[ALAC-Announce] Fwd: Statement on changes to the Fellowship Program

[Alan Greenberg]

>To: ALAC <alac at atlarge-lists.icann.org>
>From: Alan Greenberg <alan.greenberg at mcgill.ca>
>Subject: Statement on changes to the Fellowship Program
>
>As discussed during the ALAC call earlier this week, there is a 
>Public Comment just about to close on changes to the ICANN Fellowship Program.
>
>Some people in At-Large have been (rightfully) VERY vocal about 
>perceived problems in the Fellowship program, specifically:
>
>- people from some countries (such as Argentina) have recently 
>become ineligible to participate in the Fellowship Program because 
>the country has had its status upgraded in the World Bank list of 
>development status (based on income);
>- some people, particularly from some island territories were not eligible.
>
>In both cases, the status of the overall economy might not have met 
>the criteria, but that did not alter the perception that the people 
>were not well represented in ICANN.
>
>The proposed changes to the Fellowship Program address these 
>problems and more.
>
>Unfortunately, no one chose to volunteer to draft a brief statement 
>of support for the changes.
>
>At the ALAC Leadership Team meeting yesterday, it was decided that 
>the Fellowship Program is sufficiently important to At-Large, the 
>people we represent, and to ICANN in general that we MUST submit 
>something. Accordingly, I drafted a set of notes which Ariel Liang 
>ably transformed into a statement to be submitted.
>
>The statement can be found at https://community.icann.org/x/LiOOAw.
>
>The deadline for submission is tomorrow, Friday, 29 July at 23:59 
>UTC. I will conduct a Consensus Call for formally ratify the 
>statement next week, but if anyone has any concern with the 
>statement, please bring that concern to my attention immediately.
>
>Alan