<html><head><meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"></head><body dir="auto"><div><p style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 1.1em; vertical-align: top; border: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: top; border: 0px;">For your information.</span></span></p><p style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 1.1em; vertical-align: top; border: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: top; border: 0px;">Honolulu, Hawaii, USA] – 16 November 2014 – The Internet Society Board of Trustees</span><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: top; border: 0px;"> </span><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: top; border: 0px;">today issued the following statement:</span><br><br><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: top; border: 0px;">Recently, the “I* Group” [<a href="http://www.internetsociety.org/news/internet-society-statement-netmundial-initiative#footnote1" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: top; border: 0px;">1</a>] was invited to participate in the NETmundial Initiative, which is</span><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: top; border: 0px;"> </span><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: top; border: 0px;">different from the one-time NETmundial meeting in which we participated in April 2014; we</span><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: top; border: 0px;"> </span><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: top; border: 0px;">endorsed the outcomes of that meeting. This new and different NETmundial Initiative has</span><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: top; border: 0px;"> </span><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: top; border: 0px;">been organized by the partnership of the Brazilian Internet Steering Committee, the</span><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: top; border: 0px;"> </span><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: top; border: 0px;">Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), and the World Economic</span><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: top; border: 0px;"> </span><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: top; border: 0px;">Forum (WEF) [<a href="http://www.internetsociety.org/news/internet-society-statement-netmundial-initiative#footnote2" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: top; border: 0px;">2</a>]. This announcement has resulted in considerable discussion and concern</span><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: top; border: 0px;"> </span><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: top; border: 0px;">amongst various stakeholders regarding the purpose, scope, and nature of the proposed</span><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: top; border: 0px;"> </span><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: top; border: 0px;">activity or organization.</span><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: top; border: 0px;"> </span><br><br><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: top; border: 0px;">The Internet Society Board discussed this proposed NETmundial Initiative in depth during</span><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: top; border: 0px;"> </span><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: top; border: 0px;">its meeting November 15 – 16, 2014. As a result, the Internet Society Board first</span><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: top; border: 0px;"> </span><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: top; border: 0px;">emphasizes that the main priority facing the Internet community right now is the IANA</span><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: top; border: 0px;"> </span><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: top; border: 0px;">Functions’ Stewardship Transition and recommends that all organizations in the Internet</span><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: top; border: 0px;"> </span><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: top; border: 0px;">community should be highly focused on effectuating a successful transition. The Internet</span><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: top; border: 0px;"> </span><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: top; border: 0px;">Society remains fully committed to the September 2015 milestone set for completing a plan</span><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: top; border: 0px;"> </span><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: top; border: 0px;">that will meet the criteria set by U.S. National Telecommunications & Information</span><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: top; border: 0px;"> </span><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: top; border: 0px;">Administration (NTIA).</span><br><br><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: top; border: 0px;">With respect to the need for new groups, such as the NETmundial Initiative and its</span><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: top; border: 0px;"> </span><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: top; border: 0px;">Coordination Council, the Internet Society Board reiterates that the Internet Society’s</span><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: top; border: 0px;"> </span><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: top; border: 0px;">longstanding position is that there is no single, global platform that can serve to coordinate,</span><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: top; border: 0px;"> </span><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: top; border: 0px;">organize or govern all the Internet issues that may arise. At its heart, the Internet is a</span><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: top; border: 0px;"> </span><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: top; border: 0px;">decentralized, loosely coupled, distributed system that allows policies to be defined by</span><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: top; border: 0px;"> </span><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: top; border: 0px;">those who require them for their operations and that ensures that issues can be resolved at</span><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: top; border: 0px;"> </span><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: top; border: 0px;">a level closest to their origin. The ecosystem draws its strength from the involvement of a</span><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: top; border: 0px;"> </span><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: top; border: 0px;">broad range of actors working through open, transparent, and collaborative processes to</span><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: top; border: 0px;"> </span><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: top; border: 0px;">innovate and build the network of networks that is the cornerstone of the global economy.