Candidate Statement 2017

Dear NCUC members,

This is my candidate statement for the position of NCUC Chair. I hope
you do not mind if I take a few minutes of your day to speak with you
directly about why I am running for this seat, and what I can bring to
the table.

I hope this is the beginning of an ongoing conversation.

The NCUC is a fantastic group, and this election has great candidates
for all the positions, so we should take this moment to reflect on
what we have accomplished so far and what could be the next steps. I'm
grateful for all of the expressions of support that I received on-list
and privately. It really has been very humbling.

###Experience in ICANN

My first involvement with ICANN was in Buenos Aires for ICANN 53
(2015). At this meeting, I was an ICANN Fellow, and since then I have
joined working groups as an observer, have volunteered widely
throughout the community, and have had the privilege of serving as an
alternate - and have been appointed to important committees, such as
the GNSO’s Standing Selection Committee - as a full, voting member. My
first leadership position within ICANN was as the representative for
Latin America and the Caribbean on the NCUC Executive Committee. If
you sometimes think I talk too much about my region, that’s why. I was
elected to do that and also to help outreach and inreach globally. I
have taken my role on the NCUC Executive Committee very seriously, and
if I was to become Chair, I’d definitely make a point to continue what
I’m doing -- but with a global focus. In addition, I have been an
ICANN Coach and Mentor multiple times. It’s one of my favourite roles.
I love teaching and helping others realise their full potential. It is
why I defend teaching so much and respect acquired experience that I
will always use the wisdom of the veterans and work towards NCUC
goals. I also understand NCUC goals and our limited mission which is
to work on domain name policy and not always broader internet
governance issues.

###Vision of ICANN and NCUC

ICANN is a great Internet policy space, and specialising in
DNS-related themes is a pathway towards understanding much larger
issues which would greatly benefit from civil society engagement and
energy. The NCUC has grown significantly since I joined, and this is
definitely due to the amazing commitment and inspiration that our
members instill in newcomers of this group. The NCUC is dynamic and
combative, being vocal when there are truths which need to be spoken.
Not only is NCUC "the conscience" of ICANN but also its arms and legs;
without the movement that civil society brings to debates on Internet
policy issues, ICANN would have no destiny.

###Short, mid and long term goals

I have been reflecting deeply on whether or not I should accept this
nomination. It was not an easy decision for me to make, because I have
really enjoyed serving my region on the Executive Committee, and I
knew that I would only be reading to step forward and take on the role
of Chair if I thought I could really bring something new to the table.
I think that I can, and I’d like to explain to you what that is. The
role of the Chair is to work with the other elected Executive
Committee members to strengthen  the NCUC's strategic plan. It
requires a strong coach to help mould the other members into being
good teachers themselves, and it requires someone who can help build
consensus. I have experience in doing both of these things. There are
also a few actions which I believe NCUC leadership can work together
with our energised members to achieve mutual goals.

Short-term goal: My immediate priority if elected will be to increase
our in-reach efforts. We’ve got so many great members, and I want to
help people like you become more engaged in our policy work. I’ll
begin by mapping out NCUC members who are involved  in working groups,
and then I’ll see what skill gaps exist and what knowledge and
interests others have which are not being utilised. In 2018, the need
for this work is growing in urgency because the NCUC has updated its
bylaws and developed new operating procedures. The time is now to
harness YOU and all that you bring to the table, so we can have more
and more successes in the ICANN policy space. We'll also work together
for putting into practice projects NCUC has started recently, like our
policy writing course.

Mid-term goal: I will look to build an ideal quotient of participation
in working groups, aiming to redistribute the workload among our
currently active volunteers so to reduce burn-out. I believe that the
NCUC leadership should work more closely with the NCSG’s Policy
Committee, helping build effective participation in working groups and
creating process flows to help manage volunteers workload.

Long-term goal: I will work on following and applying our operating
procedures for the NCUC. My idea is to focus on how can we routinely,
and without missing anyone, consistently run our in-reach and outreach
capacity building efforts? I will also explore innovative new
strategies for expanding the NCUC budget. Together with member
collaboration we will apply for grants, find new donors, and expand
our travel support programme and the NCUC Fellowship.

###About me

I'm from the northeast of Brazil. I live in Fortaleza, Ceará state.
Here I'm a researcher, teacher, and founder of a research collective.
I am very involved in Internet governance activities outside of ICANN.
You might already know that I am on the Multistakeholder Advisory
Group of the United Nations Internet Governance Forum, where I am a
voice for civil society. Other communities I participate in are the
Internet Freedom Festival, and the Fórum da Internet do Brasil
(Internet Governance Forum Brazil). I have participated in Schools of
Internet Governance in Brazil, India, and the United States. I earned
a PhD in education from the Catholic University of São Paulo in 2012.
Prior to this, I  lived in the United Kingdom for 4 years and studied
my Master’s degree at the University of Westminster, graduating in
2003. I earned my Bachelor’s degree in Journalism from PUC-SP 1998.

