IGF 2020 - MAG - Virtual Meeting - XXI

>> CHENGETAI MASANGO: Welcome to MAG Virtual Meeting Number XXI!  As usual, the meeting is being recorded, transcribed and a summary report will be produced sometime after the meeting.  
With that, let me just hand it over to Anriette, our Chair, to start the meeting. 
>> CHAIR:  A quick hello, I hope more MAG member also join us.  We only have an hour.  I just want to ask everyone if we can be quite quick.  I really don't want to keep anyone for longer than this hour.  This is our last meeting before the IGF starts on Monday.
Please make sure that anything you have to raise we raise today.
On that note, can we quickly go through the action items from last week's call?
>> CHENGETAI MASANGO: Yes.
In front of me, I have the list of the action items and the first action item was about the concept note for the voluntary commitments that I mentioned last week.  We do have a draft.  I transmitted it over to Romane who volunteered to help.  We will publish it to the MAG today.  That's on the voluntary commitments.  If you have any comments, please feel free to comment over the mailing list.
>> CHAIR: Sorry.  Is this the pledge form that you had talked about last week.
>> CHENGETAI MASANGO: Exactly, volunteer   
>> CHAIR: Have you submitted the proposal yet?  I haven't seen it?
>> CHENGETAI MASANGO: I submit it had to Romane because   
>> CHAIR: We're waiting for comments from him.  Can we expect that proposal?
>> CHENGETAI MASANGO: If he doesn't comment today, I'll send it this afternoon.
>> CHAIR: How long for comments?  If that's whole new website you developed, this seems to be   
>> CHENGETAI MASANGO: No.  No.  It is very, very light.  Nothing grand or anything like that.  It is just basically asking the panelists to say some voluntary commitment or    pledge   
>> CHAIR: It will be integrated into what we are already asking people to do as part of the process?
>> CHENGETAI MASANGO: Exactly.
>> CHAIR: Integrated.
A request, if you can update the approach to outcome document that we have been working on, which the MAG approved?
>> CHENGETAI MASANGO: Yes.
>> CHAIR: If these additions could be updated to that document as well?
>> CHENGETAI MASANGO: Sure.  Yes.
It is good to have clarity and questions are good.
Yes.  I want to update, this is not going to be something that's    you know, intensive, at all increasing the workload by 10% or something like that.  It is very, very light.  Just to show that we are, you know, action oriented and looking forward.
The second action item is secretariate to organize an additional call for Tuesday, which we're on.  That's done.
The third action item, it is MAG members to continue discussing the network session proposal on the MAG mailing list.  I think these are the networking sessions that Anriette explained last week.  I don't think there was any real question about it.  I think it was welcomed.
Am I correct.
>> CHAIR: I think.  I didn't see any comment.  The North American MAG members wanted time to think about having a regional networking session for North America.  We did not hear back from them.  We did add that to the schedule.  If anybody wants to change the outline of networking sessions, you really need to know today.  What we have done, is to share the sign up form for MAG members to commit to participating and ideally coordinating one of the sessions.  There are really not many.  I urge you to fill in that form.
We did add those to the form.
I see a comment from Sylvia and Scott.  Did you make comments that I missed?  If that's the case, please can you take the floor? 
>> Sylvia Cadena:  I sent a comment with my comments on the sessions..  I'm looking for it.
>> CHAIR: Let's come back to it.  We have an agenda item for networking sessions.  Thank you very much, really apologies that we missed that.  If you could make that comment later on when we get to item number 6 that would be great.  I'll look for it in the meantime as well.
Back to you now. 
>> CHENGETAI MASANGO: Thank you.
The next action item, main session organizers to upload descriptions of their sessions to the IGF website by October 23rd.
>> CHAIR: I'm just    I gathered from I think Anja, that MAG members may not have had permissions to do that.  Maybe if Anja or Luis can comment on that, please. 
>> LUIS BOBO: Sure.  Sure.  Thank you.
I can comment on that.
The requesters had already been given permissions.  This is for inclusion, I guess the environment, trust, we have provided permissions to Hanna for digital cooperation and others for data.  Those sessions that are not there have been    have permissions.
>> CHENGETAI MASANGO: Everybody is able to upload and edit right now.  If you have not done so, please do so today.
The next action item, main organizing groups to report on the content of the main sessions in the next MAG meeting and to develop descriptions of the sessions to be published on the IGF 2020 schedule.
Luis, how many descriptions have you received?
>> LUIS BOBO: The main sessions?
>> CHENGETAI MASANGO: Main sessions.
>> LUIS BOBO: Three of them.  These have been filled.  Yes.
>> CHENGETAI MASANGO: Okay.  All right.  Thank you.
Next one, MAG members to reach out to their networks to see if anyone plans to announce funding support for IGF and IGF Plus model at the IGF 2020.  If so, the digital cooperation main session organizers want to include them in the announcements in the digital cooperation main session.  I don't know if anybody has reported to Hannah or the organizers.
>> TITTI CASSA:  I have no update on this.  I was not able to reach Hanna last hours.  I think she's busy, she was busy yesterday with the UN 75 celebration day.  I will ask her.  I have spent 2 messages to her already.  If I have any updates later in the afternoon, I'll tell you.
