AFRALO Geo Regions WG Teleconference
Tuesday 25 January 2011 at 18:30 UTC
Adobe Connect Chat transcript:
Heidi Ullrich: Welcome to the AFRALO Geo-Regions Call on 25 January 2011
Yaovi Atohoun: I may not be able to be in the call until the end. The power just went off in my area and the battery of my phone and my laptop arei low
Heidi Ullrich: Thanks for letting us know, Yaovi.
Yaovi Atohoun: Hello Heidi. Nobody online yet?
Yaovi Atohoun: apart you and me?
Heidi Ullrich: We have Fatimata on FR
Yaovi Atohoun: ok
Yaovi Atohoun: I am not called yet +233 242219476
Gisella Gruber-White: Yaovi - we are calling you now
Yaovi Atohoun: thanks
Heidi Ullrich: We are also dialing out to Tijani
Yaovi Atohoun: WE have a new interface for ADOBE CONNECT?
Heidi Ullrich: Yes, it was upgraded! Very modern with many new features
Yaovi Atohoun: good. It will be good to know about the new features maybe in a mail
Gisella Gruber-White: Aziz has joined the call
Yaovi Atohoun: I am so sorry. Out of battery. Will let you know when the power is back
Heidi Ullrich: Welcome Aziz
Heidi Ullrich: The geo-regions workspace with AFRALO comment prepared by Mohamed is at: https://community.icann.org/display/atlarge/Interim+Report+of+Geographic+Regions+Review+Working+Group+-+Community+Workspace\\
Yaovi Atohoun: I am not called yet. Has the conference started?
Dave Kissoondoyal: hello all, sorry for the lateness
Yaovi Atohoun: Hi Dave. I am sorry that my computer may be off soon
Dave Kissoondoyal: We, AFRALO members appreciate the work done by the geographic regions review working group and the key questions raised during this exercise. Africa is a region fighting for unity to promote economic and social development. As such, AFRALO members think any division of the African continent would jeopardize the efforts deployed to realize this objective. History has divided the continent by language and the actual efforts are for reunification. AFRALO recommends ICANN to keep the integrity of the African continent as such with all its countries as actually recognized by the United Nations. With its 54 countries and its cultural diversity (multiple languages, different types of populations, high demography, different political systems, variety of climates and vegetations, etc.) Africa, by itself, is a complex community model in which the members learn to respectfully communicate and leave together, in harmony. For equity reasons, AFRALO recommends that ICANN finds mechanisms to provide due representation actor
Gisella Gruber-White: Mohammed is on the call
Dave Kissoondoyal: to each continent according to the respective number of countries, regardless of the number of languages. To ease participation and inclusiveness of all stakeholders, ICANN should make sure the community diversity of each continent is reflected in its representation with a selection process and a work plan elaborated within a bottom up participatory framework. Each region should be organized to involve the diverse stakeholders in all ICANN policy development processes regardless of language and technical level.
Gisella Gruber-White: Yaovi - we are trying to call you
Heidi Ullrich: I have to leave this call. Seth will take over
Dave Kissoondoyal: We will endorse the statement if we have no amendment until the 28th January 2011
Dave Kissoondoyal: UN Geographic regions - http://unstats.un.org/unsd/methods/m49/m49regin.htm\\
Mohamed El Bashir: i got disconnected
Mohamed El Bashir: i am concerned by the proposal of accepting region change based on a debate among the orginal region and new region to accept the change
Gisella Gruber-White: I will tell Fatimata
Mohamed El Bashir: this will create conflicts
Gisella Gruber-White: Fatimata has agreed
Gisella Gruber-White: agrees
Mohamed El Bashir: i think the best approach is to adopt a self-selection process which is limit the cases of which a country are able to request a region change
Mohamed El Bashir: for example ICANN bylaw ( Article IX ) related to ccNSO membership provide an option for region self-selection in according to procedures to be identified by ccNSO council .
Mohamed El Bashir: agree, lets take it out
Mohamed El Bashir: Hi Dave
Mohamed El Bashir: wiki link : https://community.icann.org/display/atlarge/Interim+Report+of+Geographic+Regions+Review+Working+Group+-+Community+Workspace?focusedCommentId=8454558&#comment-8454558\\
Dave Kissoondoyal: I have a question
Dave Kissoondoyal: I think we should address the question raised in the Work Group:1. Does the primary use of Geographic Regions currently produce the desired broad international representation on the ICANN Board that reflects the makeup of the Internet constituency? If so, is it likely to continue to do so for the foreseeable future?We have to address this question in the African context2. Given the unique nature of the five ICANN Regions including Africa, was their original adoption reasonable and defensible? Are they still relevant and reasonable today? Are the allocations defensible? Are ICANN’s currentGeographical Regions consistent with international norms? Are there otherstructures equally or more consistent with international norms?
Mohamed El Bashir: updated first pargraph : We, AFRALO members appreciate the work done by the geographic regions review working group and the key questions raised during this exercise,AfRALO would like to express it has no objection to the current ICANN geographic region structure and distribution .