I maintain a blog in Portuguese:

https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__pesquisaeducacao.wordpress.com&d=DwIGaQ&c=FmY1u3PJp6wrcrwll3mSVzgfkbPSS6sJms7xcl4I5cM&r=1A9IIOkJia11FXDmJ1R4Jn7wGT4ExHiVuBF89mvNt_Q&m=Fel8q9bV6AwG2mzvhgJFSwcc_uH-FArfBD9UXVm1fSk&s=dDDdWMVkjexSewvVE0-D3StpSRuEHhFbsKkRiCqaZ40&e=

I keep my ICANN Statement of Interest updated:

https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__community.icann.org_display_gnsosoi_Renata-2BAquino-2BRibeiro-2BSOI&d=DwIGaQ&c=FmY1u3PJp6wrcrwll3mSVzgfkbPSS6sJms7xcl4I5cM&r=1A9IIOkJia11FXDmJ1R4Jn7wGT4ExHiVuBF89mvNt_Q&m=Fel8q9bV6AwG2mzvhgJFSwcc_uH-FArfBD9UXVm1fSk&s=VPs3Sg71m9hhqhJ6CdoGvXJWOonEFPAGEAhNpyX_9hI&e=

This is my statement as a candidate for NCUC Chair. 

As most of you know, I have held many roles within NCSG and NCUC already. 

I won’t try to list my entire experience, but I have been an NCSG GNSO Councillor for four years, two of those as Vice-Chair of the Council, I have served on the NCUC EC, and served briefly as acting chair in 2013 when Konstantinos Komaitos stepped down. And I have held other roles within ICANN, including part of the first Security Stability and Resiliency Review Team (a useful role to interact with parts of ICANN that NCUC often has limited interaction with) and I have been part of multiple policy development processes, currently one of the Vice-Chair of the Next Generation RDS Working Group that aims to replace the WHOIS system. I’ve also been involved outside ICANN, including several years as Chair of Electronic Frontiers Australia, and involvement in several other digital rights campaigns and groups. 
I believe my experience within ICANN and the digital rights movement speaks for itself. 

I was asked to run for NCUC chair by some colleagues, and on reflection I agreed with their reasoning. 

NCUC needs a chair with strong experience, not just within NCUC, but within the broader range of activities that ICANN performs. 

NCUC Exec Committee is an excellent position for someone relatively inexperienced in NCUC and ICANN, but Chair is different. NCUC Chair interacts regularly with ICANN staff, particularly over funding and travel and staff support. NCUC Chair regularly is involved in discussions regarding the entire community, discussions that involve the other ACs and SOs and senior staff and benefit from a strong understanding of how the entire organisation works, and as we move into the Empowered Community era this need is becoming stronger. And as ICANN policy work is the primary reason for NCUC to exit, the Chair needs to be someone with a strong understanding of policy work, who understands the various processes we go through well. 

I believe that I am the only candidate in this election that has the experience to move into those parts of the chair role quickly and with full understanding of how NCUC operates within the complex system that is ICANN. 

However, I do not believe that you should vote for me for that reason alone, and I certainly have policies that I am keen on implementing. 

I would like to see an outreach strategy that does not depend on simply adding events to ICANN meetings, and is not dependent on the work of individual EC representative, no matter how talented. I would work towards documented strategies for each region including major events that we will plan to have representative at, and planning documents that EC members can hand on to their successors. 

I do think that the current EC policies are working well for a transparent, reasonable, yet fair and pragmatic approach to travel funding, and will strongly agree that we need to keep working to build on that work.We began the move towards a more transparent process for travel funding when I was interim chair in 2013, and I am glad to see that process continuing. 

I believe that NCUC needs to keep considering its own policy independence, and while we should try to work through the NCSG Policy Committee wherever possible, there are times when NCUC may want to take action on its own, such as presenting policy proposals.  

I will continue the great work done this year on on boarding, in reach, and policy training. We need to bring more of our great volunteers into becoming effective participants in policy working groups. We may need to have strategy sessions where we talk to policy veterans, staff and outside policy experts to build programs to help people make the transition to active policy workers. Our policy veterans are overworked and spread thin, yet our new volunteers are often finding that working groups are dense and intimidating and difficult to contribute to as a newcomer, and we need to work to fix that. This is a huge issue for NCUC, and a lot of work has gone into addressing it but there is still more to do. 

I want to see a process of planning our outreach activities that strives to find where NCSG and NPOC efforts are complementary to NCUC, and do what we can to build on those issues by default. We too often duplicate efforts that do not make effective use of our scarce resources. 

I want to see a more open, flexible process for NCUC budget requests  that actively involves not just the NCUC but other experienced volunteers. 

I want to see NCUC supplement the ICANN Harassment policy and code of conduct with our own processes that will allow us to pick up behaviour issues within our group before they become a crisis and need to be referred to formal processes like the ombudsman. Not a new set of codes of conduct or other rules, but practical systems to ensure that new people coming in to ICANN are aware of the mechanisms to protect them, and know of some names of people who can be trusted to give them practical advice and assistance if issues occur. I am aware of some issues with relatively new volunteers in the last few years experiencing problems with interpersonal behaviour from other participants and not knowing how to deal with them. And I have become aware of gaps in the existing mechanisms. I want to raise our standards. 

Dear All, 

please find my statement below. I am sorry to be long but it demonstrates the complexity level our constituency has reached. For a better lisibility, you can read the document on google drive here[docs.google.com] (read-only).

 

* Name, declared region of residence, gender, employment, other volunteering experience

Farell FOLLY, Africa, Male, IT Security Expert – Network Engineer; Technology Champion of Africa 2.0 Foundation (www.africa2point0.org[africa2point0.org])

* Any conflicts of interest: None.

