From: NCSG-Discuss [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Alain Berranger

The issue I guess I'm struggling with is "who speaks for whom"? I do not think individuals like myself or academics like yourself or IP lawyers for that matter can speak for the global NGO/NFP community...
[Milton L Mueller]

Alain, no one speaks for anyone. Everyone speaks for themselves. There is no "global community" of nonprofits, there are (to use an especially obvious example) nonprofits promoting leftwing views and some promoting rightwing views, there are nonprofits promoting Islam and some promoting Christianity, and every other religion you can name. there are foundations and nonprofits working against abortion and others working for choice or for family planning.

The point of NCSG is simply to balance commercial interests and perspectives with noncommercial ones. The idea that NCSG is going to have ONE VOICE on ALL issues related to domains and the internet is unlikely and probably not even desirable, except perhaps on a few cases.
--MM