[AfrICANN-discuss] Re: AfrICANN Digest, Vol 28, Issue 3

[Dandjinou Pierre]

Dear All,


 Following the  responses to the series of questions , we now need
to conclude. I am therefore proposing the following text for your perusal
and review. feel free to amend as English is not my mother tongue; Also,
bear in mind we should be sending this to the NTIA by the 7th June.

Finally, this text which is meant to represent the views of members of this
discussion list does not prevent us from sending any individual comments as
a response to the NOI..



Pierre D

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The Africa ICANN Discussion List members provide the following comments in
response to the National Telecommunications and Information Administration
Notice of Inquiry “Assessment of the Transition of the Technical
Coordination and Management of the Internet's Domain Name and Addressing
System [Docket No. 090420688-9689-01].”



In a view to provide comments which reflect the general views of the Africa
region on the termination of the JPA agreement and thereof a final report on
the DNS project, members of the Africann list , a discussion list for
Africans who are interested in Icann’s matters , organized an online  brain
storming session. The Group is now happy to submit its deliberations to the
National Telecommunication Agency (NTIA).



According to ICANN's mission statement, it coordinates the allocation and
assignment of the three sets of unique identifiers for the Internet, which
are:  Domain names; Internet protocol addresses and Autonomous system
numbers; Protocol port and parameter numbers. After its 11 years of
existence, ICANN has served as the testbed for many initiatives that have
come to make the Internet an ever growing space for communication and
knowledge sharing. The Africa region is particularly marked by the new
developments which ICANN has generated in its core business of DNS and IP
address management. Thus, the bottom up approach to policy development, the
constant search for transparency and accountability constitute the
overarching features which ICANN has struggled for since 1998. Indeed, since
then, the successive MoUs which have delineated ICANN’s perimeter have
provided an outlet for an experiment which spans diverse issues and cross
sector relationships.



In performing its function as the custodian and coordinator of those
critical resources that are domain names and IP addresses, ICANN has
constantly striven to be open, transparent and accountable. The JPA and the
subsequent MoUs have certainly provided the framework for this coordination
which has now given its global and international nature to ICANN.  While the
Africa region benefitted from the ICANN’s experience in many ways, including
the development of the African Internetworking groups and associations and
the growing participation to Icann’s policy development processes, Africa
would like to recall that Internet being a global goods, its sound and
effective coordination should continue to be operated along those criterion
and procedures that have given to the Internet its stability and secure
operation.



The ICANN’s experiment has proven to be a success in many ways including
capacity development and cross fertilization of ideas and knowledge. Its
bylaws and internal mechanisms have ensured over the year more transparency
and accountability which portray ICANN as an experiment in global self
governance which could be replicated in other institutional formulas.
Therefore,
termination of the JPA will only reinforce its credibility at the global
level. There is always room for improvement and the termination of the JPA
and the end of the DNS project will only give ICANN its full dimension and
potential as a global and international and multistakeholder institution
within its restricted mission of coordinating the critical resources of the
Internet. One such room for improvement should be the role to be played by
governments in the specific layout of ICANN which guarantee both openness ,
inclusiveness and freedom within the larger context of the global Internet
governance.
..
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