 

1.     Why?

The NCUC is an important actor within the ICANN ecosystem. As you know, we are the voice of all “potential” domain name registrants and non-commercial Internet users. We advocate for the rights of consumers, non-commercial entities, and individual users of the Domain Name System. Today, the NCUC is bigger than ever and dealing with more and more consequential issues. From a recent report on ICANN diversity data[afnic.fr], ICANN must acknowledge this evolution, and if the NCUC handles this diversity issue in an elegant and appropriate way, we can become a model for others to follow. Becoming more diverse will also help make more democratic decisions, foster richer debate, create more efficient policy, and build greater institutional legitimacy and vitality. I want to serve on the Executive Committee as your Chair to promote diversity across our membership, discussions and leadership positions -- and show the rest of the ICANN community what we are doing right.

 

2.     About me

I have a Master of Sciences in Telecommunications and Computer Networks from the Royal Military Academy of Brussels, Belgium, where I lived for seven years from 2001 – 2008. I had a field grade of Capt when I worked for the United States Africa Command stationed in Stuttgart, Germany. I was working group chairman and technical director of the Africa Endeavour program which aims at improving communication interoperability among armed forces from Africa, US, and NATO countries. When I left the army as an active officer, I worked in the telecommunications regulatory area, ICT promotion and Internet governance; and have many times chaired workings groups and organized conferences/workshops.

 

My journey into the ICANN community began in 2013 when I met the former CEO, Fadi Chehadé, at IGF 2013 and discussed diversity issues. However, as a network engineer, I started working with IANA a long time ago to implement IPv4 networks with its supporting protocols. I began contributing in ICANN ASO through my membership in the Africa Internet Registry (AFRINIC) in 2012. Subsequently, I entered the DNS area with discussions on ccTLDs and realized that still much more work needed to be done in this field compare to IP domain which was mostly concerned about the migration from IPv4 to IPv6. Consequently, I responded to the GNSO call in 2015 for volunteers to contribute to the next-Gen RDS PDP.

Last year, while working for the United Nations in Mali, I decided to pursue a PhD in Cybersecurity and the Internet of Things (IoT). In fact, many recent reports proved once more that DNS implementation are very (if not the most) concerned with cyberattacks within the Internet ecosystem, while IoT tends to complexify the situation.

 

3.    Time commitment

As a researcher I have a flexible timetable and can devote as much time as is needed to accomplish NCUC tasks, such as preparing for meetings, conferences, and outreach events. In general, I will make myself available for at least 10 hours per week, and up to 20 hours if needed, to grow the NCUC.

4.    Communication

My communication strategy will adapt to the three types of audiences that the NCUC encompasses: newcomers, (engaged) members, and the global community/others stakeholders.

When I joined the NCUC, I found it very difficult as a newcomer to understand the ecosystem. I did not want my hand held, however, without an intrinsic motivation, I firmly believe that no newcomer can reach an acceptable level of engagement. I recognize the efforts of the current leadership team to implement the onboarding program, the FAQ, and focal points to coach newcomers, but I think there is still room for improvement. Therefore, I will use monthly webinars targeted at newcomers so that EC and focal points can discuss the NCUC’s mission and objectives with them, and they can also express their own views and positions, so that an efficient coaching mechanism can be launched at an earlier stage of their membership.

With all engaged members, discussions will happen using the traditional discussion lists, webinars, periodic meetings and any other channel that seems appropriate for a particular situation (Adobe, Skype, WhatsApp, etc.). The more a member shows engagement to the NCUC, the more likely he/she is to receive a grant or travel support which he/she applies for. Decision-making processes will always be democratic, transparent, and objective.

Our website, Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook will be used to reach out and engage more with the community. Capacity building and outreach events will be conducted periodically and assessed to ensure they are successful. I will encourage engaged members to maintain blogs and talk about their work engagement in order to demonstrate to others what they are doing within our community that reflects NCUC mission.

 

5.    Plan and goals

I will focus on fostering diversity, membership efficiency, setting up a roadmap for the NCUC, and on fundraising to ensure our long-term sustainability and the enlargement of our endowment so that we can support the participation of more and more members to attend ICANN meetings.

 

About the roadmap

The most critical thing I will work on after being sworn in as Chair is setting up a clear roadmap for the NCUC. In fact, we have already updated our bylaws and written for the first time our operational procedures, with thanks to the current leadership and their determination to achieve that. What we now need is to have a steady leadership and management capacity. For me, that means that we need to set up at least a five-year agenda (the timescale can be discussed later) associated with our vision and objectives. EC term is a maximum of two consecutive one-year terms, that is quite enough but if we keep letting the Chair decide the mid- and long-term goals for the constituency, we’ll keep changing goals every election, and this will compromise our efficiency. Once we have our roadmap, all newly elected Chairs must reasonably comply with this vision, but they will of course have the autonomy to chart the course to achieve the objectives using their own methods, means, and style. Setting up a longer-term agenda for the NCUC will be a collaborative work with all the members, and it can be reviewed periodically to cope with changes in the ecosystem. Policies related to users/data privacy and human rights will have a bigger place in that agenda.

