Executive Committee Summary Records Summary Record of 79th meeting of the Executive Committee – 13 June 2024

Oct 14, 2024 | Meeting Summary Records, Reports and Meeting Minutes

Internet Governance Forum Support Association (IGFSA)

79th meeting of the Executive Committee

13 June, 2024

  1. The Executive Committee held its 79th meeting on 13 June 2024. The meeting took place in a hybrid setting with the following participants: Amrita Choudhury (chair), Flavio Wagner, Fiona Asonga, Anriette Esterhuysen, Wisdom Donkor, Nigel Hickson (Treasurer), and from the Secretariat team: Jennifer Chung (Secretary) and Phyo Thiri Lwin. Apologies were received from Chris Mondini and Joyce Chen. A quorum was established for the meeting, with seven of the nine Executive Committee members taking part.
  2. The Agenda was adopted as circulated, and the summary record of the 78th meeting is approved to be posted on the IGFSA website.
  3. Review of the Outreach and Engagement Plan
  • During the meeting, key outreach activities were reviewed, including successful engagement at the WISIS event facilitated by the IGF secretariat. It was noted that IGFSA’s identity needs clarification to avoid confusion. Amado highlighted positive feedback and encouraged continued outreach. At ICANN 80, thanks to Chris, several initiatives were undertaken, with plans for more. Emphasis was placed on broader dissemination through mailing lists and stronger organizational connections. The SSAC suggested creating a regional speaker/topic repository, and there is potential for a presentation to the ccNSO at ICANN81 in Istanbul. Specific approaches for organizations were discussed, highlighting the need for enhanced communication, collaboration, and proactive engagement to raise IGFSA’s profile. LIGFSA had engagement sessions with the following Supporting Organisations and Advisory Committees:
    • SSAC
    • BC
    • NCUC
    • GNSO
    • RSSAC
    • ALAC
  1. Outreach Engagement Plan for Regional IGFs and IGF2024
  • It was noted that the final report, including sponsor logos, are shared online and in printed form. Engagement with a Rwandese company for sponsorship is underway. There was a proposal to design T-shirts with APC’s help and exploring printing options in Hong Kong or Taipei, along with potential sponsorship from Microsoft. For upcoming events, representation and outreach materials are being prepared for EuroDIG, and Amado will secure a speaking slot for the Youth IGF Panama, ensuring Spanish-language engagement. The arrangement for Wisdom’s speaking slot at the West Africa IGF was discussed. The African IGF was noted to be scheduled for October/November. There was a detailed discussion on rebranding the IGF Support Association (IGFSA) to “IGF Support Association” for better clarity, with a gradual implementation plan.
  1. Funding Request and Disbursement Status
  • Jennifer shared the update about funding requests and ongoing pending requests. Several requests for funding were confirmed, including the approved amount of Benin National IGF and the youth IGF Benin are $2000 and $1500 respectively. There was a note that the secretariat has already received the invoices from West Africa IGF and APrIGF. New requests from Lebanon IGF, 2024 Liberia IGF Week, and Uganda Internet Governance Forum were also supported in the past and the secretariat suggested supporting them.
  • Two more requests were pending, one from a new youth IGF from Southeast Asia region and another from the Lusophone Internet Governance Forum in Cabo Verde. A request from the Lusofonia Association was also mentioned.
    • 2º Lusophone Internet Governance Forum
    • South East Asia Youth IGF
  • There was a discussion on the appropriate level of funding for national IGFs among EC. The suggestion was to avoid becoming the primary funder and to encourage local sponsorship. A proposal was to consider funding a percentage of the total budget to prevent dependency.
  1. Finance Update by Treasurer
  • It was also noted that the current balances stand at 359 Swiss francs and slightly over $111,000 USD, indicating a decrease from approximately $180,000 USD observed a year ago. Discussion centered around recent submissions of documents, including those for the ICANN payment, though confirmation of receipt of funds is pending. The team will continue to monitor these transactions closely in the coming weeks.
  1. AOB
  • There was unanimous support for continuing financial backing for Joly MacFie essential live streaming and archiving services, pivotal for NRIs and the broader internet governance community. The discussion also touched upon recent leadership changes at the Internet Society, anticipating a more community-oriented approach under new leadership. The EC decided to wait to see how new ISOC leadership will handle this item before any further steps.