Based in large part due to CGI.BR's assurances and good will, I think we can tentatively participate in this initiative, provided that civil society selects its own representatives, and the platform does indeed create an open, transparent, bottom-up platform that does not seek to assert dominance in the IG space.  

I know we are split within civil society generally, and do not have unanimity within our own stakeholder group about whether or not we should participate in this initiative, but it would seem that those of us who wish to participate and try to use the platform to improve discussions on IG should be enabled.  Many of us won't give this initiative another thought.  I think both perspectives are perfectly acceptable and different approaches to achieving the same goals.  Everyone has to put their own time and energy in the places where they feel they can be most effective.  

I think many of us in civil society (myself included) are putting our faith and trust in CGI.BR to not allow Fadi and WEF to run away with this initiative for their own ambitions and kill the positive outcomes from Sao Paulo last April.  I say: let's work closely with CGI.BR and the others try to make the best of NMI.  (At least those of us who wish to.)

Best,
Robin

On Nov 22, 2014, at 4:00 PM, Carlos Afonso wrote:

> To all of you directly and indirectly involved with the lively debate that has been observed within the Internet governance circles surrounding the NETmundial Initiative (NMI), we would like to clarify the following:
> 
> 1)There are two main reasons for CGI.br to embark on the NETmundial Initiative.
> 
> a) CGI.br is moved by a strong, crystal-clear and well known commitment to the preservation, the promotion and the implementation of the principles and the roadmap that were adopted in São Paulo during the Global Multistakeholder Meeting on the Future of Internet Governance - NETmundial. As long as CGI.br is involved in any activity, process or institution related to the global governance of the Internet, there will be a group of 21 board members representatives of the broader Internet community in Brazil, assisted by a deeply committed Secretariat, working for the promotion of the achievements of the NETmundial meeting earlier this year.Instead of watching from a distant perspective the different processes and environments that comprise the complex distributed IG ecosystem, CGI.br members have been actively engaged with a myriad of other stakeholders and the community as a whole in the different spaces within which Internet governance is dealt with. CGI.br is committed to raise a voice whenever there can by any unjustified reversion on the thresholds set by NETmundial for Internet governance, namely: collaboration, openness, transparency, and multistakeholderism by default.
> 
> b) Brazil is to host the 2015 IGF. CGI.br is closely working with the Brazilian government in order to assure that the 10th edition of the IGF yields all the results that were normatively set by the community in 2014 in different occasions: the renewal of its mandate in the UNGA later this year; the strengthening of its role as the focal point for the community; the assurance of funding sources, and the harmonization of activities of the IGF with the different initiatives that are sprouting (nationally, regionally, and globally) since the Community issued the NETmundial Statement.
> 
> 2) From its inception, CGI.br has been willing to dialogue and of work together with every single member of the Community who is willing to promote, reflect upon, strengthen, and enhance multistakeholderism. The NMI is one among those efforts and can contribute to those goals by publicizing ideas and connecting people from all over the world using a single Web platform. Anything additional to the development and the maintenance of the platform shall be a result of the Initiative after it is set up. Bearing that in mind, on behalf of all of the members of the Board of CGI.br, we would like to invite all stakeholders to join the effort of building NMI based on the spirit and the aspirations of the community in a collaborative manner.
> 
> 3) The NETmundial Initiative is in its formation. The whole institutionalization of NMI shall be community-driven. That is why the Transitional Council, as soon as it got a request from the Civil Society Coordination Group (CSCG),  accepted to work together with the CSCG to come up with a solution for defining Civil Society names for the NMI Council by consensus and fully respecting the indications of Civil Society. It is important to say that CGI.br is pretty confident that if any other group of stakeholders approach the Transition Council with similar solutions to strengthen the process, the Council will be willingly open to recognize and implement them as a way of putting the community at the center of the process of shaping the ulterior composition of the NMI Council.
> 
> Finally, let us reaffirm that CGI.br would never agree with top-down, closed decision-making processes that could possibly undermine its legitimacy as a true bottom-up, multistakeholder body. It is up for the community to transform NMI into something that is concrete and useful for the advancement of IG in full respect of the principles enshrined in the NETmundial declaration.
> 
> Best regards,
> 
> Virgílio Almeida
> Coordinator of the Board of the CGI.br - Representative nominated by the Federal Government
> 
> Demi Getschko
> Member of the Board of CGI.br, nominated as Internet Expert
> 
> Carlos A. Afonso
> Member of the Board of CGI.br, representative of the Third Sector
> 
> Flávio Wagner
> Member of the Board of CGI.br, representative of the scientific and technological community and Selected member for the MAG/IGF 2015
> 
> Eduardo Parajo
> Member of the Board of CGI.br, representative of the business sector - Internet access and content providers
> 
> Hartmut Glaser
> Executive Secretary of the Board of the CGI.br
>