Africa Regional At-Large Organization “AFRALO”
(Final version)
Participation Criteria
The Main Objective:
The main objective this document is to list the available AFRALO participation channels and tools ( e.g. AFRALO teleconferences, AFRALO mailing list, etc.), and set a minimum participation criteria for the participation of AFRALO members in order to encourage an active participation in ICANN policy development processes.
AFRALO Current Participation Channels
AFRALO Teleconference Meetings:
ICANN provides AFRALO with the teleconference functionality and provide live translation service during the conference calls, it’s important that AFRALO utilize ICANN funding for the teleconference to enhance Africa participation in ICANN.
Minimum Participation: ALSes are encouraged to participate in AFRALO month teleconference, and maintain minimum of 50% of AFRALO yearly Teleconference “12 teleconference” ( 6 teleconference a year ). Any ALS that participates in less than 50% of the teleconferences will be considered un-active member.
AFRALO Mailing Lists:
AFRALO mailing list main objectives are:
- Maintaining and extending an information exchange channel to offer AFRALO members with ICANN news, policy updates, provide information on internet and domain names, exchange of documents and related publications, help identify AFRALO and ALS key people within specific ICANN policy areas, and much more.
- Coordinate the organization of and/or invitations to AFRALO meetings, seminars or AFRALO and ICANN conferences.
- A Platform to discuss the African Internet user’s issues.
- Improving interaction within AFRALO members and between ALS with each others.
AFRALO members with support from the AFRALO secretariat are encouraged to actively participate in AFRALO mailing list discussions and contribute to AFRALO requests for comments from the AFRALO secretariat or AFRALO leaders on ICANN policy discussion topics. African ALSes are also required to inform all their members of AFRALO activities and opportunities to participate, as well as any ICANN activities that may directly affect them.
Minimum Participation: it’s not hard measure mailing list postings but members are required to participate and post a in a minimum 1 discussed topic in a given month.
AFRALO Wiki:
The AFRALO wiki is an interactive tool allowing AFRALO members to easy create and edit of any AFRALO Web pages, using a simplified markup language or a WYSIWYG text editor, within the browser. AFRALO Wiki is used to create collaborative web space and to power community participation in ICANN policy topics, AFRALO members could contribute to wiki pages or create new topics pages for AFRALO community discussions
AFRALO Wiki : www.AFRALO.org or http://st.icann.org/AFRALO/
Minimum Participation: Online participation in wikis can differ from a member to another member, but AFRALO members should minimally contribute to one Wiki topic at a given month.
AFRALO General Assembly Meeting:
AFRALO, in coordination with and with support by, ICANN holds an annual General Assembly “GA” meeting (when possible) usually when ICANN holds its meetings in the Africa region. AFRALO with support from ICANN who provide travel support for all or some of AFRALO members (based on the availability of funds). AFRALO GA meetings are a perfect chance to have face-to-face meetings to discuss AFRALO organizational issues, discuss ICANN policy discussions, conduct elections, and any other issues AFRALO members agree to discuss.
Minimum Participation: African ALSes are encouraged to participate in AFRALO GA.
Comments
Comments on Draft Version:
Hi Mohamed and thank you for the great work. I have been very silent these days due an extremely busy calendar (workwise, family wise and health wise), not very easy to explain but I am surviving!
I would suggest to include our idea of providing "YELLOW" cards to warn not very involved ALS (less than 55% participation), "RED" cards to sound more serious about the warning (less than 40% participation) and "GREEN" cards will be allocated to the good achievers (more than 80% participation).
What do you think?
Best,
Fatimata
Submitted 7/7/2009
contributed by heidi.ullrich@icann.org on 2009-08-05 16:10:43 GMT
Fatimata,
i guess the document can be used an awareness document to be given to new ALS to inform they how to participate and what activity is required from them.
I happy to implement the cards ideas " GREEN - YELLOW -RED" to track the participation, but this will need a some work from our secretariat and staff to track the teleconference attendances and include this info in our Wiki, this will be very useful ..
What others think ?
Regards,
Mohamed
7/7/2009
contributed by heidi.ullrich@icann.org on 2009-08-05 16:14:57 GMT
Hi Mohamed,
This is a very good document. I have also a suggestion:
Apart all the listed mechanisms in place now, I would like a volunteer to send another reminder to the list at leat 48 hours before the monthly teleconference.
Thanks
Yaovi
15/07/2009
contributed by heidi.ullrich@icann.org on 2009-08-05 16:18:20 GMT
Dear Mohammed and others,
On 06 Jul 2009, at 8:28 PM, Mohamed EL Bashir wrote:
As i promised on last AfRALO Teleconferences, please find attached my
proposed document on AfRALO active participation document,The main
objective this document is to list the available AfRALO participation
channels and tools ( e.g AfRALO teleconferences, AfRALO mailing list,
.ect ), and set a minimum participation criteria for the
participation of AfRALO members in order to encourage an active
participation in ICANN policy development processes.
This is very kind of you and I agree with others comments that it is a great effort. Thank you!
