[Rigf_program] (B2 & B5) RE: Revised Program for Finalizing!

Thu Jun 28 17:08:02 HKT 2012

Dear Yannis & Obata-san, 

As promised, please see below & attached our panel details you requested - for two panels (B2 & B5).  Copied here include (co-) organizers of these panels.   
Please let me know if you have any questions.  Otherwise, thank you very much for all your hard work & help.  

Best, 
Miwa 

THREE POINTS.  

1. Panels to Merge 
We would like to have FH/SEACeM panel (C4) merged with SEAPA panel (B2 - as Okayed by Obata-san). 

2. B2: Internet for Asia: Space for Free Expression & Information
(Jointly organized by Southeast Asia Center for e-Media (SEACeM), Southeast Asian Press Alliance (SEAPA), and Freedom House) 

Full name and title of the speakers (4) 

Mr. Arthit SURIYAWONGKUL 
Coordinator 
Thai Netizen Network 

Mr. Ed LEGASPI
Alerts & Communication Officer
Southeast Asian Press Alliance (SEAPA)

Mr. John LIU
East Asia (Southeast & Northeast Asia) Programme Officer
Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA) 

Mr. Victorius SADIPUN 
ICT Consultant
Indonesia 

“Session Chair” 

Ms. Miwa KUBOSAKI
Senior Program Officer, Southeast Asia Program
Freedom House

Description to be put online 

This panel will address certain key questions around the value of the Internet as a forum for free expression and information in Asia, and how legislation can achieve its purpose without treading on the right to retrieve and convey information.  It will argue for the importance of protecting human rights to freedom of opinion and expression and to access to information in cyberspace, refuting the idea of “Asian values” that deemphasize individual freedom.

Agenda of the session 

Highlighting individual and civil society organizations’ experience, this panel will address these five questions in particular:

Illustrating the trends

1.	Policy drafted to protect cultural and personal sensitivities - including laws against libel, hate speech and defamation - have often been used to silence alternative views and have had the consequence of causing self-censorship among those who would use public speech to question authority.  What role, if any, do these laws have in online media?  How should online speech be legally regulated, if at all? 

2.	More and more, Asian governments are censoring online content, preventing their people from accessing and sharing information.  This censorship is sometimes designed to protect vulnerable groups, but is often carried out in the name of national security or protecting cultural sensitivities.  Is this censorship ever legitimate?  In what circumstances or situation?

3.	In many instances, governments have outsourced policing of content to the private companies and organizations that host and transmit information, including ISPs, search engines, hosting companies, and social media sites.  When these companies are saddled with this responsibility, they have little incentive to protect sensitive or questionable content, and that grey area becomes a black line.  Where have these “3rd party liability” laws taken effect, and what consequences have they had?  How can the negative consequences of these laws be avoided?  What are the best practices for writing policy on 3rd party liability?

Arguing for the importance of Internet

4.	In countries with a limited public sphere, what role can the internet play in raising the voices of traditionally marginalized segments of the population, including women, LGBT persons, and religious minorities?

Discussing how to promote and protect free online expression & information

5.	Certain Asian countries have historically had low levels of Internet penetration - often due to poverty or lack of ICT infrastructure - but have the prospect of bringing millions of people online in the coming years.  As these people join the web, how can their typically-underrepresented voices be elevated, and what role can technology play in the empowerment of civil society and citizens in these countries?  

Biography and photos of speakers – can be later

Will send at a later date.   

Mr. Arthit SURIYAWONGKUL 

Mr. Ed LEGASPI

Mr. John LIU 

Mr. Victorius SADIPUN 

3. B5: “Civil Society in Internet Governance/Policymaking
(Organized by Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA) ) 

Full name and title of the speakers (4) 

Mr. Danilo BAKOVIC 
Director, Internet Freedom Program
Freedom House

Ms. Pirongrong RAMASOOTA 
Director
Media Policy Center
Head
Department of Journalism & Information, Faculty of Communication Arts       
Chulalongkorn University 

Mr. Sean ANG
Executive Director
Southeast Asian Centre for e-Media (SEACeM)

Mr. Shahzad AHMAD
Executive Director
Bytes for All

“Session Chair”

Mr. Yap SWEE SENG 
Executive Director
Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA) 

Description to be put online 

This proposed session will explore the policy objectives of civil society in Internet governance, as well as the means for truly multi-stakeholder participation in various fora.

Agenda of the session 

The question of civil society engagement in Internet governance should be assessed and discussed on at least two levels:

First, the process level, which will address questions such as: 

1.	Why is civil society largely underrepresented in various processes in Internet governance? 
2.	Does the current multi-stakeholder model of the IGF provide a sufficient platform for inclusive and meaningful civil society engagements in Internet governance? 
3.	Does the current inclusion of civil society organisations in the IGF adequately address the issue of representativeness of civil society: whether current structures and processes include civil society representation beyond professionalised NGOs?
4.	Are civil society organisations in Asia fully utilising the available platforms of engagements in Internet governance?

Second, civil society’s engagement in Internet governance should be discussed in terms of outcomes, by addressing questions such as: 

1.	Do these multi-stakeholder dialogues at the regional and international levels affect the realities at the national level? What are the concrete ways forward to move beyond these multi-stakeholder dialogues?
2.	Are there best practices of engagements by civil society with governments, international organisations, and/or the private sector at the national, regional and/or international levels that the various stakeholders in Asia can learn from?

Biography and photos of speakers – can be later 

Will send at a later date.  

Mr. Danilo BAKOVIC 

Ms. Pirongrong RAMASOOTA 

Mr. Sean ANG

Mr. Shahzad AHMAD

--- END ----

________________________________________
From: Yoshihiro Obata [ObataYoshihiro at eaccess.net]
Sent: Thursday, June 21, 2012 1:33 PM
To: Miwa Kubosaki
Cc: Yannis Li; APrIGF PC
Subject: Re: [Rigf_program] Revised Program for Finalizing!

Dear Miwa,

I do not see any problem in doing so.

Sincerely,
Yoshihiro Obata

(2012/06/21 15:05), Miwa Kubosaki wrote:
> Thanks, Yannis & Obata-san for these. I am on the run now, but if possible, SEAPA's panel (B3) could move then to B2? For other details, I will come back to you soon. Thanks, Miwa
>
>

________________________________________
From: rigf_program-bounces at ap.rigf.asia [rigf_program-bounces at ap.rigf.asia] on behalf of Yannis Li [yannis at registry.asia]
Sent: Thursday, June 21, 2012 11:20 AM
To: APrIGF PC
Subject: [Rigf_program] Revised Program for Finalizing!

Dear Program Committee,

Since there are many requests from session chairs about their time slot in order to accommodate their speakers respectively, I have rearranged the program schedule as attached based on the requests and the topic consideration.

In short, changes made as below:
- Plenary 3 (IPv6/4) and Plenary 4 (Law Enforcement) Exchanged
- B3 (Freedom House) exchanged with C4 (SEAPA)
- Remove "WCIT/ITU" from the topic?

I think we shall finalized this agenda these few days so that we can put it online and session chairs can really communicate with their speakers for necessary arrangement.

Following the previous email from Obata-san, we shall collect detail info about the agenda, confirmed speaker list from chairs by 28th June. I will send out emails to all chairs with Obata-san to collect the info separately.

Thank you.

Best Regards,

Yannis Li
DotAsia Organisation Ltd.
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Address: 15F, 6 Knutsford Terrace, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong
Tel: +852 3520 2635   ︳Fax: +852 3520 2634   ︳http://www.dot.asia

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