover, governments, humanitarian agencies, and local communities face challenges and risks associated with modern technological innovation. These include:

• Information flows must be two-way to be effective — from the external world to the affected community, but also from those affected to the agencies seeking to help
them in useful ways.
• Information will not be used unless it is trusted. The utility of any technologies will depend on the social context. People are a vital part of the communication system. ...

Recommendations ...

Remove regulatory barriers
Some regulatory barriers to effective early warning systems and emergency response remain, despite the great progress made in these aspects since the Indian Ocean tsunami. We identified:
• the need for further standardization of communications in emergency situations—such as a global standard for cell broadcast technologies, for example;
• the need to develop standards applicable to existing and future systems for delivery of early warnings or alerts;
• the need for inter-operability between public networks and networks dedicated to emergency communications; and
• a need for priority access by emergency services personnel to communications.

Furthermore, governments must extend the regulatory framework to new and emerging technologies. Regulation is lagging behind innovation. In particular:
• the international community needs to create a legal framework enabling the use of unmanned aerial vehicles, which hold great promise for collecting information for
use by humanitarian agencies but are currently unable to be deployed due to legal uncertainties.

Put more resources into local preparedness
People-centeredness has been one of the themes of this report. The people affected by an emergency are in the best position to know what is happening and what they need.

Preparedness requires long-term investment by humanitarian organizations, including investment in public education and capacity building in local media.

Information provision should be recognized as a standard part of both preparedness and aid delivery, and might include:
• preparation of off-the-shelf material agreed on between humanitarian and aid agencies (what to do in an earthquake, basic sanitation advice, for example);
• training humanitarian agencies in communication skills, including receiving and using feedback from communities; and
• the inclusion of a wind-up radio in aid packages.

Information needs to be collected and deployed to be effective. Often this will be done by official agencies, but their responsibilities may be overlapping and uncoordinated.
Preparedness also requires the international humanitarian community to be able to act themselves in a coordinated way on the information and analysis enabled by these emerging systems.

Agencies should share best practices with each other.
Agencies developing tools for use in disaster preparedness and emergency relief should also include consideration of their potential for communities’ post-disaster or postconflict needs, to leverage the investment of resources as effectively as possible.

Governments—especially in developing countries where access is not ubiquitous—also need to consider enhanced access to communications and investment in infrastructure, among all the competing demands for resources.

Leverage new media and crowdsourcing
Some of the most promising applications of new technology in emergencies use social media, often through crowdsourced applications.

As this report has shown, the issue of authentication is a key barrier to overcome. The development of methods and applications for verification of crowdsourced information
should be a priority. The humanitarian community can support the development of innovative platforms that addres the issue of verification as well as provision of information by users.

At the same time, it is important to ensure that communications technologies can offer their users a sufficient degree of anonymity and protection. This will depend on
technological solutions but also, importantly, the legal framework and public debate about the risks as well as benefits of anonymity. ...

From: New Technologies in Emergencies and Conflicts: The Role of Information and Social Networks, United Nations Foundation, December 2009

ICT Essentials for Government Leaders

The Academy of ICT Essentials for Government Leaders Module Series is a set of training materials provided free by the United Nations Asian and Pacific Training Centre for Information and Communications Technology for Development (UN-APCICT). There are eight modules, each provided as a PDF document of about 100 pages (1Mbyte). The material is under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License, so it can be freely used and modified.

1. The Linkage between ICT Applications and Meaningful Development
2. ICT for Development Policy, Process and Governance
3. e-Government Applications
4. ICT Trends for Government Leaders
5. Internet Governance
6. Network and Information Security and Privacy
7. ICT Project Management in Theory and Practice
8. Options for Funding ICT for Development

Sustainable Urbanisation, Climate Change and the United Nations

Dr Anna Kajumulo Tibaijuka, United Nations Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director, UN-HABITAT will be speaking on "Sustainable Urbanisation, Climate Change and the Global Financial Crisis: The role of the United Nations Human Settlements Program" in Sydney, June 18, 2009 at 6:30pm (tickets required).

The year 2007 was a turning point in human history as it saw half of humanity already living in towns and cities. By 2030, three quarters of the world’s population is projected to be urban.

The bulk of this rapid urban population growth will take place in developing countries, countries which are least able to cope resulting into massive growth of slums and squatter settlements. Today close to one billion people or 32 per cent of the Worlds urban population currently lives in slums under life threatening conditions where they are directly affected by both environmental disasters and social crises.

On the current global economic and financial crisis it has to be noted that it was sparked off by the sub-prime mortgage crisis, which itself was the outcome of one-dimensional approach to housing and a “one-size fits all” model of housing provision. It did not look at how to improve incomes to make housing more affordable. It did not look at how to make housing cheaper so as to make it more affordable. It did not, above all, look at the need to have a mix of tenures whereby poor people could access decent housing through the rental market as well as through home ownership.

Financial prudence and banking principles were simply thrown out the window. Financial engineering became the “in game” as different so called innovative products from brokers outcompeted with each other. Commissions and bonuses were collected, CEO payments rose into the stratosphere but the risk remained on the one end with the borrowers and at the other end with the shareholders across the globe.

