[gnso-geo-dg] ICANN regions - quick history

["Philip Sheppard" <philip.sheppard@xxxxxx>]

Thanks Rob, for that useful set of links.
It once again demonstrates a classic ICANN problem - and one entirely of its 
own making.
 
The problem
The Board back in 2000 and the GAC both agreed that ICANN should not be in the 
game of
geo-political allocation but should use international norms and agreed upon the 
UN list.
The Board told staff to do so.
Unfortunately for everyone concerned the set of 5 ICANN regions had already 
been determined
in the original 1998 bylaws:
Europe; Asia/Australia/Pacific; Latin America/Caribbean islands; Africa; North 
America.
 
These regions were NOT the UN ones:
Africa, Americas, Asia, Europe, Oceania
 
So (rather than getting the Board to change the bylaws) staff went about 
allocating
countries from the UN list to the regions determined by the author of ICANN's 
1998 bylaws (a
US lawyer who shall remain nameless).
In so doing ICANN engaged in exactly the process it wanted to avoid - 
geo-political
allocation. 
Hence the mess we are in identified in the CCSO report.
 
The solution
Amend the bylaws to update ICANN's 5 regions to the 5 UN ones.
 
Philip