ÔªøDate: 02/12/2004
Source: Ministry of Communications
Title: I Matsepe-Casaburri: ICANN meeting
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Minister of Communications, Dr Ivy Matsepe-Casaburri, address on ICANN meeting
2 December 2004
Chairperson
Distinguished Guests
Ladies and Gentlemen
Colleagues and friends
Thank you for offering me this opportunity to address you at this ICANN meeting.
May I express not only my thanks to you but also welcome you to this beautiful city (3rd or 5th most beautiful city in the world depending on whom/ what you read). I would like to welcome you to this country where ordinary people do extra ordinary things, one of which is reviewing on a constant basis how we do things, and sometimes changing paradigms of our analysis.
Having emerged from centuries of colonialism and from apartheid, the need for us to rediscover ourselves and the continent we live in, have given us a great sense of hope, affirmation and excitement that our country is alive with possibility.
The South African Government and the local Internet community, welcome you. We trust you will enjoy our country,Äôs hospitality while you engage in the important deliberations of this meeting.
This is the third meeting to be held on the African continent. It is reflective of the growing importance that the Internet and its governance play in the development of the continent.
Your meeting here comes at an opportune time when the African Union is also crystallising for all, and African leaders are asserting the important position that this continent should have in the global economy, given its richness in natural resources that fuel the economies of northern/western developed countries.
Honoured delegates are aware of the new efforts in which this continent is trying to renew itself through NEPAD and the African Renaissance and rid itself of all the negative images about itself, against great odds.
It is also opportune that your meeting takes place here in South Africa when we are preparing for the World Summit for Information Society (WSIS) on this continent in Tunisia, a summit for which your meeting will be preparing inputs especially in the area of Internet Governance.
Your meeting is also opportune for us, because it comes at a time when we are celebrating our tenth year of democracy: When we look back at where we come from, the role that international organisations have played before and are playing during that decade, and when we look ahead at the next ten years to assess what role we should be playing in the international arena, as part of our obligations, but also because of international imperatives.
We fought for democracy and continue to fight for it because it is intrinsically right to do so. We believe that democratic institutions need to be legitimate and we must ensure they remain so, so as not to lose legitimacy. We have a joint responsibility to ensure this, for the sake of a better world.
We in South Africa have a difficult task of balancing the needs and aspirations of those previously repressed and denied access to basic rights, with the needs of those historically advantaged. We are working to provide food, shelter, health care, employment and human dignity to the people and we have achieved significant success in these endeavours. There is still, however, work to be done. An example can be made of the ,Äúlocal Internet community,Äù, which is still significantly skewed, with very few ordinary South Africans having access to the benefits of Internet access as well as other information and communications technologies. It is true that significant strides have been made in this regard. An appropriate regulatory environment has been instituted in the passing into law of the Electronic Communications and Transactions Act in 2002. New players have been introduced into the market and earlier this year I announced a set of measures, which will expand access to ICTs and liberalise the industry.
You may ask why I am raising these political issues at a meeting devoted to the technical aspects of Internet naming and numbering. The reason is that I believe ICANN faces similar issues around change and transformation. At the outset I acknowledge that naming and numbering are vital to the governance of the Internet but are not the only concerns ,Äì indeed affordable and reliable access within a consistent legal environment is similarly fundamental and need to be addressed. There has been a perception that South Africa is anti ,Äì ICANN. Nothing is further from the truth than this.
It is no secret that the South African government has been critical of the existing Internet governance structures because they were established by and skewed in favour of those who first implemented these technologies, as this had the consequence of potentially disadvantaging those who are only now accessing these technologies, particularly those who do not yet have access.
We are of the firm view that we cannot continue on this path thus perpetuating old relationships according to which developing countries, many of which were colonies of developed ones, were not allowed to build the necessary infrastructure for their own development. We believe that all should have a voice in the governance of an international network. We believe that legitimate governments, as the true representatives of their country, should have an increased voice in the governance of the Internet.
This does not minimise the vital role that all other sectors have had in creating and governing the Internet to date. We have seen a significant change in the governance of the Internet since the establishment of ICANN as a first step in that process. There is a widely shared view that all humanity seek to make an impact on the globalisation by large numbers of people globally.
