Final Statement by the NGO and Academic ICANN Study (NAIS)

April 2002

Since November 2000, an international, interdisciplinary team of researchers known as the NGO and Academic ICANN Study (NAIS) has investigated pragmatic mechanisms for incorporating the public voice into the activities of ICANN. The work for which the NAIS group was created - research, analysis, and the preparation of a comprehensive report on At-Large membership and the role of the public voice in ICANN - is largely complete.

The members of NAIS strongly believe that our collaboration has been a fruitful one, with a positive impact on debate in the ICANN community; we hope it will inform future dialogue as the At-Large community continues to coalesce at ICANN.

We leave a set of resources for general use, available at our website http://www.naisproject.org, that we hope will continue to inform the community as debate continues about the role and structure of ICANN, and about technical coordination more generally:

The NAIS report "ICANN, Legitimacy, and the Public Voice: Making Global Representation and Participation Work" (August 2001) stands as a comprehensive analysis of the need for a public voice in ICANN, and offers suggestions for how best to address that need. It also provides for the only in depth and regional analysis of the global At-Large elections that took place in 2000. [1]
The NAIS group's interactions with ICANN's At-Large Study Committee led to convergence on key issues of the At-Large Membership. NAIS has produced a detailed implementation plan for an At-Large membership in its February 2002 Statement. Many of the issues remain valid and we believe it may provide a blueprint for future actions.

The NAIS Final Report and other materials also provided detailed analysis of issues of ongoing relevance to discussions about the future of ICANN's structure and processes, including:

Suggestions for enhancing accountability mechanisms needed by ICANN. Available at http://www.naisproject.org/report/final/3.6.2.shtml [et seq.].
Examination of ICANN's need for a coherent, limited statement of its mission and authorities, and a proposal for what such a statement could look like. Available at http://www.naisproject.org/report/final/3.6.1.1.shtml.
Analysis of the role of governments in ICANN, including a critique of the notion that governments might appoint At-Large Directors to the ICANN Board. Available at http://www.naisproject.org/report/final/3.3.3.2.shtml.
Suggestions for building efficient, stable mechanisms of public participation in ICANN. Available at http://www.naisproject.org/report/final/3.4.shtml [et seq.].

We were disappointed to witness, in Accra, the ICANN Board of Directors' abandonment of its own study process, which had recommended moving forward with public representation on the ICANN board through direct elections. We emphatically urge the Board to remember that the final credibility of ICANN as a global manager of critical parts of the Internet's infrastructure depends on the Board's ability to ensure that the public's interests are represented in ICANN's activities. If the Board rejects elections as the best way to serve this goal, then it must implement a better alternative, not abandon the goal.

With the work for which the NAIS group was created complete, NAIS members' activities will take on new dimensions and will proceed in new directions. There remains a great deal of work ahead.

The grassroots efforts underway to build a structure for participation by users interested in ICANN (see http://www.icannatlarge.com) are important and have been undertaken in the best traditions of the Internet. Efforts to restate the scope and nature of ICANN's mission are equally critical. And the recently opened discussion of ICANN-wide restructuring requires public participation and oversight if it is to proceed effectively and fairly. We will continue working, individually and collaboratively, on these issues and we hope others in the community will join us in these efforts.

The members of the NAIS project wish to acknowledge the contributions made by the worldwide Internet community to our work. In addition, we wish to express our deep appreciation to the Markle Foundation for its generous support of this project. We look forward to future work, with each other and with others in the community, to promote recognition of the public's interest in the activities of ICANN.

About NAIS

The NGO and Academic ICANN Study (NAIS) was established as an international and independent (from the ALSC) project to review the nature of public participation and representation in the Internet's domain name management organization, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN).

The NAIS team began as an ad hoc effort in November 2000 by a global group of researchers to study the 2000 At-Large Election and to answer tough questions about the importance of public participation and representation in ICANN's activities. From November 2000 to August 2001, the NAIS team examined the details and effects of the 2000 election on a worldwide scale, consulted with diverse sections of the Internet community, and closely analyzed the roots of ICANN's legitimacy online. The NAIS report, "ICANN, Legitimacy, and the Public Voice: Making Global Participation and Representation Work," was released on August 31, 2001.

Notes

[1] The Carter Center also published a detailed monitoring report on the election, available at http://www.cartercenter.org/REPORTS/ICANNFinalReport.pdf.