This session addresses the issue of "How do we ensure accountability in developing Internet related policies and to have them adopted and maintained in an effective manner?"
Over the recent years, discussions on accountability have mainly focused on the IANA transition and ICANN. Accountability, however, is a much bigger issue that goes deep in the heart of good and effective Internet governance.
Placing accountability at the very heart of the post-WSIS agenda in Internet governance will be critical to make sure the commitments are met and honored in practice. Accountability helps create an environment of trust and effectiveness in policies, ranging from those for Critical Internet resources to public policies by governments. It brings a diverse set of stakeholders together to develop policies with fact based expert inputs and considerations from multiple angles. If we were to enable inclusive and sustainable growth for the Internet, and to develop and adopt policies to achieve this, improving accountability in the context of Internet governance is a critical component.
One of the reasons why the Internet is such a great technology is the existence and exercise of accountability mechanisms by the technical community. For years now, different parts of the technical community have formed accountability mechanisms that have allowed the creation of sound policies that have ensured an open and inclusive Internet, which has accommodated growth and innovation.Experience from setting up and following these models could provide guidance when similar process are set to develop other Internet related policies.
Moderator: Scholte, Jan
Speakers:
Carvell, Mark
Githaiga, Grace
Kinoshita, Tsuyoshi
Sanchez, Leon
Yamout, Salam
