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Your constituency members are invited to participate in the “Workshop on the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS): Issues of Relevance to ICANN and Next Steps” scheduled for Tuesday, 20 July 2004 from 08:30 – 10:00 in the Shangri-La Hotel’s Grand Ballroom, Kuala Lumpur. 

All individuals interested in the Internet and management and coordination of the domain name system (DNS) are encouraged to attend the Workshop, which will provide information on the United Nation's WSIS process and issues of direct impact to ICANN.  Proposed output and next steps for ICANN constituencies/stakeholders regarding WSIS and technical coordination and management of the DNS also will be discussed. "WSIS" is a process in which governments are attempting to address a broad range of international legal, regulatory, economic, and policy issues related to the Internet. During this process, some governments proposed that an intergovernmental organization be responsible for "Internet governance," a phrase that remains undefined and some consider to include and/or mean the administration and coordination of the DNS.

The objectives of the Workshop are to:

1.       Inform ICANN stakeholders and the broader community about activities, initial outcomes, and upcoming events related to WSIS and ICANN;

2.      Foster a dialogue and mutual understanding of positions of different stakeholders on WSIS as it relates to ICANN and other issues of interest; and

3.      Enhance stakeholder participation in WSIS as it relates to ICANN's activities.

Included below is the Workshop agenda.  Additional meeting information is posted at http://www.icann.org/meetings/kualalumpur/.   

We would appreciate it if you would post and distribute this invitation to your constituency members.

Thank you for your assistance.

Sincerely,

The WSIS Workshop Planning Group:

Vittorio Bertola, At-Large Advisory Committee

Izumi Aizu, At-Large Advisory Committee

Marilyn Cade, Business Constituency

David Fares, BusinessConstituency/USCIB

Tony Holmes, Internet Service & Connectivity Providers

Elana Broitman, Registrars

Jeff Neuman, Registries

Peter Dengate Thrush, InternetNZ

Theresa Swinehart, ICANN

Denise Michel, ICANN

Workshop on the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS):
Issues of Relevance to ICANN and Next Steps

20 July 2004, 08:30 - 10:00

Grand Ballroom, Shangri-La Hotel, Kuala Lumpur
Organized by the WSIS Workshop Planning Group

Agenda

08:30          Opening Remarks/ WSIS Overview by Paul Twomey, ICANN President & CEO

v      Remarks on the UN Internet Governance Working Group and how it relates to ICANN, by Marcus Kumar, Working Group Secretariat

v      Remarks on UNICT Task Force Internet Governance activities/objectives by UNICT Task Force member

v      Audience discussion/statements/questions (including available statements by constituencies, stakeholders and interest groups)

v      Remarks/Audience Discussion on output/next steps for ICANN constituencies/stakeholders regarding WSIS and ICANN

10:00  Close