[At-Large] Following on from ATLAS for 2020

Maureen Hilyard maureen.hilyard at gmail.com
Mon Nov 18 08:16:26 UTC 2019


Dear all

What must be remembered is that in-house decisions about how RALOs organise
things regionally is totally up to the regional members.. and it is always
good to see that each RALO introduces successful practices based on
cultural flavors that can make a real difference to the way that regional
partners interact with each other and with their communities, and the way
they ultimately contribute to high-level ICANN activities..

Also it must be remembered that apart from bottom-up contributions and
comments that are expected from RALO Chairs at the ALT+ meetings, it is the
ALAC that makes the final formal decisions about what happens to or impacts
At-Large.

It is the diversity of the inputs from the different RALOs that will add to
the quality of the decisions made by the ALAC. This is why we want to
impress on our members to ensure that their voices are heard and considered
at local and regional levels, so that they can truly have an influence on
At-Large and ICANN decisions.

Strong and inclusive RALOs will make for a strong and positive
multistakeholder model of decision-making for At-Large. And we must also
always keep in mind WHY we serve in At-Large, within ICANN and its mission.

Regards
Maureen

On Sun, 17 Nov 2019, 9:09 PM ABDULKARIM AYOPO OLOYEDE, <
oloyede.aa at unilorin.edu.ng> wrote:

> Hi,
> Good discussions going on here and in a way, it's a good thing that
> Maureen is taking things back to the RALOs.
>  I believe that is where most discussions must begin so I thank Maureen
> for this.
> Please let us continue to recognise the bottom-up process and make sure
> that discussions begin from the RALOs in every step we take on this issue
> and other At large issues. This would reinforce our multistakeholder
> approach and avoid a situation where critical decisions are taken are the
> top and issues we decide to throw into the bin are seen as taken to the
> RALOs.
> Thanks
>
> AK
>
>
>
> On Mon, 18 Nov 2019, 03:55 Maureen Hilyard, <maureen.hilyard at gmail.com>
> wrote:
>
>> Dear all
>>
>> I am transferring the previous Board Selection discussion introduced by
>> Wolfgang and continued by Natalia and Sebastian because I want to move onto
>> another tangent more towards where I felt the discussion was heading. I
>> guess this is my takeaway from ATLAS as the ALAC Chair.
>>
>> I really like the suggestion that we record the history of the
>> development and history of At-Large and  Board seat 15 to explain how our
>> structure and culture evolved. Where we came from is always an interesting
>> topic and the videos that Jonathan shared in Montreal were a testament to
>> where ATLAS started and how much it has changed already since its
>> inception. Each event demonstrated a key focus which helped to initiate
>> some change into the following 5 years of At-Large and subsequent inputs
>> into the ICANN ecosystem.
>>
>> ATLAS III provided us with an opportunity to look at how we might operate
>> at ICANN, regional and community levels to deliver the vision and mission
>> of ICANN.
>>
>> Theoretically, we introduced many At-Large participants to how a more
>> efficient and effective At-Large of the future could result from the
>> development of more effective communicators of ICANN policy. We also
>> learned of the importance of why we need to operate more efficiently within
>> the ICANN ecosystem in  close collaboration with other core sections of the
>> ICANN community
>>
>> ATLAS III provided us with an ideal springboard to direct more focus on
>> what we need to do to create an At-Large of the future that is accepted  by
>> other sections to be a fully contributing and valued partner within ICANN.
>>
>> My view is that this must start from RALO level. But we cannot expect all
>> RALOs to do this in the same way. Each RALO is unique. They each have to
>> look at what would be effective local culturally-relevant mechanisms and
>> practices for their particular region that would engage more people at
>> community level with ICANN's vision and mission.
>>
>> In order to do this, we need to ensure that RALO members have the
>> appropriate resources; that those who are active and capable ATLAS
>> Ambassadors can provide appropriate training and upskilling that will
>> encourage and give more confidence for other potential At-Large
>> participants in their regions and to interact with other ICANN participants
>> within their own communities - registries and registrars, registrants and
>> wanna-be registrants, regional I* organisations, cctld managers, government
>> officials - to help build a more united ICANN of the future, starting at
>> grassroots level.
>>
>> This may need the development of more national SIGs - Schools of ICANN
>> governance. In fact, innovative and active ALSes whose own missions could
>> easily incorporate such a focus could become the national hubs for these
>> developments. Perhaps this could develop into an ICANN project taking into
>> account other similar discussions that took place in Montreal with NASIG,
>> Stakeholder Engagement and Communications presonnel.
>>
>> In this way we can more successfully infiltrate the needs and interests
>> of end-users directly into the decision-making sections of ICANN from
>> within our own  communities - the people we know best..
>>
>> For the short term however, in order to kick off our post-ATLAS
>> activities following the normal ATLAS feedback activities, we still have
>> unfinished business  remaining of the At-Large Review - Issue 2.
>>
>> We need more people discussing the issues that Alan raises in his draft
>> document on ALS mobilization. Ideally these discussions should take place
>> at RALO level and then representatives can take regional messages to Alan's
>> working group.
>>
>> The aim will be on how we can attract, train, mobilise and communicate
>> with individual ALS and unaffiliated members who are committed to being
>> more active and engaged in  policy issues and discussions, and other
>> At-Large activities, at whatever level they feel competent and comfortable
>> - within their RALOs, At-Large or across the ICANN community. We already
>> have partners ready to go in NPOC and the GAC
>>
>> Many thanks to Wolfgang for inspiring us further into this discussion
>> about how we can contribute to the evolving multistakeholder model within
>> ICANN.
>>
>> I still think that between them, Wolfgang and Sebastian could help to
>> produce an ICANN Learn resource (including any photographs and video
>> footage) on the evolution of At-Large and the Board selection process as
>> preparation for a better understanding for all of us of where we have come
>> from, so that, just as before we started ATLAS III, we can all contribute
>> to a more informed discussion of where we should/could be in the future.
>>
>> In 2017, APRALO produced an eBook to celebrate its first 10 years
>> <http://online.fliphtml5.com/rvce/fzjj/>, and it was an interesting look
>> at leadership and change within the RALO. It would be great to read about
>> other RALOs and their evolution and to keep that on our website for new
>> people to read about what they will encounter in At-Large in their region..
>> While it is a look at the past, it helps to shed some light on the path we
>> will follow in order to evolve, at least for the next 10 years
>>
>> Maureen
>>
>>
>> Natalia Filina via <https://support.google.com/mail/answer/1311182?hl=en>
>>  atlarge-lists.icann.org
>> 10:53 AM (6 hours ago)
>> to Wolfgang, Alan, at-large
>> Dear Wolfgang,
>> Many thanks for your interesting excursion into the history and evolution
>> of our community as also for the fact that this story doesn`t  hide many
>> sharp moments and your opinion.
>>
>> This story (seems to me) is a part of the prologue of guide-book for
>> members,  newcomers of the community (in writing, but better the video, if
>> you kindly agree to participate in this venture-).
>>
>> In my humble opinion and perhaps the time for strategic discussions has