 

Diversity

Diversity will guide every single decision I take as Chair. Following the recent report of ICANN on diversity[community.icann.org], I would like the NCUC be the model and reference point for diversity within Internet governance ecosystem. We cannot continue talking on behalf of the vast majority of Internet users we claim to defend without increasing their means to engage with us. Those “potential” Internet users are mostly non-native English speakers, living in developing countries with a very weak Internet access and are to be affected by most of our decisions. Language barriers prevent many of our current NCUC members from fully participating in discussions. I am a candidate that intends to represent and promote that diversity. If I am elected as chair I will increase our diversity using the following ICANN and community-recognized set of criteria[community.icann.org]:

 

• Geographical origin: to make sure that everybody counts, especially under-represented voices.
• Language: during my term as chair, I will work on implementing means to facilitate spontaneous discussions in two or more languages (out of the seven ICANN recognised languages) within the discussions lists.
• Gender: we will seek gender balance among our membership, leading by example
• Backgrounds and Ideology: I will seek for balance between all kind of members: technical, legal, lawyers, academic, sociologist, journalists, random users, arts, etc.
• Last but not least, openness is also a very critical criterion for diversity. It will favor newcomers, women membership and youth innovation.

 

It is also recognised that there are other forms of diversity (including age, professional experience, sexual orientation, nationality, parents); the above criteria is not set in stone nor should it be seen as fixed.

 

Membership

Our membership is so critical to our growth because it can offer us the human resources and the skills required to accomplish our mission. Therefore, it won’t be enough to solely rely on the number of members. I will measure my success not by growing our membership, but by making sure we have the right people in our constituency, and that they are ready to work and to deliver the necessary changes. Focal points will have a crucial role in engaging with members in policy discussions and will lead NCUC sub-teams to get involved in their associated area of expertise. Consequently, call for public comments will be directed to sub-teams first, before proceeding in a reasonably hierarchical manner throughout the membership, NCSG Policy Committee, and Executive Committee. In addition, internal mechanisms to recognize the efforts of valuable people will be put in place in order to stimulate and reward active engagement. Furthermore, we will have set metrics to approve outreach events, and equally, metrics to assess their effectiveness and return on investment.

 

Funding

The organization is getting bigger but our endowment and resources are not growing at the same pace. Consequently, we need to work on a funding plan that will support our agenda. Together with the EC, we’ll work on how we can get more funding. I am sure that several members, myself included, have strong networking connections that we can leverage to raise funds.

 

-- 

Regards

@__f_f__

https://www.linkedin.com/in/farellf[linkedin.com]  

 

* Name, declared region of residence, gender and employment;

Krishna Seeburn (Kris)
Africa
Male
Consultant /Professor

 * Any conflicts of interest; - None

Questions:

1.  Why do you want to serve on the EC?

I am just willing to give and share my interest, knowledge and bring knowhow to the table and also learn more of how we can improve and strive for best interest of the membership and the constituency.

1.  Provide a brief biography of recent experience, associations, and affiliations relevant to serving on the Executive Committee. Describe the relevance of your personal and professional experience to serve on the NCUC Executive Committee, and identify any conflicts of interests you might have.

Senior Fellow of IEEE and sit on Standards Association, Chartered Engineers as much as Fellow and CITP of British Computer Society - Also evaluation of potential new members for certification, Participated in SFIA in varied areas, Certified Member of ISACA and sit on various WG from cybersecurity, Audit, Chapter evaluations and have been chair of academic programs committee and member of knowledge committee and still serve as liaison to Government Auditors for ISACA as observer and contributor. Been on the Afrinic Board for 6 Years served as chair on audit and finance committee and last as chair of fees review committee i created with the community to move this decision forward. Not completed. I also serve as member of varied blockchain, IoT and other memberships in EFF etc., as much as IGF.

1.  The EC performs several functional responsibilities for the Constituency. What level of time commitment can you bring to your EC role on a weekly and overall basis? Describe any concerns or limitations on your ability to attend online meetings of the Executive Committee and ICANN Meetings in person.

I don’t have a committed concern on this point since i have and i make time unless i am really taken by when i am flying somewhere.Else i commit myself to the work and meetings needed to be prepared for without any hiccups.As i do with my other commitments to the ICANN Was

1.  Communication with the membership is critical. How would you keep members apprised of your EC-related activities?

This is a failing factor in the constituency. As much as we know is as much as we do not know. Communications is not only emails it also comes down to a one to one as frustration builds over time. Emails are good runners but not the right appropriate as it is impersonal. There are two sets of communication which is failing today to our constituency and towards the council and board as a whole. We are sitting on the verge of complete breakdown. People or constituency members do not participate fully as they feel overwhelmed by others. So the need to get members to participate is a high priority.

1.  How do you foresee NCUC’s function, scale, or role changing in the future? 

With the charter changes on the table to be approved there are changes that will happen but we need to align ourselves with the current situation and challenges of today and no the past. The intention is to ensure that NCUC walks no limps as it is today, There is much to be done with membership to look at the reality face to face.

1. What areas of ICANN policy, if any, need more attention and why? Incumbent candidates should answer in a manner that is both backward and forward looking, i.e. taking note of their contributions and work in the previous year.

There are 5 WT on the table today and some have been around for years and have come back to the table for discussions and some are not even moving forward due to vested interest. This issue cannot go on forever as we need to move them forward. The complexity and mix of people is what makes the situation un evolved. There are areas which has really moved and some which really needs a foot down to ensure the consensus but also need a lot of work to come to achieve the required solution. A middle ground that moves everyone in line forward. The history has shown us how lame w have become and we cannot continue the same way, It needs to move forward not backward in some areas. Two such areas is RDS and Geonames will take full precedence as we move. RDS is and has come to a standstill. So it is not the numbers that counts it is the ideas that finds the middle ground that can even move forward else these will go stop stall mate again.

