Report: AFRALO - Monthly Meeting

Date: January 8, 2025
Time: 18:30 - 20:00 (UTC)
Venue: Teleconference (Zoom)

Participants

• Leaders : Hadia (Chair), Bram (Vice-chair), Hervé (Secretary), Aziz (ALAC), Raïhanath (ALAC), Bukola (ALAC)
• Present Members:
  Abdeldjalil Bachar Bong, Abdirashid Abdirahman, Adetokunbo Abiola, Aly Diouf, Amina Ramallan, Asutic Senegal, Athanase Bahizire, Aziz Hilali, Barrack Otieno, 
  Bendjedid Rachad Sanoussi, Bram Fudzulani, Bukola Oronti, Cedrick Adrien Mbeyet, Dave Kissoondoyal, Dr. Houda Chihi, Dr. Jabhera Matogoro, Fatimata Seye Sylla, Frank Anati, Gabriel Bombambo Boseko, Godsway Kubi, Hadia Elminiawi, Isaac Maposa, Joel Okomoli, Malick Alassane, Maud Adjeley Ashong Elliot, Michel Tchonang, Muriel Alapini, Nonhouegnon Letchede, Omar Shuran, Pastor Peters Omoragbon, Raihanath Gbadamassi, Salyou Fanny, Setondji Hounzandji, Seun Ojedeji, Stephen Dakyi, Stephen Sam, Valentin Kole, Vernatius Ezeama, Violet Nswana, Yao Amevi Sossou
• Staff: Heidi Ullrich, Yaovi Atohoun, Mike Brennan, Sabrina Mosquera, Jessie Doherty, Michelle DeSmyter
• Interpreters: Dominique & Chloe
• Call Management: Michelle DeSmyter

Apologies: Silvia Vivanco (staff)

Agenda  : https://icann-community.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/AFRALO/pages/104651336/2025-01-08+AFRALO+Monthly+Teleconference

1.Welcome remarks - (@Hadia Elminiawi)

• • First meeting of the new year, Hadia wished Happy New Year to everyone. 
  • Hadia introduced the agenda and invited participants to adopt it.
  • No comments or modifications were made, and the agenda was adopted.

2. Review of Action items  from previous meeting (Staff) 

• • 2024 Action items - AFRALO Monthly 

• • • Herve Setondji Hounzandji to coordinate the ICANN 81 statement to be finalized in 2 weeks = Dec 18th is exactly 2 weeks
    • Silvia Vivanco  to create a Google doc for the collection of AFRALO-AFRICANN ICANN 82 statement proposals and the reasons for proposing them
    • Hadia Elminiawi to send a reminder to the list to complete the events in the UA wiki page

 3. Open ICANN Public Comments -  (@Hadia Elminiawi)

@Hadia presented an overview of recent initiatives and ongoing discussions regarding opening public comments within ICANN. Below is a detailed summary of the key points addressed:

• Ratification

  • At-Large Workspace: Proposed Internet Coordination Policy 2 (ICP-2) Version 2 Principles

• Ongoing or Pending Decisions

• • At-Large Workspace: Continuous Improvement Program Framework    
  • At-Large Workspace: IANA 2030 Strategy: Draft PTI Strategic Plan covering 2025 to 2030

• Review 

• • OFB-WG (Operations and Finance Board Working Group):

    • At-Large Workspace: Proposed Updates to the Operating Standards for Specific Reviews
    • At-Large Workspace: Draft PTI FY26 Operating Plan and Budget
    • At-Large Workspace: ICANN FY26–30 Operating & Financial Plan, ICANN/IANA FY26 Op Plans & Budgets 

• • CPWG (Consolidated Policy Working Group):

• • • At-Large Workspace: Phase 2 Final Report on the EPDP-IDNs for ICANN Board Consideration
    • At-Large Workspace: Third Proceeding for Proposed Language for Draft Sections of Next Round AGB

4. Upcoming Public Comment Proceedings 

• https://www.icann.org/en/public-comment/upcoming-proceedings
  • Second IANA Naming Function Review Team (IFR2) Draft Report - Jan 2025
  • Improved GNSO Stakeholder Group and Constituency Charter Amendment Process - Feb 2025

5. Reports/Updates/Items for discussion

• AFRALO Capacity Building Group & Emerging Leaders Group

Establishment of a group of capacity building. Amina Ramallan will propose the Termes of Reference. Amina and Muriel are volunteers to be co-chairs.

• AFRALO Advisory Group (Name to be agreed upon)

Establishment of a group of former AFRALO leaders.

• ALAC Appointee Selection Committee and ALAC Community Engagement Subcommittee members and alternates (hadia.elminiawi)
  • AFRALO - ALAC Appointee Selection Committee member and alternate
    • Kiza Patrick     member
    • Houda Chihi    alternate
  • AFRALO - ALAC Community Engagement Subcommittee members and alternate
    • Hadia Elminiawi        member
    • Muriel Alapini            member
    • Bram Fudzulini           alternate

• Preparation of  ICANN 82 AFRALO-AFRICANN statement - ICANN82 Registration opened    - (Hervé HOUNZANDJI) 

Herve reminded the usual process to manage to.
He is going to send to the members the mail about the call of topics tomorrow. 

