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<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>Dear All,<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>This is in response to
Kristina Rosette’s request at the Council’s 23 June meeting
regarding Staff’s interpretation of Bylaws Section 10(b) of Annex A
pertaining to the solicitation of outside advisors. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p><span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"'>After reviewing this
internally, I learned that there is no established procedure to seek outside
opinions under Section 10(b) and that this Section has not been invoked in the
past by the GNSO Council. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p><span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"'>Section 10 (Council
Deliberation) describes the process to be followed by the GNSO Council upon
receipt of a PDP Final Report. Note that this section is largely
out-of-date, since the GNSO Council’s practice differs from that
described in Section 10, and Annex A is being updated through the GNSO restructuring
work currently underway. Section 10 states: <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style='margin-left:1.0in;text-indent:-.5in'><span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"'>“<a
name=AnnexA-10a></a>10a. Upon receipt of a Final Report, whether as the
result of a task force or otherwise, the Council chair will (i) distribute the
Final Report to all Council members; and (ii) call for a Council meeting within
ten (10) calendar days thereafter. The Council may commence its deliberation on
the issue prior to the formal meeting, including via in-person meetings,
conference calls, e-mail discussions or any other means the Council may choose.
The deliberation process shall culminate in a formal Council meeting either in
person or via teleconference, wherein the Council will work towards achieving a
Successful GNSO Vote to present to the Board.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style='margin-left:1.0in;text-indent:-.5in'><a name=AnnexA-10b></a><span
style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"'>10b. The Council
may, if it so chooses, solicit the opinions of outside advisors at its final
meeting. The opinions of these advisors, if relied upon by the Council, shall
be (i) embodied in the Council's report to the Board, (ii) specifically
identified as coming from an outside advisor; and (iii) be accompanied by a
detailed statement of the advisor's (x) qualifications and relevant experience;
and (y) potential conflicts of interest.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='text-autospace:none'><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>Staff’s
view is that outside opinions are an important part of the PDP process to
enable the development of fact-based, thoroughly researched
policies. This view is consistent with the Board-approved BGC GNSO
Improvements Report which noted that working groups should engage in fact
finding, research, and should seek expert opinions where necessary when
developing new policies. Given the Council’s new strategic
role as a manager and supervisor of the policy development process,
Kristina’s inquiry raises the question of whether these opinions should
be sought by the working group during its deliberations, rather than by the
Council after the Final Report (per Section 10(b)). In our
view, it may be more efficient to seek the opinion during the working
group deliberations in order for the opinions to be considered by the working
group and reflected in the recommendations of the Working Group’s Final
Report.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='text-autospace:none'><span style='font-size:12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='text-autospace:none'><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>Seeking
an outside opinion raises important issues for the Council and ICANN to
consider. There may be budgetary implications in the event that an
outside advisor is unwilling to provide its opinion at no charge.
If it were necessary for ICANN to contract with the outside advisor to retain
an outside advisor to give advice to ICANN's GNSO Council, ICANN
would need to follow its normal contracting procedures (including e.g.,
conducting conflicts checks, issuing RFPs, and performing vendor due
diligence). Any costs associated with the retaining the services of
the outside advisor would need to be properly budgeted and allocated.
These are just a few examples of the types of issues to be addressed
when seeking outside opinions. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='text-autospace:none'><span style='font-size:12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='text-autospace:none'><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>We
recommend that the issue of outside opinions be evaluated by one of the GNSO
restructuring work teams so that standard procedures can be developed for
future requests. However, if the GNSO desires to seek the opinions
of outside advisers in the interim, we recommend that the Council adopt a
resolution to that effect, and provide sufficient information of the
scope/nature of the opinion sought so that we can evaluate how to best meet the
GNSO’s timeframe and needs.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='text-autospace:none'><span style='font-size:12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='text-autospace:none'><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>Best
regards,<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='text-autospace:none'><span style='font-size:12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='text-autospace:none'><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>Margie<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='text-autospace:none'><span style='font-size:12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='text-autospace:none'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Berlin Sans FB","sans-serif"'>_________<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='text-autospace:none'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Berlin Sans FB","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='text-autospace:none'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Berlin Sans FB","sans-serif"'>Margie Milam<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='text-autospace:none'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Berlin Sans FB","sans-serif"'>Senior Policy Counselor<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='text-autospace:none'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Berlin Sans FB","sans-serif"'>ICANN<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='text-autospace:none'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Berlin Sans FB","sans-serif"'>__________<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='text-autospace:none'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Berlin Sans FB","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='text-autospace:none'><span style='font-size:12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='text-autospace:none'><span style='font-size:12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p>
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