[bc-gnso] FILED: BC comment on recommendations of Geographic Regions Review WG

[Steve DelBianco <sdelbianco@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Today the BC filed comment on the final report recommendations of the 
Geographic Regions Review WG. (see 
link<http://www.bizconst.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/Comment-on-Geo-Regions-Review-WG-recommendation.pdf>
 and below)

Thanks to Andrew Mack for leading the draft, and to several BC members for 
contributing edits and suggestions.

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BC Comments on the Final Report Recommendations of the Geographic Regions 
Review Working Group
24-Apr-2016

The BC endorses the recommendations of the Geographical Regions report 
submitted on October 15, 2015.

We strongly agree with the report’s reiteration that diversity — including 
geographical diversity — is essential to ICANN’s mission and to the success of 
the multistakeholder model, as is continued emphasis on making ICANN more open 
to a multilingual audience through translation.

At the same time, we agree with the report that while ICANN’s geographical 
regions are distinct from those of many major international organizations, 
changing these regions or adding to the number of regions would be unlikely to 
enhance ICANN’s mission and could lead to additional cost and confusion.

Lastly, while not directly a part of this report, the BC wants to call 
attention to the fact that, along with geographic diversity, there are many 
other kinds of diversity that must factor into the growth and functioning of a 
vibrant global internet community.  Among them, gender diversity — as 
referenced in UN Sustainable Development Goal #5 — is an essential building 
block in the multistakeholder process and a key to reaching women around the 
world who make up half of the world’s population.

As a practical suggestion, the BC urges that staff to investigate simple ways 
that all ICANN committees, meetings and work groups can collect data on 
participation by geographic region and gender, and and make this data available 
for the broader community.  By knowing the amount of participation from women 
and different geographic regions in all ICANN activities, we can better pursue 
our goals of broader stakeholder engagement and diversity.

This comment was drafted by Andrew Mack, with edits from several BC members. It 
was approved in accord with the BC charter.