• Global Stakeholder Engagement (GSE) Africa updates  (Yaovi Atohoun) 

First of all, Yaovi, on behalf of the GSE Africa team, wished Happy new year 2025  to all participants. Then he shared with the community some information :

1. The Africa Regional Plan Working Group had a first meeting on 18 December 2024.  Members are African from SO/AC leadership and representatives from AFTLD, Afregistrars,  AFCHIX and AFREN. We expect to have a draft in March for input from the Global community
2. We are in the last months of the implementation of the Africa Regional Plan FY21-FY25.  We will share an implementation report before the end of Calendar year 2025
3. New gTLD Next Round outreach is a priority in our engagement this year. In addition to focus countries (Senegal, Nigeria, Kenya, South Africa) we want to use any key opportunity to spread the message. We invite you to share with us any key international event schedule in your country. We will explore opportunities of outreach even remotely.  

We will continue the implementation of projects under the Coalition for Digital Africa.

Finally we expect to have two key events in 2025:

1. 1. Africa Engagement Forum
   2. Africa DNS Forum in the last quarter of 2025

• Recent and upcoming ALAC activities 
  • bukola.fawole
    • ALAC  request a representative from each of the five regions for the ALAC Subcommittee on Appointment Selection (AASC) for 2025 (1 year term) and the new AFRALO representative is Kiza Patrick.
    • ALAC newly formed WG for Outreach and Engagement purposes known as ALAC Community Engagement Subcommittee (ACES) opened its call for membership and requested for each region to nominate a regional rep. The call was from 16th Dec 2024 to 3rd Jan 2025.
    • AtLarge ICANN82 Planning Committee call in preparation for the next ICANN meeting is still on. The next meeting is Monday at 17:00 UTC.
    • AtLarge is drafting a comment/statement on the CIP framework developed by the CIP-CCG which is already open for comments. We all as AtLarge are encouraged to read through the draft and provide our comments on it before it goes to the ALAC for ratification.
    • Ratified statements by ALAC since the last AFRALO monthly call:
      • Proposed Revisions to Community Anti-Harassment Policy. - 13th Dec 2024
      • Joint ALAC-SSAC Correspondence regarding Automated Delegation Signer (DS) Automation. - 23 Dec 2024.

• • aziz.hilali 

No ALAC updates. But Aziz was in IGF24. And according to him, in IGF24 meeting, ALS present on the ground have had a meeting with the new ICANN CEO. He also mentioned, many African ALS were present, many concerns about remote participation. IGF24 recommended Strengthening digital cooperation and sustainable development.

Hadia proposed to organize a short 30-minute webinar (IGF24 ALS readout) on what At-Large has learned from it.

Everyone (Aziz, Michel, Abdeldjalil, Tijani, ...) will be able to talk about what they have seen and heard.   Maybe AFRALO can do that with the other RALO. 

• Recent and upcoming AFRALO/ALS  activities and Updates from Individual Members (All) 

No hands up.

• NOMCOM update   (dave.kissoondoyal) 

Reminder of the open leaderships positions.

The 2025 Nomcom website is updated at https://www.icann.org/nomcom2025. The 2025 NomCom will fill ten (10) open leadership positions:

• Three members of the ICANN Board of Directors

• One member of the PTI Board of Directors

• Three regional representatives to the At-Larg Advisory Committe (ALAC) – one each from the Africa region; the Asia, Australia and Pacific region, and the Latin America and Caribbean region

• One member of the Country Code Names Supporting Organization (ccNSO) Council

• Two members of the Generic Names Supporting Organization (GNSO) Council

The Application period will open on 14 January 2025 at 00:00 UTC and the deadline to submit applications is 15 28 March 20254 at 23:59 Coordinated Universal Time (UTC).

The website contains lot of information including the Leadership Positions Information and and Job Descriptions, the application process, the Invitation for 2025 Candidates, the Overall Criteria, the Qualifications sought, the NomCom Process and Background etc.

For full consideration in the application process, candidate applications must be submitted by 28 March 2025 at 23:59 (UTC). Individuals who do not complete their personalized online application by 28 March 2025 at 23:59 (UTC) will not be considered for selection by the NomCom.

The NomCom is currently preparing itself to accept the applications. Today and tomorrow, we are being accustomed and trained on the platform the applicants will be using to send their applications and we will be working on the applications.

• CIP - CCG Update - AFRALO CIP document - AFRALO representatives

To be read : https://docs.google.com/document/d/1T0xtCnO1iYRLWQ0ueN2ZRZDdTW3F2PAE/edit 

• AFRALO Social Media Working Group Update -  (bukola.fawole and Team)

No updates.

• UA Day 2025  2025 -  hadia.elminiawi 

https://uasg.tech/2024/08/global-internet-community-encouraged-to-submit-event-proposals-for-ua-day-2025/

• Update AFRALO Newsletter  (Hervé HOUNZANDJI)

Following the message Herve sent to the community, Herve thanks those sent to Remmy some articles for the next newsletter. 

6. AFRALO Membership Matters (Hervé HOUNZANDJI)

Herve proposed to the community to create a special edition of our newsletter. This edition will be dedicated exclusively to showcasing information and updates from our ALS representatives.

7. AOB

With no other business being proposed, @Hadia closed the meeting by once again encouraging all members to actively participate in AFRALO activities.

The meeting was then officially closed by the ICANN team.

9. Next meeting - Wednesday, 05 February 2025 at 18:30 UTC for 90 mins