>> CHENGETAI MASANGO: Okay.  Thank you very much, Titti.
Those are all of the action items that I have on the list.
Back to you. 
>> CHAIR: Thanks, very much.  We have read the proposal, we'll come to that.  We can definitely work with that and come to that with the networking session.
Updates from the secretariate.  I think there are a couple of things that people have been asking me about.  I did send an email to the team and I'll let you run with that, just to highlight what people have been asking me about, it is the communication strategy, you know, what is it, what do MAG members need to do, the latest on the high level track and what else    I sent a list of networking sessions we'll deal with later, I'll let you run with it and then I'll check my list and see what else we need to do.
>> CHENGETAI MASANGO: I have the list in front of me.  I will just go down it.
We have done the main sessions.  High level track, we're putting in the final details now and it will be published in the next couple of days into the schedule and on to the event page as well.  It is a little bit difficult to   get everybody together and confirmed, but we're almost there and once we're there, we'll publish that and that will be in the next couple of days.
That goes with the opening and closing as well.  We'll put the details on to the schedule and in the next couple of days, it is just going through the final approval.  It has to go up the chain because we have the Secretary General, et cetera, they have to approve it first.
State of registrations, when last I checked, we had about 2,800 registered and if Luis can give an up to date for today.  Sorry for putting you on the spot.  Do you have anything above 2,800.
>> LUIS BOBO: I will check fast and put it in the chat.
>> CHENGETAI MASANGO: Thank you.
I will hand over to Sam just to   go over the communications, what MAG can do, hashtags, et cetera, to help with the communications and also capturing the output.
Sam.
>> Sam:  As usual, can never find the mute button!.
So in exciting new, hopefully today we'll publish the premeeting guide to issues and things.  It is ready, it is just waiting to be uploaded to the website.  I don't think we have time to look at it.  It will go out for comment for a few days.  The goal behind that is to help people prepare for the IGF, understand the main issues and also meant to be modular, so a thing I'll do tomorrow is pulling it apart so there are annexes in the guide that lists all of the sessions by track that hopefully will be used for people.  Although the interactive schedule allows you to sort by track what we have done in the guide is at the policy questions and the about this session, it gives people more detail.  So once that goes out, tonight I'm finishing off the UN briefing document that needs to go out including a bunch of Twitter messages, once that's compiled, we can send that out to the MAG for you to use as well.  I think that's about all.
There is lots of stuff happening, but that's the main issues at the moment.
For the tweets, there will be a lot of tweets coming out, the stuff I'll send for you this week, it will be the premeeting stuff and at the end of the week we can start to send you during the meeting type tweets you can share with your networks.
Any questions?
>> CHENGETAI MASANGO: Just to add to that, we'll also    we have a draft of the template that session organizers can use to publicize their sessions, you know, with title, panelists names, others.
I'll pause for questions if anyone has any questions.  No.
We have done that.  We have done communications.  Expectations of MAG members during the IGF.  Well, we do have that as an agenda item, we can do it now or wait for that agenda item for the discussion.
What's your preference?
>> CHAIR: I think let's do    keep a running list of expectations from MAG members and we cover it during the agenda item.
>> CHENGETAI MASANGO: Great.
Apart from that, let me give the floor to other members of the secretariate.  Maybe they would want to inform the MAG about something.
>> CHAIR: Sorry I remembered, one thing, if you could just brief the MAG members    I was looking at emails, I hope I didn't miss anything you said!.
Just exactly how the openings will work and the closing.  You know, just   
>> CHENGETAI MASANGO: I said we'll be publishing the opening and closing as the fact that it has the Secretary General, other people on it, it has to go upstairs for approval and then we'll publish it with the scenarios.  We hope to do that in the next few days.
>> CHAIR: There will be kind of an opening at the beginning of Phase 1? 
>> CHENGETAI MASANGO: At the Being of Phase 1 we'll have the Secretary General, we'll have the brief opening statements, I don't want to characterize it as the traditional, you know, ceremonial opening as such.  It is some statements and discussion.   
>> CHAIR: I'm happy to wait for the detail.  It is just important that we don't fall into the trap of making it seem as if the IGF is only opening in Phase 2.  I think he is the only thing to be really careful that we don't discourage people from participating in Phase 1.
>> CHENGETAI MASANGO: No.  I think it is very clear and in all of the briefings that have been given, et cetera, it is that we're in 2 phases and there may be something official on the Monday in the middle.  The doors are open, the sessions are open, the discussions are there and everything that happens before the opening is still relevant and no less important than what happens after.
>> CHAIR: Thank you.
Before moving on then, does anyone have any questions for the secretariate?
>> CHENGETAI MASANGO: That was the final thing, yes.  Please.
Luis, if you want to add something, others, just jump in.  I'll take that as a 6 count.
>> LUIS BOBO: Nothing.  Thank you.
>> CHENGETAI MASANGO: The 6 count is up.  Back to you, chair.
>> CHAIR: Thank you.
Thank you.  I know you have been working around the clock.  This is really a stressful period.  A lot is being done.  That's good.
Next we have updates from main session organizing groups.  I actually think we don't really have to do much yet.  Unless anybody wants to raise anything in particular.  Then please put up your hand.  My sense is that you have already progressed very well.
