----- Original Message -----

From: Nick Ashton-Hart

To: Wolf Ludwig ; Cheryl Langdon-Orr ; Darlene Thompson ; Annette Muehlberg

Cc: Europe Discuss

Sent: Thursday, February 21, 2008 11:54 AM

Subject: Re: Funding proposal for 1st EURALO board meeting in Geneva

Dear Wolf:

Thanks very much for your note – you had raised this with me in person in New Delhi and now this provides an opportunity for me to respond in a like vein in a more public way.

Firstly, it is important to set the context in which this request is made. We have just concluded an ICANN meeting which was more expensive by a considerable amount than is normally the case. We will not have a clear picture of what impact this has on the remaining funds available for At-Large for a few weeks.

I am sure that you will agree that we would not want to spend funds now which could have the effect of limiting the ability of ALSes in EURALO to attend the ICANN Meeting in Paris. Until all the expenses for New Delhi are in and accounted for, we will not really know where we stand.

I understand that your request envisages the travel support for one to three people to come to Geneva, and that several members of the EURALO board will be in Geneva. What I would suggest as I mentioned to you in New Delhi is that we provide a teleconference facility to allow remote participation – not only by board members, but by ALSes too. ICANN would certainly be able to make those facilities available.

Finally, I draw your attention to the fact that the time between the request and the event is extremely short – you’ll recall that the process by which funds are requested envisages three weeks between the request and the event. Of course we can be flexible and respond to situations as they arise, but when we are speaking of travel support, it is always important to arrange things far in advance as otherwise the costs of air travel are as you know considerably greater.

I agree that face-to-face meetings have an important role to play in facilitating debate and even more in facilitating agreement. I trust that the EURALO members present in Geneva will have productive discussions and that the addition of one or two members via teleconference will be an added bonus.

Finally, may I once again say that ICANN stands ready to facilitate telephonic meetings for EURALO, as well as briefings on policy issues of concern to the region, whenever we are asked to do so. I hope that the region will chose to use the time between now and Paris to ensure that the Paris meeting is as productive and constructive as the New Delhi meeting has proved to be.


On 15/02/2008 10:27, "Wolf Ludwig" <wolf.ludwig@comunica-ch.net> wrote:

Dear Cheryl, Vanda, Annette
Dear Nick,

On our last Tel.Conf. in January the board of EURALO expected the User Summit happen next June in Paris. And in this context we decided to finally have our 1st (physical) board meeting after ICANN’s New Delhi meeting at the end of February in Geneva.

The EURALO board was elected in May 07 and we planned to have our first board meeting in conjunction with (Wolfgang Kleinwächter’s) last Studienkreis Outreach meeting in October 07 in Warsaw. In August 07 we submitted an application for a rather modest funding for a one-day board meeting to ICANN which unfortunately was not approved. Please take into consideration that many of EURALO’s board members have never met each other so far what hampered the working dynamic considerably. And the recent ALAC-RALO meetings in Delhi proofed in a rather convincing way how important f2f meetings are for any constructive debates (not only) among volunteers.

As some board member will come to Geneva in the context of the next IGF-consultation end of February, we thought that this offers another opportunity again to finally have a 1st EURALO board meeting in Geneva – -and presumably last meeting before ICANN’s 32nd meeting in Paris. Please note that the term of some of our board members expires at the end of may resp. in June at our 1st General Assembly. And we consider it as being completely inappropriate not having had a chance for at least one board meeting in between, which is also indispensable for the preparation of the EURALO meeting in Paris.

As a first preliminary Agenda for this (1st) EURALO board meeting
we suggested:

(1) Briefing about ICANN’s New Delhi meeting
(2) Options for a EURALO summit in Paris
(3) Draft EURALO budget for the coming fiscal year
(4) Planning for General Assembly in June 08 in Paris
(5) Board elections at GA in June 08 in Paris
(6) Other outreach activities foreseen
(7) Miscellaneous

The suggested funds for the EURALO board meeting the 25 February in Geneva are rather modest again. It just needs travel reimbursements for a part of the board members who are not coming to Geneva for the IGF-consultations anyhow.

Travel / flight reimbursements          EURO / US$ 2’000.—
Hotel accommodation (if required)       EURO / US$ 300.—
Meal                                                    EURO / US$ 700.—

Total                                                   EURO / US$ 3’000.—

This meeting is necessary for a decent preparation of the EURALO/ALS meeting this summer in Paris as well. We are looking forward for a positive considerations and response to our funding proposal to make our EURALO board meeting a success.

Kindest regards,
Wolf Ludwig
EURALO Chair



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Regards,

Nick Ashton-Hart
Director for At-Large
Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN)
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