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<p>Dear all</p>
<p>Thanks for the clarifications Emmanuel. Also those in your
earlier message about what ISPA is. <a moz-do-not-send="true"
href="https://ispa.org.za/press_releases/">Here</a> are the
South Africa ISPA's press releases relevant to this discussion.</p>
<p>There was an attempt a long time ago to establish an AfriSPA, in
the early 2000s, I was involved at the time, so was Brian Longwe
if I remember correctly.. but it did not survive to my knowledge.</p>
<p>I also agree with Tomslin's points (echoed by Farzi) about us
continuing to ask questions. I actually thought the letter had
already been sent. If it has not, it would make sense to
acknowledge the CEOs' blog as it does answer several of our
questions.</p>
<p>More comments and a proposal below.</p>
<br>
<div class="moz-cite-prefix">On 2025/11/19 06:30, Emmanuel Vitus
wrote:<br>
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<p>Dear colleagues,</p>
<p>ICANN's CEO wrote a <a
href="https://www.icann.org/en/blogs/details/icanns-commitment-to-the-africa-community-18-11-2025-en"
moz-do-not-send="true">formal clarification</a> on the IG
Blueprint and the concerns around CAIGA. The <a
href="https://www.icann.org/en/blogs/details/icanns-commitment-to-the-africa-community-18-11-2025-en"
moz-do-not-send="true">blogpost </a>is clear and, in my
view, settles the questions that have occupied us. ICANN
explains that its cooperation with Smart Africa relates to
broad Internet governance engagement and capacity
development, not to the governance of AfriNIC. It reaffirms
that ICP2 remains the framework guiding AfriNIC and that any
evolution must come from AfriNIC members and the African
Internet community. ICANN also confirms that CAIGA is still
a draft under community discussion and has not been
presented to any political authority. This should reassure
anyone who feared structural change. The multistakeholder
model remains intact and AfriNIC’s future remains with its
community.</p>
</div>
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</blockquote>
Agree. But also good that NCSG has engaged this. His response is
indeed very clear and reflects what my understanding was. But that
is also why I am interested in hearing more about how Smart Africa
is working with / alongside existing AUC internet and data
governance related guidelines.
<blockquote type="cite"
cite="mid:CAGKde+2DZX+GedAFwKs5hsMHBbV34YKeJqA+SB+5M3SVjqYB-A@mail.gmail.com">
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<p>I would like to offer a broader reflection. AfriNIC has
around 2,600 members, yet fewer than 1 in 4 participated in
the last election, and while Africa is home to 1.4 billion
people, only a small number of us regularly contribute to
ICANN working groups or policy processes. When participation
is so limited, misunderstandings can grow quickly. African
coordination, when it appears, is too often interpreted as
an attempt at capture rather than what it usually is, which
is an effort to bring coherence and visibility to a region
that has long been underrepresented in global deliberations.</p>
</div>
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</blockquote>
Absolutely. And I think this is a challenge the new board has to
address. But it is also relevant for NCUC and NCSG's engagement with
African processes and challenges on an ongoing basis.
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<p>We also need to be honest about the global context. The
United States, once a stabilising force in Internet
governance, is entering a period of erratic policy making.
Europe, while invoking the language of digital sovereignty,
is simultaneously weakening some of the protections that
once defined its regulatory leadership. Meanwhile, the
private sector continues to consolidate power in the
technical and infrastructural layers of the network. In this
environment, Africa cannot afford to remain fragmented or
reactive. It also cannot allow its attempts at coordination
to be reflexively interpreted as political intrusion.
Coordination is not capture. Coordination is how a continent
of 1.4 billion people begins to articulate a shared position
in a global system shaped by geopolitical interests and
commercial concentration.</p>
</div>
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</blockquote>
<p>Agree too. But we also need to keep in mind that African
governments have been inconsistent in their support for openness
and multistakeholder rights-oriented governance. And on the other
hand Africa's extensive digital rights civil society community in
is not that active in ICANN spaces - aside from a small but active
group of people including you Emmanuel. Participation is indeed a
safeguard, but we also need robust governance structure and
processes, particularly in crisis situations. What happened in
AfriNIC is a combination of internal and external
pressure/crisis/breakdown. It could happen at any RIR. I think the
question of what happens in such a situation is relevant to all
RIRs.</p>
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<p>One size does not fit all in Internet governance. Our
infrastructures differ, our regulatory capacities differ,
and our development priorities differ. The global model only
works when these realities are recognised and represented.
