ICANN Strategic Planning Development 2011 - Community Workspace

AFRALO

AFRALO comments regarding the draft Strategic Plan 2011-2014
 

AFRALO thinks that together with key routine activities, new actions must be undertaken in each of the work areas to make the strategy “action-oriented”

1. DNS stability and security  
   AFRALO acknowledges that the stability and security of the DNS is an important element for ICANN and the global internet users. Therefore, AFRALO thinks that ICANN should prioritise the support for the implementation of DNSSEC.
   
   AFRALO highly appreciates the ICANN’s initiative to perform training for TLD operators.
   
   AFRALO argues that ICANN should come up with a plan for Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity for its own operations.
   
2. Consumer choice, competition and innovation  
   AFRALO argues that in line with one of ICANN’s core values, which is introducing and promoting competition in the delegation of Top Level Domains where practicable and beneficial to the public interest, ICANN should make the application fee for new TLDs within the reach of each applicant alike. Levying high application fees for all applicants creates the disparity between the have and have-not’s. Therefore, we urge ICANN to review the applicant guide book to reflect the almost unanimous wish regarding the application fees expressed in all public comments on the previous versions, in the Working Group 3 (at-large summit, Mexico) report approved by ALAC, and in the JAS working group milestone report.
   
   We note the positive initiative to provide effective program management for the successful deployment of IDNs through the new gTLD and ccTLD programs.
   
   Conducting education and training programs in partnership with ISOC, local operators and local internet communities is an excellent approach. However, AFRALO believes that part or all of those programs could and should be conducted by ICANN constituencies, such as At-Large structures and regional organizations according to their competences in the subject. 
   For example, Each ICANN meeting in Africa should be an opportunity to conduct training workshops for the African communities.
   
   
3. Core operations including IANA  
   AFRALO takes positive note of the ICANN willing to provide the international Internet community a transparent and collaborative model for root server operations.
   
   AFRALO acknowledges the ICANN commitment to improving the efficiency and effectiveness of policy development and implementation processes and the multi-stakeholder model that engages the global community.
   
   
4. Healthy Internet eco-system 
   AFRALO agrees that continued internationalisation of ICANN is crucial to maintaining a single, global interoperable Internet and a single Internet zone file used globally.
   
   AFRALO takes positive note that ICANN will formalize a cross-stakeholder model, and will also formalize input from the At-Large community into Board discussion.
   
   While recognizing the ICANN effort for a multilingual working environment, AFRALO considers that for an international organization, more commitment is needed to provide translation of all  ICANN documents, and simultaneous interpretation in all meetings (face to face or remote). This interpretation is urgently needed for the fellowship program which is now restricted to the English speakers only.  
   
   AFRALO highly appreciates the commitment to provide Internet governance education to an expanding group of international participants and to promote programs that enhance global participation. The AFRALO ALSes really need this kind of education, coupled with more training on ICANN related issues at local, national, sub-regional and regional levels to reach an effective participation in ICANN policy development process.
    
   ICANN participation in Internet Governance events such as IGF and WSIS forum is of high importance. AFRALO thinks that this participation shouldn’t be limited to nice formal speeches, or an ICANN parallel event, but needs to be more effective by organizing substantial workshops addressing actual subjects and involving the large population of the forum. Such participation will give ICANN more visibility and better credibility. The impact of the so-called substantial workshops will be greater if they are organized by ICANN constituencies rather than the ICANN staff and/or Board.
   
   
   

APRALO

Comment submitted by Hong Xue:
APRALO strongly supports the suggestions that has been forwarded by at-large community and other RALOs that one F2F general meeting annually for all ALSes of one RALO to get together be essential for the success of strategic development of users' participation in ICANN process. APRALO would wish ICANN to consider supporting an APRALO AGM 2011 concurrent with ICANN meeting that is going to be held in Asia-Pacific in June 2011.

EURALO

Comment submitted by Wolf Ludwig:
EURALO repeatedly discussed and broadly reaffirmed that there must be one F2F GA a year to promote its community development and to encourage its members for active participation in ICANN's policy development. Like the years before, EURALO will submit a proposal to the ICANN budget process to ask for travel funding for the next EURALO meeting (GA) which will be held in conjunction with the ICANN European meeting 2012.

LACRALO

NARALO