AFRALO GENERAL ASSEMBLY

Mexico Statement

The first AFRALO (African Regional At-Large Organisation) General Assembly took place on 3 March 2009. 15 ICANN-accredited ALS representatives took part in it.
The participants reviewed AFRALO involvement in ICANN’s issues and discuss the best ways to enhance that participation.

• Stimulate and promote the African participation. Participants agreed that the members were the first to blame for that weak participation;
• Take part in the policy development processes and help fixing rules;
• Render the information from ICANN into a language accessible to all since by informing the African public, it will generate their interest. The lack of internet business in the region explains the weak participation. Thus, AFRALO representatives must inform the public.
• Ensure an effective participation by setting up tools to measure up performances.

Recommendations:

• ALS need to engage in more activities to enhance their visibility
• Develop focal points to reinforce the institutional capacities
• Have a focal point that will brief the other ALS reps before the teleconferences so as to ensure more participation. This could be done through the At-Large liaisons.

• ALSes are requested to analyze their specific needs for their effective participation in ICANN’s activities.

In the short term, three activities have been approved:

1. Analysis of the ALS participation thanks to self-assessment: Leading officer: Mrs Hawa DIAKITE: Before the next teleconference in April 2009, each ALS will have to sum up its participation and express its needs and prerequisites in order to be able in the future to fully participate.

2. Reflect upon AFRALO: Status and legal aspects, rules of procedures: Leading officer: Mr. Khaled KOUBAA: prepare a preliminary draft for: - definition/clarification of the AFRALO Rules of Procedure. - define the functional principles

3. Building up capacities: Leading officer : Michel.
We back up the At-Large Summit WG recommendations regarding participation and stimulate the capacities building up process. With reference to this, a group lead by Michel is to draft a series of concepts helping to analyze what is meant by the capcities building initiative for AFRALO.

AFRALO Leadership

AFRALO: confirmation of the existing leaders: F Seye Sylla (Chair), D Kasole (Secretary), H Diakite (Vice-President/Rapporteur)