ICANN still considering options for December meeting.
ICANN plans to hold a meeting in Latin America this December, but it hasn’t yet named a location. Colombia is frequently mentioned as a candidate, and the country’s Minister of Information and Communications Technologies has sent a letter to ICANN CEO Rod Beckstrom restating his country’s interest in hosting the event.
On the surface, Colombia might be a good candidate. It’s getting a lot of press as it liberalizes its .co country code domain name. But the negative community reaction due to safety concerns during this year’s event in Nairobi, Kenya, is likely causing the ICANN staff to great consternation. Although the situation in Colombia is much improved over the past decade, it is still a relatively dangerous country with rival factions such as FARC and ELN battling and narco-terrorism is still prevalent in small towns and rural areas.
An ICANN event would likely be held in a large city, which probably reduces the chances of being kidnapped. The risks are somewhat similar to Mexico City, where ICANN held a meeting last year, where ATM and taxicab robberies are fairly common. I haven’t heard of any major security incidents from either the Mexico City or Nairobi meetings.
Will ICANN play it safe to avoid having many delegates stay home? Or will having an event in Belgium in between the Kenya and potential Colombia event be enough of a breather?
jon says
I think the Nairobi meeting proved both that the security fears that kept lots of people away weren’t really justified and also that remote participation is actually viable.
I don’t think ICANN would have any trouble getting a good turnout to Cartagena, for example. I’ll certainly be there if they get the nod!
icann watcher says
If you jaywalk on a busy road and not get hit does not mean it wouldn’t happen the next time. If you keep putting yourself in dangerous situations, one day your luck will run out.
How do we really know if nothing happened in Kenya or Mexico City?
If they keep having the meetings in unsafe countries, they will eventually have a devastating experience.
Incidentally, if you travel to Columbia, expect to be scrutinized when you return.
And, do not eat a donut with powdered sugar on the returning flight.
🙂