As Africa defines its path, we must ensure that civil
society, academia, technical operators, the private sector
and all stakeholder groups have their voices embedded in the
process. A coordinated Africa is not a closed Africa. It is
an Africa capable of speaking clearly, constructively and
confidently in spaces that do not pause for those who remain
silent.</p>
</div>
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</blockquote>
<p>I agree.. but I am not so sure we can really talk about just 'one
Africa'. As with all multistakeholder processes there are
different interests and they do not always coincide. That is not a
flaw, but a characteristic of multistakeholder processes that we
have to work with. That is also why, over and above its
relationship with AfrNIC, I think it is good for civil society to
engage with Smart Africa on issues around human rights and civil
society participation, and, as Tomslin points out, transparency.</p>
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<p>ICANN’s clarification confirms that AfriNIC’s authority
remains with its members and that any governance evolution
must be community driven. The task before us now is to
strengthen African participation, deepen our engagement and
bring our perspectives to the global table with greater
confidence.</p>
</div>
</div>
</blockquote>
<p>Agree absolutely. </p>
<p>As for the proposal... what about NCSG approaching the new
AfriNIC board for a meeting to get an update on their plans and
further clarification re. other role players (e.g. Smart Africa)?
It can be later this year or early next year. </p>
<p>Anriette</p>
<p><br>
</p>
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<p>The world is changing. Africa must change with it. Not by
outsourcing its digital future, but by shaping it together
and with intention.</p>
<p>Warm regards,<br>
Emmanuel</p>
</div>
</div>
<br>
<div class="gmail_quote gmail_quote_container">
<div dir="ltr" class="gmail_attr">Le mar. 18 nov. 2025 à 02:20,
Tomslin Samme-Nlar <<a href="mailto:mesumbeslin@gmail.com"
moz-do-not-send="true" class="moz-txt-link-freetext">mesumbeslin@gmail.com</a>>
a écrit :<br>
</div>
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<div>Hi Rafik, all,</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div><b>I fully support the letter to the board</b>. As it
states "Expedited timing is critical to ensure that any
ICANN-related engagement aligns with the multistakeholder
principles embedded in ICP-2". </div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>Having followed the work of Smart Africa closely within
ICANN, I have always held the view that while their
efforts might be providing the much needed support AfriNIC
needed to address the issue they were facing, the Smart
Africa approach was not consistent with Internet
Governance models we advocate for - which are <b>bottom-up</b> <b>inclusiveness,
openness</b> and <b>transparency</b>. These questions
we are asking now ensure that going forward, the right
approaches are used to achieve the right results. So, we
must ask these questions to the ICANN board and whoever
else is accountable.</div>
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<div>Remain blessed,<br>
</div>
Tomslin</div>
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<br>
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<br>
<div class="gmail_quote">
<div dir="ltr" class="gmail_attr">On Mon, 17 Nov 2025 at
21:10, Emmanuel Vitus <<a
href="mailto:emmanuelvitus@gmail.com" target="_blank"
moz-do-not-send="true" class="moz-txt-link-freetext">emmanuelvitus@gmail.com</a>>
wrote:<br>
</div>
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<p>Hmmm…. It is not hesitation but reflection. It is
the kind of moment anyone who has lived through the
history of African Internet governance will
recognise. Those who witnessed the creation of
AfriNIC, the protracted 4-year crisis that nearly
fractured it, or the long political odyssey behind
the “dot africa” top level domain know that these
debates are never merely technical. They carry
historical memory, institutional fragility, and the
ongoing struggle for African agency within a global
digital order that was not built for us.</p>