>> come now, just after ATLASIII, when the ranks of leaders have been enhanced
>> with new faces, new blood, new ideas and new energy.
>>
>> And, as I may expect the paragraph 8 in your story (maybe in a half of
>> upcoming year) may got the point about the grown role of ALAC in Evolving
>> ICANN’s Multistakeholder Model.
>>
>>
>> Sincerely,
>> Natalia Filina
>>
>> Secretary of EURALO
>> https://atlarge.icann.org/alses/euralo
>> https://individualusers.org/
>>
>> Member of ALAC Subcommittee on Outreach and Engagement
>>
>> Officer of SIG IoT (ISOC)
>>
>>
>> Wolfgang Kleinwächter via
>> <https://support.google.com/mail/answer/1311182?hl=en>
>> atlarge-lists.icann.org
>> 1:45 AM (15 hours ago)
>> to Kaili, Alan, at-large
>> Hi,
>>
>> here is the full background story:
>>
>> 1. The original bylaws (1998) did reserve 9 voting seats for an undefined
>> "At Large Membership". 9 other voting seats were reserved for three SOs
>> (DNSO, ASO, PSO). Ine seat for the CEO. There was a "placeholder" in the
>> bylaws because nobody knew, what "At Large" is. An "Membership Advisory
>> Committee" (MAC) was formed in Singapore during the 1st ICANN meeting in
>> February 1999 (with the Berkman Center/Jonathan Zittrain as the academic
>> back up). The MAC had a meeting during the 2nd ICANN in Berlin, July 1999.
>> It concluded to identify the At Large voting directors via elections in the
>> year 2000. The whole project was seen as a pilot project for
>> "cyberdemocracy" and a bigger role of civil society on Internet policy
>> making. The elections were described as an "experiment". They were
>> organized with the help of a "Membership Implementation Task Force" (MITF).
>> As a first step, the plan was to elect five directors from the five ICANN
>> regions. The election was an exciting but also irritating experience. It
>> worked and the community (around 200 000 voters) elected five directors
>> which took their seat at the 2000 Annual Meeting in LA.
>>
>> 2. The elections produced a lot of questions. To answer those questions,
>> ICANN etsbalished an "At Large Study Group" (ALG), chaired by the former
>> Swedish prime minister Carl Bildt. The recommendations of the
>> Bildt-Committee were presented at the ICANN meeting in Montevideo,
>> September 2001. The main receommendation was to allow only "domainname
>> holder" to participate in the election to avoid a misuse and to have a
>> higher level of "representation" by stakeholders. Nevertheless, the
>> Bildt-Proposal produced a wave of criticism by civil society. Such an
>> approach would have excluded, inter alia, students, which have an e-Mail
>> address but no domain name. The domain name is owned by the university
>> which woulkd have only one vote in the new proposed system. The comparison
>> was made to the election system in the middle ages where only "landowners"
>> had a right to vote. The decision was postponed to the LA Annual Meeting in
>> November 2001. The day after the At Large discussion on Montevideo two
>> planes crashed into the twin towers in NYC.
>>
>> 3. 9/11 changed the political environment for the development of ICANN.
>> ICANN was not seen anymore as a project for "cyberdemocracy" but as a
>> question for "cybersecurity". US senators came to the ICANN meeting in LA
>> and aksed tough questions how it can be avoided that a "terrorist" get
>> elected into the ICANN Board of Directors. LA 2001 became the starting
>> point of the first ICANN reform process.
>>
>> 4. The ICANN reform process was completed within less than two years. It
>> included a restructuring of ICANN. The DNSO was subdivided into the GNSO
>> and the CNSO. The PSO was abolished and transformed into  "technical liason
>> group". The elections of Voting At Large directors were abolished. Instaed
>> of election a "selection" process was introduced through a new "Nomimation
>> Committee" (NomCom). The NomCom got the right to "select" 8 voting
>> directors in a process, strechted over three years (3:3:2). At Large was
>> transfered into an "At Large Advisory Committee" (ALAC) with one non-voting
>> liaison in the board. New structures with "recognized ALSs" and "RALOs",
>> which had to sign a MoU with ICANN, were created. To compensate At Large
>> for the loss of the nine voting directors, they got five seats in the
>> NomCom. It was intended, that the NomCom will select directors which
>> represent users/civil society.
>>
>> 5. After the reform was fixed into the new bylaws a lot of big supporters
>> of the At Large, Election and Cyberdemocracy concept distanced themselves
>> more or less from ICANN. Supporters of the new ALAC did not really
>> represent anymore the big civil society NGOs. ALAC became something like a
>> "Champions League without Champions". A nunber of civil society
>> organisation moved within ICANN to the Non-Commercial User Organisation
>> (NCUC), a constituency iwthin the GNSO. However, the RALOs were formed, the
>> number of ALSs were growing and over the years, ALAC returned to became
>> again a more recognized player in the ICANN family. The call for ALAC
>> voting directors came back and culminated into the call for holding an "At
>> Large Summit" (ATLAS). ATLAS 1 took place 2008 in Mexico. One sub-committee
>> produced a resolution which called for two voting seats for ALAC. The Board
>> recognized the legitimacy of such a call, however, the compromise was to
>> change the non-voting ALAC liaison in the Board into a Voting Director,
>> elected by the ALAC itself.
>>
>> 6. This is the situation which stands until now. In my eyes, ATLAS III
>> (recently in Montreal) was a missed opportunity to have a more strategic
>> oriented discussion about the role and future of At Large (user, civil
>> society) in ICANN as a whole. This was also a missed opportunity to ask for
>> a second voting seat in the Board. However, it was good to see that NCUC
>> and ALAC entered into a more constructive and forward looking dialogue
>> which ould lead to a stronger voice of the user/civil society stakeholder
>> group within the empowered community.
>>
>> 7.  With the IANA transition and the emergence of the "empowered
>> community" we have reached a new situation. However, this is not the end of
>> the story. In my eyes there is a need for something like a Work Stream 3
>> (WS3) which looks deeper into the existing structure of ICANN and how it
>> matches the needs of the 2020s or whether a structural reform is needed to
>> adjust it to the new challenges in a post-IANA transition period.  With
>> other words, ATLAS IV (2024?) could re-introduce the call for a 2nd AT
>> Large voting director.
>> Best wishes
>>
>> Wolfgang
>>
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