[bc-gnso] remarks today on Accountability Working Group planning

[Marie Pattullo]

Thanks Steve. Rest of the transcript attached.
M
 
From: owner-bc-gnso at icann.org [mailto:owner-bc-gnso at icann.org] On Behalf Of
Steve DelBianco
Sent: mardi 14 octobre 2014 01:54
To: bc-gnso at icann.org
Subject: [bc-gnso] remarks today on Accountability Working Group planning
 
Just delivered this for the BC:
 
STEVE DelBIANCO WITH THE BUSINESS CONSTITUENCY. WE'RE GRATEFUL FOR THE
TURNAROUND AND RECOGNITION OF COMMUNITY-DRIVEN PROCESS AND WE'RE READY TO
GET TO WORK. AND THE KEY IS THE DRAFT OF THE CHARTER, WHICH WILL HAVE BOARD
INPUT BUT IT'S REALLY GOING TO BE A COMMUNITY-DRIVEN CHARTER AND I THINK
THAT'S APPROPRIATE. 
THE KEY PART OF THE CHARTER FOR THIS ACCOUNTABILITY WORKING GROUP WILL BE
FIGURING OUT THE TWO WORK STREAMS AND THE DISTINCTION BETWEEN THEM. 
SO LET ME JUST FOCUS MY QUESTION ABOUT THAT. 
 
STAFF AND SECRETARY STRICKLING GAVE US SUGGESTIONS THAT ARE RELATIVELY
SIMILAR, SUGGESTIONS THAT WE DO TWO WORK STREAMS, AND WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE.

SECRETARY STRICKLING JUST SUGGESTED THAT WE SHOULD FOCUS ON THE FIRST
STREAM, ON ACCOUNTABILITY ISSUES THAT WERE RAISED BY EXPIRATION OF THE
CONTRACT. AND THEN HE WENT ON TO SAY IT SLIGHTLY DIFFERENTLY, TO SAY, "SET
YOUR FOCUS ON THE FACT THAT THE CONTRACT MIGHT NOT BE THERE ANYMORE." WE'RE
TALKING ABOUT THE IANA CONTRACT. 
 
AND I THINK ACTUALLY FADI THIS MORNING DESCRIBED IT IN A WAY THAT WAS CLOSER
TO WHAT THE COMMUNITY HAD BEEN ASKING OVER THE PAST SEVERAL WEEKS. HE
DESCRIBED IT THIS WAY: HE SAID, "WE NEED ONE STREAM TO DEAL WITH
ACCOUNTABILITY MECHANISMS THAT MUST BE REINFORCED OR ADDED BEFORE THE
TRANSITION OCCURS." SO THINGS THAT HAVE TO BE DONE BEFORE THE IANA
TRANSITION, BEFORE THE CONTRACT IS LET GO. 
THE SECOND THING FADI SAID WAS, "AND THE OTHER STREAM WOULD LOOK AT THE
BROADER ICANN ACCOUNTABILITY AND GOVERNANCE IMPROVEMENTS THAT WE MAY NOT
NEED TO DO, NECESSARILY TAKEN CARE OF, BEFORE THE TRANSITION OCCURS." SO
IT'S A BEFORE AND AN AFTER TRANSITION. 
 
I THINK BOTH FADI AND SECRETARY STRICKLING ARE RECOGNIZING THAT THE IANA
CONTRACT EXPIRATION MEANS IS THE END OF CONTRACT LEVERAGE. WHY DOES THAT
MATTER? WHY DO YOU NEED LEVERAGE? 
IT'S SIMPLY THIS: WE MAY NEED SOME LEVERAGE -- WE IN THE COMMUNITY -- TO
ENCOURAGE THE BOARD TO ACCEPT SOME VERY TOUGH NEW ACCOUNTABILITY MECHANISMS
THAT WOULD HOLD THE BOARD AND MANAGEMENT ACCOUNTABLE TO THE COMMUNITY. 
 
SO WE VIEW THAT -- I THINK WE VIEW THAT CONSISTENTLY --  WHAT THE TWO
STREAMS ARE, THINGS WE KNOW WE NEED TO DO BEFORE THE IANA TRANSITION,
BECAUSE THEY'RE THINGS FOR WHICH WE NEED THE IANA CONTRACT AS LEVERAGE AND
THEN EVERYTHING ELSE IN THAT SECOND STREAM THAT CAN OCCUR AFTER THE
TRANSITION. 
THE BC HAD PUT FORTH SIX ELEMENTS THAT WE THINK COULD FORM THAT, AND I
REALIZE THAT COMMUNITY WORKING GROUP, WE'RE ALL GOING TO FIGURE OUT WHAT
THEY OUGHT TO BE.  BUT I DO THINK IT COULD BE A HANDFUL OF ACCOUNT- -- A
HANDFUL OF ACCOUNTABILITY MECHANISMS THAT NEED TO BE THERE BEFORE WE EXPIRE
THE IANA CONTRACT. 
IS THAT CLOSE TO YOUR THINKING? 
 
>>LARRY STRICKLING: WELL, FIRST OFF, I HOPE YOU WEREN'T SUGGESTING THAT
THERE WAS ANYTHING DIFFERENT IN MY TWO FORMULATIONS. 
OKAY. GOOD. BECAUSE I INTENDED TO JUST SAY IT CONSISTENTLY. 
SO I THINK I AGREE WITH WHAT YOU SAID, BUT I'M NOT SURE WHAT WAS LEFT UNSAID
IN YOUR QUESTION. 
[LAUGHTER ] 
>>LARRY STRICKLING: SO I -- SO FOR EXAMPLE, I HAVE NOTED IN PRIOR PUBLIC
STATEMENTS THAT THE ABSENCE OF A BOARD RECALL MECHANISM FOR THE COMMUNITY,
THAT WOULD SEEM TO ME TO BE THE KIND OF QUESTION THAT WOULD DEFINITELY BE
WITHIN THE MORE LIMITED INITIAL SCOPE OF THE ACCOUNTABILITY -- 
NOW, THAT'S A BIG ISSUE. IT'S NOT A TINY ISSUE WHATSOEVER. BUT IT DOES SEEM
TO ME THOSE ARE THE KINDS OF ISSUES PEOPLE WILL HAVE CONCERN ABOUT WHEN
THEY'RE THINKING ABOUT WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IF -- WHAT PREVENTS THIS
ORGANIZATION FROM SPINNING OUT OF CONTROL WHEN THE U.S. CONTRACT ISN'T THERE
ANY LONGER. 
NOBODY EXPECTS IT TO HAPPEN, BUT I THINK ALL OF US, TO BE RESPONSIBLE TO
THIS TRANSITION, NEED TO THINK THROUGH THOSE POSSIBILITIES AND UNDERSTAND
WHAT MECHANISMS EXIST TODAY OR NEED TO BE PUT INTO PLACE TO PREVENT BAD
THINGS LIKE THAT FROM HAPPENING. 
>>STEVE DelBIANCO: AND I'M JUST MENTIONING THAT (INDISCERNIBLE) THE BOARD
AND THAT IS, IN FACT, ONE OF THE SIX THINGS THE BC WAS RECOMMENDING. THANK
YOU VERY MUCH.
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