Brazilian StatementGAC-Board joint session – New Delhi (12 Feb' 2008)

"Mr. Chairman,
As we are in an open session, please allow me at first to publiclyacknowledge the work of our Indian colleagues, in particular from theMinistry of Communications and Information Technology, in hosting this31st ICANN meeting. This event and the on-going preparations for theIII Internet Governance Forum, to be held also here, later this year,show the strong belief and interest of the Indian nation in supportingthe process of internationalization of the Internet.
"Internationalization" is the word that best defines the momentum. Notonly from the technical perspective of introducing non-ASCIIcharacters at the top level of the Domain Name System, but also fromthe political perspective of preparing grounds for a transition of theICANN management structure to a truly international environment. Theseissues seem to bear no apparent relationship, but in the end thequestion that needs to be answered is, in short, "how will theaddition of the next billion Internet users affect present governancestructures? And how should such structures be reshaped to respond tothe building of inclusive, reliable and democratic governanceprocesses on a truly multistakeholder setting?"
The Government of Brazil is fully committed to theinternationalization process of ICANN and its independence from anysingle Government. To that end, the non-renewal of the JPA in 2009 isa requirement. Its termination should be seen, however, as an initialstep of a long-term process aiming at providing worldwide userscontinuous assurances of integrity, stability and reliability of theInternet. Moreover, any new governance structure should be designed tofacilitate the expansion and diffusion of the web as a means tosupport development and digital inclusion, by empowering people andcommunities, taking into account cultural diversity andmultilingualism.
We consider that the principles and decisions adopted at the WorldSummit of Information Society must serve as the inspiration to anenlightened leadership by the Board in the conduct of this process.
In the transition phase, we should aim at striking a carefullybalanced participation of all stakeholders in ICANN decision-makingprocesses. Governments, the civil society, the private sector,intergovernmental and international organizations should pledge tounderstand each other's roles and responsibilities, according to theterms agreed at WSIS. If the new scenario is perceived as allowing aclear predominance of one stakeholder over the others, the legitimacyand credibility of the whole transition will be compromised. As far asGovernments are concerned, for instance, the international managementof the Internet should allow Governments to coordinate themselves todefine public policy issues, which is their sovereign right. For thispurpose, there is an urgent need to strengthen the GAC, in terms ofits role, representation and methods of work. My Delegation considersthis, Mr. Chairman, a key element to be included in the road map forthe transition period, and better sooner than later.
Thank you."