[EURO-Discuss] Draft statement on the operational plan and budget

Dominik Filipp dominik.filipp at dsoft.sk
Wed Mar 4 07:13:57 EST 2009


For me the proposed budget framework is pretty symbolic and symptomatic.
It precisely enlightens the real priorities of ICANN as an organization
definitely trapped in the money and politics. My experience is that once
the money is taken into consideration the real motives come out. All the
rest is just babbling for the masses.

For me it is a clear message that At-Large needs dauntless and
courageous people in thinking and acting, not frightened and servile
people in its leading positions and active auditorium. The main problem
is to realize that the fish stinks from the head and that ICANN is being
lead by not enough competent people, however, still presumptuous enough
to ignore and disregard others' efforts whenever private, business and
governmental interests are at stake regardless of all the core values
and other principles they claim to abide by. ICANN under its current
leadership has a little to do with real public participation. Involving
many people into the process picking interesting ideas and efforts and
eventually deciding from the narrow-minded perspective of few is, in my
opinion, by no means a public participation but better a public
exploitation.

Unless At-Large does recognize and fully understands this fact its
activity is of very limited help to the public community. It is not a
problem of issues, better communication, organization, budgets and so
on. There is inherently no such communication possible if the motives
and goals of the leaders and the public community are different or even
opposing. I mean real motives visible in actions and decisions, not
those pretentiously presented at meetings and forgotten in a minute the
door is closed. In such circumstances any important pro-public issue can
be eventually refused at any time with aversive or buck passing
explanation.

If At-Large wants to succeed in improving its status, respect and
importance it has to publicly and clearly point out the fact of
insufficient competence in the ICANN leadership and insist on a change
in this matter. Ignorant persons are only as strong as weak are polite
persons allowing them to behave such a way. This fact has to be clearly
recognized, demonstrated and consequently acted upon. Otherwise At-Large
will just assist in building up the deceptive facade for the outer
world. Effective At-Large is also about the strength with which it can
face and conquer the incompetence.

Most people in the ICANN structures and among active volunteers are
Americans with rich human rights and equal opportunity tradition. I am
therefore not able to understand how we can be talking over and over
again for years about such thing as insufficient public participation.

Dominik


-----Original Message-----
From: euro-discuss-bounces at atlarge-lists.icann.org
[mailto:euro-discuss-bounces at atlarge-lists.icann.org] On Behalf Of
Vittorio Bertola
Sent: Wednesday, March 04, 2009 1:55 AM
To: euro-discuss at atlarge-lists.icann.org
Subject: [EURO-Discuss] Draft statement on the operational plan and
budget

Hello,

I couldn't meet with anyone else but, as requested earlier today, here
is
a draft statement on the operational plan and budget document. Beware
that, as envisaged, it is quite hard on ICANN...

====
The European Regional At-Large Organization is astonished by the reading
of the "Proposed Framework for FY10 Operating Plan and Budget". We note
with perplexity that neither the At-Large constituency nor the ALAC is
ever mentioned once in the entire body of the document; even in the nine
pages of Appendix A, which lists ICANN's operating plan items up to the
details of "Coordinate and manage Board website hosting" and "Facilitate
payment of Director expenses", the ALAC and the At-Large appear only
four
times, of which three are actions aimed at "improving their performance"
(whatever that means) among that of other bodies.

For example, of the 16 action items that constitute section 7
"Constituency support", ten regard support for registries and
registrars;
two regard the GNSO; one regards the GAC; the remaining three are
generic
points that include all SOs and ACs. Apparently, no specific effort is
planned by ICANN to support the At Large or user constituencies.

Moreover, section 9 "Global engagement and increased international
participation" describes a huge work programme that only focuses on
involving more registries, more registrars and more governments
throughout
the world; several detailed action items are designed to involve new
governments in the GAC. It is unbelievable that no mention is made of
the
need to increase the participation of the public, either through the At
Large or through public participation channels in general. From this
plan,
it looks like ICANN's operating plan is to promote a business fair or
trade cartel for registries and registrars, while pleading with
governments not to disrupt the plan, and while ignoring anyone else.

We think that global engagement and international participation are a
vital part of ICANN's credibility and legitimacy, but definitely not in
the sense that ICANN implies with this document. Thus we urge the ICANN
Board to check out the corporation's priorities and ensure that
appropriate attention, means and budget are allocated to promoting and
supporting participation by the global public.
====

Ciao,
-- 
vb.                   Vittorio Bertola - vb [a] bertola.eu   <--------
-------->  finally with a new website at http://bertola.eu/  <--------


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