I see Veni has a question up, is that related to this agenda item?
>> Probably not    (Veni).  I have it in the chat.
>> CHAIR: The MAG announcement.  Meantime, they can reflect on how to respond to you.
On the main session, the priority is that you all use permissions to update the session outlines, which will appear in the schedule, looks like that is happening.    .
Luis, do you want to set a deadline for that for people or are you happy to let them do it as quickly as they possibly can. 
>> LUIS BOBO: I missed part of your question.
>> CHAIR: For the further updates of the main session information in the schedule, and that you have been giving the organizers permission to do, do you want to give a deadline or if they do it as quickly as they can.
>> LUIS BOBO: That depend on you.  It can be open for the whole IGF time as any other session so you can edit from now until the end of the IGF.  This is a live document.
>> CHENGETAI MASANGO: Do it as soon as possible.
>> CHAIR: If you want to promote the sessions, you need to upload those, you can change the information but if you have the basic information up, can we do it by the end of day?  Is that realistic for everyone?  Jennifer, you have a hand up. 
>> JENNIFER CHUNG: Just a quick question about the amount of detail we need to go on that page.  Currently the trust session already has a description, I was wondering to promote I guess the page we probably should put more than just the description.  I'm assuming we should put speakers and policy questions, but I'm not really sure in how much detail, or is it kind of depending on the group what we may have more of    what's the word I'm looking for, it is early in the morning for me    a more standardized type of approach for the main sessions?
>> CHAIR: Thanks, Jennifer.  That's an important question.
I thought    yes.
I thought we had a standard approach.  Maybe we haven't been clear enough on that.
I think it would be the template, you know, the very short description, which I know it not as always as short as it could be.  The key questions and the speakers.
Maybe you want to comment on this in terms of the fields that exist in the form that members can update.
>> LUIS BOBO: I can answer that.
>> CHENGETAI MASANGO: Please.
>> LUIS BOBO: For main sessions, every session is controlled by the secretariate or by the MAG.  We just have a unique field that you can edit at all times.  I suggest that you follow the template that was given to you at the beginning so that you can put whatever is in the template description, speakers, the questions. 
>> CHAIR: Is that okay, Jennifer, to do it in this way?
>> JENNIFER CHUNG: Thank you for clarifying.
>> CHAIR: Timea Suto.
>> TIMEA SUTO:  A couple of quick questions.  For the main session, what we did in terms of template, I think it is very, very useful, as put in the chat, to talk about this session very, very, very short intro text.  That will show up on the schedule and it is better than just grabbing the system does automatically and grabs the first few lines of your session descriptions.  If you would edit that, that's helpful.
What we did for the environment session, what is on the schedule, it is the full template that we used to propose the session will be used in the background with expected outcomes, SDGs and different    way too much information I think for a general participant.  We're using it just as a description to the participants and any background material information.  I think that's what we have there.
What I wanted to ask though, what is it that the secretariate needs from us to be able to generate the participants list, the speaker links for the main session?  They'll need to register and add the session to their personal schedule.  That is clear.
Do we need to make any difference as organizers of who is speaker, who is moderator, who is just general participant?  Will the secretariate cross reference what's in the description or how will they make that distinction between who gets a speak speaker link and attendee link is my question.  I guess that goes for any other sessions as well.
>> CHAIR: That's a very important question.
Can you respond, please?
>> LUIS BOBO: Yes, thank you.  I would be happy to answer that.
So basically if you follow the template, in the template, there were two different spaces for the organizers and speakers.  I would say you don't need to link the speakers or the organizer, you can do that.  If there is a profile, you can link to that profile or you can put links in the description.  That's not necessary.  The important point is that the name, maybe the organization is there.
>> TIMEA SUTO:  Maybe it is my unfamiliarity with the different forms.  I think it is all in the workshops where there is separate    where we could link in the speakers with the email address and everything.
For preevent, for main sessions, I didn't see that possibility.
I just want to make sure that the secretariate has everything you guys need to be able to generate the links.  We're making your life easier because there are a lot of sessions.
>> LUIS BOBO: That's not the problem.  The important point, as you said, it is that people have raised that, they just joined the session, so the session that's scheduled, they joined the session, so the name is enough. 
>> CHAIR: What's very important here is that you do need to remind your speakers to register.  Do we need something that you can spend to the speakers?  A short instruction document that MAG member cans send to speakers of main sessions?  Is that something that the secretariate could perhaps compile from some of the existing Documents? 
>> LUIS BOBO: There is an FAQ with basically two paragraphs of how to connect with the sessions.  This is valid for everyone.  It is basically just from that link, it is the same for everyone.  People need to register with IGF of course, and then after registering for the sessions, you get the link.  It is straightforward.
>> CHAIR: I think that's exactly what we need to know.
What I propose here, is that all of the main session organizes you send an email to your speakers where you put that link that Luis just referred to, you remind them to register because you really cannot do anything in this event if you're not registered.  That's different I think from some other online events that people have been participating in.
I think it is worth reminding people that the IGF is a closed space if you're not a registered participant.  Perhaps anything else that you want to    if you want to tell them to join the session 20 minutes before, so on.
