Page History

The ARIWG notes the disconnect between the “Issue” and the Proposal. There was a similar disconnect between the Issue and the Independent Review’s Recommendation without any explanation. Since that section of the report focused on travel funding allocation and not on RALO participation in regional events, the ALAC kept the intent of the Recommendation embodied in a more implementable proposal.

The implementation of the proposal will consist of an At-Large travel resources dashboard to be posted on the At-Large website and/or wiki to provide information on: 1) travel funding opportunities, including available funding sources; and 2) the use of funding resources distributed to members of At-Large and monitoring of their effectiveness against a set of agreed upon criteria.  

The dashboard would be a database that provides a more automated system to manage travel-related funding opportunities for At-Large.

The dashboard will also offer a streamlined process for applying for, and receiving approval from staff, for CROP trips, and to apply for RALO discretionary funding.

Regarding sources of trip funding allocation, existing information on At-Large costs could be referenced (pointed to) using existing ICANN documentation. For members of At-Large who are granted travel support to either ICANN Meetings or to meetings using other sources of funding, information could be posted and monitored through reports incorporating feedback on agreed criteria.  

Potential Next Steps following Implementation:

As resources and priorities allow, the dashboard might be expanded into a broader outreach and engagement dashboard that would serve as a source of information and materials related to At-Large outreach and engagement related to policy advice development.

Such an expanded outreach and engagement dashboard would provide information of upcoming relevant meetings and conferences within the region and identify which meetings will include ICANN GSE staff. A calendar of upcoming regional events would be included.

In addition, the outreach and engagement dashboard would offer an up-to-date list of potential sponsors and partners, their requirements and lead times within the regions so that regional  leaders could explore funding opportunities for a particular activity.

To be effective, there would need to be a more formal and consistent partnership between At-Large members of the ALAC Sub-committee on Outreach and Engagement, senior At-Large support staff and the GSE regional staff/offices..

The outreach and engagement dashboard would also be a source of At-Large promotional materials, including RALO brochures, policy advice materials, introduction to At-Large slide decks, links to ICANN Learn courses on At-large, At-Large Beginners Guides, etc. This would allow At-Large members to easily review and access promotional materials for use in their policy outreach and engagement activities.

Finally, the At-Large social media fora, such as the At-Large Facebook and Twitter feeds would be posted on the At-Large outreach and engagement travel opportunity dashboard to allow At-Large members to easily keep up-to-date on At-Large activities.

June 2019 update:

Development of a single location (Wiki or website based) which will point to travel funding opportunities and for links to documentation of what resources were ultimately distributed for use in outreach and engagement, so as to provide a more systematic documentation of RALO participation in regional events.

This Issue has undergone substantial implementation at this stage, though planning was originally done in relation to the FY19 Budget general allocations, rather than any specific to ARI work, noting the following points:

• Data was available on utilisation of the RALO Discretionary Funds and the respective events attended and local engagement activities .
• Staff resources were available for the creation of the travel dashboard.
• Following implementation of the travel dashboard, if At-Large continues to build upon the dashboard for outreach and engagement purposes, an agreed method for closer collaboration with At-Large members of the Sub-Committee on Outreach and Engagement, Senior At-Large support staff and GSE regional staff/offices will be required.

A sampling of the easy to read and graphic clarity that this dashboard style presentation of analysed data is shown with the following excerpt from materials new collated in a dedicated Wiki workspace area showing analysis of 2019 usage of RALO Discretionary Funding and CROP activities.

Resources and Usage Portal Excerpt - 2019 FY usage of Discretionary funds...

Discretionary Funds have played an important role in local engagement and have necessitated local travel and engagement with an 89% fund utilisation. Discretionary funds had a balance of $2,135 accounting resulting in 11% of discretionary funds being under-utilised as at the end of May 2019.

Fig. 3 YTD Usage of allocated Discretionary Funds in 2019 FY

According to the available statistics on fund utilisation, AFRALO utilised all of its funds allocated while LACRALO had a balance of $1,300 funds that were not utilised. Other regions distribution of funds are allocated in the chart below.

Fig. 4  A detailed breakdown on specific utilisation of the funds can be found RALO Requests for Funding to support an Outreach Activity

Local Engagement Activities

The discretionary funds have been used for local engagement travels, ICANN Readouts hosted by various ALSes per region and printing of materials at the various events. In addition, local printing of a promotional materials and support of event catering for local engagement activities have been funded.

Community Regional Outreach Program (CROP)

CROP has played a great role in RALO represented events. Even without CROP funding, RALOs still participate in events where they have conducted outreach. During FY19, there has been almost full use of CROP funds that has enabled collaboration and engagement in various events. Also with the pledge to contribute to regional Internet development with various stakeholders, all RALOs have MOUs signed and participation and collaboration with regional partner organisations which facilitate RALO member participation in the various events.

The reduction of CROP slots from 5 slots to 3 slots and introduction of RALO discretionary funds has contributed to a substantial increase in local engagement activities despite the fact that discretionary funds have been utilised as an alternative for travel support to various events which acts as an alternative to CROP.