=========================

I will try to keep it as short as possible.I’ve been on the list for more than 5 years but i never intervened as i was serving on the AFRINIC board and i felt it would be a conflict of interest and interpreted as a board member from an RIR giving views. So as much as it is i try to be as much as ethical about these matters. I leave personal judgement behind and look at the house in a view that the NCUC takes a different turn and re-achieves its glaring light not with the judgement that other houses pass on to GNSO and all its constituencies within. 

I am from Mauritius but that does not make me less african than any african countries. I have always believed in the potential of human beings there are no lesser ones as we are equal and opportunities and learning that makes us different in our knowledge and understanding. Cultural differences is what makes the garden bloom and looks beautiful and bring the natural delight of different views to the table. 

I’ve been on all five WT so far and at times i feel frustrated that we cannot a iota. There are big numbers of people on list that i have had pleasure to meet. Be up with the difference of thinking which is understandable and if everyone were to think the same way perhaps there would be nothing interesting. I also am a member of the ALAC as much as NCSG. But my background of the internet involvement started from the AFRINIC RIR. I spent a year as Nomcom and i ended on the list to be elected as Board. I learned one thing you never know enough and you keep learning, i chaired the finance and also audit committees. My background has those knowledges as i walked through it, ISOC was my other love that i believe in and got to be one of the Moderators.

In ending i will not say or even dare say what my vision or objectives will be because i see challenges everywhere and within a leadership position our personal views are also dictated by its membership it is not a one person show but i believe and stand the view that a Chair helps drive and ensure the stability by listening, understanding and then make up the right views in the interest of all. We never can keep all happy but it surely states that it is not a position of dictatorship but of listening and guidance and i of all like to see consensus before moving but surely when its a fight it needs order and compassion and understanding all because of cultural challenges.

This is the only statement i bring forward as i believe in being practical and objective. 

I take this time to thank Fouad who has belief in me and ability. I also believe in the abilities of the many others as well and humbly request everyone to be objective in their decision be it me or others i respect that notion as we are freewill people.

Thank you again as we fight for a better internet which is a challenge more and more these days. Have a nice week-end to all.

Dear all,

Please find my statement of interest below.

Hope the length does not stop you from connecting and contributing. Feel free to reach out, should you have any questions!

About me

I hold both a French and a Brazilian nationality and am currently pursuing my Masters on Media and Communications (Data and Society) at the London School of Economics and Political Science and working as a researcher on cybersecurity and digital rights at the Igarapé Institute (a think and do tank focused on security, justice and development). My personal experience is concentrated on the blurry intersection between civil society and academic work — where I have been exposed to constant policy-oriented interactions across different stakeholder groups. 

Throughout these past few years, I have had the opportunity of engaging in multiple Internet governance-related spaces, such as the national, regional and international IGFs as well as working and taking part in capacity building initiatives for youth engagement at the national and regional level. Also, my experience as a researcher includes consultancy for UNESCO’s project on multistakeholderism, two years at the Center for Technology and Society at FGV (CTS-FGV) working on Internet governance, security and privacy issues, participation at the BRICS Youth Forum (2017) and approximately three years at the Center for Strategic and Political Studies at the Naval War College in Brazil. Also, I have participated in Internet governance schools in the US, Brazil, and Argentina.

NCUC

I first joined NCUC through my previous organization and have shifted to individual participation for a year now. It took me some days to think about accepting the nomination and, although it becomes quite evident that the Brazilian part of my identity is translated into my experience, I do believe that benefits bridge-building instead of silos within the collective work of the EC. However, this does not come detached from the fact that I am, and have been interacting, living and working in highly internationalized environments for quite some time, especially in the EU and US. As previously noted, confluence is essential in coordinating a balanced, ”hands-on” and region-sensitive EC.

Since February, I have had the amazing opportunity to learn and work alongside Kathy Kleiman and Ayden Férdeline on the Community Onboarding Program as well as participating both at ICANN58 and ICANN59. For those who are not yet acquainted, the Onboarding program involves groups from almost all constituencies and seeks to work on mentorship and effective engagement of newcomers. Throughout this process we elaborated a series of documents to be weekly distributed to all newcomers in the course of seven weeks to give a “bird's eye view” — what can also be called ICANN in "bite-sized pieces" of what we do and how people can get involved — which, gladly, is up and running after working closely with feedback from the EC and with the support of the NCUC Chair. 

This leads me directly to the main concerns and proposals. 

Main Concerns and Proposals

Europe

My primary role, should you entrust me with the position of EC in Europe, would be to constantly reach out to civil society groups in the region (not only for outreach, but mainly to touch base and maintain a steady relationship by informing them what we have been doing in NCUC vis à vis civil society organizations in IG-related spaces; i.e.: EuroDig). Also, I would work to send notifications about opportunities, conferences as well as inform and support CROP funding applications from the region.

Continuity

The NCUC Chair, along with the EC has done excellent work in laying fundamental grounds for the next steps in NCUC's governance structure. The previous EC embraced big tasks by focusing on outreach, governance, transparency, and accountability — particular attention should be paid to the comments and inputs from ICANN staff on NCUC’s bylaw review, as well as the establishment of NCUC Procedural Rules. As potential EC for Europe, I believe the next goal would be to work together on the implementation of the procedures and guarantee close communication throughout this process.

