NCUC Policy Conference at ICANN-40 in San Francisco
NCUC@ICANN: Internet Governance and the Global
Public Interest
Friday 11 March 2011 (8:30 am - 6:00 pm)
California West Room - 2nd Floor
Link for remote participation: http://icann.adobeconnect.com/sfo40-ncuc
Policy Conference Goal
Held immediately before ICANN's 40th
International Meeting in San Francisco,
ICANN's Non-Commercial Users Constituency (NCUC) will host a
conference to explore the relationship between Internet
governance policies and the global public interest and
strategies for action for noncommercial activists. The
meeting will raise awareness about online human rights
issues and encourage participation at ICANN and other
Internet governance arenas. The conference will showcase
the work of NCUC and its Internet policy goals to local
civil society organizations and Internet activists.
Drawing the connection between live Internet policy
issues and their implications for human rights,
development and the democratic process is a key
objective of the meeting.
Venue: Westin St. Francis Hotel at Union Square
The NCUC policy conference will
be held at the historic
Westin
St. Francis
Hotel at
Union Square in San Francisco. The landmark hotel is also the official ICANN conference venue over
the following week and in the heart of downtown San Francisco.
The NCUC conference is scheduled to meet in the California
West Room on the 2nd Floor of the Westin St. Francis Hotel
(address: 335 Powell Street, San Francisco, California).
Conference Format
The civil society
conference consists of a full-day of policy discussions
among 100 attendees. The conference format is a
single-track, series of panels, workshops, conversations
and a keynote speaker during lunch. The event's
target audience includes international ICANN
participants as well as San Francisco Bay Area Internet
law and policy experts, digital rights activists, and
other civil society organizations concerned with
Internet governance matters. The media is also
invited to attend the discussions.
Substantive Program
The substantive
program will focus on the impact of ICANN policies
and other Internet policies on the global public
interest. Sessions will focus on Internet
censorship, privacy rights, new rules for trademarks and
domain names, and other emerging Internet governance
issues. The ability of ICANN to protect human rights,
promote development, and achieve public interest policy
goals will be explored. The appropriate role for
governments to manage Internet resources and emerging
options for a compatible DNS to the existing Internet
governance regime will be explored. Attendees will
leave with a "tool kit" of useful information
for non-commercial activists including strategies of
action for those who are interested in creating Internet
governance policies that promote the global public interest.
Craig Newmark to Keynote During Lunch
Internet
entrepreneur Craig Newmark, founder of craigslist.org, one
of the most popular nonprofit Internet domains will
deliver the keynote speech during lunchtime of the
conference. Craigslist has been at the forefront
of a number of cutting-edge online legal and policy
battles, and Craig Newmark has personally been a strong
supporter of online activism, Internet freedom and
nonprofit organizations. The lunch is made
possible with the generous support from Public Interest
Registries (PIR).
Closing Remarks From ICANN
Board Chairman
Peter
Dengate Thrush, Chairman of ICANN's Board of Director will deliver
the final remarks of the policy conference. Mr Dengate
Thrush is also a barrister practicing in civil litigation in New
Zealand, where he specializes in intellectual property,
competition and Internet law. A board member since 2005, Mr.
Dengate Thrush has over-seen much of ICANN's policy work with
respect to new top-level domains.
Evening Cocktail Reception
Conference
attendees and speakers are invited to a private cocktail
reception immediately after the policy conference at a
nearby view-lounge bar, Grandviews at
Union Square. Appetizers and a hosted bar will be
served to conference attendees on the 36th floor of the
Grand Hyatt Hotel - one of the highest points above
Union Square - a bar with stunning views of both the SF
Bay and the downtown skyline. Enjoy the sky-high
California sunset and soft music from a local favorite
jazz duo while discussing the day's events. The
cocktail reception is made possible with the generous
support from Afilias Limited.
FREE and Open to Public
The conference will be
free-of-charge to attend and open to the public, but
advance registration will be required for planning
purposes. Please be sure to bring your registration
confirmation print-out with you to the conference.
Online remote participation will be available and the
event will be webcast and archived online. Please
join us.
