Dear Zahid, and BC Members,

Zahid, this is deeply regrettable, but I respect your decision, while I deeply regret the situation which has led to this. It was indeed our expectation that ICANN had addressed needed arrangements at the time of approving the hosting, as those of active in the IGF know that the IGF secretariat takes great care over.\

As Chair, I will begin consultations with ExComm  through Monday and Tuesday of next week, electronically. There is an ExComm meeting later in the week.
I expect to split the travel across more than one attendee. 

This email, or other exchanges in dealing with this situaiton, are  not intended as a formal comment from the BC leadership on meeting location selection to ICANN. 

We appreciate the efforts staff have made, and will make in the future, on behalf of members from around the world. However, this is extremely disappointing, and we really counted on having both Mike and Zahid in attendance, and fully actively participating in all working sessions. 

The ExComm will also consult with Zahid regarding how to best facilitate his remote participation throughout the various ICANN meetings. 

Marilyn Cade
BC Chair





From: zahid@dndrc.com
To: bc-GNSO@icann.org
CC: Glen@icann.org; matt.ashtiani@icann.org
Subject: [bc-gnso]
Date: Sun, 14 Nov 2010 01:45:27 +0500

Dear Members,

 

I have been informed by the ICANN Travel Staff that there are considerable challenges being faced facilitating visas for several nationalities.

 

This stems from:

The fact that Colombia does not have missions (especially those that process visa applications) in several developing countries

The fact that the Colombian Foreign Office has not been forthcoming in streamlining visa applications in coordination with ICANN.

 

This means the following for me:

 

1.       In all its wisdom the Colombian Govt. has designated its INDIAN embassy for receiving Pakistani applications.  Hence I first have to apply for an INDIAN visa (as a Pakistani).    As a Pakistani it is extremely difficult to apply for Indian visa.  The Indian Govt. may not be too convinced by my purpose for travelling to India and it is possible that visa is refused.  In any case it can take up to 2 months to apply for an Indian visa.  Then if I get an Indian visa I will need to physically fly to India and apply at the Colombian Embassy there and wait around until my visa is issued.  Then return to Pakistan.  Then fly to Colombia.

 

2.       To attempt to apply in the UK, for instance, there is every possibility that even if they write to me that they are willing to accept my application, when I arrive and apply, they not reject my application asking me to fly to India instead.  (ICANN had asked the SFO Colombian Embassy 3 times if they are willing to process visas in a group, to which they agreed but when ICANN staff flew to SFO, they were told that the Colombian Embassy staff was incorrect and so ICANN Staff had to fly back empty handed).  Even if by some luck another Embassy such as the UK Embassy issues me a Colombian visa it is possible that when I arrive in Cartagena the immigration may take the view that the visa has been issued from the wrong office and refuse entry. (credit to ICANN they had even offered to fund a trip by participants to such third countries to apply for visas)

 

3.       The Colombian Foreign Office has informed a frustrated ICANN staff that ICANN participants may be issued visas on arrival.  However ICANN staff has correctly cautioned that it may be possible that since this irregular I could come across an immigration officer who may be unaware and so may refuse entry.  In any case airlines would not let passengers board their flights unless they have visas and so I may find myself unable to board flights to Cartagena and find myself stranded in Miami, for instance (not a bad outcome either but doesn’t get me to the meeting).

 

And if you thought this was it – there are other convoluted permutations to the problem faced by me and participants from other countries.

 

Hence, I have taken the following decisions:

 

·         It is best that the travel support allocated to me as a BC Councillor instead be made available and be used for other BC participants.

 

·         It is best that I not travel for this meeting considering the confusion and uncertainty around visas and have chosen to make alternate commitments during that time.

 

I hope that this experience demonstrates that by simply rotating meetings and having them at exotic locations does not necessarily assist in participation by developing countries.

 

Since many developing countries do not have the capacity to maintain diplomatic missions all over the world and they need to prioritise, they tend to have more missions in developed countries than in developing countries.  This by itself is a challenge for participation and ought to be considered  before choosing ICANN meeting venues.

 

 

 

 

Sincerely,

 

 

Zahid Jamil

Barrister-at-law

Jamil & Jamil

Barristers-at-law

219-221 Central Hotel Annexe

Merewether Road, Karachi. Pakistan

Cell: +923008238230

Tel: +92 21 35680760 / 35685276 / 35655025

Fax: +92 21 35655026

www.jamilandjamil.com

 

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