</span><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: top; border: 0px;">[<a href="http://www.internetsociety.org/news/internet-society-statement-netmundial-initiative#footnote3" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: top; border: 0px;">3</a>]</span><br><br><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: top; border: 0px;">Based on the information that we have to date, the Internet Society cannot agree to</span><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: top; border: 0px;"> </span><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: top; border: 0px;">participate in or endorse the Coordination Council for the NETmundial Initiative. We are</span><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: top; border: 0px;"> </span><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: top; border: 0px;">concerned that the way in which the NETmundial Initiative is being formed does not appear</span><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: top; border: 0px;"> </span><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: top; border: 0px;">to be consistent with the Internet Society’s longstanding principles, including:</span></span></p><ul style="margin: 0px 0px 20px 8px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: top; border: 0px; list-style: none;"><li style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 2px 8px; vertical-align: top; border: 0px; background-image: url(http://www.internetsociety.org/sites/all/themes/isoc/images/bullet-grey.gif); list-style: none; background-position: 0px 7px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat;"><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: top; border: 0px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Bottom-up orientation</span></li><li style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 2px 8px; vertical-align: top; border: 0px; background-image: url(http://www.internetsociety.org/sites/all/themes/isoc/images/bullet-grey.gif); list-style: none; background-position: 0px 7px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat;"><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: top; border: 0px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Decentralized</span></li><li style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 2px 8px; vertical-align: top; border: 0px; background-image: url(http://www.internetsociety.org/sites/all/themes/isoc/images/bullet-grey.gif); list-style: none; background-position: 0px 7px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat;"><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: top; border: 0px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Open</span></li><li style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 2px 8px; vertical-align: top; border: 0px; background-image: url(http://www.internetsociety.org/sites/all/themes/isoc/images/bullet-grey.gif); list-style: none; background-position: 0px 7px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat;"><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: top; border: 0px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Transparent</span></li><li style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 2px 8px; vertical-align: top; border: 0px; background-image: url(http://www.internetsociety.org/sites/all/themes/isoc/images/bullet-grey.gif); list-style: none; background-position: 0px 7px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat;"><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: top; border: 0px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Accountable</span></li><li style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 2px 8px; vertical-align: top; border: 0px; background-image: url(http://www.internetsociety.org/sites/all/themes/isoc/images/bullet-grey.gif); list-style: none; background-position: 0px 7px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat;"><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: top; border: 0px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Multi-stakeholder</span></li></ul><p style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 1.1em; vertical-align: top; border: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: top; border: 0px;">The Board has asked the Internet Society’s CEO, Kathryn Brown, to convene a dialogue</span><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: top; border: 0px;"> </span><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: top; border: 0px;">within the Internet Society community. This includes Internet Society Chapters from around</span><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: top; border: 0px;"> </span><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: top; border: 0px;">the world, Internet Society organization members, the IETF, the IAB, partners from the</span><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: top; border: 0px;"> </span><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: top; border: 0px;">Internet technical community, and others. The dialogue should consider whether any new</span><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: top; border: 0px;"> </span><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: top; border: 0px;">initiatives or groups are needed at the current time and, if so, to define the objectives for</span><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: top; border: 0px;"> </span><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: top; border: 0px;">any such effort.</span><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: top; border: 0px;"> </span></span></p><p style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 1.1em; vertical-align: top; border: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: top; border: 0px;">More at:</span></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; margin: 0px; font-size: 12px; font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><a href="http://www.internetsociety.org/news/internet-society-statement-netmundial-initiative">www.internetsociety.org/news/internet-society-statement-netmundial-initiative</a></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; margin: 0px; font-size: 12px; font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><br></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; margin: 0px; font-size: 12px; font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">What are your thoughts on this?</span></p><br><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;">Arsene Tungali,</div><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;">Rudi International</div><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"><a href="http://www.rudiinternational.org">www.rudiinternational.org</a></div><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"><a href="http://www.mabingwa-forum.com">www.mabingwa-forum.com</a></div><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"><br></div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;">Sent from my iPhone (excuse typos)</span></div></body></html>