According to posts on various mailing lists, it seems that the WSIS PrepCom 3 is well on its way to recommend that a forum be created to address Internet governance issues. Some argue that there are already different fora which address those issues. Actually , many of these fora only address a very small part of the issues. ICANN is in charge of names and numbers, the IETF of protocols and standards, etc.
However, there is not one place where global issues like spam can be addressed and where the various existing fora can synchronise their agendas. This is much needed, as conflicting agendas means a lot of time gets lost.
Many agree on the need for a forum, but cannot agree on what it is going to do. Some countries, like Brazil, want it to have an oversight function, where the civil society and private sector have very little to say, if at all. Others, like the EU, want a "lightweight" forum, with no oversight function and a good representation of the civil society and private sector. The US cannot make up its mind, at least publicly. Of course, they do not want to give the impression they would hand over the current oversight function they have on ICANN-related activities.
My guess is that there will be a forum of some sort, most probably the EU version.This will allow government delegations to go back home, claiming they did not give up, while at the same time it will give something which keeps the civil society and private sector happy. In the end, this forum will be relatively powerless and will not be a threat to national sovereignty. This is what most of the WSIS participants want anyway: a permanent WGIG.
Update: The US finally made its position public at WSIS: no opposition to a forum which would address spam and viruses but it does not want to hand over its control on ICANN.
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