[npoc] Fwd: Feedback on Draft FY13 Operating Plan & Budget (draft)

[Alain Berranger <alain.berranger@xxxxxxxxx>]

Dear NPOC-EC Colleagues,

Please find below my personal comments on ICANN's draft FY13 Operating Plan
& Budget (74 pages - the report not my comments!). Please add your own
views as usual... or if you have no objections to mine you need not comment.

Cheers, Alain

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Alain Berranger <alain.berranger@xxxxxxxxx>
Date: Thu, May 31, 2012 at 3:37 PM
Subject: Feedback on Draft FY13 Operating Plan & Budget (draft)
To: op-budget-fy13@xxxxxxxxx


*I have reviewed the Draft FY13 Operating Plan & Budget. I find it to be
comprehensive for such a category of document. Certainly I find it
comparable in quality and level of detail I have experienced with Canadian
government para-statal corporations (called Crown Corporations in Canada).*
*

Here are my detailed comments:*
*
*
*1. The separation/dedication of the New gTLD Application Process accounts
from regular ICANN operations core and project accounts, is absolutely
required for accountability and transparency down the road, notably on the
use and allocation of surplus funds, if any. I strongly support this
separation/dedication of accounts. For longer term funds, they should be
invested in trust accounts with interest accruing for subsidizing to the
more worthy of the developmental and global gTLD Applicants ( ie to top off
the current $2 million allocation for that purpose).*
*2. On the inclusion of the World Bank on the GAC: it should come with a
grant contribution from the International Development Association (IDA) to
increase participation by worthy Constituency members  from developing
economies who cannot afford the costs associated with participation (This
of course to be on top of current funding for Fellowships and other related
support mechanisms). Civil society, notforprofits and NGOs should be
targeted as recipients of this IDA funding, as this sector is the less
represented in ICANN (as opposed to governments and private sector). The
management of these grants should be done and/or facilitated by ICANN
Constituencies closest to and more knowledgeable civil society actors.*
*3. On Policy Development Support, I recommend that the Policy Group at
ICANN design and manage an initiative to start breaking up the "silos" and
increase communications/understanding between Stakeholders Groups and
between Constituencies, through multi-stakeholder partnerships (MSPs)
training for instance. There is quite a body of knowledge on these MSPs,
best practices and lessons learned which I believe ICANN as a whole would
benefit from.*
*4. On travel allocation for GAC members, I find it highly desirable that
governments fund their own civil servants' travel allocations, as public
budgets are the way for governments to reflect their national priorities.
If travel allocations for governments are unavoidable for political
mitigation and MS consensus building, they should be reserved for
developing economies, for reasons of eradicating the digital divide between
the IT haves and havenots.*
*5. The new gTLD Applicant Support Program is essential to educate the
global community and engage the international community. So is the Support
Application Review Panel (SARP). Budget support should favor Applicants
from developed economies and/or disadvantaged communities.*
*6. NPOC should be included in NOM COM soonest. Exclusion from 2012 process
was somewhat discriminatory, although justified by regulatory
circumstances, and certainly a lost opportunity to train an elected NPOC
Officer or Member for 2013.*
*7. Operating expenses should include stipends for volunteers. In the long
term, this would be fairer, increase true and unconflicted participation
and show some recognition by ICANN to volunteers. It would decrease the
divide between well-remunerated staff (they need to be to attract the best)
and currently overworked/overused-volunteers. Stipends would be a small
proportion of salary scales, say 10%. It would increase competition between
volunteers and increase the pool of available volunteers. This would be a
major motivator for developing economies professionals and contribute to
professional development in those countries and indirectly to the
eradiction of the digital divide. In fact, this may be a win-win as
professional fees ($20 million+) could probably be reduced by at least the
same amount).*
*8. Sponsorships: ICANN should allow sponsors to designate a small part of
their funding to benefit Constituencies of their choices... This would be a
marginal loss of revenues to ICANN but a great contributor to strengthening
the MSP process in general and the capacity of Constituencies. This would
eliminate the annoying fundraising that occurs during meetings and increase
the productivity of these meetings as a result. It would promote more
substantive, diversified and innovative participation by Constituencies.*
*9. FY13 SO AC Budget: I strongly support Constituency leadership travel
allocation (note 4 page 74). It allows a new Constituency like NPOC to
increase its Executive Committee participation and breaks up possible
"noyautage" of SGs... (sorry! no english equivalent to that term that I
know of!). Also, this favors inclusion of newcomers and healthy competition
between Constituencies on membership recruitment and leadership development.
*
*10. Finally, on Law Enforcement engagement with the community, whatever
forms this takes (I could not find a description of the program but may
have missed it), it should include Human Rights training for all (such as
done for instance by new NPOC pending member CECADH, headquartered in Costa
Rica (recruited during the San José meeting).*
*
*
*These comments are personal and do not necessarely reflect the views of
the Constituency I Chair. They have been shared on NPOC-EC and npoc-voice
lists inviting comments.*

Best, Alain

-- 
Alain Berranger, B.Eng, MBA
Member, Board of Directors, CECI,
http://www.ceci.ca<http://www.ceci.ca/en/about-ceci/team/board-of-directors/>
Executive-in-residence, Schulich School of Business, www.schulich.yorku.ca
Treasurer, Global Knowledge Partnership Foundation, www.gkpfoundation.org
NA representative, Chasquinet Foundation, www.chasquinet.org
Chair, NPOC, NCSG, ICANN, http://npoc.org/
O:+1 514 484 7824; M:+1 514 704 7824
Skype: alain.berranger




-- 
Alain Berranger, B.Eng, MBA
Member, Board of Directors, CECI,
http://www.ceci.ca<http://www.ceci.ca/en/about-ceci/team/board-of-directors/>
Executive-in-residence, Schulich School of Business, www.schulich.yorku.ca
Treasurer, Global Knowledge Partnership Foundation, www.gkpfoundation.org
NA representative, Chasquinet Foundation, www.chasquinet.org
Chair, NPOC, NCSG, ICANN, http://npoc.org/
O:+1 514 484 7824; M:+1 514 704 7824
Skype: alain.berranger