[ALAC] Acceptance of Chair Nomination

[Barrack Otieno]

I support Alan's Candidature as well.

Best Regards

On 8/29/16, wafa at ati.tn <wafa at ati.tn> wrote:
> Dear Alain,
>
> I support your candidature.
>
> Regards
>
>
> Le 27 août 2016 3:26 AM, Alan Greenberg <alan.greenberg at mcgill.ca> a écrit :
>>
>> Thank you for the nomination and thanks to all those who publicly or
>> privately have sent messages of support.
>>
>> It is extremely important that end-users have a real and strong voice in
>> ICANN. Users are the ultimate reason that the Internet exists. It is end
>> users who patronize online commerce sites, read (and write) the near
>> infinite number of blogs, cause YouTube videos to go viral, communicate
>> with friends, relatives and colleagues with e-mail and social media, and
>> sadly, respond to spam and phishing attacks. The needs of these users must
>> be considered in the development of Internet policy. The ALAC and At-Large
>> serve as the advocates of end users and represent their best interests
>> within ICANN.
>>
>> I have been involved in user and usability issues for all of my career,
>> and have now spent close to ten years working with At-Large. Working
>> collaboratively with my ALAC and At-Large colleagues, we have transformed
>> the ALAC and At-Large Community into a serious force within ICANN.
>> However, there is more to do.
>>
>> I am currently completing my 2nd year as ALAC Chair. My focus over the
>> last 22 months has included the following critical areas:
>>
>> ALS Effectiveness: We have been very successful at increasing the number
>> of ALSes. Over the last two years, although we are still actively
>> recruiting ALSes, much of our focus has changed from just outreach to
>> outreach and engagement, with the intent of increasing ALS effectiveness,
>> both in telling their communities about ICANN and where applicable, having
>> them contribute to our policy activities. Capacity building and briefings
>> on subjects of current importance (such as the IANA transition) are
>> important parts of this, as are the regular monthly distributions of
>> understandable information (in multiple languages) that we are currently
>> discussing. I have no doubt that the ongoing At-Large Review will play an
>> important part in this.
>> Policy Development: We now have more ALAC and RALO members and leaders
>> actively involved in ICANN policy development and related ALAC activities.
>> This needs to continue to grow. There are steep learning curves but it is
>> encouraging that the number of At-Large members on cross community and
>> GNSO working groups is growing, and increasingly, people are not just
>> listening but contributing.
>> ALAC Chair Viability: As the ALAC transitioned from the original �Interim
>> ALAC� to the current model with RALOs, the Chair position became
>> substantially more than a full-time job. That effectively means that the
>> only person who can meet the demands is someone who is retired and/or
>> willing to put most of the rest of their life on hold. This is not a
>> sustainable model. We have made improvements over the last two years, but
>> there is more to do in reducing the Chair�s involvement through process
>> changes, transferring responsibility to ALT and ALAC Members and, as
>> appropriate, to Staff.
>> The ALAC in ICANN: When I started in ICANN, the ALAC was to a large extent
>> considered a joke (and not a good one) and a poor use of ICANN funds (or
>> registry and registrar funds as they are ICANN main sources of income and
>> those groups generally considered it �their� money instead of that of the
>> registrants who actually provided it). Through the concerted efforts of
>> past Chairs, others in the ALAC and At-Large and myself, that is no longer
>> the case. If it was still a perception of some in the community, the
>> recent CWG-Stewardship and CCWG-Accountability clearly showed that we were
>> a force to be contended with. It will take constant work to ensure that we
>> continue to live up to the reputation we now have as a critical and
>> respected part of the ICANN ecosystem.
>>
>> Good progress has been made on these fronts, and in a range of other
>> areas, but not nearly as much as I had envisioned when I became Chair.
>> This is largely due to the (unexpected) overwhelming workload associated
>> with the IANA transition and accountability efforts that has occupied both
>> the ALAC and me over the past two years.
>>
>> All of these areas will require further efforts and if I am reappointed,
>> they will be among my priorities. In addition, I am committed to working
>> to ensure that ICANN understands the value of At-Large volunteers,
>> arguably the only group within ICANN that has no self-interests (and along
>> with it no external funding), and reduce the barriers to such continued
>> participation.
>>
>> I hope that the ALAC will find that I have served it well over during my
>> first term and allow me to continue as Chair for another year.
>>
>> I am available to discuss any of this further. You can contact me via
>> e-mail at alan.greenberg at mcgill.ca or to chat on Skype at
>> alangreenberg-mtl.
>>
>> Alan
>
>
>


-- 
Barrack O. Otieno
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