Further to this and the earlier comments by Wendt APRALO on its list is also discussing this 'issue' as it has affected us and our regional planning for the next year EXTENSIVLY ... and we will be following up directly regarding the specifics regarding our region with recent meeting planning activities... However we will also no doubt wish that our response and suggestions / point raised are also included in any ALAC follow up on the matter... Wendy one of the reasons we are wanting (as a RALO) to have a F2F meeting with ALAC liaisons and particularly yourself is to discuss and forward a better plan of approach in open and effective communications and understanding of our Regional needs and plans... And this very issue was the main instigation of our request for you to join our next monthly meeting (refer to an earlier email Re planning for LA... being held on 30 Oct 0600 UTC) So we will expect some more specific outcomes after this important internal dialogue as well... This is not the only matter we need to pursue but it certainly is one of the major topics we want to cover and we will attempt to prepare an Agenda in advance however a reading of the last 2 APRALO reports to ALAC and I will post the one from this meeting to the Wiki sometime today or tomorrow will go a long way to briefing any liaison planning to attend... So far Wendy has made herself available (after her teaching commitments for our rather unfriendly time zone call/meeting starting at 2300hr LA time on 29th October... Any other Liaison or Officer of the ALAC who also wishes to attend should just let us know you are of course most welcome... CLO -----Original Message----- From: Siavash Shahshahani [mailto:shahshah@irnic.ir] Sent: Thursday, 27 September 2007 1:53 AM To: At-Large writ small Subject: Re: [At-Large] ICANN regional meetings -- good or bad? Although I see some benefit coming from regional meetings, I'd like to echo Wendy's concerns(not going so far as 'divide and conquer' conspiracy theory). Specific local concerns of some regions may overshadow controversial global issues which may then be swept under the rug. I'm for regional meetings organized by RALOs with focus on regional issues that should be brought to the attention of ICANN, but such meetings should not replace regular global meetings. Siavash

I very much like the idea of regional meetings, and I hope that the Taipei experiment can show that these can be a substitute for one of the three meetings a year: i.e. for one week a year, everyone meets regionally, rather than at a central location, and regional rappateurs report back to the other groups.

That said, at least as much advance planning should go into regional meetings as goes into central ones, and I would hope that, in the future, participants would have significantly more advance notice and input into the process.

Bret_______________________________________________ ALAC mailing list ALAC@atlarge-lists.icann.org

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