[arin-announce] NRO Observations on WCIT-12 process

[ARIN]

The following message was distributed by the Number Resource
Organization (NRO)

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The Number Resource Organization, representing the world’s five Regional
Internet address Registries, issues the following statement from Dubai,
the site of the recent World Conference on International
Telecommunications. The conference has clearly not met expectations of
many ITU Member States, and with this unfortunate outcome now clear, we
feel compelled to put the following observations on record.

The Number Resource Organization is concerned about aspects of the
WCIT-12 meetings, which have just ended in Dubai, particularly with
events in the last days of the conference. Neither the content of this
conference, nor its conduct during this critical final period, have met
community expectations or satisfied public assurances given prior to the
event.

Internet stakeholders around the world watched the WCIT preparations
closely, and were hopeful, throughout those processes, of two things:
that WCIT would have no bearing on the Internet, its governance or its
content; and that the event would allow all voices to be heard. The ITU
Secretary General himself made these assurances on multiple occasions,
and reiterated them in his opening remarks to the conference.

Regrettably, expected WCIT discussions on traditional telecommunication
issues were eclipsed by debates about Internet-related issues. The
intensity and length of these debates revealed clearly the depth of
genuine concern about the proposals, and also the determination of those
who brought them to the meeting.

Perhaps more importantly, an open multi-stakeholder conduct of the WCIT
conference did not eventuate. Plenary sessions of the conference were
webcast, but contributions were allowed only from official Government
delegates and ITU officials, relegating all other stakeholders to an
observer role.

Furthermore, an important number of critical negotiations occurred in
small groups accessible only to Member States; and key experts and other
stakeholders were unable even to observe them.

The NRO strongly supports the principles established in 2005 by the
World Summit on the Information Society, which call for Internet
Governance to be carried out in a multi-stakeholder manner, and we note
that these represent the view of the global community as expressed
through the UN system itself.

The NRO has also participated in many ITU conferences and study groups
over the years, at very substantial cost, in genuine efforts to build
relationships between our communities and to demonstrate the value of
multi-stakeholder cooperation and collaboration. The NRO will continue
to participate in the ITU, itself a member of the UN system, in
expectation that its processes can evolve visibly, and much more
rapidly, towards these accepted principles.

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Regards,

Communications and Member Services
American Registry for Internet Numbers (ARIN)