SSAC Draft Terms of Reference

[Venen Paratian <venenparatian@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Dear Sir/Madam,
 
Thanks for putting this matter for public comments.  
 
I believe that the forthcoming revised SSAC Draft Terms of Reference should 
redefine ICANN in clearer terms as the international world body responsible for 
a technical matter on internet which as we know is of paramount importance for 
internet activities.  In fact it is the backbone of internet.  ICANN should 
function and appear as an international body in the eyes of its clients and we 
should stop referring to it as the small technical private organization.  Its 
mission is all too crucial and critical at the stage of internet development we 
have reached today to refer to it as something as “business as normal”. 
 
More important in its structure, ICANN should be looking critically at 
developing states and particularly Africa.  Despite a world approach to 
bringing a culture of security over internet, we are facing today serious daily 
threats on our cyberspace.  We are all concerned and we can all become victims. 
 Developing countries are lagging behind.  ICANN should adopt an aggressive 
policy and create a platform  where it could play a role in financing training 
in developing countries in order to help these people understand the activities 
of ICANN and its vibrant role in the fabrics of INTERNET.  This approach would 
be in the long run in the interest of ICANN.  I therefore feel that in its 
structure a significant attention should be given to the training component.  I 
am here thinking of an aggressive and massive financial approach to the problem.
 
On a personal issue, I am willing to introduce courses for African countries 
and for the Islands of the South West Indian Ocean (Mauritius, Madagascar, 
Réunion Island, Seychelles and Comoros).  We have the institutional structure 
(capacity building)  in Mauritius to conduct such courses.  We lack as 
everybody finance to embark on such an exercise.  We should  bring knowledge to 
Africans and for example one way would be to use webbased conferencing 
facilities.  Installing such a facility, we could interface directly with ICANN 
and conduct interesting on-line courses.  This would cut cost dramatically for 
travel and everyone would benefit.  Would ICANN be interested in such a venture 
?  This is a question which I agree is outside the scope of Terms of Reference 
but the spirit of giving an example of the true “international figure” of ICANN 
would help reduce the envy of many to create another ICANN namely the BRIC 
countries.  Therefore ICANN should show to the world that it has a world 
mission and truly addressing to all of us in a bid to inject in each netizen 
that spirit of ownership for the benefit of a network which is now the oxygen 
of our society.
 
I would be happy to correspond to a focal point from ICANN on that matter and 
many other points with one aim :  add a different voice to the activities of 
ICANN in order to avoid that the rest of world capture it and for one main 
reason :  it is working properly.  But if we add an international trust to it, 
it will become the best cake of the world and every netizen will have its fair 
and satisfactory share.
 
Kind regards.
 
Venen Paratian
Vice-President and Spokesman “Build Your Hope Foundation”, Geneva
Former Chief of Protocol, International Telecommunication Union, Geneva
v.paratian@xxxxxxxxxx
 
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