The “inreach" side of the outreach

NCUC’s membership is thriving! We have been organizing a series of outreach activities in different regions and stimulating the construction of diversity within non-commercial interests. However, with outreach comes the question of inreach: (i) how to get people to stay and (ii) how to become an active member and get involved in policy practices. My experience as part of the Onboarding program and the mentorship process has positively caught my attention to this particular issue. As part of the EC I look forward to working on mechanisms for us to structure points of reference and build a network that can effectively connect newcomer’s interests with what we have been doing (be it in a more admin side or policy development). While the Onboarding seeks to translate these processes, we need to have an EC that can liaise and bridge. With that in mind, I have developed a newcomer’s guide specifically for the Rights Protection Mechanisms working group, so that people who are interested can identify potential points of entrance to the debate. 

Many thanks,

-- 

LOUISE MARIE HUREL

Center for Political and Strategic Studies at the Naval War College - Brazil

London School of Economics (LSE) Media and Communications (Data and Society)
Skype: louise.dias
+44 (0) 7468 906327
l.h.dias@lse.ac.uk 

louise.marie.hsd@gmail.com 

Hi all, 

 

Please find my statement of interest, thank you once again Bonface and those supporting me for the NCUC Africa Representative Position.

---- 

Name:Yolanda,
Region: Africa, 
Gender: Female

Organisations/Affiliations:  Internet Society Gauteng Chapter (ISOC GP)  and Southern African Emerging Leaders on Internet Governance (SAELIG)

Title: Marketing and Communications Officer (ISOC GP) and Co-founder (SAELIG) 

no conflict of interest

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About me and my current projects:

I am a vibrant and motivated young woman in the field of Internet governance (IG) and communications. I hold a Bachelor of Arts (Hons) in International Relations and Media Studies from Witwatersrand University (Wits). While at Wits I conducted a short research study which focused on the growing politicization of intelligence services in constitutional democracies like South Africa, the paper sought to explore the intersection between new media, privacy, surveillance and politics in modern democratic states. I started off my career in IG as a Google Policy Fellow for a year where I was hosted at the Association for Progressive Communications (APC). At APC I worked extensively on the African School on Internet Governance as resource person for 2 consecutive years and on the African Declaration on Internet Rights and Freedoms. I am a member of the Internet Society Gauteng chapter where I am currently serving as an executive board member, leading the communications and marketing office. I am also the co-founder of Southern African Emerging Leaders on Internet Governance (SAELIG) which is an online youth community interested in providing a platform for young people to participate in IG through a youth perspective. I am also a project manager at Kantar Added Value.

Some of my Internet Governance Fellowships and awards:

Internet society Ambassador 2016

Communications Research Policy Scholar South

African School on Internet Governance Graduate

Google Policy Felow

Youth@IGF Internet Society Online

I have attended numerous African meetings and spoke a various panels locally and regionally.

 

 The current projects I currently co-manage at ISOC GP and SAELIG are:

1.      Digital Schools – Online Youth Content Development in Rural South Africa

The digital schools project partners with 8 rural high schools in South Africa where young people will be taught and encouraged to upload content in their vernacular languages online. The aim of the project is to build capacity at a young age to truly make the internet accessible and diverse for all.

2.      ICANNWiki translation project in collaboration with ICANNWiki, the South African Central Registry (ZACR[registry.net.za]) and 2 local SA Universities. 

This project will span for 12 months where young people from rural South African with assistance from local Universities will translate ICANN policy/IG into their local language. Some of the aims of this project is to:

a.      Build communities of non-commercial users to start a dialogue around internet policy and ICANN

b.      Activate awareness and interest around ICANN Policy and internet governance through a human rights lens 

c.       Build capacity and empower end users to use the internet for personal and community growth.

 

3.      South African Internet Governance Forum 2017 Planning Committee (Internet Society Gauteng Chapter and South African Domain Name Authority ZADNA).

 

4.      Research Report for the Global Information Society Watch (GISW) on the South African Internet Governance Landscape to be published at the global IGF 2017.

 
I believe that the work that I do is a perfect fit to serve on the EC as an African representative. My roots are deeply entrenched in Africa and I have so much hope and vision for my continent. Moreover, I believe that the work the NCUC and the EC hopes to achieve are relate to the work I currently do. To me, the most important thing is for the voice of the people to be heard and the only way that can be achieved is through creating enabling environments.

Why I would like to serve on the EC as the Africa rep

Africa’s active and meaningful participation in all fronts of global internet policy is important to me. ICANN in particular is a complex matrix and an intimidating space for non-commercial users to meaningfully participate and contribute to its policies. NCUC has provided a platform for civil society and ordinary users of the internet to be part of the ICANN conversation and in recent years African involvement at ICANN has grown to be increasingly important especially with the release of .Africa. The 2016 Africa DNS Market study showed that there are only 1.4 million registrations of gTLDs by African entities, with approx. 1% of gTLD domains being registered by Africans. While these statistics may depict an unfavorable story for Africa, it also represents a window of opportunity for NCUC to play a key role alongside ICANN in outreach and advocating for a robust and open DNS culture in Africa. 