<p><font face="trebuchet ms, sans-serif">Professor
Milton’s article is, as always, rigorous and
analytically sharp. For many of us, he has long
been a model of principled thinking in global
Internet governance. Yet on this particular point,
the framing requires a more historically grounded
African perspective.</font></p>
<p><font face="trebuchet ms, sans-serif">There is a
long-standing tendency to portray African states
as inherently unstable or structurally fragile. We
saw this again only weeks ago when Donald Trump,
in his current political capacity, declared
Nigeria a “disgraced country” and threatened to
intervene “guns blazing” based on unverified
allegations. This rhetoric does not arise from
empirical depth; it emerges from narrative habits
that reduce African complexity to simplified
explanations. It is essential that we do not
reproduce such patterns in our internal governance
debates.</font></p>
<p><font face="trebuchet ms, sans-serif">Smart Africa,
which features prominently in this discussion,
must also be situated in its proper context. It
has always operated under African Union guidance
and in several areas it succeeded where the AU
advanced slowly. Yes, Smart Africa is close to
governments and the private sector. Yes, it must
improve its engagement with civil society,
academia and the technical community. No, the
model is not perfect. But depicting Smart Africa
as a covert instrument seeking to capture AFRINIC
or impose political control over a regional
technical institution misrepresents both its
mandate and its contributions.</font></p>
<p><font face="trebuchet ms, sans-serif">I should also
clarify that I am not a “defender” of Smart
Africa, despite the interpretation suggested in
the article. I defend African initiatives that
attempt, however imperfectly, to advance African
sovereignty and agency. When Smart Africa errs, I
criticise it privately and <a
href="https://medium.com/@emmanuelvitus/after-years-of-paralysis-afrinic-must-prove-it-can-govern-itself-1b7d50bbd67c"
target="_blank" moz-do-not-send="true">publicly.</a>
When it succeeds, <a
href="https://medium.com/@emmanuelvitus/afrinic-hope-hijack-and-the-harsh-lessons-of-african-multistakeholderism-8e8378797101"
target="_blank" moz-do-not-send="true">I
acknowledge tha</a>t. As we often say in Africa,
<em>only a tree that bears fruit receives stones</em>.
Smart Africa receives stones precisely because it
has stepped into a space where Africa historically
lacked institutional visibility. Maybe this is my
badge to carry as well: that by being vocal, by
standing for African agency, by refusing
narratives that diminish us, I inevitably place
myself in the line of fire. But perhaps that is
precisely the role our generation must accept. </font></p>
<p><font face="trebuchet ms, sans-serif">Some factual
clarifications are necessary. ISPA is the Internet
Service Providers Association of South Africa. It
is not, and has never been, the Internet Service
Providers Association of Africa. AFRINIC covers 54
countries and more than 2 300 members. To reduce
the outcome of a continental election to the
influence of a single national association is not
only inaccurate; it erases the <a
href="https://smartafrica.org/press-release-community-endorsed-candidates-for-afrinic-board-elections-2025/"
target="_blank" moz-do-not-send="true">collective
effort behind the process led by Smart Africa</a>.
Colleagues from TESPOK in Kenya, TISPA in
Tanzania, ISPA RDC and many others would be
astonished to see their extensive consultations
reduced to a single sister association. Even
ISPA’s own leadership knows how the continental
slate emerged: through negotiation, coordination
and consensus across the region.</font></p>
<p><font face="trebuchet ms, sans-serif">Prof, in that
spirit, may I respectfully ask whether you had the
opportunity to speak with the ISPA leadership
before drawing this conclusion in the article?
Their perspective would be extremely valuable to
this discussion.</font></p>
<p><font face="trebuchet ms, sans-serif">As for the
circulating claim that ICANN funded CAIGA or
empowered Smart Africa to redesign AFRINIC’s
governance: this is unsupported by any evidence.
