Sorry for any cross-posting of this. Dear people, below is the official declaration of the Brazilian government regarding the post-JPA "Affirmation of Commitments" ICANN-USA. fraternal regards --c.a. ===================================================== The Brazilian Government’s Position on the Affirmation of Commitments between the U.S. Government and ICANN On September 30, 2009, the U.S. Department of Commerce (DoC) and the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) released a new agreement entitled Affirmation of Commitments, which completes the transition of management of the Internet domain name and addressing system (DNS) from the U.S. government to the private sector by granting greater autonomy to ICANN and increasing international participation in the oversight of its activities. The Brazilian Government welcomes the approval of the Affirmation of Commitments, which provides for a set of important advances in the management and decision making processes of ICANN, consistent with the demands presented by Brazil, either at the ICANN itself or at relevant United Nations forums. Among the positive aspects included in the new agreement, it is worth highlighting the following: (1) increasing participation of other governments in the process of assessing and reviewing ICANN activities, with a greater role for the Government Advisory Committee (GAC), along with the ICANN Board; (2) ending the requirement to submit periodical reports exclusively to the U.S. government, requiring ICANN to release annual reports on its activities to all stakeholders; (3) reaffirming the principles of transparency, multistakeholder participation, public interest, interoperability and end-to-end innovation; preserving the DNS security and stability and maintaining one single global Internet; (4) introducing the notion of an enhanced decision-making process, through cross-community deliberations. Notwithstanding these positive aspects, the Brazilian government believes that there is still room for further improvements to be made to the global governance of the Internet, in light of the results of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS). The Affirmation of Commitments does not advance on the issue of ICANN’s institutional framework and the need to grant it international legal status. The DNS root zone continues to be managed under the supervision of the U.S. Department of Commerce. The Affirmation of Commitments may be revoked at any time by either the Department of Commerce or ICANN, which may generate insecurity vis‑à‑vis ICANN’s relationships with other governments, international organizations and non-governmental organizations that are not subject to the U.S. jurisdiction. The Brazilian government will continue to contribute to further improving the global governance of the Internet, towards full observance of the principles of multilateralism, transparency and democracy adopted at WSIS. -- Carlos A. Afonso CGI.br (www.cgi.br) Nupef (www.nupef.org.br) ==================================== new/nuevo/novo e-mail: ca@cafonso.ca ====================================