[kictanet] ITU and ICANN – a loveless forced marriage: ITU & ICANN in Cairo

Sun Nov 9 22:10:49 EAT 2008

<excerpts>
[ITU]-It has 191 member states and 700 private companies,
non-governmental organizations, and civil society that are members of
the union. Not many people know that.
....
I personally believe that the IGF is just going around and around,
avoiding the topics, and becomes sometimes a waste of time. We need to
address issues frankly and try to solve
them.
....
During the WSIS process, there were long debates on Internet
governance. I was telling to many people from developing countries who
were fighting for Internet governance: "Before you get the governance,
get the Internet first.

It has been alleged in some corners of the ITU that ITU wishes to
govern the Internet. And I have specifically said that I categorically
deny that. And I say today again to you, it is not the case. My
intention as Secretary-General of ITU is not to govern the Internet.

<excerpt>

Who are the Civil Society organisations in ITU? Supposing ITU and
ICANN agreed the way forward, What would be the fate of IGF expert
Civil Society, bearing in mind said within the ITU? Would they again
strike outside meetings to become relevant?

Agreed, our fundamental problem remains access (affordable and
equitable). It is what we ought to focus on addressing the most.

Reassuring to note the intention is not to "take over" the Internet
and its affiliate and working institutions;) The vast energies and
development resources directed at Internet governance  politics should
be directed into building more infrastructure, especially rural
community -based access initiatives. East African regulators should
facilitate this to happen!!

rgds,

Alex

On Sun, Nov 9, 2008 at 8:41 PM, alice <alice at apc.org> wrote:
> (Apologies for cross posting)
>
> Hi all
> At the just ended ICANN meeting in Cairo, the ITU Secretary General spoke
> very provocatively about ICANN, ITU and the global IGF and the
> relationship/s or lack thereof. See his statement attached and below a
>  press article on the same.
>
> best
> alice
>
>
> -------- Original Message --------
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> http://www.heise-online.co.uk/news/print/111914
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> 7 November 2008, 12:30
>
>
>  ITU and ICANN – a loveless forced marriage
>
> ITU Secretary General Hamadoun Touré has called for better collaboration
> between the *International Telecommunication Union[1]* (ITU) and the
> *Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers[2]* (ICANN). "Our
> members have unnecessarily attacked and criticised each other and I think we
> should put an end to that," said Touré on Thursday at the 33rd ICANN meeting
> in Cairo. According to Touré, the two organisations need to get to know each
> other better and learn to love each other, as telecommunications and the
> internet are ultimately condemned to a "forced marriage".
>
> Despite the outstretched hand, the ITU Secretary General did not spare the
> criticism in his first appearance at an ICANN meeting. Touré made it clear
> to the assembled experts that he saw his organisation as playing the
> dominant role in the forced marriage and made his opinion of the other party
> clear – provocatively describing ICANN's Governmental Advisory Committee as
> purely cosmetic.
>
> The depth of the chasm between the two – the UN organisation, which has its
> roots in the telecommunications world, and the quasi-internet-regulator
> ICANN – was stressed by a series of further statements in the half-hour talk
> given by the head of the ITU. Touré repeatedly spoke of the "war" between
> the two organisations. According to Touré, who was elected in 2006, "The
> best way to win a war, is to prevent it."
>
> In the course of his 'marriage proposal', he referred extensively to the
> ITU's outstanding role. Key topics for his organisation, he noted, include
> the internationalisation of domains, something with which ICANN is currently
> engaged, the *transition to IPv6[3]*, standardisation for the all-IP *Next
> Generation Network[4]* (NGN), cyber-security, the fight against online
> terrorism and child protection online.
>
> Touré rejected concerns that the ITU was appointing itself as global
> regulator of internet resources and processes, "The ITU has clear
> boundaries. We do not perform the operative business." However, he
> underlined the organisation's demand, set out in its *Cybersecurity
> Agenda[5]*, to be responsible for a global framework in the fight against
> online terrorism and criminality. He also defended the controversial *IP
> traceback[6]* standard proposal. "There is not one country which isn't doing
> it, it's just that each country is doing it differently," said Touré.
>
> Touré also rejected criticism that the ITU operates behind closed doors. He
> stated that the organisation has around 700 sector members from the
> telecommunications industry and also admits NGOs as members. Touré also
> praised the ITU's openness – a nod to the *World Summit on the Information
> Society[7]* (WSIS). The summit, organised under ITU auspices, is, according
> to Touré, the first UN summit at which civil society has also been invited
> to sit at the table, rather than demonstrating outside.
>
> In the same breath, Touré expressed strong criticism of the *Internet
> Governance Forum[8]* (IGF), which was called into being by the WSIS, "I am
> personally of the opinion that the IGF is continuously going round in
> circles and avoiding issues – it is becoming more and more a waste of time."
> Therefore, the ITU is planning a global forum for internet policy next year
> as a rival event.
>
> Touré also fired a further undiplomatic broadside at the work performed by
> governments within ICANN. "The Governmental Advisory Committee is ICANN's
> weak point," said Touré. His criticism was directed at the advisory function
> of the Governmental Advisory Committee (GAC) in developing rules for the
> domain name system. "If someone gives me advice, I am free to take it or
> leave it." The ICANN's GAC is therefore nothing more than "cosmetic", noted
> Touré forthrightly.
>
> In a short statement following Touré's speech, the Brazilian government
> representative on the GAC demanded, in the name of his and the Argentinian
> government, the "strengthening of the GAC". Latvian diplomat Janis Karklins,
> re-elected as GAC chairman, by contrast noted that the ITU and ICANN
> operated according to very different political models, "From the viewpoint
> of an international organisation, the ICANN model may appear weak, because
> governments are merely advisory, whilst in an international organisation
> they run the show." ICANN is, he opined, based on the novel idea of
> collaboration between interested parties. He noted that both models have
> their advantages and disadvantages, and that governments need to learn to
> operate within both models.
>
> (/Monika Ermert/)
>
> (*lghp[9]*)
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> *URL of this Article:*
> http://www.heise-online.co.uk/news/111914
>
> *Links in this Article:*
>  [1] http://www.itu.int/
>  [2] http://www.icann.org
>  [3]
> http://www.heise-online.co.uk/news/OECD-member-states-throw-their-weight-behind-IPv6--/110960
>  [4] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Next_Generation_Networking
>  [5] http://www.itu.int/osg/csd/cybersecurity/gca/
>  [6] http://news.cnet.com/8301-13578_3-10040152-38.html
>  [7] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WSIS
>  [8] http://www.intgovforum.org/
>  [9] mailto:lghp at heise-online.co.uk
>
>
>
>
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