If ICANN’s legal counsel were asked to evaluate it
formally, they would likely dismiss it
immediately. The allegation collapses under basic
legal and factual scrutiny. I was present in most
of the rooms where these matters were discussed,
most of them publicly. I witnessed the
interactions, the boundaries and the institutional
constraints. This narrative does not correspond to
reality.</font></p>
<p><font face="trebuchet ms, sans-serif">My hope is
that those familiar with AFRINIC’s internal
dynamics and with the African technical community
will recognise the gap between the narrative being
circulated and what actually occurred.</font></p>
<p><font face="trebuchet ms, sans-serif">For
colleagues who want deeper context,<a
href="https://medium.com/@emmanuelvitus/smart-africa-icann-caiga-afrinic-how-the-brouhaha-exposes-the-politics-of-african-digital-cf3ddc42beca"
target="_blank" moz-do-not-send="true"> I invite
you to read my recent article</a>. It explains
how this narrative emerged, why it spread. More
importantly, it argues that African digital
sovereignty will not be built on suspicion or
fragmentation.</font></p>
<p><font face="trebuchet ms, sans-serif">Prof, I
genuinely appreciate your decision to remove the
earlier concluding paragraph. It reflects the
intellectual humility and integrity that many of
us admire in your work.</font></p>
<p><font face="trebuchet ms, sans-serif">Let us
continue this discussion with historical
consciousness. Africa has been misrepresented many
times in global Internet governance. We must avoid
reproducing narratives that diminish our agency or
our capabilities. <b>Africa is not a country.</b></font></p>
<p>Asante sana! <font face="trebuchet ms, sans-serif"><br>
</font><font face="trebuchet ms, sans-serif">Emmanuel</font></p>
</div>
</div>
<br>
<div class="gmail_quote">
<div dir="ltr" class="gmail_attr">Le dim. 16 nov. 2025
à 16:52, Anriette Esterhuysen <<a
href="mailto:anriette@apc.org" target="_blank"
moz-do-not-send="true" class="moz-txt-link-freetext">anriette@apc.org</a>>
a écrit :<br>
</div>
<blockquote class="gmail_quote"
style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex">
<div>
<p>Oh.. and thanks a lot for deleting the original
last paragraph :)</p>
<pre cols="72">Anriette Esterhuysen - <a
href="mailto:anriette@apc.org//anriette@gmail.com"
target="_blank" moz-do-not-send="true"
class="moz-txt-link-freetext">anriette@apc.org//anriette@gmail.com</a></pre>
<div>On 2025/11/16 18:19, Mueller, Milton L wrote:<br>
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Anriette,</div>
<div
style="font-family:Aptos,Aptos_EmbeddedFont,Aptos_MSFontService,Calibri,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:12pt;color:rgb(0,0,0)">
Thanks for your comments. I think your question
about the relationship between the African Union
and Smart Africa (SA) is an important one to
pursue. It is relevant if SA succeeds in
establishing some kind of Council (CAIGA) that
has supervisory authority over AFRINIC. I think
that is a bad idea and I also think it is highly
unlikely. But as a partner of SA, ICANN needs to
confront this question.</div>
<div
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<div
style="font-family:Aptos,Aptos_EmbeddedFont,Aptos_MSFontService,Calibri,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:12pt;color:rgb(0,0,0)">
As for "generalizations about the region and its
governments," sorry if you read that into the
article. No such generalizations were intended.
Your misinterpretation shows that nationalism
and identity politics are big obstacles to clear
thinking about Internet governance, especially
in this case. There is no statement anywhere in
that blog, or in anything I have ever written,
that says Africa is "inherently" unstable or
undemocratic. Inherent means "existing in
something as a permanent, essential, or
characteristic attribute." No, the article
merely calls attention to the fact that many of
its current governments are undemocratic or
unstable, which is a fact. Some African
governments are not unstable or undemocratic,
and there is certainly long term hope that
stability and liberal democracy will come to
additional African states. </div>
<div
style="font-family:Aptos,Aptos_EmbeddedFont,Aptos_MSFontService,Calibri,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:12pt;color:rgb(0,0,0)">
<br>
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<div
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The point is, all these governments would be
part of a board that wants to govern AFRINIC. So
what kind of principles and policies would
ensue? Geopolitics and national interests are
"inherent" features of multilateral, government
institutions. That is my argument, and it
applies to all regions, not just Africa.</div>
<div
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<br>
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<div
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The article advocates for <b>self-governance</b> of
AFRINIC by its <b>members, </b> and opposes an
overlay of state-directed control. This is what
we mean by "the multistakeholder model," is it
not? My rejection of state control and digital
sovereignty applies to the U.S. government, to
European governments, etc. Our current
experience with the Trump administration and its
nationalistic, nativist, sovereigntist policies
is an excellent example of why I don't want
states setting policies for the global
coordination of Internet identifiers. It also
explains why I was and remain a big advocate of
eliminating U.S. control of ICANN during the
2014-2016 transition. I think I have been
perfectly consistent about this. </div>
<div
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<br>
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<div
id="m_-930834783253525849m_5687377668441545337m_-2380352191288868954Signature">
<p
style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;font-size:11pt">
<span
style="font-family:Aptos,Aptos_EmbeddedFont,Aptos_MSFontService,Calibri,Helvetica,sans-serif">Dr.
