ICC-BASIS input on IGF India programme
On behalf of the members of the International Chamber of Commerce and its initiative, Business Action to Support the Information Society (BASIS), including companies and business associations from around the world and across sectors, we are pleased to provide further input as the programme for the next Internet Governance Forum (IGF) in Hyderabad, India is developed.
ICC-BASIS members appreciate the efforts of the IGF Secretariat, the multistakeholder advisory group (MAG) and the IGF community to produce a draft programme earlier than in the past two years. We strongly urge a finalized programme with moderators, descriptions, and panellists where appropriate, identified and posted by the end of September 2008 at the latest. This will facilitate participation from a broader group of stakeholders, and allow for the necessary substantive preparations to make these sessions informative, dynamic and useful. The main sessions are an important part of the multistakeholder discussions that raise the range of viewpoints on these topics, and offer a focal point for the topic. The schedule should take into consideration the experiences of the past two IGF events and ensure that there are no conflicts between main sessions and parallel workshops.