EURALO Trip Proposal 1

Trip Proposal Section

04-Apr-2014

Purpose:

The purpose is to take an active part in the 7th edition of the Pan-European dialogue on Internet governance (EuroDIG) - an open platform for informal and inclusive discussion and exchange on public policy issues related to Internet Governance (IG) among stakeholders from all overEurope. 

Together with the Council of Europe, EURALO is the institutional partner of EURODIG, and this is the best place to discuss the whole Internet Governance ecosystem and geopolicy of Internet Governance, enhance the influence of ALSes on the policy making process on national and regional levels, and boost ICANN capacity-building efforts all over Europe, including such countries asArmenia, as the notion of Europe is based on the countries - members States of the Council of Europe.

Since 2012, ICANN is a regular sponsor of EuroDIG and had a high-level representation in Lisbon 2013 (3 Board members, President and CEO Fadi Chehade and VP Europe). Furthermore, EuroDIG will bepart of ICANN's regional strategy over the next years.

Goals:

EuroDIG is the best place for promoting multistakeholder models of ICANN in

Europe, discussing its role in Internet Governance both with representatives of EU and Central and Eastern Europe, and members of the Council of Europe, including Caucasus. 

Such discussions contribute to a broader awareness around Internet Governance related issues, especially in the year crucial for shaping the future governance model/s for the Internet, extremely important for all key stakeholders globally and in Europe in particular. Participation of representatives from countries such as Ukraine, Moldova, Armenia, often absent from these discussions, is crucial for the success of round-table meetings on different views, challenges and perspectives from all parts of big Europe.

One of the regional and strategic shortcomings is the lack of stakeholder involvement in Eastern European (still) transition countries - on all levels: government, business sector and civil society. 

EuroDIG offers one of the few annual opportunities when more and more representatives from Eastern countries can be included in the IG debate and thus promoting the MS model in countries where traditionally governments only have a say. Capacity building for civil society and At-Large structures (ALSes) in those countries is therefore a key challenge - not only for the ICANN community.

It is important to underline that Armenia, identified as a part of APRALO at At-Large and according to ICANN's geographic model, is a full member State of the Council of Europe, co-initiator of EuroDIG and the European continent's leading human rights organization. Excluding Armenian representatives from EuroDIG debates will lead to excluding them from the decision-making processes in the field of Internet Governance in Europe. Their non-participation in such events (EuroDIG) will prevent their voice from being taken into account in the preparation process of the Outreach Strategy for Europe, in which the Council of Europe plays an important role, Armenia being the full member of the Council of Europe since January 2001.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS (Required):

Trip Assessment Section

Purpose:

The purpose is to take an active part in the 7th edition of the Pan-European dialogue on Internet governance (EuroDIG) - an open platform for informal and inclusive discussion and exchange on public policy issues related to Internet Governance (IG) among stakeholders from all overEurope. 

5 representatives of At-Large (Narine Khachatryan from Armenia – APRALO, Oksana Prykhodko and Vladimir Kukovskiy from Ukraine, Veronica Crecu from Moldova and Plamena Popova from Bulgaria – EURALO) did participate in EuroDIG. For most of them the issues under discussion are of vital importance, and all participants were activily engaged in EuroDIG schedule. 

Such as:

Veronica Cretu as a moderator  of of the Plenary Session 3 - Internet is broken - building back trust in Internet - http://www.eurodig.org/eurodig-2014/programme-overview/plenary-3 - nearly 400 persons of outreach, up to 50 persons inreach;

 Oksana Pryhodko as a participant  from the floor on Digital society at stake – Europe and the future of the Internet - Plenary session 2, nearly 500 persons of outreach, up to 100 persond inreach;

Oksana Prykhodko as a participant of Plenary 1 breakout session - nearly 200 persons of outreach, nearly 20 persons of inreach;

Veronica Cretu's co-moderatoration  of WS: The three musketeers of ICT for development: Access, inclusion and empowerment - nearly 300 persons of outreach, up to 50 persons inreach;

Narine Khachatryan as a panelist  Workshop 5 'Intelligent Risk Management for Children and Youth in the Digital Age' - nearly 50 persons of outreach, early 50 persons of inreach;

Plamena Popova as a focal point of WS 1 "When the public sphere became private" - nearly 50 persons of outreach, up to 50 persons of inreach;

Plamena Popova as a part of the org.team for WS 6 "Copyright for the digital age"

Veronica Cretu as an organizer of Flash Session on Open Government - outreach up to 20 persons, inreach up to 20 persons;

Narine Khachatryan as member of the EuroDIG orgteam for Workshop 5 'Intelligent Risk Management for Children and Youth in the Digital Age

Narine Khachatryan, Oksana Prykhodko as members of National hubs of EuroDIG.