Firstly, I believe an NCUC outreach should be bigger than just an ICANN Event in Africa. Secondly, an African representative should be one that sees the work of NCUC to fit broadly within Internet Governance and not just ICANN. By this I mean, outreach and educating members of the public and interested civil society organizations should not only happen when there is an ICANN meeting in Africa. I would like to spark a culture within NCUC African members to feel like ambassadors of NCUC (breakdown of this in my strategy for NCUC Africa). I want to serve on the EC so that I sensitize the current work that the EC does to the real complexities of Africa such as the real barriers caused by socio-economic conditions. Moreover, I want to serve on the EC to represent a group of people who are committed in spearheading the noncommerical voice in DNS policy in Africa and globally. What is currently missing at this point is an African perspective to the work that NCUC does and this is something I picked up on during the Johannesburg Outreach Event which I assisted in planning. While I respect that NCUC is a global constituency with a global perspective in mind, it is equally important to embrace, celebrate and tie the global vision to a local vision. This is a strategy and goal that I want to bring to the EC (through the African constituency) as this will better assist in the way NCUC engages in Africa and how Africa engages within NCUC and ICANN broadly. 

My strategy if I were to be elected as the Africa NCUC Rep

Continuing efforts to activate the African voice and participation in NCUC discussion and policy developments is a must (both with existing members and recruitment of new members). This will entail:

a.      In-reach

                                                              i.      The current webinar initiative is a great one and I believe that should continue. It is a great way to discuss NCUC core value and mission with an African perspective. The webinars also form a great way to inform best ways to carry outreach events in the region

                                                            ii.      Peer-to-peer buddy system within NCUC Africa to help new African members engage and participate effectively within NCUC largely will help in strengthening the NCUC community and African participation within NCUC. The number of new Africans joining NCUC is increasing, and will increase even more. While NCUC as a whole is running initiatives to onboard new members, I also think there is a need to mentor or at least help new African members by Africans. The spirit of Ubuntu must follow us everywhere we go, charity truly begins at home!

b.      Outreach 

                                                              i.      NCUC outreach events in Africa do not have to wait for an ICANN meeting. As NCUC African members we should try and map out Internet Governance events that we will attending in the region and see how best can we (even if in a small way) talk about the work that we do as NCUC. As the internet grows in our region, all issues of internet policy is our interest and we should make sure everyone is part of the conversation.

                                                            ii.      When ICANN does come to Africa, carry robust and informative outreach events that speak about DNS policy in such a way that is cognizant of African issues. Such as digital illiteracy, throttling internet freedom, lack of infrastructure, cost to connect etc.… these issues are significant barriers to a thriving DNS ecosystem in Africa. Read the blog post I wrote on the Johannesburg NCUC Outreach Event[ncuc.org]  

                                                          iii.      Anchor the conversation around DNS policy through Africa perspective which is cognizant of our everyday realities. The was my biggest learning from assisting NCUC EC carry out an outreach in Africa (2017) 

                                                                                                     

c.       Communications strategy - making use of the NCUC website to tell our stories:

                                                              i.      Blogging and social media activations. I believe sharing NCUC stories by Africans, whether it is through commentary on local DNS policies or our work as NCUC will assist in forming a much needed point of view on issues. Storytelling a great way of attracting new members and revive the spirit and place of NCUC in Africa.

                                                            ii.      Linguistic diversity during webinars. Promote the use of the ICANN languages during African meetings.  

d.      Participation in ICANN Meetings – travel funding. As much as this may seem obvious, travel funding to ICANN meetings is still a constraint and more needs to be done to ensure that each region has an NCUC member (not just the EC reps) attending an ICANN meeting.

These are some of the ideas I have to propel the African community within NCUC and broadly. The current projects I am involved show of a young person who dedicated to the cause of bringing ordinary people onto the internet policy conversation. NCUC is founded on this very principle of providing a platform for civil society and individuals to have a say in global ICANN policy and I believe Africa’s voice is a large component of that. The internet is growing, and in Africa we have not even tipped the iceberg yet. This presents an opportunity and huge responsible for us as the NCUC ICANN community to make sure the Africa has a voice and I would be honoured to spearhead that. 


Time Commitment

I will be available to carry my duties and ready to do so!

In closing, serving as an Africa representative to me means really propelling others forward so that our voice can be heard. I won't do it alone, never planned to... but I believe I have what it takes to lead. 

See attached my CV for additional information about me. 

Feel free to ask me questions. 

Sincerely, 
Yolanda. 

 

Dear all, 

 

Please find my SOI below (also available on google docs[docs.google.com]) Apologies for the size of it and I'd also like to make myself available for answering to any questions. 

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NCUC and goals

 

I believe I'd be able to serve the NCUC Executive Committee as the LAC Region representative due to the fact that for the past years I have been an advocate for civil rights online and a democratic internet. Also, my involvement with some brazilian initiatives for ensuring the rights of citizens online such as the Brazilian Civil Rights Framework for the Internet [en.wikipedia.org](Marco Civil da Internet), the organization of Arena NETMundial, a side event for the NetMundial directed at the Civil Society are good examples of my engagement with Internet Governance subjects in my region. Broad participation is one of my highest regards, groups can only profit from voicing as many claims and realities as possible, therefore being able to keep on ensuring that the LAC region voices continue to take part in NCUC would be the first goal if I get elected.

 

As for my visions regarding NCUC and how my participation would be useful, given the fact that my affinity with the group and what it advocates for, I believe in making it even more participative through a few measures:  

1. Communication: I think it would be important for the LAC members to be aware of all the ways NCUC is acting in the region. Having said that, I'd say that a good regional representative at the EC is the one who can pass on information to his community on a monthly basis. By sharing information on how to get involved, and where does the NCUC needs help, I believe we can achieve even higher levels of engagement.

