I support your position Sam. I am as disgusted as anybody about what is going on in Morocco re free speech, but a protest within our agenda does not really fit in the mandate of ICANN, and inflaming the high level meeting of Ministers which will be going on simultaneously is IMHO not a great idea tactically, and embarrassing the Moroccan government is a certainty given the profile of that event. Having a parallel event, such as Akdeniz et al did in Turkey beside the IGF last year might be a better solution. We do not want to undo the good work of getting human rights wording into the bylaws. Stephanie Perrin On 2015-12-09 15:11, Sam Lanfranco wrote: > NCSG Colleagues, > > I would like to caution a rush to decision here. But first I want to > put my credentials on the table so there is no questioning of > motives. I have been engaged in civil rights struggles since the > 1950's and 1960's where (in Berkeley) I, and my car, were shot at > (tear gas grenades). For the past quarter century I have worked with > the Ambedkar Centre for Justice and Peace in Mumbai (ACJP is a human > rights, atrocity prevention and amelioration ngo dealing with > Dalit/untouchable human rights and abuse). > > Niels has put a proposal on the table and one cannot but agree with > the concerns around human rights and freedom of expression, while at > the same time having major reservations about the proposed activities. > I will state my personal objections here, and suggest an alternative. > > Since there is time between now and Marrakesh, after consultation, I > will come back later with a position based on what the NPOC membership > has to say about the proposed activities. > > First, it is important to remember that there is a vast difference > between asking ICANN to be introspective, accountable and transparent > about the relationship between activities within its remit and human > rights. That has been the central focus of human rights discussions > within ICANN up to now. The proposal to address Moroccan human rights > issues within ICANN sessions is a quite different activity and > essentially proposes that elements of the ICANN constituencies engage > in broad human rights advocacy within ICANN. Also, look at the Human > Rights Watch reports on ICANN's African GAC members. One could ask, > why stop at Morocco? Africa produces an almost endless list of human > rights abuses, mainly based on curbing freedom of expression. There is > a better way. > > It would make more sense for individuals within ICANN constituencies, > Niels' Article Nineteen, and local Moroccan human rights advocates to > arrange concurrent events outside ICANN, using the opportunity of > people attending ICANN in Marrakesh to engage in those events. This is > superior to pressing for events within ICANN for two key reasons. > > The first is that engaging within the ICANN program in national human > rights issues outside ICANN's remit is dangerous scope creep for > ICANN. ICANN can advocate for the stability and security of the DNS, > and it can be concerned about the relationship between the stability > and security of the DNS as that relates to human rights, but it should > stop there, at the border of its remit. Engaging in advocacy within > ICANN would of course anger Morocco, and such anger and concern would > go viral across GAC members and drive an even bigger (toxic) wedge > between GAC and the NCSG constituencies, both within ICANN and at home. > > The second reason is that trying to fit Moroccan human rights issues > into the already overly tight and compressed ICANN meeting agenda > would be a disservice to Moroccans engaged in human rights advocacy. > There is a real risk that Moroccan colleagues would expect more than > could be delivered within ICANN meeting constraints. Even follow up > press coverage would be highly constrained and risk coloring ICANN > with an advocacy ting that would serve nobody. > > On the other hand, a concurrent event, organized in cooperation with > but mainly by Moroccans and with extensive participation by those > attending the ICANN meetings, would have more substance and more scope > for follow up press coverage. ICANN people could attend the Moroccan > event as individuals, or with the formal blessing of their own > constituency organizations, outside of ICANN. > > Let us try to do this one right. A good idea badly executed is a > lose-lose for all. > > Sam L.