I am advised that ICANN itself has been through significant changes and continues to transform itself from a club of ,Äúdigital haves,Äù to include the ,Äúhave-nots,Äù and other marginalised groups. This can be seen in the increasing role of the Government Advisory Committee and the ccTLD community in ICANN, the geographical diversity in its office bearers and the opening of an office in Europe and the planned establishment of an Africa office in the near future.
There are two recent ICANN initiatives that are particularly close to my heart and which indicate that ICANN is transforming ,Äì namely:
* The provisional recognition of the African Network Information Centre (AfriNIC) as an official Regional Internet number Registry, the last stage before full recognition; and
* The re-delegation of the South African ccTLD, .za.
This will take us a step further to realise our objective of making this century a century of revival and regeneration of Africa.
After lengthy and at times acrimonious debate, the South African government, the existing local Internet community, representatives of the ,Äúfuture,Äù or ,Äúpotential,Äù Internet community and commercial, academic and other interested groups agreed on a way forward involving a partnership for the benefit of South Africa as a whole. This is very much a ,Äúwork in progress,Äù with lesson being learned as we proceed.
This is based on the founder, late Jon Postel,Äôs principle that governance of the Internet is not simply a right for commercial exploitation; it is a RESPONSIBILITY to the community, a position of trust that must not be abused.
Ladies and Gentleman, allow me to take this opportunity to thank ICANN for re-delegating the .za ccTLD to the Domain Name Authority and to thank also Mike Lawrie for his support of this process and for the years of selfless commitment to the management and operation of the .za ccTLD. I would also like to congratulate the Domain Name Authority board for a job well done to date.
The process of establishing AfriNIC as a trans-continental partnership is a success that Africa can rightly feel proud of. The AfriNIC CEO Adiel Akplogan expressed his extreme pleasure at the provisional recognition when he said, ,ÄúAfriNIC is building a regional registry to meet Africa,Äôs regional needs. We are bringing regional management to our IP address distribution, and that puts the Africa region on par with the other global regions of Europe, Asia/Pacific, North America and Latin America.,Äù We hope that AfriNIC will also look into the issues of introduction of IP version 6.
Paul Twomey, President and CEO of ICANN had this to say: (and I quote) ,ÄúThe establishment of AfriNIC confirms the enormous growth of Internet activities in the Africa region; we welcome AfriNIC,Äôs progression into the global ICANN community and count on its members to add their unique perspective to ICANN,Äôs policy process.,Äù
This historic event is proof beyond doubt that the Africa region is moving to participate on an equal footing with all other regions. We, the Government of South Africa and the people of South Africa, salute this model for co-operation and integration within the region.
In conclusion, I encourage all of you to keep in mind the challenges that ICANN faces. It is essential to ensure greater inclusivity for all, especially those people who live in the underdeveloped and developing countries. The stability and security of the Internet are of paramount importance since the Internet is no longer a private resource but a global resource. It must be shared based on need. We must allow newcomers to enter in the same way as the more established users.
While the Internet has been liberating and democratising in many respects, it has on the other hand been most threatening in other respects of society: you just had to read South African newspapers this past week about abuse of women and children and the role of Internet in some of those cases.
We must therefore be vigilant in the combating of criminal activity on the Internet. The response of the South African Law Enforcement Agencies in the recent incidences of child pornography is most commendable.
ICTs are increasingly providing an opportunity for delivering services to marginalised communities across the globe. We need to view whatever we do in this light and ensure that the decisions and actions taken at meetings such as this ICANN meeting do not grow the divide between the haves and the have-nots.
We must remember to use these technologies for the benefit of our communities as well as to access the incredible opportunities that the Internet and its associated technologies bring.
I am quite confident that as we work together for the benefit of our countries, especially the disadvantaged members, we shall ensure not only that Africa shall not fail in its aspirations but that we all contribute to the democratic legitimacy of our international institutions. Therefore ICANN cannot and shall not fail.
I thank you.
Issued by: Ministry of Communications
2 December 2004
m<EOD>
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