Hi team
Looking at the list there are anomolies I didn't realise existed.. that countries that are territories of USA are listed with NA and may not be seen as eligible for fellowships. I remember when I first put forward a paper on the small islands of the Pacific (the 22 countries that had members in PICISOC) it included American Samoa - where we even held a PacINET - and the northern islands of the Pacific. Similarly with French Polynesia being in Euralo, yet SPC which is the base for ICT in the Pacific is in Noumea.
This is something which we as a team can raise as feedback to the Geo-region paper. I have always been concerned that this northern group of countries were disadvantaged through PICISOC because outreach to them is too difficult, but this rejecting them because they are territories of USA just exacerbates the whole issue of their alienation from any type of outreach programme. They are tiny little island nations whose end-users don't get much contact at all with the global community unless big brother remembers they are there and them in one of their programmes - which I know is rare.
Actually, it is one of the reasons that the Cook Islands, Niue and the Tokelaus were originally dropped off the UN lists - because we are territories of NZ... but we claimed our right to be included with other Pacific nations on the ICANN lists - and I thought this also included the northern Pacific Island nations. Put them back into APRALO.
I think we need to impress on ICANN that political boundaries are not appropriate when we are looking at the needs of end-users and their isolation from the support we could extend to them from within a more appropriate geographic region - if they want it :).
My 2c worth
Maureen.