ICC Welcomes Internet Governance Forum (IGF) Advisory Group

Shaban Selected to the Forum?s Advisory Group

AMMAN - Executive Director of Abu-Ghazaleh Intellectual Property (AGIP) Charles Shaban has been selected by the United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan to be a member of the newly formed Advisory Group that will assist Annan in convening the first meeting of the Internet Governance Forum (IGF).

The Group, formed by the Secretary-General on May 17, 2006 consists of 46 members representing governments, private sector and civil society, including the academic and technical communities, which represent all regions of the world.

The Advisory Group will be chaired by the Secretary-Generals Special Advisor for the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) Nitin Desai, a press release by the United Nations stated.

The Group?s main task is to prepare the substantive agenda and program for the first meeting of the IGF, which is to be held in Athens from October 30 to November 2, 2006. Decisions on how to prepare subsequent meetings and on any future structure and working methods of the Forum will be taken in light of the experiences gained during the preparatory process for the Athens meeting.

The IGF is an outcome of the Tunis phase of the WSIS, which took place in November 2005.  In the Tunis Agenda for the Information Society, governments asked the Secretary-General to convene the Forum, giving it the mandate to discuss the main public policy issues related to Internet governance, in order to foster the Internet?s sustainability, robustness, security, stability and development.

Governments called for the Forum to be convened in an ?open and inclusive process.? Accordingly, the Advisory Group will carry out its work in an open, inclusive and transparent manner, and will seek to make the best possible use of electronic working methods, including online consultations.

Shaban will be participating in the IGF Advisory Group meeting to be held in Geneva, Switzerland, May 22 - 23, 2006.

On the other hand, the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) commended the selection of the Internet Governance Forums multistakeholder Advisory Group.
"ICC welcomed the opportunity to propose business candidates to the UN and we are pleased to see that business is well represented in the final group. The seven business members from around the world will contribute their expertise and experience to this groups vital work." said Secretary General of the ICC Guy Sebban.
Business representatives include:

•  Michael D. Gallagher, Chairman of the Communications Group, Perkins Coie LLC, Washington D.C. 
• Ayesha Hassan, Senior Policy Manager, e-Business, Information Technology, and Telecoms, Executive in charge of Information and Communication Technology Policy, International Chamber of Commerce, Paris
• Peter Hellmonds, Vice President, Public and International Affairs, Siemens AG, Munich
• Abdullah Kafi, Managing Director, J A N Associates Limited; former President, Bangladesh Computer Society, Dacca
• Masanobu Katoh, Corporate Vice President; President, Law and Intellectual Property Unit and Security Export Control Headquarters, Fujitsu Limited, Tokyo
• Nii Quaynor, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Network Computer Systems; President, Internet Society of Ghana, Accra
• Charles Shaban, Executive Director, Regional Office, Abu-Ghazaleh Intellectual Property (AGIP) Amman
  Twenty places in the Advisory Group are earmarked for representatives from governments. Members of civil society and technical experts make up the rest of the group.
  
  "Business believes that it is essential that more people across the globe are able to meaningfully participate in Internet governance issues. There is a pressing need to build human capacities on these issues through education and training. The IGF event in Athens should focus on these matters. Without broader participation, the other Internet-related issues cannot be addressed with all players," Sebban added.
  "Business has valuable technical, practical and innovative experience to contribute to the IGF and this multistakeholder group," Shaban, AGIP?s executive director, commented.
  
  The ICC has recently conceived a new initiative, Business Action to Support the Information Society (BASIS). This initiative will provide business input to the continuing global dialogue to implement the commitments outlined at the World Summits on the Information Society, including the IGF.
  BASIS carries on the important work the ICC has done for years on these issues through the Coordinating Committee of Business Interlocutors and its policymaking arm, the Commission on E-Business, IT and Telecoms. ICC is now recognized as the most authoritative voice of global business on these subjects.