At the forefront of internet governance reform is the question of how to operationalise enhanced cooperation, as set out in the Tunis Agenda. The newly formed Working Group on Enhanced Cooperation is scheduled to make proposals for further action in the summer of 2014, but in the meantime some governments are working effectively with the private sector and civil society to tackle key internet-related public policy issues on the national level.

Given the lack of consensus on this issue on a large-scale, this multistakeholder discussion seeks to identify cases where enhanced cooperation has occurred on a small-scale, examine what has and has not worked, and will endeavour to articulate best practices that could inspire frameworks for application internationally.

The basis for this workshop will be a series of case studies, which will be presented at the workshop, examining enhanced cooperation on internet-related public policy issues at a national level, (including Brazil, India, and Kenya). Panelists may also address regional and industry-led frameworks. The case studies will center around the following questions for each country:

• What are the processes and/​or mechanisms through which enhanced cooperation is taking place on the national level?

• How were these processes and/​or mechanisms initiated?

• What are the modalities of decision-making in these processes and/​or mechanisms?

• What is the role of the government relative to other stakeholders in the consultative process on internet-related public policy making?

• Are there certain issues that are better suited to multistakeholder decision making than others?

• What challenges were experienced in operationalising enhanced cooperation at the national level?

• How can best practices inspire efforts in other countries or in the international arena?

The workshop will present the opportunity for experts who have participated in enhanced cooperation to share their experiences and to engage in a dynamic debate about the direction of enhanced cooperation moving forward. Panelists will include both experts who will present the case studies, as well as those who can offer regional and international perspectives. The moderator will pose the above-mentioned questions to speakers to foster a discussion of developing best practices to inspire other countries. The discussion will also examine the question of whether enhanced cooperation on an international level is fundamentally different from national level processes and whether or not lessons learned from these case studies can inform international efforts to operationalise enhanced cooperation globally.

Panelists include:

• Joana Varon Ferraz, Center for Technology and Society at Fundação Getulio Vargas (CTS/FGV), Brazil

• Alice Muniya, Kenya Internet Governance Steering committee, Kenya

• Bertrand de La Chapelle, Internet & Jurisdiction Project, France

The session is moderated by Deborah Brown from Access in the USA.