[huridocs-tech] Launch of a code of good practice on participation and transparency in Internet governance

2009-11-18 20:26:17

Sharm el Sheikh, 18.11.2009 – The Council of Europe, the UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) and the Association for Progressive Communications (APC) presented today – at the Internet Governance Forum (IGF) - a draft Code of good practice on participation, access to information and transparency in Internet Governance that they have jointly prepared.

The document was the key topic of discussion of a workshop organised by the three organisations on the last day of the IGF that has been held on 15-18 November in Sharm el Sheikh (Egypt).

The code seeks to articulate a common body of principles and guidelines - such as multistakeholder participation, open discussion and inclusive decision–making - and to provide a framework that can be used by Internet governance entities to review their own experience and to take into account in their participation and decision making processes.

The draft document recommends that: 

- The development and administration of Internet policy and standards should be open, transparent and inclusive 
- Organisations active on Internet governance should disseminate information about their work in diverse languages 
- Opportunities to participate in the work of Internet governance entities should be widely publicised 
- Internet governance entities should actively foster participation in their work by all those who are affected by the decisions they make, and independently of their physical location and financial resources
- All information which is relevant to Internet governance and decision-making should be publically available 
- Organisations should regularly review their policy and practice with regard to information, participation and decision making processes.

The draft code has been the result of a consultation process within the Internet governance community in the last two years, and was also discussed at the 2007 and 2008 IGFs.

The workshop in Sharm el Sheikh provided an opportunity for stakeholders involved in Internet Governance to examine and discuss the draft code. Internet governance institutions present expressed an interest in using the code in their own institutional framework. As a next step, the proponents of the initiative will round up their consultations with entities that envisage to apply it with a view to its swift endorsement and subsequent application.

Council of Europe Press Division
Tel: +33 (0)3 88 41 25 60
Fax:+33 (0)3 88 41 39 11