<div>Dear All,</div>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US"><font face="Times New Roman" size="3"> 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.</font></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US"><font face="Times New Roman" size="3">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..</font></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none"><span lang="EN-GB" style="FONT-FAMILY: Helvetica; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB"><font size="3">Pierre D</font></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none"><span lang="EN-GB" style="FONT-FAMILY: Helvetica; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB"><font size="3">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].”</font></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US"><font size="3"><font face="Times New Roman">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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>brain storming session. The Group is now happy to submit its deliberations to the National Telecommunication Agency (NTIA). </font></font></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><font size="3"><font face="Times New Roman"><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB">According to ICANN's mission statement, it coordinates the allocation and assignment of the three sets of unique identifiers for the Internet, which are: <span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Domain names; Internet protocol addresses and Autonomous system numbers; Protocol port and parameter numbers. </span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US">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.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></span></font></font></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US"><font size="3"><font face="Times New Roman">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. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>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. </font></font></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><font size="3"><font face="Times New Roman"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US">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 </span><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB">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.</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US"> </span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US">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.</span></font></font></p>
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