I think that would be a useful thing for everyone to do.
Timea, are you okay?  Are you covered?
>> TIMEA SUTO:  Thank you.  For the secretariate, we're always here to support if there is anything needed to make sure that the right people get the right links.  Don't hesitate to reach out. 
>> CHAIR: Thank you, everyone.
I guess quickly before going on to Titti, next in the queue, you know, worst case scenario that you find just before your session that one of your speakers has not registered, what do you do?  What does Timea do if she finds one of her speakers has not registered?
>> LUIS BOBO: So I think you should first really warn your speakers to be registered.  Otherwise, in the last minute, even if we're right to help them, there could be issues right there because the sessions have scheduled times.  Otherwise, just contact any of us in the secretariate, myself or support of someone will contact me to provide you with a direct link to connect.
>> CHAIR: That helps.  Thank you.
Next, Titti.
>> TITTI CASSA:  One question related to the pledge.  It is not so clear to me what we expect from the facilitator for making pledge.  I would like to have more clarification on this.  This is my first question.
Then I have another one but I will tell you later.
>> CHAIR: Thank you. 
>> CHENGETAI MASANGO: The idea is just to ask for some sort of pledge or commitment from the panelists on some action that will happen within the next year.  It doesn't have to be a hard action.  It can be a soft action as well.
Hopefully, when asking, we may get some action like if there is a speaker from a company, they may say that they will support, you know, ten schools or if there's an IGF summer school, just picking these off the top of my head, they may not be    they're things that would further the goals of the IGF or digital cooperation they're one in the same in the end in any case.  That's the type of thing we're looking for.
>> Do you mean that we should send a message or ask it during the session?
>> CHENGETAI MASANGO: You could send a message.  Remember, it is voluntary, they don't have to answer thousand don't have to say anything, they can say it if they want to, so it is just a matter of just asking that if they would like to.  It can be embedded in another question, those ones that don't want, they can answer the first part of the question and not the second part.
>> Titti:  I wonder if the pledge, if it is only    if it is a possibility to finance some   
>> CHENGETAI MASANGO: It is not monetary.  Doesn't have to be monetary.  It could be an action, it could be anything.  It could be even    you know, donating my old computer to someplace.  You know, it is a small plate but it is helpful for somebody that can't afford a computer could use that.  It could a wide range.  We hope that it will be something more substantive to those people that can. 
>> TITTI CASSA:  Is the pledge, in the context of the IGF Plus evolution or in the context of the roadmap to cooperation?
>> CHENGETAI MASANGO: In the context of the IGF, whether it be IGF Plus, be whatever.  In the context of internet governance, doesn't even have to be in the context of IGF per se.  We're a forum that promotes certain things.  It doesn't have to be for the IGF but promoting, you know    we're all here because we care about internet and we're all here because we care about the good that internet can bring.  If somebody can make a pledge that promotes that in some fashion, that would be good.  It is not narrowed down to the IGF per se.
>> TITTI CASSA:  We can do some preparatory activities, sending message to panelists for asking this and we can continue with activity also during the session and after the session.  Is this correct.
>> CHENGETAI MASANGO: This is correct.  Yes.
>> TITTI CASSA:  That's the first question.  That's more clear.
The second one, it is related to the parliamentarian.  Can I ask it now or discuss it later?
>> CHENGETAI MASANGO: We don't have it on the agenda.  It is up to the chair.  We can ask it now I suppose, yes.
>> CHAIR: Go ahead.  Please. 
>> TITTI CASSA:  The registration ended yesterday.  There are some    I received a message from an association asking parliamentarian worldwide, they asked me to indicate the higher parliamentarian that could be obtained for the high sessions.  The question is, as the registration ended yesterday, and it may be this association, sending an invitation to the parliamentarian that's not registered to the IGF, I wondered how this will be managed?
>> CHENGETAI MASANGO: Yes.  That was a soft registration, just to get our registration numbers up.  We will change today the information on the IGF website that registration still continues and I suppose we should inform people since there is that perception that registration ended.  It was a request, if you could kindly register by the 26th of November to help us.  You can register 5 minutes before your session if you want.
We would hope that you don't.  That you rental center in advance. 
>> TITTI CASSA:  Thank you.
>> CHAIR: That's good.
I wanted to comment on the pledge.  First, can you respond to the question from Gunela, about registering, can you explain to her how that works?
>> LUIS BOBO: Thank you.  Yes.
People mark their sessions.  People save their sessions with one click, the link is available with them, the personalized link.
>> CHAIR: Just my comment    thank you for that.  Thank you.
I want to build up Titti's question, I think, for me, this is a political minefield.  It sounds like one of the things that you have people slipping in to promoting their own activities.  Remember, the IGF is not about people promoting their own activities.  It is about policy, it is about governance and developing a multistakeholder debate and dialogue and some conclusions with recommendations, divergences, consensus points on those policy discussions.  I think    for example, if I was Facebook, you know, I can say, yes, we will continue to self regulate how we deal with hate speech, taking guidance from U.S. Congress.  Now, that is absolutely fine, Facebook can carry on doing that, but that's a very controversial outcome to emerge from an IGF, saying I'll give my secondhand computers away, that's a very controversial outcome, people in Africa feel so insulted by everyone dumping their broken computers on them.
