[atlarge-discuss] FYI. From ICANN's 31 march status report to the DoC

[Joop Teernstra <terastra@terabytz.co.nz>]

c. Implementation of the At-Large Advisory Committee
Under the New Bylaws, ICANN's At-Large Advisory Committee (ALAC) is 
responsible for considering and providing advice on the activities of ICANN 
as they relate to the interests of individual Internet users (the 
"At-Large" community). The New Bylaws call for the ALAC to eventually 
consist of ten members selected by Regional At-Large Organizations, 
supplemented by five members selected by ICANN's Nominating Committee. To 
allow the ALAC to begin functioning immediately, the Transition Article of 
the Interim Bylaws provides for the Board to appoint ten members (two from 
each of ICANN's five regions) to an Interim ALAC.
Ultimately, underpinning the ALAC will be a network of self-organizing, 
self-supporting At-Large Structures throughout the world involving 
individual Internet users at the local or issue level. The At-Large 
Structures (either existing organizations or newly formed for this purpose) 
will self-organize into five Regional At-Large Organizations (one in each 
ICANN region – Africa, Asia-Pacific, Europe, Latin America/Caribbean, and 
North America). The Regional At-Large Organizations will manage outreach 
and public involvement and will be the main forum and coordination point in 
each region for public input to ICANN.
This structure for At-Large user participation provides significant 
advantages over the one foreseen in ICANN before reform, as it provides for 
accountable, transparent stakeholder organization, and allows for the 
ability to identify clearly who is speaking, as well as to assess the 
quantitative weight associated with that voice. The ALAC has been 
structured to make sure that the voice of different sectors of the Internet 
community will be heard and that their representation can be effectively 
taken into account.
On 20 January 2003, the ICANN Board appointed the following individuals to 
the Interim At-Large Advisory Committee:
·       Africa
·       Pierre Dandjinou (Benin)
·       Clement Dzidonu (Ghana)
·       Asia/Pacific
·       Izumi Aizu (Japan)
·       Xue Hong (China)
·       Europe
·       Vittorio Bertola (Italy)
·       Thomas Roessler (Germany)
·       Latin America/Caribbean
·       Erick Iriarte Ahon (Peru)
·       Sebastián J. Ricciardi (Argentina)
·       North America
·       Esther Dyson (United States)
·       Wendy Seltzer (United States)
All of these individuals have support in one or more communities, have 
proven their commitment and capability of working intensely and in 
coordinated fashion, and add important capabilities and outreach. They form 
a diverse, balanced, constructive group that, in the aggregate, is 
optimally positioned to build the structure that will guarantee that ICANN 
is provided with the views and needs of Internet users worldwide and kept 
operating in an efficient, transparent, and accountable manner.
Interim ALAC members will serve until a Regional At-Large Organization is 
established in their respective region and elects its own members to the 
permanent ALAC.
In addition to serving the advisory role envisioned for the permanent ALAC, 
the Interim ALAC will assist in the formation and qualification of At-Large 
Structures and Regional At-Large Organizations (RALOs). The At-Large 
Structures and RALOs will meet requirements such as openness, participatory 
opportunities, transparency, accountability, and diversity in their 
structure and procedures.
The Interim ALAC has organized itself and selected Vittorio Bertola of 
Italy as its Chair. The Interim ALAC has also appointed a non-voting 
liaison to the Generic Names Supporting Organization's Council, which is 
responsible for developing and recommending to the ICANN Board policies 
relating to generic top-level domains. It has also selected five delegates 
to ICANN's Nominating Committee, which will select eight of the 15 voting 
members of the new ICANN Board and also will select individuals to serve in 
other key positions. When ICANN's New Board takes over from the Transition 
Board, the ALAC will also appoint a non-voting liaison to the ICANN Board.
Other activities expected to be undertaken by the Interim (and permanent) 
ALAC and its supporting organizations include:
·       Proposing criteria and an accreditation process for self-forming 
At-Large Structures (which will organize the RALOs);
·       Certifying (and de-certifying) organizations for "At-Large 
Structure" designation;
·       Proposing a "memorandum of understanding" template to be used to 
define the role and responsibilities of RALOs within the ICANN structure;
·       Assisting with initial outreach strategies on At-Large and relevant 
ICANN issues in each geographic region;
·       Publicizing and analyzing ICANN's proposed policies and decisions 
and their (potential) regional impact and (potential) effect on individuals 
in the region;
·       Providing advice to various policy-making organizations within 
ICANN on issues, proposals, and activities that are relevant to individual 
Internet users and fall within ICANN's purview; and
·       Offering Internet-based mechanisms and processes that enable 
discussions among members of At-Large structures and with those involved in 
ICANN decision-making so interested individuals can share their views on 
pending ICANN issues.