Leaving ReportofGeneralManagerofPub licParticipation

[Alex Gakuru]

Just come across Kieren McCarthy's leaving report via
http://www.stephanevangelder.com/archives/292-Rethinking-public-participation-in-ICANN.html.
Had no idea that he had left and (as of 3 hours ago) I was drafting a
proposal for him on how ICANN could improve public participation
through the use of 'New Media' (now wondering if I was just seeking
another 'technological solution'?)
---
Executive
Summary

Kieren
McCarthy
served
as
ICANN’s
General
Manager
of
Public
Participation
(GMPP)
from
February
2007
to
November
2009.
This
report
aims
to
act
as
a
forward‐
looking
guide
for
future
ICANN
participation
efforts.

The
reports
contains
a
number
of
recommendations.
Key
among
them
are:

   • That
the
current
GMPP
role,
as
written
into
the
ICANN’s
bylaws,
be
split
into
       two.
First,
a
General
Manager
of
Public
Participation
that
works
most
closely
       with
the
Policy
department
but
reports
directly
to
the
CEO.
And,
second,
a
       Director
of
Online
Services,
who
is
given
explicit
authority
over
all
ICANN’s
       websites
and
related
online
services,
reports
to
the
VP
of
Communications
       and
is
added
to
ICANN’s
Executive
Team.

   • That
a
community‐led
review
of
ICANN’s
public
comment
process
be
carried
       at
the
soonest
opportunity,
with
a
recent
memorandum
from
the
ALAC
used
       as
the
foundation
for
discussions
for
how
to
improve
and
update
the
process.

   • That
far
greater
attention
is
given
as
an
organization
to
the
cultural
and
       societal
factors
that
affect
participation,
rather
than
continue
to
seek
       technological
solutions
to
low
levels
of
participation.
Key
among
these
is
an
       issue
of
online
interaction,
recently
highlighted
by
an
Ombudsman
report
       into
civility.

With
respect
to
the
tools
used
for
enabling
participation
from
a
broader
range
of
global
participants:

   • ICANN
offers
a
higher
level
of
public
participation
than
comparable
       organizations,
but
falls
down
by
not
providing
a
consistent
or
intuitive
       interface.

   • ICANN
staff
continues
to
focus
resources
on
those
already
heavily
engaged
in
       the
organization’s
processes,
building
an
invisible
wall
to
potential
new
       participants

   • At
this
moment
in
time,
the
barriers
to
participation
lie
not
in
technology
but
       in
its
effective
use
and
the
inclusion
of
existing
tools
into
ongoing
processes

---
regards,

Alex