I'm just flagging this.  I don't think this is as straightforward and simple as you think it is.  I'm just urging you and your team to keep these things into account.  There is a vibrant, robust political debate that's been going on for years on what IGF outcomes are.  We have tried to address that debate in how we have developed a process for outcome this year and been sensitive to the digital cooperation roadmap as well.  I just want the IGF to get kind of trashed a little bit for building in something at the last minute which is not thought through carefully.
That's my opinion, I encourage you to handle this with care.
>> CHENGETAI MASANGO: Thank you for your opinion, all opinions are very important.  We will discuss this.  That's why we're encouraging MAG members to be a part of this as well so that they can give their inputs.  Yes.  Thank you.
>> CHAIR: Thank you.
Roberto, you're next. 
>> ROBERTO ZAMBRANA:  Good afternoon, good evening.  Good morning.
It was actually already answered about if we need to ask any kind of support in order to make the registration open, but it is going to be open until the beginning of the event   
>> CHENGETAI MASANGO: Until the end of the event.
>> Roberto:  I wanted to suggest to Luis, this is two stages registering process for the newcomers actually.  First they need to register to the IGF web portal, right?  Then they will need to register to the event.  When you register to the event, there are two things you need to register, one, the picture, one the role, perhaps to make it simple, just a suggestion.
Thank you very much.
>> CHAIR: Thank you, Roberto.
Do you want to respond to that?
>> CHENGETAI MASANGO: Please.
>> LUIS BOBO: Thank you.
Roberto, we certainly need people to have an account on the IGF to look at everything, the statistic, everything.  What I can say, we have 24,000 people registered on the website.  Most of the people I would say, many people already have an account.  The process is straightforward.
I mean, the point is that you rental center once for the portal, it is fast, registration for the IGF, it is one click.  Sometimes there is some misunderstanding, but we have many participants.  I think it is fine.
>> Thank you very much. 
>> CHAIR: Thanks a lot for that, Roberto, thank you for the responses, Luis.
These are old hands I take it? 
>> TIMEA SUTO:  Mine is new, if I may.
>> CHAIR: Go ahead.
>> TIMEA SUTO:  Thank you for the work going on so far.  It is amazing how much we have done in the past few weeks.
To the idea of this commitments and pledges, I'm in two minds of it, I think there is a lot of positive, potential pitfalls as Anriette laid out, I don't want to discuss that here, I think that the arguments have been made and the decision will be made I'm sure taking all of this into account.  What I would want to underline, if we're    if we are going ahead with these commitments, people need to know in advance what is it that's expected of them, how this will be showcased, collected, followed up on if in anyway.  Just because speaking from a private sector perspective even if it is a simple on the spot commitment of we will keep being engaged in the process, that needs a lot of clearance with companies, I don't want to speak on behalf of other sectors.  I'm sure it goes for other organizations.  Companies need to draft the text, approve the text, they need to go through legal or communication teams who all have their agendas booked up.  It is really hard to make even a very simple commitment in the course of a few days.  We're six days away from the IGF.
I want to urge the team who is working on this to please consider having something that I think we can share with our constituencies if we are doing this to make it a success.  If we're not doing this, then perhaps it is something to keep in mind for future IGFs and we can discuss more about it.
If we're doing this, then I would urge everybody to have something in writing that we can share because we're getting questions and don't know how to answer them.
>> CHAIR: Thank you for that.
Should we be putting a cuff off point for having a look at this proposal and deciding on how to proceed or not?  Is this a decision that the MAG wants to delegate to the secretariate to make?  Would you like to as MAG look at the final version of this call and comment on whether you would like it to go ahead or not?  I'm putting that to everyone in the room.
>> TIMEA SUTO:  I don't want to pronounce myself on behalf of the MAG.  I think we're 50 plus people here that need to have an opinion.
I certainly would love to see something but if this needs to be a decision that has to be taken collectively with the IGF secretariate and those responsible and the MAG, of course.  I mean, I think the idea is interesting.  It can have a lot of positives.
I do want us to make a collective decision on this and I don't want anyone    anyone to overrule the word of anyone.  I don't think that's what we have been doing so far and there is no point in starting that now.
>> CHAIR: I think I would support that.
Do you think    I think it has to be an email process, I don't think we'll have time for another call.  I think we should have an email process and maybe you can just facilitate that or I can help facilitate that once we have had a look at the proposal and template of what it would look like on the web, on the site.  I want to urge everybody to keep track of that.  Can we ask MAG members to look out for this on Thursday, maybe, you know, on Friday?  It feels to me a little bit late.  Should we ask MAG members to check in specifically on this issue on Thursday so that we can come to a decision?  Would that work?
>> CHENGETAI MASANGO: Sure.
Any comments? 
>> Wai Min Kwok:  We hear the concerns very well.  Thank you. 
>> CHAIR: Maybe, we should just ask for objections.  I don't think we can expect everybody to vote.  But to give MAG members who want to express an objection to be able to do that.  I would propose that we approach it in that way.
I will leave it to you to take this forward.  This is something that you have initiated.
We need to move a little bit faster.
Mare Y you have your hand and then let's move on.