The following are my personal comments and do not necessarily reflect the views of ISOC-ZA.
_Minimum Participation: ALS are encouraged to participate in AfRALO
month teleconference, and maintain minimum of 50% of AfRALO yearly
Teleconference “12 teleconference” ( 6 teleconference a year ). Any
ALS will be participate in less than 50% of the teleconferences will
be considered un-active member_.
I have participated in one teleconference and attempted to participate in two others. I am sorry that I found it very frustrating, it is challenging to deal with the poor telecommunications infrastructure in Africa. I found that combined with the challenge of real time translation it is not workable for me. At this stage I cannot find another volunteer who will do this. I suggest that another format must be used if you want to drive teleconference participation.
_Minimum Participation: it’s not hard measure mailing list postings but
members are required to participate and post a in a minimum 1
discussed topic in a given month_.
I have been through the mailing list and I'm not certain that there are sufficient topics relevant to African development to insist on this. In reality there are possibly only a couple of issues that ICANN touches on that really effect African users. I am not certain if this is one I will support although I am possibly missing the point.
_Minimum Participation: Online participation in wikis can differ from a
member to another member, but AfRALO members should minimally
contribute to one Wiki topic at a given month_.
Similar to mailing list.
_Minimum Participation: African ALS are encouraged to participate in
AfRALO GM_.
This is a generic requirement and probably the one that I most agree with although I suggest some minor changes.
African ALS are required to vote in every AFRalo decision ALSs are consulted on and require a vote (including appointment of new ALAC members, policy decisions, polls, etc.) Should any ALS not vote on any three consecutive voting opportunities they are removed as an ALS (there will need to be various warnings should there be a vote and this will need to be added to the bylaws if it is to hold any weight).
__
If there is any further participation requirement I would add:
- African ALS are required to inform all their members of AfRALO activities and opportunities to participate, as well as any ICANN activities that may directly effect them.
- African ALS are required to initiate and participate in any discussion that directly relates to African Internet Users.
Please feel free to flame me 
warm regards to you all,
Alan
15/07/2009
contributed by heidi.ullrich@icann.org on 2009-08-05 16:25:17 GMT
hi Alan,
I agree with your points and think it not useful that African RALOs are held to astandard of participation that no one else in the internet policy making is subject to (that I am aware of anyway).
apologies for the top posting.
regards,
McTim
15/07/2009
contributed by heidi.ullrich@icann.org on 2009-08-05 16:30:49 GMT
Alan,
I do agree with some of your point and disagree with others, find bellow my comments :
- The main intention is to first provide info on the participation tools for new African ALS, second is to encourage participation and have a benchmarking .
- it seems the lack of activity is the reason for losing your interest in participation " as you stated", how can we encourage this participation so active and knowledgeable professional like you can contribute " your suggestions will be useful" .
- I do agree with you that most of the ICANN policy topics are not of a prioritry for our region, we have more urgent issues now in terms of internet access, coverage and prices.
am sure in South Africa, one of the most advanced technically-economic African countries you facing important internt user's issue which is not in ICANN area .
Said that, we should not stop our participation and contributions to ICANN, someone like yourself and others could bring an African prospective when ICANN is discuss issues that will effect African Domain owners in the gTLD space . we need to extend this participation to more members-ALS not just few active persons .
- "If there is any further participation requirement I would add:
- African ALS are required to inform all their members of AfRALO activities and opportunities to participate, as well as any ICANN activities that may directly effect them.
- African ALS are required to initiate and participate in any discussion that directly relates to African Internet Users. "
I agree with your suggestions .. this is critical and special an active secretariat empowered with translation and simplifed documents prepared by ICANN specifically for At-Large .
- The mailing list could be used as a forum to discuss African Internet user's issue, it dose not have to be only ICANN policy topics .
Regards,
Mohamed
15/07/2009
contributed by heidi.ullrich@icann.org on 2009-08-05 16:32:42 GMT
McTim,
no body is enforcing any things on AfRALO, this is an internal RALO discussion to enhance our participation and have a meaningful outcomes of our participation. we have many other issues in Africa and many of the African ALS are working on it but that's dose not mean we should not activley participant and bring an African prospective to internet policy making .
Regards,
Mohamed
15/07/2009
contributed by heidi.ullrich@icann.org on 2009-08-05 16:34:49 GMT
Yaovi,
Thanks for volunteering, am gathering the comments raised in the mailing list to include them in the document .
we can discuss the mechanisms on how to make this approach work ..
Regards,
Mohamed
15/07/2009
contributed by heidi.ullrich@icann.org on 2009-08-05 16:37:21 GMT
—
Hi,
My name is Philippe and I come from Madagascar. I just log into this Afralo forum and my question is: Have you any contact or correspondent in Madagascar - My country ??
In case you have any contact there, It will be a honor for me to be part of this organization regarding 1/ all things you want to know about my country and 2/ all things my country could give as a contribution.
Regards,
Philippe
24/11/2009
contributed by tpmadio@gmail.com on 2009-11-24 09:59:16 GMT