With regard to climate change, it has to be noted that it is no coincidence that it has emerged at the forefront of international debate precisely at the same time, and virtually at the same pace, as the world becomes urbanized. This is because urbanisation brings about irreversible changes in our production and consumption patterns. How we plan, manage and live in our growing cities determines, to a large extent, the pace of global warming. This is because 75% of global energy consumption occurs in cities, and 80% of greenhouse gas emissions that cause global warming come from urban areas. Roughly half of these emissions are caused by the burning of fossil fuels for urban transport; the other half comes from energy to heat or cool our buildings and to run our appliances. These are the hallmarks of our built environment and our quest for quality-of-life in urban places which have to inform mitigation and adaptation strategies for climate change.

Mrs Tibaijuka’s lecture will discuss these issues , with reference to the potential for academic and other partnerships to help address them, and outline the role of the UN-Habitat as it relates to the implementation of the Habitat Agenda with the twin objectives of shelter for all and sustainable human settlements development.
Today we are faced with many challenges in our quest for sustainable human settlements but among the most compelling ones are rapid and chaotic urbanization, climate change and the global financial crisis.


Anna Tibaijuka is the first African woman elected by the UN General Assembly as Under-Secretary-General of a United Nations program. She is currently serving a second, four-year term as Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director of UN-HABITAT. Since 2002, Mrs Tibaijuka has been instrumental in promoting water, sanitation and slum upgrading globally and in assisting the African Union to establish the African Ministerial Conference on Housing and Urban Development (AMCHUD). She also helped place urban poverty high on the agenda of similar regional bodies for Latin American and the Caribbean, as well as the Asia-Pacific.

In its unanimous decision to re-elect Mrs Tibaijuka for a second term as Executive Director of UN-HABITAT, the General Assembly noted her success in forging strategic partnerships with financial institutions for follow-up investment in housing and urban infrastructure. These include the UN-HABITAT $570 million agreement with the African Development Bank and $500 million agreement with the Asian Development Bank.

Mrs Tibaijuka is credited with raising awareness about the global challenge of chaotic urbanization, inspiring a new strategic vision, and significantly enhancing the organization’s performance, management and image.

Prior to joining the UN, Mrs Tibaijuka pursued an active academic career as a Professor of Economics at the University of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. She is the author of various books and research papers on agriculture and rural development, farming systems, food policy, agricultural marketing and trade, sustainable development, social services delivery, gender and land issues, and environmental economics.
From: "Sustainable Urbanisation, Climate Change and the Global Financial Crisis: The role of the United Nations Human Settlements Program", The University of Sydney, 2009

Permit Management System for UN Sanction Enforcement

The Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has issued a request for Expression of Interest in a "Permit Management System Software tool for UN Sanction Enforcement law". This will be a computer based system for tracking permits for trade restricted by UN sanctions (presumably to prevent a repeat of the AWB debacle). The system will have a web interface , with exporters able to apply for permits on-line and DFAT staff able to monitor applications and exchange information with other Government Agencies. Users will be able to receive UN updates and notifications via a secure web interface.

This sounds alike an excellent idea. I suggest that DFAT should make the system open source and contribute it free to the UN for their use and to the nations of the world. The UN could use the software to provide the sanctions updates and those countries who are unable to run their own system could use a web based interface to an hosted system.

Permit Management System Software tool for UN Sanction Enforcement law
ATM ID DFAT08-DID-016
Agency Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
Category 43230000 - Software
Close Date & Time 10-Jun-2008 2:00 pm (ACT Local time) ...
Publish Date 15-May-2008 ...
ATM Type Expression of Interest
Description
DFAT is seeking Expressions of Interest for provision of a comprehensive electronic management system (software) for trade permit applications under, and enquiries in relation to, UN sanction enforcement laws. It is expected that all information related to a query or application will be located in a central repository. Duplication of data entries will be minimised and managers and processing officers will be required to have access to full histories of queries or applications and any related documentation. The proposed solution will need to have a public web interface available to DFAT and non DFAT users. Government users will be able to request advice or seek information in relation to UN Sanctions beyond that currently on the DFAT site. Exporters, and other clients, will be able to apply for and obtain permits on-line. DFAT Managers will be able to monitor the progress of permits, including applications, throughout their life cycle. DFAT officers will be able to exchange information with other Government Agencies, as required. Users will be able to subscribe to a list of UN updates and receive notifications via a secure web interface. ...

From: Permit Management System Software tool for UN Sanction Enforcement law, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade ATM ID DFAT08-DID-016, 15-May-2008

UN Institute for Information Technologies in Education

The UNESCO Institute for Information Technologies in Education (IITE) was
established in 1997. It provides some free online publications and a catalog of information sources on e-education, and some online seminars:

1. Policy papers and plans on ICTs in education
2. Legislation, curricula and standards
3. Organisation, administration and financing
4. Teacher training
5. R&D and information
6. Statistics
7. Internet in education
8. Multimedia in education
9. ICTs in distance education
10. ICTs in education for people with special needs

UN on Standards for Electronic Documents

The UNDP have issued a five page overview on standards for office documents, which essentially sets out the case for the use of ODF and reports its adoption by governments:

In summary, this APDIP e-Note provides a brief introduction to the history of document standards, explores the different standards for electronic documents, and details the development of ODF. It also looks at how governments worldwide have started to adopt ODF in public administration.

From: Standards for Electronic Documents, e-Note 18, Asia-Pacific Development Information Programme, United Nations Development Programme, 2007

APDIP have a list of projects on content and knowledge management applied to development.