Milton L Mueller</span></p>
<p
style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;font-size:11pt">
<span
style="font-family:Aptos,Aptos_EmbeddedFont,Aptos_MSFontService,Calibri,Helvetica,sans-serif">Georgia
Institute of Technology</span></p>
<p
style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;font-size:11pt">
<span
style="font-family:Aptos,Aptos_EmbeddedFont,Aptos_MSFontService,Calibri,Helvetica,sans-serif">Carter
School of Public Policy</span></p>
<p
style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;font-size:11pt">
<a
style="text-decoration:none;margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px"
title="https://internetgovernance.org"
href="https://internetgovernance.org"
target="_blank" moz-do-not-send="true"><img
height="71" width="287"
style="width: 287.595px; height: 71px; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"
id="m_-930834783253525849m_5687377668441545337m_-2380352191288868954x_x_x_image_0"
src="cid:part1.clf7ODWn.AkZOpkgb@apc.org"
class=""></a></p>
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<b>From:</b> Anriette Esterhuysen <a
href="mailto:anriette@apc.org"
target="_blank" moz-do-not-send="true"><anriette@apc.org></a><br>
<b>Sent:</b> Sunday, November 16, 2025 10:44
AM<br>
<b>To:</b> Mueller, Milton L <a
href="mailto:milton@GATECH.EDU"
target="_blank" moz-do-not-send="true"><milton@GATECH.EDU></a>;
<a href="mailto:NCSG-DISCUSS@LISTSERV.SYR.EDU"
target="_blank" moz-do-not-send="true"
class="moz-txt-link-freetext">NCSG-DISCUSS@LISTSERV.SYR.EDU</a>
<a href="mailto:NCSG-DISCUSS@LISTSERV.SYR.EDU"
target="_blank" moz-do-not-send="true"><NCSG-DISCUSS@LISTSERV.SYR.EDU></a><br>
<b>Subject:</b> Re: Is ICANN helping to
subvert its own governance model?</div>
<div style="direction:ltr"> </div>
</div>
<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px">Dear
Milton</p>
<div><br>
</div>
<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px">You
are often the person that asks tough questions
in an uncompromising way. I like and value that
about you even when I don't agree with you :)
But speaking as an African I would appreciate it
if you could do so without making
generalisations about the region and its
governments. Africa is not inherently 'unstable'
or undemocratic, as you imply. In fact, living
in the US at present you probably have firsthand
knowledge of how erratic states and their
leaders can be and how risky it is to make
assumptions about them.</p>
<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px"><br>
</p>
<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px">From
my perspective as someone who has tried to
follow the process closely, but from a distance,
I do have questions over and above those in the
NCSG letter, but they can wait for a bit later
and should be addressed to the AfriNIC board and
to Smart Africa and the African Union.</p>
<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px"><br>
</p>
<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px">For
example, does the MOU between Smart Africa and
the African Union Commission include commitment
to comply with the <a
style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px"
id="m_-930834783253525849m_5687377668441545337m_-2380352191288868954OWA04994918-0c93-7919-f9c9-520b5736c8d0"
href="https://au.int/sites/default/files/documents/42078-doc-DATA-POLICY-FRAMEWORKS-2024-ENG-V2.pdf"
target="_blank" moz-do-not-send="true"> AU's
Data Policy Framework</a>, and the <a
style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px"
id="m_-930834783253525849m_5687377668441545337m_-2380352191288868954OWA15e9226e-61ff-9051-3bc2-0111ec923c0f"
href="https://au.int/sites/default/files/newsevents/workingdocuments/33025-wd-african_declaration_on_internet_governance_en_0.pdf"
target="_blank" moz-do-not-send="true"> AU
Declaration on Internet Governance </a> which
affirms freedom of expression, openness and the
WSIS principles of multistakeholder
participation? And, will Smart Africa int is
interaction/support of AfriNIC adhere to the <a
style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px"
id="m_-930834783253525849m_5687377668441545337m_-2380352191288868954OWA340cc9bc-c2a3-968e-9f31-84092266467a"
moz-do-not-send="true"> African Commission on
Human and People's Rights Declaration of
Principles on Freedom of Expression</a>. The
latter is a particularly strong document and
shaped by multistakeholder consultation and in
particular civil society input. AfriNIC has in
the past been active in the formulation of AU
internet-related policies.</p>
<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px"><br>
</p>
<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px">I also
have questions on how Smart Africa, which is
indeed doing good work and filling a gap left by
the lack of capacity at the African Union
Commission, plans to work with civil society and
promote and protect human rights in its digital
governance work. While Smart Africa does not
exclude civil society, it does seem to practice
its multistakeholder approach primarily through
working with the private sector. AfriNIC also
always needed to strengthen its connections with
civil society. I hope that new board will help
make that happen. </p>
<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px"><br>
</p>
<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px">These
are not questions for ICANN but I think they are
questions relevant to many NCSG members involved
in internet governance in Africa (and beyond).
