Just wanted to share this news with the membership. a. Begin forwarded message: > From: Alex Gakuru <[log in to unmask]> > Date: 5 March 2010 16:56:26 GMT+03:00 > To: Avri Doria <[log in to unmask]> > Subject: "Consumer Interest Group" - Expression of Interest > > Expression of Interest to form “Consumer Interest Group” in the > Non-Commercial Stakeholder Group > > To the Chair, Executive Committee > Non-Commercial Stakeholder Group (NCSG) > > Dear Avri Doria, > > Our group seeks to champion for the embedding of consumer interests in > ICANN policy. Consumers differentiate themselves from “users” because > a) anyone that uses the internet is a “user” and b) a consumer is that end > user that does not have/pursue commercial interests or dealings with > business stakeholders groups in ICANN nor represent governmental voices > otherwise represented through GAC. > > We are consumer public interest advocates and therefore are > rights-based. Therefore, we find Civil Society in ICANN our best home > within the ICANN structure. Additionally, consumer rights advocacy is > best served and reinforced by other individual rights advocates within > NCUC whom have for years pursued core Public Interest objective of > ICANN. Our group is regionally diverse and will speak for consumers in > all parts of the world. > > Kindly convey our request to the Executive Committee–NCSG for their > kind consideration. Richer documentation of the “Consumer Interest > Group” are being > drafted which we shall submit to the EC in due course. > > Sincerely, > > > Alex Gakuru > CIG "In-Formation" Lead > > --- > Initial Members > > Africa > > 1.Rafik Dammak – Tunisia > 2.Dorothy K. Gordon – Director General, Kofi Annan Centre of > Excellence in ICT (Ghana) > 3.Bernard Yameogo – Burkina Faso > 4.Liliane Ruvakubusa – Burundi > 5.Alex Gakuru – ICT Consumers Association - Kenya > (interest was also expressed from Zambia regulator representative - > to be followed up) > > North America > > 6.Zain Khan – Canadian Telecommunications Consultants > Association(CTCA) and Canadian Association of Management Consultants > 7.United States: Contacts and probes were made with American Consumers > Organisations and this will be followed up after the Nairobi meeting > > Europe > > 8.Rudi Vansnic - TIK (Telco and Internet Customers association - > +12000 members) > 9.Switzerland: Contacts and probes were made with (3) Swiss Consumers > Organisations and this will be followed up after the Nairobi meeting > > Asia-Pacific > > 10. Poomjit Sirawongprasert - Thailand > 11.Japan: Contact with Aizu Izumi will be followed-up during the > Nairobi meeting > 12.Australia: Outreach to consumers advocates was made this will be > followed up after the Nairobi meeting > > South America: > > 13.Flávia Lefèvre Guimarães - ProTeste http://www.proteste.org.br/ > 14.Guilherme Varella http://www.idec.org.br >