<html><head></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; "><div><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="background-color: transparent;">Dear all,</span></p><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: transparent;">as discussed during yesterday's call, please find below the draft letter regarding the impact of new gTLDs on ICANN's structure including the changes proposed by Stéphane. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: transparent;"><br></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: transparent;">Please provide your comments and suggestions as soon as you can as the plan is to finalize the draft by the end of next week.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: transparent;"><br></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: transparent;">Kind regards and have a great weekend,</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: transparent;">Thomas</span></div><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="background-color: transparent;"><br></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: transparent;"><span lang="EN-GB">Dear Bertrand,</span><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="background-color: transparent;">the GNSO Council would like to thank you for the opportunity to provide feedback to your request for input on the impact of new gTLDs on ICANN's structure.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="background-color: transparent;">As you know, the Council as well as individual SGs and Constituencies have been discussing this important subject for a long time now. It has also been a topic during face to face meetings between the GNSO Council and the Board and GAC as well as with the ccNSO. Some groups have already or will respond to the Board directly and our impression is that they are confident to have taken appropriate steps to address the upcoming challenges. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="background-color: transparent;">As far as the Council is concerned, here will most likely be quantitative and qualitative challenges. What these will be and their size can hardly be predicted. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="background-color: transparent;">In qualitative terms, there may be new requests to form constituencies and new stakeholder groups in both houses, some of which may be re-configurations or alignments of existing groups.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: transparent;"><span lang="EN-GB">Since this is an unknown factor, the effects on the democratic and participatory process of the Council and the response to that are yet to be seen. However, we would like to highlight that ICANN is already publishing information on how to participate (see <a href="http://gnso.icann.org/en/about/participation.htm">http://gnso.icann.org/en/about/participation.htm</a>) including information on how to form a Constituency. Thus, the information and processes are available to be inclusive</span> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: transparent;"><span lang="EN-GB">In quantitative terms, challenges are more predictable in some aspects. For sure, there will be </span><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: transparent;"><span lang="EN-GB">- more attention by the general pubic and Governments;</span><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: transparent;"><span lang="EN-GB">- more attendants at meetings, which has an impact on sizing the venues; </span><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: transparent;"><span lang="EN-GB">- more groups that need administrative and technical support;</span><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: transparent;"><span lang="EN-GB">- more telephone conferences with more participants and more remote participation;</span><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: transparent;"><span lang="EN-GB">- more documents to be produced and read; </span><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: transparent;"><span lang="EN-GB">- more decisions to be made and operationalized;</span><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: transparent;"><span lang="EN-GB">- more contractors that need to be managed;</span><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="background-color: transparent;">- the need for ever more stringent budget management and control; and</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="background-color: transparent;">- more compliance issues that need to be taken care of.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="background-color: transparent;">These quantitative challenges require managerial responses that ICANN can prepare for. Such preparations should also encompass the increased burden on volunteers to deal with even more and potentially more complex material to work on. Processes and support schemes for volunteers should be designed to best possibly avoid volunteer fatigue.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="background-color: transparent;">The unknown is what new groups will be established and what their place and role in the ICANN eco system shall be. However, additions will only lead to marginal changes that can be dealt with once they are known.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="background-color: transparent;">In summary, the GNSO Council believes that the current structure is resilient to respond to the challenges to come as long as ICANN provides the resources required to accommodate an increasing number of participants / stakeholders and their respective needs. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal">Thank you,</p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="background-color: transparent;">Stéphane van Gelder</span></p><p class="MsoNormal">Chair, GNSO Council</p><div style="font-family: Helvetica; "><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 16pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; "><br></span></div></div></body></html>