Emmanuel and others, if you do have some of the
answers to my questions, please share.</p>
<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px"><br>
</p>
<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px">Thanks</p>
<div><br>
</div>
<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px">Anriette</p>
<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px"><br>
</p>
<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px"><br>
</p>
<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px"><br>
</p>
<div><br>
</div>
<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px"><br>
</p>
<p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px"><br>
</p>
<pre><div>Anriette Esterhuysen - <a
id="m_-930834783253525849m_5687377668441545337m_-2380352191288868954OWA3b68455d-fcb7-1333-c218-eefbcb0c2632"
href="mailto:anriette@apc.org//anriette@gmail.com"
target="_blank" moz-do-not-send="true"
class="moz-txt-link-freetext">anriette@apc.org//anriette@gmail.com</a></div></pre>
<div>On 2025/11/14 17:50, Mueller, Milton L wrote:</div>
<blockquote>
<div
style="font-family:Aptos,Aptos_EmbeddedFont,Aptos_MSFontService,Calibri,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:12pt;color:rgb(0,0,0)">
I support the letter 100%</div>
<div
style="font-family:Aptos,Aptos_EmbeddedFont,Aptos_MSFontService,Calibri,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:12pt;color:rgb(0,0,0)">
<br>
</div>
<hr style="display:inline-block;width:98%">
<div
id="m_-930834783253525849m_5687377668441545337m_-2380352191288868954x_divRplyFwdMsg">
<div
style="direction:ltr;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;font-size:11pt;color:rgb(0,0,0)">
<b>From:</b> Rafik Dammak <a
id="m_-930834783253525849m_5687377668441545337m_-2380352191288868954OWA7659ea08-5de8-2202-6af9-b15a59e5b1c3"
href="mailto:rafik.dammak@gmail.com"
target="_blank" moz-do-not-send="true">
<rafik.dammak@gmail.com></a><br>
<b>Sent:</b> Friday, November 14, 2025 1:55
AM<br>
<b>To:</b> NCSG <a
id="m_-930834783253525849m_5687377668441545337m_-2380352191288868954OWA238fa6c9-1df2-0361-2868-8e8ecefb4b4f"
href="mailto:ncsg-discuss@listserv.syr.edu" target="_blank"
moz-do-not-send="true">
<ncsg-discuss@listserv.syr.edu></a>;
ncsg-pc <a
id="m_-930834783253525849m_5687377668441545337m_-2380352191288868954OWA0deffd51-e49f-56c9-ea61-a356ff4a02b6"
href="mailto:ncsg-pc@lists.ncsg.is"
target="_blank" moz-do-not-send="true">
<ncsg-pc@lists.ncsg.is></a><br>
<b>Cc:</b> Mueller, Milton L <a
id="m_-930834783253525849m_5687377668441545337m_-2380352191288868954OWAd3219216-5920-5b87-ffd9-7b0633f05743"
href="mailto:milton@gatech.edu"
target="_blank" moz-do-not-send="true">
<milton@gatech.edu></a><br>
<b>Subject:</b> Re: [NCSG-Discuss] Is ICANN
helping to subvert its own governance model?</div>
<div style="direction:ltr"> </div>
</div>
<div style="direction:ltr">hi all,</div>
<div style="direction:ltr"><br>
</div>
<div style="direction:ltr">thanks for the
comments and input to letter, here the new
version after resolving the changes <a
id="m_-930834783253525849m_5687377668441545337m_-2380352191288868954OWAbc680c7a-b419-92a7-6fb7-12ae9e4c66d4"
href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1CPgRLILaCtsda8YRA4mUtElLXYS6udjF8cHvTo2AXHI/edit?tab=t.0"
target="_blank" moz-do-not-send="true"
class="moz-txt-link-freetext">
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1CPgRLILaCtsda8YRA4mUtElLXYS6udjF8cHvTo2AXHI/edit?tab=t.0</a> .</div>
<div style="direction:ltr">If there is no strong
objection or concern, we can send this letter
asap to the board for consideration, hopefully
by the end of the day.</div>
<div style="direction:ltr"><br>
</div>
<div style="direction:ltr">Best,</div>
<div style="direction:ltr"><br>
</div>
<div style="direction:ltr">Rafik</div>
<div style="direction:ltr"><br>
</div>
<div style="direction:ltr">Le jeu. 13 nov. 2025
à 23:08, Mueller, Milton L <<a