 

2. Outreach-inreach: given the fact that NCUC members are important internet governance actors/researchers/activists in all of the different regions of the globe, I think it is of utter importance for them to know who else is alongside them and also who they could reach out to in any subject they wish; I also admire a lot Renata's work during her term and achieving her level of presence and participation is also a goal. Therefore, if I were elected I'd also like to continue with her monthly calls and activities regarding the mailing list in order to strengthen NCUC's relation with the LAC community and for that I'd like to count with my fellow LAC members !

 

Having worked in the field in the local level since 2009, Civil Society's claims and the obstacles that activism often encounters such as lack of space from governments are of my understandment.  Despite the fact that my active participation at ICANN and NCUC is quite recent, Internet Governance is not a new subject to me. I believe that I would be a good LAC Region Representative at the Executive Committee due to the fact that Im willing to advocate for a more inclusive and equal Internet and will also have the will of continuing to pursue NCUC's participation within the IG community.

 

About me

 

My name is Bruna Martins dos Santos and I am a researcher at LAPIN, a research lab on Public Policies and Internet at the University of Brasilia. On the academy note, I hold a BA in Law with experience in Internet Regulation, and am currently auditing classes at the University of Brasilia Law School Masters program. Last but not least, I am 26 years old and live in Brasilia, Brazil.

 

For the past four years I have worked as a legal advisor at the Brazilian Government, covering Internet Governance issues and being responsible for issuing legal opinions on the implementation of the Access to Information Act. In that capacity, I have also participated in the organization of NetMundial and on the regulatory discussions regarding Brazilian Civil Rights Framework for the Internet[en.wikipedia.org] and the Data Protection draft bill.

 

Apart from my government background, I am alumni of the Brazilian School on Internet Governance (EGI.br[egi.br]), a Brazilian Internet Steering Committee fellow at the 9th Latin America and Caribbean Regional Preparatory Meeting for the Internet Governance Forum (LACIGF), an active member of the ISOCs SIG Group Youth Observatory[obdjuv.org] and an advocate for the inclusion of youth in policy-making processes regarding Internet Governance. I am also a contributor to the IGF's Best Practice Forum on Gender and Access as an independent researcher and one of the authors of the Young Latin American Women Declaration: Enabling access to empower young women and build a feminist Internet Governance, a statement addressing the importance of ensuring a safe online environment for women online. that also served as an input to the BPF Gender and was published on BestBits[bestbits.net]. Apart from that, I also hold the position of Co-Coordinator of the Civil Society Internet Governance Caucus (IGC) and represent the ICG at the Civil Society Coordination Group[internetgov-cs.org] (CSCG).

My involvement with ICANN started at ICANN58 when I was a first time fellow. One week prior to the Copenhagen meeting I had the chance to participate at the NCUC session at the Internet Freedom Festival that later resulted with me as an NCUC member. After the Copenhagen meeting, I was selected as NCUC fellow during ICANN59 and had the chance to engage with the New gTLD subsequent procedures PDP and also to make a short presentation on Geographical Names that was later transformed into a NCUC Blog Post[ncuc.org].

Name: Michael Karanicolas
Declared region of residence: North America
Gender: Male
Employment: Self-employed
Any conflicts of interest: None

Why do you want to serve on the EC
I am the incumbent EC representative for North America, seeking a
re-appointment. Although I only joined the EC midway through the past
year, I have become a key voice on transparency and accountability
mechanisms, as well as an active participant in all other processes of
the EC. As the NCUC is likely to see significant turnover after this
election, particularly as Farzaneh moves on to the NCSG, there will be
a need for continuity, which I am happy to help provide.

Brief Bio:
Since 2010, I've worked as a human rights advocate with a dual focus
on freedom of expression and transparency. I was, until August of this
year, employed as Senior Legal Officer with the Centre for Law and
Democracy, where I led in the development of the digital rights
program, and carried out a range of advocacy and law reform processes
to promote foundational rights for democracy. Since August, I left to
perform independent contract work, primarily for the Open Government
Partnership, an international multi-stakeholder initiative which aims
to harness technological innovation to promote access to information,
civic engagement and public accountability. In terms of my ICANN
engagement, I am currently serving as the Rapporteur for the WS2
Transparency subgroup, and am an active participant in several others,
including the group reviewing Rights Protection Mechanisms (RPMs) and
the CCWG on auction proceeds.

Ability to commit time to the NCUC EC:
Anyone who has watched the way the work of the CCWG on Transparency
has advanced will know I have no problem putting the hours in.
Originally one of two Rapporteurs for the group, and now the lone
Rapporteur after the departure of my colleague from the business
constituency, I have kept things moving forward at a good pace.
However, now that that work is coming to a close, I expect to have
more time to devote to ICANN. My move from full-time employment with
CLD to a consultancy-based system should also provide me with more
available time to contribute.

Communication activities:
I think that the biggest obstacle to communication at the moment is
the complexity of ICANN's system, which can be particularly confusing
to newcomers. I think that the NCUC's communications strategy should
be focused on simplifying this as much as possible, and presenting it
in a more user-friendly and accessible way to encourage participation.

How do you foresee NCUC’s function, scale, or role changing in the future?
I would like to see more of a focus on practical mentorship and
learning-by-doing, which I think is the only effective way of
expanding NCUC's membership in a meaningful way.

Best,

Michael Karanicolas