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ICC welcomes solid business representation in IGF preparations

  • 13 May 2013
ICC mediation

ICC today welcomed the renewed strong representation of business in the Multistakeholder Advisory Group (MAG) responsible for steering preparations for the 8th Internet Governance Forum (IGF) – an open forum for policy dialogue on issues of Internet governance.

ICC’s Ayesha Hassan is among the members who will continue to represent business on the MAG
ICC’s Ayesha Hassan is among the members who will continue to represent business on the MAG

Nine members of ICC’s Business Action to Support the Information Society (BASIS) initiative secured a place on the MAG, a special advisory group to the UN Secretary General representing Internet interest groups from governments, business, civil society and the Internet technical community.

The following ICC BASIS members will continue to represent business on the MAG in 2013:

  • Jeff Brueggeman, AT&T, Vice President-Public Policy, Deputy Chief Privacy Officer (USA) 
  • Ayesha Hassan, ICC, Senior Policy Manager, Commission on the Digital Economy, Executive in charge of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) Policy (France) 
  • Tero Mustala, Nokia Siemens Networks, Principal Consultant (Finland) 
  • Jimson Olufuye, Kontemporary®, CEO (Nigeria) 
  • Ricardo Pedraza Barrios, VeriSign, Director Business Development – Global Public Policy and Government Relations (Colombia) 
  • Thomas Spiller, The Walt Disney Company, Vice President – Global Public Policy, Europe, Middle East and Africa (Belgium) 
  • Theresa Swinehart, Verizon, Executive Director, Global Internet Policy (USA) 

In addition, ICC BASIS members Ankhi Das, Head of Public Policy, Facebook, India; and Patrick Ryan, Policy Counsel, Open Internet, Google USA; were added to this year’s MAG.

The United Nations confirmed 56 MAG members overall.

“We are honoured to represent the voice of business in the IGF preparations” said Ms Hassan. “The expertise and experience of the private sector is a vital part of effective proceedings.”

The IGF was established to fulfill one of the commitments laid down by the second World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS), which took place in Tunis 2005. The inaugural meeting of the IGF took place in Athens, Greece in 2006. As one of the major outcomes of WSIS, the IGF provides a unique opportunity for all stakeholders to discuss issues of crucial importance to the global development of the Internet.

The 8th IGF will be held from 22-25 October 2013 in Bali, Indonesia.

ICC BASIS serves as the voice of global business in the international dialogue that has emerged on how information and communication technologies can better serve as engines of economic growth and social development. To learn more about this ICC initiative visit ICC Business Action to Support the Internet Society (BASIS)

For more information on the IGF or details regarding the draft programme and schedule, please click here.

A complete list of the 2013 MAG members is available here.