<div dir="ltr"><p class="">Dear Strategy Panel Members:</p><p class="">As you know, your panel's work is an important part of ICANN's strategic planning process. I would like to call your attention to a recent milestone in ICANN's ongoing, collaborative development of a new vision and five-year strategic plan, and provide some additional background for those who are new to ICANN. </p>
<p class=""><b>What's Happening Now: </b> A draft "Vision, Mission & Focus Areas for a Five-Year Strategic Plan" has been <a href="http://www.icann.org/en/news/public-comment/strategic-29oct13-en.htm"><span class="">posted</span></a> for public comment and will be the topic of discussions at the ICANN Buenos Aires meeting, as well as other venues, through January. (We hope you will join -- online or in-person -- a public forum on strategic planning scheduled for Monday 18 Nov. i<a href="http://buenosaires48.icann.org/en/schedule-full"><span class="">n Buenos Aires</span></a>).</p>
<p class="">The overarching, aspirational, draft "Vision, Mission and Focus Areas" reflects extensive public input and priorities identified by ICANN's Board. The draft proposes a new Vision, reiterates ICANN's existing Mission, and describes five proposed Focus Areas with goals:</p>
<blockquote style="margin:0px 0px 0px 40px;border:none;padding:0px"><p class="">I. Evolving ICANN’s implementation of the multistakeholder approach for coordination</p><p class="">II. Developing a world-class public responsibility framework</p>
<p class="">III. Supporting a healthy unique identifier ecosystem</p><p class="">IV. Striving towards technical and operational excellence</p><p class="">V. Defining role clarity for ICANN in the Internet governance ecosystem</p>
</blockquote><p class="">Read the full text <a href="http://www.icann.org/en/about/planning/strategic-engagement/focus-areas-29oct13-en.pdf"><span class="">here</span></a>.</p><p class="">At this stage of development, we are seeking general feedback, as well as input on measurable outcomes for these Focus Area Goals:</p>
<ul class=""><li class="">Overall <i>–Does this draft appropriately outline ICANN's future? Are we missing a strategic element you see as critical for ICANN to address in the next five years?</i></li><li class="">Focus Area Goals <i>–What specific outcomes or achievements should we target for each of the Focus Area Goals? What quantitative / qualitative elements should we consider in measuring progress / results for each Focus Area Goal?</i></li>
</ul><p class=""><b>How Did We Get Here: </b> This is the latest step in a process that started in April as a public conversation about the future challenges and opportunities the Internet and ICANN may face. You may find it useful to watch the short <a href="https://myicann.org/join-strategy-conversation?language=en"><span class="">video</span></a> that launched the conversation and peruse the <a href="https://www.icann.org/en/about/planning/strategic-engagement/conversation-input-24jun13-en.pdf"><span class="">results</span></a> of numerous in-person and online brainstorming efforts by the ICANN Board, staff and community. This was followed in July with the announcement of the strategy panels to provide strategic recommendations on key areas that emerged from the brainstorming efforts, and a request to the community for targeted input on these key areas. The areas explored and feedback received can be found <a href="http://www.icann.org/en/about/planning/strategic-engagement"><span class="">here</span></a>. </p>
<p class=""><b>Next Steps: </b> All of this input — combined with strategic recommendations received from your panel — will inform a proposed ICANN Vision & Five-Year Strategic Plan that will be posted for public comment from February to March 2014. The full strategic planning process and timeline is illustrated <a href="http://www.icann.org/sites/default/files/strategic-planning-schedules-1000x639-09oct13-en.png"><span class="">here</span></a>. This approach enables the community to be involved throughout the strategic plan development process, and enables us to incorporate some evolving issues and ongoing staff work that will yield additional elements for ICANN’s final strategic and/or operating plans (e.g. prioritization, timing/staging over five years, critical success factors, specific outcomes, resources, and metrics and monitoring). </p>
<p class="">More background information is posted <a href="http://www.icann.org/en/about/planning/strategic-engagement"><span class="">here</span></a>. Please don't hesitate to email me directly if you have questions.</p>
<p class="">Thank you, again, for contributing to ICANN's future.</p><p class=""><br></p><p class="">Regards,</p><p class="">Denise</p><p class=""><br></p><p class=""><br></p><p class="">Denise Michel</p><p class="">
VP Strategic Initiatives</p>
<p class="">ICANN</p><p class=""><span class=""><a href="mailto:denise.michel@icann.org">denise.michel@icann.org</a></span></p></div>