ICANN participation

What it is | This working group is tasked by the At-Large community with completing a written statement on the subject of “At-Large Engagement in ICANN”.

Discussions about At-Large and its relationship to other segments of the ICANN community, have never been timelier. This is due in part to the current ALAC external review process and the related questions regarding the manner in which ALAC and the wider At-Large community interact with each other and other parts of ICANN. At the same time, the At-Large community has frequently pointed out that their resourcing needs for participation in ICANN is fundamentally different (and greater) than that required for participation of other groups. Given that many ICANN community members have made statements about the need for ICANN to contribute greater resources to various aspects of participation, the Board of Directors of ICANN is convening a special subcommittee on participation at the initiative of the Chair of the Board.

Thus, the subject of participation is likely to be the focus of much discussion during the At-Large Summit and ICANN Meeting taking place in Mexico City. This discussion will include travel support provided by ICANN, remote participation for ICANN meetings, public forum constructs, translation support, and information sharing, among others.

Why it is important | As an extremely diverse group, it is very important that the At-Large community has a “shared vision” of what participation in ICANN means and what motivates community members to participate. At the same time, it is important for the community to articulate which elements it believes are required for effective participation.

Who should attend? | Summit delegates who are members of this working group and anyone attending the Mexico City meeting interested in the subject.

Interpretation | The session will be simultaneously interpreted into English, French, and Spanish

Remote Participation Options|

1. Telephonic remote participation (English only)
2. Chat between remote participants and those in the room (English, Spanish, and French)

Instructions on how to participate remotely may be found at this URL:
https://st.icann.org/alac-docs/index.cgi?remote_participation_wg1

Chatroom: http://icann.na3.acrobat.com/summit-wg1/

Summit Microsite: The At-Large Summit microsite has complete information at: http://www.atlarge.icann.org/summit.

Working Group 1 Microsite | http://www.atlarge.icann.org/summit/wg/engagement-en.htm

Background on At-Large Summit Working Groups

The At-Large community was surveyed in December 2008 and January 2009 and asked to choose in order of importance from amongst 15 of the most important subjects under consideration in the ICANN community today.

Their top five choices overall are the subjects for five working groups that are tasked with drafting and coming to agreement on five statements on these important subjects during the course of the Summit.

Each Summit participant has been assigned to the working group that they selected as of most interest to them; accommodations were made to ensure regional balance and address language needs.

Background: What is the “At-Large Summit”?

The Mexico City meeting is a landmark for ICANN’s At-Large community (“At-Large” is the name used for the individual Internet user community participating in ICANN).

The whole At-Large community will be meeting together face-to-face in the ‘At-Large Summit’. Approximately 90 representatives of At-Large organisations (called “At-Large Structures”) are already confirmed. You will be able to spot them easily, as each will have a ribbon indicating their status as a Summit delegate attached to their ICANN meeting badges.

The Summit is being held 28 February through 5 March 2009 at the Mexico City Sheraton and also at the nearby Melia Mexico Reforma Hotel. All ICANN meeting attendees are invited and encouraged to attend the sessions, all of which are open to everyone.

As proposed by the At-Large community, the Summit has the following objectives:

• Develop the community’s capacity for engagement in ICANN by increasing its knowledge and understanding of the key issues confronting ICANN and ICANN’s roles and responsibilities;
• Provide an opportunity for the community to finalise and present its advice on some of the most important issues facing the ICANN community today; and last but not least,
• Highlight the successes of the community in recent years and build upon them to ensure that the interests of the world’s more than 1 billion individual Internet users are well represented in the development of Internet name and number policy.