[EURO-Discuss] Should EURALO sign a petition? Should you?

[Olivier MJ Crépin-Leblond]

Dear colleagues,

on yesterday's EURALO monthly call, the following Action Item was recorded.

:
> Olivier Crepin-Leblond
> <https://community.icann.org/display/%7Eolivier.crepin-leblond> Olivier
> to follow up on the EURALO mailing list on the suggestion from Oksana
> for EURALO support the petition against reduction of the ICANN
> fellowship as well as to write an EURALO statement against the CROP
> elimination.

As you know, the ICANN FY19 budget is undergoing to reduction. This will
mean that some programmes are frozen, whilst others are actually
reduced. The current draft of the program is showing drastic cuts in
community engagement and policy. The Fellowship is being slashed, and so
is the NextGen program. The Community Regional Outreach Pilot Program
(CROP) which was confirmed into the main budget as it was seen as being
so helpful, is being cancelled altogether. It is a terrible state of
affairs, as it appears that ICANN has targeted community initiatives for
outreach and engagement to a much greater extent that other programmes
and the cuts, as a percentage of the budget for outreach and engagement
initiatives are way larger than for other programmes.

You might has seen a petition out there, entitled "Stop the ICANN Budget
Cuts and Save the Fellowship Program!"
On last night's EURALO call, Oksana Prykhodko asked whether EURALO could
be inclined to sign this petition:
https://www.change.org/p/icann-stop-the-icann-budget-cuts-and-save-the-fellowship-program

The signing of a petition is highly unusual for a RALO. I can recall
several occurrences of a RALO releasing its own Statement. I can also
recall EURALO supporting EuroDIG as a partner - and this translates to
the EURALO Chair (previously Wolf Ludwig and now yours truly) being
active in the organisation of EuroDIG. If my memory serves me right, the
only time EURALO has signed a Petition, might be the signature for
support of NetMundial outcomes. Perhaps can Wolf help with other
potential occurences?

At the end of the day, there are no rules on whether EURALO may or may
not sign this petition. So the decision is in your hands, the EURALO
members.

Should EURALO sign the petition?
Should your ALS sign the petition?

Kindest regards,

Olivier MJ Crépin-Leblond
EURALO Chair
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