Nnenna rebuffs WEF’s NetMundial invite

ITRealms:

Internet Citizen and key lead of the global Civil Society, Nnenna Nwakanma has rebuffed the invitation extended to her for the World Economic Forum (WEF)-organized NetMundial in Geneva, Switzerland, reports ITRealms.

The World Economic Forum, ITRealms recalls was rooting for its own NetMundial on August 28, 2014, which has been characterised by alleged misplaced consideration on the kind of participants invited for the event.

This is coming after the popular Brazilian government hosted the initial NetMundial a few months ago which attracted global stakeholder excitement.

Nnenna in an exclusive chat with ITRealms noted that her name was first on the leaked list on Civil Society on her personal recognition, but has since decided she will not be in Geneva.

“I will not be in Geneva. First because I do not have the time and energy to go through the humiliating 10-weeks Schengen visa process and secondly because I am already booked elsewhere,” she told ITRealms.

According to Nnenna, her reply to the invite was "I will be absent, but I will contribute."

ITRealms further gathered that participants in excess of 104 are expected to grace the WEF’s version of NetMundial.

Remmy Nweke:

ITREALMS ... delivering news for ICT4D
Pix: Nnenna Nwakanma

Breaking News: Nnenna Nwakanma to keynote @NetMundial 2014

ITRealms:

Nigerian-born Information and Communication Technology (ICT) advisor and Free and Open Source Software advocate, Ms Nnenna Nwakanma is to keynote at the forthcoming NetMundial being hosted by the government of Brazil, reports ITRealms.

Confirming this development, Nwakanma disclosed to ITRealms that she received an invitation from the chairman of the Global Multistakeholder Meeting on the Future of Internet Governance 2014, tagged ‘NetMundial,’ Professor Virgílio Fernandes Almeida to keynote on behalf of the Civil Societies.

Also, ITRealms gathered that Nnenna has been slated to speak at the opening ceremony where heads of government over 23 countries have confirmed attendance including a delegation from the Nigerian government led by the Federal Minister of Communication Technology, Mrs. Omobola Johnson.

Nnenna, known for her ‘Africaness,’ frankness and human rights activism is expected to address the gathering for some eight minutes.

“I have replied to say ‘I will be speaking from the civil society perspective, which is my stakeholder group,’" she affirmed to ITRealms.

She expressed optimism this will be pulled off well.

ITRealms also gathered that Prof. Almeida has invited some other distinguished names to co-chair and lead the Netmundial organisation in the spirit of multistakeholders.

They include Prof. Jeanette Hofmann from the Academic Community, Subi Chaturvedi – Civil Society, Mr. Fadi Chedadé of ICANN representing technical community and Andile Ngcaba from the private sector.

Also there are four committees working in the Netmundial, namely the High-Level Multistakeholder Committee, Executive Multistakeholder Committee, Logistics and Organizational Committee and Council of Government Advisors.

ITREALMS Online ... delivering news for ICT4D
Pix: Nnenna Nwakanma

Diplo to host webinar on Netmundial'14

ITRealms:

Diplo Foundation has announced the intention to host web seminar (webinar) on Netmundial with people that matters as the subject gains momentum, ITRealms reports.

According to Mrs. Stephanie Borg Psaila of Diplo's Internet Governance (IG) webinars team told ITRealms that as part of the March Internet governance webinar, arrangement has been concluded to focus on the upcoming NETmundial slated to hold in Brazil.

Also, she invited participants to the webinar on Friday 28th March at 14h UTC/GMT, on the Global Multistakeholder Meeting on the Future of Internet Governance (NETmundial), which is taking place in Brazil in April.

Raúl Echeberría, executive director of LACNIC and co-chair of NETmundial’s Executive Multistakeholder Committee, and Rodrigo de la Parra, ICANN vice-president, Stakeholder Engagement, Latin America and the Caribbean, she said, would update the IG community with developments in Latin America in the preparation for NETmundial.

Further, she said to ITRealms that the webinar would address the following, among other aspects: “What can we expect from NETmundial in terms of a tangible outcome? With various IG bodies engaged in the process, how can the IG community participate in the run-up to the meeting and during the meeting itself? Based on the contributions received, what are the top three items on NETmundial’s agenda? What type of ‘Latin American’ flavour can we expect at NETmundial (issues, priorities and actors)?”

She explained to ITRealms that to participate, potential participate would fill in the registration form though attendance is free but registration is required.

“The link to join the webinar will be e-mailed on the day, shortly before the start of the webinar. Participants will be able to discuss the topic with the presenters and other participants present for the webinar,” she submitted.

ITREALMS Online ... delivering news for ICT4D

NETmundial 2014: EMC meets to set agenda

ITRealms:

The Executive Multistakeholder Committee (EMC) has confirmed dates for the two-day meeting to enable them set the agenda for the forthcoming coming NETmundial in Brazil, reports ITRealms.

The EMC affirmed this to ITRealms at the weekend in an official press statement, saying its face-to-face meetings would hold between March 31 and April 1, stressing the focus is to set NETmundial agenda and propose an initial draft for upcoming discussions.

ITRealms also gathered that the outcomes of the EMC meeting would be submitted to the High-level Multistakeholder Committee and, consecutively, to public consultation in the first half of April.

While commending the level of commitment shown in the open call for contributions to NETmundial, EMC told ITRealms they appreciated all organizations and individual authors from different sectors, countries and community groups for their submissions.

They equally confessed to ITRealms that it was an unexpectedly large number of submissions and given the short timeframe available for the EMC to digest recommendations to frame an agenda, the Committee is using a number of different approaches to review individual submissions and also to synthesize the input.

Just as the EMC explained that the Secretariat’s summary will not be a reflection of EMC position, but one of the tools that the Committee will utilize for its debates on how the agenda will be framed, along with other types of summaries and analysis, kindly submitted by different volunteers.

“We look forward to agreeing in final agenda and making it public, fostering the multistakeholder discussion that NETMundial proposes,” EMC official said.

ITREALMS Online ... delivering news for ICT4D