Plamena Popova is a part of the org.team for WS 6 "Copyright for the digital age"

Plamena Popova considers the participation in EuroDIG 2014 as a substantial step in a view of the upcoming hosting of EuroDIG in Bulgaria - 2015, taking with her some important organisational lessons and many interesting ideas from the speakers/discussions. 

 Together with the Council of Europe, EURALO is the institutional partner of EURODIG, and this is the best place to discuss the whole Internet Governance ecosystem and geopolicy of Internet Governance, enhance the influence of ALSes on the policy making process on national and regional levels, and boost ICANN capacity-building efforts all over Europe, including such countries asArmenia, as the notion of Europe is based on the countries - members States of the Council of Europe.

The discussion of Internet Governance ecosystem in Europe began the day before, at German IGF. Nearly all participants attended special workshop, which was organized by ICANN. During two days of EuroDIG at the center of discussion were revelations of Edward Snowden and their consequences for the whole IG ecosystem. Numerous attempts from CROPP participants (especially from Ukraine) to draw attention to the problem of surveillance not only from NSA, but also from Russian FSB, did not meet a lot of understanding from panelists and moderators, especially from Russia. Nevertheless this issue was actively discussed in informal format, and it was proposed to organize “Eastern EuroDIG” to have more possibilities to discuss this problem and methods to contradict to it, to boost capacity-building in Eastern Europe, to support ALSes in this region.

Since 2012, ICANN is a regular sponsor of EuroDIG and had a high-level representation in Lisbon 2013 (3 Board members, President and CEO Fadi Chehade and VP Europe). Furthermore, EuroDIG will bepart of ICANN's regional strategy over the next years.

Deeper involvement of ICANN in EuroDIG is of great importance. This time President and CEO Fadi Chehade, 3 Board members and even two VP on Europe also participated in EuroDIG, and there were a lot of formal and informal discussions between all of them and CROPP members. Such communication is very important for finding common solutions, reaching consensus, implement the model of multistakeholderism on practical level. 

Goals:

EuroDIG is the best place for promoting multistakeholder models of ICANN in

Europe, discussing its role in Internet Governance both with representatives of EU and Central and Eastern Europe, and members of the Council of Europe, including Caucasus. 

Eastern Europe is not at the “equal footing” position with others, and it is difficult to find its place in ICANN strategy for Europe. This gap is being paid already in Ukraine with extremely high price, and, without adequate understanding and reaction, can bring much more problems in future. All CROPP representatives and their ALSes are very influential in their countries and within their post-Soviet region, especially all together, and this is huge potential for ICANN.

Such discussions contribute to a broader awareness around Internet Governance related issues, especially in the year crucial for shaping the future governance model/s for the Internet, extremely important for all key stakeholders globally and in Europe in particular. Participation of representatives from countries such as Ukraine, Moldova, Armenia, often absent from these discussions, is crucial for the success of round-table meetings on different views, challenges and perspectives from all parts of big Europe.

It's insufficient only to participate. It's crucially important to be heard! All CROPP participants did their best to deliver a lot of messages from their countries to the broader European and global Interne community, and vise verse – from EuroDIG to their national stakeholders.

One of the regional and strategic shortcomings is the lack of stakeholder involvement in Eastern European (still) transition countries - on all levels: government, business sector and civil society. 

Even in cases, when some stakeholders from countries, involved in CROPP, were not represented in Berlin in person, they actively participated in remote hubs.

EuroDIG offers one of the few annual opportunities when more and more representatives from Eastern countries can be included in the IG debate and thus promoting the MS model in countries where traditionally governments only have a say. Capacity building for civil society and At-Large structures (ALSes) in those countries is therefore a key challenge - not only for the ICANN community.

Armenia, Moldova, Ukraine and partly Bulgaria face the same problems in implementation of MS model on national and regional level, and sharing of best practices between them can be regarded as one of the most important outcome of CROPP initiative.