Executive Committee Summary Records Summary Record of 81st meeting of the Executive Committee – 29 August 2024

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

Internet Governance Forum Support Association (IGFSA)

81st meeting of the Executive Committee

29th August, 2024

 

  1. The Executive Committee held its 81st meeting on 29th August 2024. The meeting took place in a virtual setting with the following participants: Amrita Choudhury (chair), Flavio Wagner, Fiona Asonga, Anriette Esterhuysen, Wisdom Donkor, Chris Mondini and Nigel Hickson (Treasurer), and from the Secretariat team: Jennifer Chung and Phyo Thiri Lwin. A quorum was established for the meeting, with seven of the nine Executive Committee members taking part.
  2. During the call, the agenda was reviewed, with a note that the new gTLD program may not be relevant for the discussion, though it was included as a precaution. The agenda was accepted without objections. A discussion arose regarding a specific funding decision, where the approved amount was lower than the typical allocation.It was suggested for more clarification while checking the recording of previous call.
  3. There was a brief update on Outreach and engagement in July and it was discussed to have a separate call to discuss the Outreach Engagement Plan for Regional IGFs and IGF 2024 and also sponsorship.
  4. Funding Request and Disbursement Status
  • There was a discussion on the pending funding for the Luso IGF, which had been provisionally approved in previous meetings. It was requested to send the proposals to EC within 15 or 20 days. Secretariat mentioned that the delay seemed to stem from uncertainty about whether the correct organization had been confirmed, leading to a need for further follow-up. One member emphasized the importance of resolving the issue, especially since their team was involved as speakers at the event. It was proposed that an email be sent to the organizers, requesting an invoice for the approved amount and ensuring all relevant parties are kept informed to finalize the funding process.
    • Secretariat shared the update about funding requests and ongoing pending requests. Several funding requests were highlighted, including those from East Africa, North Africa, IGF, Qazaqstan IGF, and three Youth IGF initiatives where the approval funding amount of $3000 and $2000 was decided for the East Africa Internet Governance Forum and Qazaqstan IGF respectively.
    • There was a concern about the Nepal Youth IGF however, it was agreed to support while noting that the particular information was needed and it was suggested on holding support consideration for Bangladesh Youth IGF. There was a discussion about the Ghana Youth IGF which submitted their request close to the meeting date and it was mentioned that the request might not be processed before the meeting. Wisdom tried to highlight the current funding situation but due to the unstable internet connection, EC decided to hold off until they received further information from Wisdom.
  1. Finance Update by Treasurer
  • The account balance stands at 349 CHF in the admin account and $114,000 USD in the main account. After considering recent approvals, the main account balance is expected to decrease to around $100,000. There has been a positive trend with an increase in applications from NRIs, leading to more approvals. Currently, between $30,000 and $40,000 is being approved annually, and there is a pressing need to boost income to support this level of activity.
  1. AOB
  • Secretariat to send a Doodle poll to determine the meeting times for the next call. It is also to discuss outreach and engagement plans while arranging the separate call.