>> MARY UDUMA: Hello.  Can you hear me.
A simple commitment from the government official or regulator or legislator, making sure that the internet is open in their countries, it is a pledge, it is a commitment.  If we can get something, considering the constant international dance we have been experiencing, I think such a pledge will help or a pledge to remove access to internet services also, it is    I think it is promoting the internet.  That's my own thinking.  That's my way of looking at it, it is not necessarily a financial support but something that helps us to promote the internet is what we should be thinking about.  Thank you.
>> CHAIR: I'm sure that can be built in the proposal.
Sylvia, do you want to address this issue as well?
>> Sylvia Cadena:  From the perspective locally, a lot of the things that the Australian government has pushed forward, it is based on good intentions and they're turning into something else, so this may give the opportunity to look at the discourse.  Let's say.  I don't think it is if a government is pledging something, very different ifs is an individual, an organization, if they want to say they want to support the school somewhere, with old computers or not, but that's very different meaning and it could have very different implementations as well.    implications as well    I agree, I'm divided on what it could be or what's not, I don't want to comment on things that I haven't seen.  If that proposal is circulated, I'll look at it in detail.  The first time it was mentioned, it sounded really interesting.  In this space, it may play very differently.
Thank you for that. 
>> CHAIR: Great.
Thank you.  I think we have some more guidance from MAG members, for the proposal, we'll receive it and then we'll reflect on it and comment.  Okay.
Everyone, let's move on to the next agenda item.
I'm going to give that to you, to the intro update.
We're running a little bit late.  We have to budget for at least 10 minutes after the hour.  Sorry about that.
>> CHENGETAI MASANGO: I'll be very, very quick..
The intro sessions, the videos are done.  I was just waiting for people to have comments to see if they would like the final output and so we'll make the link public, the first thing we'll do, we'll publish it on the mailing list and then make it public to everybody.  Thank you to Ben who is    he's key for us writing and putting everything together.  Thank you..
Thank you to everyone that contributed.  It was difficult I know.
Any questions on that.
Let's talk about the networking sessions, I apologize, I missed out on Sylvia and Roberto's comments.  I'm sure you have read that.  I'll share what Sylvia is saying    why don't you make your proposal, and I'll give you both the floor very briefly to make those comments and then we can respond and others can input. 
>> SYLVIA CADENA: I was saying I'm concerned that   the requests for slots, using the same formats that were set for workshops may give the impression that there was space for things that were cut before.
If those are slots for whatever the format is, if they're going ahead, my suggestion is that the formats are different from the workshop formats and using that so it is not competing with what the wolfing shop would look like that we were asking for 60 minutes and that would be the main point, I think..
As for the regional coordinators, I'm not that sure knowing that the    knowing that they have a lot of space in the program, if it is necessary.  The natural facilitators of the spaces, they're the ones that are understanding and dealing with the issues and not every region listed has a regional IGF.  It could be a little bit weird.  I'm not sure about that.
If it goes ahead, my suggestion, it is that    I think it was the African session that was supposed to be at the same time as something else, if that happens, then just to make sure that is one of the regions from the north and regions from the South that will share that time with some other events.
The other comment, it was about networking in your own language, which, of course, I think it is interesting.  I just don't know if it is focused on the UN languages or if it is all the languages, then what's the plan, by breakout rooms, by language?  How would you create the languages that the breakout rooms, that people don't sign in before?  It sounds very complicated to be able to organize that in a few days.  I feel we're trying to do way too much in the last minute and that could be a barrier.
That's my main concern.
Thank you. 
>> CHAIR: Roberto, do you want to add quickly?
>> ROBERTO ZAMBRANA:  I want to say that we need to try to make it as close to natural as a face to face sessions are and what I said in the mail, it was that it would be more natural for the people to know that there is one place, and in this virtual IGF, it should be something like to know there is one slot, every day, in which the people may come and may start to do networking and that the better approach would be based on language.
If we're going to use the breaking groups, I don't think it will be really hard if we can manage to put up the different languages.  I don't know.  I'm not    I'm sure we can do it all the languages, but perhaps most of them.  That was my only addition.
Thank you.
>> CHAIR: Thank you, Roberto, Sylvia.
I'll try to give you an update, responding to some of the questions and then Anja, please, if you can add.  Sylvia, firstly, on the regional corner, we can easily eliminate those.  I think if there is a feeling that there are enough regional spaces, we can eliminate those, Sylvia had suggested that we have a small island developing states, but it is easy to eliminate that if the MAG members feel there is enough regional networking opportunities.
I'm going to ask you to respond to that.
Secondly, on the open slots, there have been calls in the past in open consultations for open slots and In fact, previous IGFs had birds of a feather sessions and they were also just informally organized sessions, such as the Dot Org sessions last year, there are few available, it is not like people will pile in with lots of requests.  We have made a form so people can book an open spot in 30 minutes, we can turn that into 30 minutes as well.  At this point, I think, you know, I would strongly suggest that we do go ahead with it, because we actually have nothing to lose.  If there is no demand, we don't have to introduce that.  We can keep the networking slots open and just have the Zoom room open that people can visit if they want to..
