Comment on the Initial Report on the Protection of IGO and INGO Identifiers in All gTLDs, by the United Nations, on behalf of the IGO Coalition

[Nastasja Suhadolnik <suhadolnik@xxxxxx>]

<div><font size=2 face="sans-serif">On behalf of a consortium of over 40
Public International Organizations as well as of the UN Funds and Programmes,
we are writing in relation to the Initial Report on the Protection of IGO
and INGO Identifiers of 14 June 2013, prepared by ICANN staff and the PDP
Working Group. </font>
<br><font size=2 face="sans-serif">Effective protection for IGO identifiers
remains a critical priority for our organizations. &nbsp;</font>
<br><font size=2 face="sans-serif">Having been actively engaged for several
years now with diverse ICANN bodies and advisory committees, including
with the PDP Working Group, on the issue of obtaining necessary preventative
protections for IGO identifiers (names and acronyms) at the top and second
level and having provided extensive documentation and comments to inform
and facilitate the various processes, including the present PDP, IGOs will
not provide extensive comments at this time. The PDP Working Group, via
its IGO delegates (UPU, WIPO and OECD), has been informed of our views
on many occasions and specific comments had been given on the options outlined
in the Initial Report. &nbsp;</font>
<br><font size=2 face="sans-serif">The IGO Common Consolidated Position
Paper here below, which was addressed to the Chairs of the ICANN Board,
New gTLD Program Committee, Governmental Advisory Committee, and President
and CEO, summarises the essential considerations for the protection of
IGO identifiers.</font>
<br><font size=2 face="sans-serif">The need to provide special protections
to IGO names and acronyms in new gTLDs at both the top level in future
rounds and the second level in all rounds has unequivocally been recognised
on several occasions by ICANN&#8217;s Governmental Advisory Committee (GAC)
as a matter of global public policy. Most recently, in its Beijing Communiqué,
the GAC &quot;stresse[d] that the IGOs perform an important global public
mission with public funds, they are the creations of government under 
international
law, and their names and acronyms warrant special protection in an expanded
DNS. &nbsp;Such protection, which the GAC has previously advised, should
be a priority.&quot;</font>
<br><font size=2 face="sans-serif">IGOs would be extremely concerned by
any final proposals by the WG to the GNSO Council which would not be fully
in line with the GAC advice or which would question either the public policy
grounds or the extent of protection advised by the GAC. &nbsp;This advice
has been accepted by the Board, subject to clarification of certain 
implementation
issues for second level protection of acronyms, on which a dialogue is
currently in progress.</font>
<br>
<br><font size=2 face="sans-serif">Sincerely yours,</font>
<br>
<br><font size=2 face="sans-serif">The United Nations</font>
<br><font size=2 face="sans-serif">On behalf of the IGO Coalition</font>
<br>
<br>
<br>
<br></div>

Attachment: IGO Consolidated Position Paper Durban 10 July 2013.pdf
Description: Adobe PDF Document