[ALAC] [ALAC-Announce] VOTE ANNOUNCEMENT: At-Large Vision Statement as Proposed by the At-Large Improvements Taskforce

Wed May 23 18:00:50 UTC 2012

Dear Colleagues:
I have *abstained* in this vote and for cause.  Vision statements have
never attracted my favour; they tend to the gimmicky and for me, results
matter more for guidance than intent.  Here, the issues converge to
instantiate my position.

Without a doubt, the bye-laws we all must subscribe to as the At-Large
constituency in general and ALAC members in particular, gives the rhyme and
reason for our existence, set and subset.

I am unanimous the urgent need is more intimacy with those rules.

Secondly, the defined agenda for ICANN is so within the context of the MSM
approach. And so far as I know, the At-Large constituency is and remains a
member in good standing. Then again, if this constituency accepts the
Affirmation of Commitments (AoC) framework as guide for ICANN's immediate,
if not future endeavours, it is rather....well, *counterintuitive* for any
part of ICANN to have a separate vision from that espoused by ICANN; *One
world, One Internet*.

At least, that is what makes sense to me.  And in instant case,  I am
resolved that the Committee is wrong-headed.

With respect, I am wary of conniving at error.

- Carlton Samuels

==============================
Carlton A Samuels
Mobile: 876-818-1799
*Strategy, Planning, Governance, Assessment & Turnaround*
=============================

On Wed, May 23, 2012 at 12:14 PM, Olivier MJ Crepin-Leblond <ocl at gih.com>wrote:

> Dear ALAC members,
>
> I wanted to follow-up on the vote announcement to provide a few more
> explanations, based on the questions I have heard during the Tuesday 22
> May 2012 ALAC monthly call.
>
> On 23/05/2012 04:44, ICANN At-Large Staff wrote :
> > Dear All,
> >
> > Olivier Crépin-Leblond, Chair of the ALAC, has asked that a vote be held
> by the ALAC on the proposed "At-Large Vision Statement as Proposed by the
> At-Large Improvements Taskforce<https://community.icann.org/x/esPbAQ>."
> >
> > *****
> > Question: Do you support the ratification of the At-Large Vision
> Statement as Proposed by the At-Large Improvements Taskforce<
> https://community.icann.org/x/esPbAQ>?
> >
> > The At-Large Vision Statement as Proposed by the At-Large Improvements
> Taskforce is as follows:
> >
> > The ALAC, building upon the experience and views of the At-Large
> community, catalyzes and facilitates inclusive, meaningful participation of
> general Internet users world-wide, aggregates their input and brings their
> voice to bear in all ICANN matters.
> > *****
>
> Q. Why do we need a "vision statement"?
> A. This is one of the recommendations made in the ICANN Bylaw-mandated
> At-Large Review process. I remind you that this started with the
> community review as well as an external consultant review several years
> ago.
> As a result, the At-Large Improvements Work Team C created an action
> item: "to articulate ALAC's and At-Large's vision and mission."
>
> The At-Large Improvements Task Force followed up with the recommendation
> and worked to draft a vision statement:
> https://community.icann.org/x/esPbAQ
>
> You might not agree fully with the wording of the vision statement. But
> ultimately, you should be reassured that the words that make-up this
> vision statement were debated by all participants in the WG. They might
> not have been 100% ideal, but they are the best that the working group
> has managed to choose, given the choices of words possible.
>
> The Vision statement in English will be the basis for vision statements
> in Spanish and French. Of course, if the statement does not translate
> well, the translator will have the discretion to adapt the statement to
> their mother tongue.
>
> As part of the improvements process, the ALAC needs to present a final
> report to the Board Structural Improvements Committee (SIC). If we do
> not ratify the vision statement made here, we will not be able to ratify
> the At-Large/ALAC improvements report. We plan to present our final
> report, in time to have the SIC make a decision in Prague.
>
> Q. Why is this not a "mission statement"?
> A. The ALAC already has a mission statement, as described in Article XI,
> Section 2.4.a:
>
> "The At-Large Advisory Committee (ALAC) is the primary organizational
> home within ICANN for individual Internet users. The role of the ALAC
> shall be to consider and provide advice on the activities of ICANN,
> insofar as they relate to the interests of individual Internet users.
> This includes policies created through ICANN's Supporting Organizations,
> as well as the many other issues for which community input and advice is
> appropriate. The ALAC, which plays an important role in ICANN's
> accountability mechanisms, also coordinates some of ICANN's outreach to
> individual Internet users."
>
>
> > Additional information on this Statement can be found on the At-Large
> Vision Statement as Proposed by the At-Large Improvements Taskforce
> Workspace<https://community.icann.org/x/esPbAQ>.
> >
> > Please note that the poll will be open from 22-May-2012 23:59 UTC to
> 24-May-2012 23:59 UTC.
>
> Q. Why only a 3 day vote?
> A. That's because we only have about 4 weeks until the Prague meeting
> but the deadline for sending this report to the SIC and letting them
> make decisions, is much shorter. 5 days would have been better, but the
> ALAC then also needs to vote on the complete report to the SIC -- and 5
> days will be given for this too. Add the week-ends and a deadline for
> sending this to the Board SIC of early June and we're running out of time.
>
> Q. Is this really so important? Aren't we wasting time on this?
> A. Yes, it is important, because it is part of our bylaw-mandated review
> process. It is an inherent part of our improvements. Finalising it now
> will save us time in future ALAC Reviews.
> No, we're not wasting time. It was asked of the community. The community
> has spent a lot of work to put this together. It's important that it is
> done correctly.
>
> Warmest regards,
>
> Olivier MJ Crépin-Leblond
> ALAC Chair
>
> _______________________________________________
> ALAC mailing list
> ALAC at atlarge-lists.icann.org
> https://atlarge-lists.icann.org/mailman/listinfo/alac
>
> At-Large Online: http://www.atlarge.icann.org
> ALAC Working Wiki:
> https://community.icann.org/display/atlarge/At-Large+Advisory+Committee+(ALAC)
>