On language, we can ask people if they want to be in such a session, and if so, what language.  There is one during Phase one and one during Phase 2 of original language, we'll collect how many languages that people are interested in, we'll open the session and then we'll say we have got five languages, there will be Spanish, Croatian, Russian, French and we'll break people up into rooms.  In a sense, we'll just play those by ear, we'll see how much interest there is and we only have two of these to do..
I know it is last minute, but I think it is important.  I don't think we should give up on this.
If IGF has to have a networking component, we want a networking component.  I don't think the fact that we start late is an excuse for not trying to do anything.
You know, I know this is pretty last minute, I think we have tried to simplify it already and we can simplify a bit more, especially if we take the regional sessions out, but I do think we need to continue.
If people are saying that the open slots should be 30 minutes, we can easily introduce that.
Anja, can you please add and then I'll open the floor for feedback.  There is discussion in the chat and Paul has his hand up.  Anja, if you can add anything, please?
>> ANJA GENGO:  Nothing much to add, you have explained it in an excellent way.  For us, it is just giving some sort of a formalized kind of channel for informal, friendly discussions.  The form is pretty simple, we're not encouraging spaces or a session that's session like in the IGF.  Another point I wanted to quickly add, it is about the NRI sessions mentioned, there is a difference between these suggested regional corner, not saying that    I think it is just not good to compare the panels, this is completely different, this is just a friendly corner for people chatting where we would maybe focus mostly on IGF governance issues in certain regions and the NRI session as you know, they're regionally diversified, so on.  I think it is    and of course, formalized.
It is quite different, maybe when we share the links for booking just so you can see, we basically give a space of one hour, but then people can choose, they can run a lightning session, I think there were 20 minutes in the past, they don't necessarily have to use the entire hour, they can spend time in the breakout room as much as they want.  There is a lot of space just in that sense to add.
>> CHAIR: Thank you very much.  We have good suggestions in the chat as well.
Paul, you have the floor.
>> PAUL CHARLTON: I wanted to make a couple of comments.  One, on the North America regional networking session, if we were to have one, I would be happy to help out.  I do wonder though about whether there is a usefulness for that session just because of the way things are structured, there is only two countries, Canada and the U.S. and we don't really have any sort of regional dialogue.  I know Anja said that the networking sessions are not in exact parallel to regional IGFs, at least in the other regions there is kind of a basis for discussion and people are already    people already know each other.  I'm not sure in the case of the North American region if there is really a demand for that kind of networking.  Maybe we should think of that one specifically, more generally, it is an idea to shorten the networking sessions in general, to a half hour, I think that's the proposal.
I also think that the networking in your own language, I think that sounds to me like a very good idea, I'm not sure what the technical issues are with that.
Because the IGF is right now pretty much in English only space, I think whatever we can do to expand it, making it more welcoming for people whose first language is not English, it is useful even if it is a very small step like having this session.
Thank you. 
>> CHAIR: Thank you very much for that, Paul.
We'll have to    Anja what, we'll have to do is relook at the idea of regional networking sessions.  There is some support for them but I hear more voices saying we should rethink them of.
MAG member, recall we can do at this point is for us to work on this, Anja and myself, trying to integrate all of the suggestions to the extent that we can.  Please, everyone, do email.  I'm very sorry, I promise I won't miss it again!  Anja will help me to not miss any input.  We do need you to sign up for those sessions.  Maybe we need to redo that form.
Give us until tomorrow to revise the networking session proposal and then we'll make the forms live.
Thank you very much for the input.
Anja, is that okay for you?  I know you're madly busy at the moment?  Will that work?
>> Anja Ge if.  Go:  I think much of the work is done on this.  Thank you. 
>> CHAIR: Good.  Okay.  Everyone, if there is no questions or comments further on the networking sessions, thank you for the feedback, there is one type of networking session which we haven't discussed and that's music night.  I want to bring that up briefly.  There are difficulty was that, others made proposal, can you just comment?  Are we going to have a music night of some kind or not?  Is that possible?
>> CHENGETAI MASANGO: The usual gang who organizes music night, of course, most of those people do come from the Jam band, they're testing at the moment.  They're in the middle of testing software and stuff like that.  Unfortunately, the moment    at the moment, the latency, it is okay, continental wise, but when you go globally, there is a bit of a problem.  I'm in contact with Olivia, the manager of the Jam band.  We're still trying.  I can't give a straight answer now.  It would be of value    even if it is not a bunch of people playing together as such in different continents but we could have    you know, one, two people coming together, playing something.  It is not going to be a problem music night such as we had hoped. 
>> CHAIR: Comments or questions on that?  When will we know?
>> CHENGETAI MASANGO: The last email I had gotten    let me just check.  That was yesterday.
I think we may need a cut off date.  Let's make the cut off date Thursday.
>> CHAIR: Thursday we'll have an update on music night.
Let's go to the next agenda item, what's expected from MAG members during the IGF.  This also brings us to the question Sylvia raised last week already. 
Jutta, I'll give you the floor in a moment.
We have to schedule a MAG get together to say welcome to new MAG members, and to do that, we also need to know when the new MAG will be announced.  That's been asked, gate an announcement, you will although it was in the chat.  Jutta, can you go quickly on music night and we'll come back to this checklist of what's expected of MAG members.