id="m_-930834783253525849m_5687377668441545337m_-2380352191288868954OWA3064c511-f86e-b99e-4978-53afb5f1c511"
href="mailto:00001d75540da649-dmarc-request@listserv.syr.edu"
target="_blank" moz-do-not-send="true"
class="moz-txt-link-freetext">00001d75540da649-dmarc-request@listserv.syr.edu</a>>
a écrit :</div>
<blockquote
style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;padding-left:1ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(204,204,204)">
<div
style="direction:ltr;font-family:Aptos,Aptos_EmbeddedFont,Aptos_MSFontService,Calibri,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:12pt;color:rgb(0,0,0)">
<br>
</div>
<div
style="direction:ltr;font-family:Aptos,Aptos_EmbeddedFont,Aptos_MSFontService,Calibri,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:12pt;color:rgb(0,0,0)">
> I want to urge NCSG members that as we
ask for more information, we do so without
undermining AfriNIC's new board </div>
<div
style="direction:ltr;font-family:Aptos,Aptos_EmbeddedFont,Aptos_MSFontService,Calibri,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:12pt;color:rgb(0,0,0)">
> and the efforts of this board and those
working with it to stabilise AfriNIC. They
need our support.</div>
<div
style="direction:ltr;font-family:Aptos,Aptos_EmbeddedFont,Aptos_MSFontService,Calibri,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:12pt;color:rgb(0,0,0)">
<br>
</div>
<div
style="direction:ltr;font-family:Aptos,Aptos_EmbeddedFont,Aptos_MSFontService,Calibri,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:12pt;color:rgb(0,0,0)">
Absolutely correct. The focus should be on
CAIGA proposal, which deviates from
multistakeholder principles, the new Afrinic
board has very little to do with that as far
as I know. </div>
<div
style="direction:ltr;font-family:Aptos,Aptos_EmbeddedFont,Aptos_MSFontService,Calibri,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:12pt;color:rgb(0,0,0)">
<br>
</div>
<div
id="m_-930834783253525849m_5687377668441545337m_-2380352191288868954x_x_m_-1162883159886474037Signature">
<div
style="direction:ltr;font-family:Aptos,Aptos_EmbeddedFont,Aptos_MSFontService,Calibri,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:12pt;color:rgb(0,0,0)">
<br>
</div>
<p
style="direction:ltr;margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;font-size:11pt">
<span
style="font-family:Aptos,Aptos_EmbeddedFont,Aptos_MSFontService,Calibri,Helvetica,sans-serif">Dr.</span>
<span
style="font-family:Aptos,Aptos_EmbeddedFont,Aptos_MSFontService,Calibri,Helvetica,sans-serif">
Milton L Mueller</span></p>
<p
style="direction:ltr;margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;font-size:11pt">
<span
style="font-family:Aptos,Aptos_EmbeddedFont,Aptos_MSFontService,Calibri,Helvetica,sans-serif">Georgia
Institute of Technology</span></p>
<p
style="direction:ltr;margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;font-size:11pt">
<span
style="font-family:Aptos,Aptos_EmbeddedFont,Aptos_MSFontService,Calibri,Helvetica,sans-serif">School
of Public Policy</span></p>
<p
style="direction:ltr;margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;font-size:11pt">
<a
style="text-decoration:none;margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px"
title="https://internetgovernance.org"
id="m_-930834783253525849m_5687377668441545337m_-2380352191288868954OWAeaa6ed23-bdc7-f366-bf70-5a824322d8b9"
href="https://internetgovernance.org"
target="_blank" moz-do-not-send="true"><img
size="6990" height="79" width="320"
style="width: 320px; height: 79px; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"
id="m_-930834783253525849m_5687377668441545337m_-2380352191288868954x_x_m_-1162883159886474037image_0"
src="cid:part2.IuNqpWL5.o1R4bMjs@apc.org" class=""></a></p>
<p
style="direction:ltr;margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;font-size:11pt">
</p>
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