>> Jutta:  Thank you for the floor.
I was considering first your suggestion on the call that it could be regional sessions with regional musicians so without problems of latency, that would be a good idea.  Of course, music night, it was always a big event when we had face to face IGF, but nonetheless, I think at least some short jam session after we have had all our sessions over the day to relax a bit, to be together, to hear the music, that would be fantastic and it could always be announced during the sessions of the day that maybe tonight at whatever time it is we'll have a jam session of 30, 45 minutes or whatsoever.  I do think that really people do appreciate this time spent together in the context of the Internet Governance Forum.  That's all I wanted to say.
>> CHENGETAI MASANGO: I'm with you.  Yes.  We'll try to make that work somehow.
>> CHAIR: I really agree, Jutta, as well.  I think, if you want to ask MAG members to help with that, you should as well.  I really agree with you.
I think that would be a really good idea.
Now let's quickly go over    I'm going to ask you to start with this, what is expected of MAG members during the IGF and then can we come to this question from Sylvia, when do we have a get together where old and new MAG member cans meet and say their welcomes and good byes.
>> CHENGETAI MASANGO: Thank you.
I'll reverse it.
Adjust my comments.
For the new MAG members to be announced, we have to wait for the note from the Secretary General office to come down.  He's the one    his office is the one that makes the selection.  What usually happens, in my experience, it is that we are not going to have it before the start of the IGF.  We may have it on Monday the 9th and that's purely a guess.  I certainly hope it won't be beyond the 17th.  We don't control the Secretary General's agenda and it really depends on his schedule because he has to look at it.
Like any civil servant, I think you're all understanding, we just have to wait for that to come down.  Once that note has come down, then yes, we can do a get together.
I wouldn't maybe on the Friday, I think that Friday    not the on Tuesday, I think Tuesday, it is a particularly long day.  We could maybe do it on the Monday, some other time.
These are just my suggestions, of course.
That's just my    what's expected of the MAG, I will pass the microphone on to others, we would be grateful if you can be helpful, if you could volunteer for the help desk as well, we would be grateful if you would    how about new MAG member, new participants, even the regular participants on the online event, Luis has details there on both things the help desk is watching your email to see if you receive    or logging on to a page, we have a chat function on our site and people that want help, just type in and you can do a triage of that help, if it is help that requires Luis's help, you require Luis help, Anja, myself, contact us.  That's basically it.  In the rooms as well, just in case, you know construction to keep the decorum in the room well, functioning become, that's a    these are small things.  It does go a long way into making the virtual IGF a success.  Anja, would you    any other things you want to add?
>> That's pretty much it.  Thank you.
>> LUIS BOBO: Nothing for myself.  Thank you. 
>> CHAIR: Any of the older MAG member, who you have gone through several IGF, anything to add to this list?  Before we get to the question from Sylvia, anything to add?  Based on your experience on IGF..
I would add tweet, information share, that's important.  So playing a supportive role, MAG members are good at that and seen as leaders in the process as well.  I would just always urge people to be there, to play that role. 
>> I'm a bit terrified of the email avalanche because of the time differences when things are coming, if there is something urgent (Sylvia Cadena) is there    I know we have a Skype loop or some of us also have a WhatsApp group for regions, is there a plan or something to try to organize messages, for this MAG, not the Skype group that exists at the moment with all MAG members, so if there is something that you need us to do    I'm nervous I may miss email, especially for time zone differences that things will come at 4:00 a.m. for me, for example.
Thank you for that, Sylvia.
Sam, I guess you're    can we make that an action item?  We need to devise a way in which MAG members can quickly communicate with one another and with the secretariate and vice versa.  That would be good.  We'll look at the schedule and we'll address that.  Is that okay?  Does that address the question?  To the point, we have to take time zones in account.  Not everyone is in the same   
>> Yes.  Yes.  For example, the inclusion main session, being able to be a server, you know, so we have the time fit being scheduled, that means it is going to be 4:30 in the morning for me.  If I have to wake up at 3:00 in case something technical happens, whatever, that those things, that kind of thing, it is what scares me a little bit and honestly, if we agree    I don't want to be bothering others in a channel    but something that's useful for the secretariate, in that we can interact with you, and if you need us, you can find us without a bunch of emails.  If possible. 
>> CHAIR: Good.  Good.  Let's action that.  We'll ask the secretariate to come up with something.
I'm mindful we have gone over time, everyone.
Any items under any other business?  I think you were covered, your question was about the MAG selection..
Everyone, I see no further hands, comments.  It seems a bit strange to say this is our last meeting.  Sorry, that's my phone!.
Just are really wishing everyone very well.  I think let's all think of the secretariate and send them virtual flowers and boxes of chocolate!  They are really, really working around the clock at the moment!  Thank you to you for all of your work.
I think let's just carry on communicating.
This is the last meeting, but it is not the end of the process for communicating.
Let's do some virtual check ins all the time and particularly I think towards the end of next week.  We would have learned lots of lessons through next week for the last week.
Thank you very much, everyone!  Be strong!  Be hopeful!  That's all from me. 
>> CHENGETAI MASANGO: Thank you very much. 
>> CHAIR: Good bye, everyone.