[council] Board Resolution Regarding GNSO Improvements

Fri Jun 27 13:16:56 UTC 2008

For everyone who couldn't make it to Paris this week and those who did but had to leave before the Board meeting ended yesterday evening, set forth below (and attached in Word format) is a copy of the text of the Board Resolution regarding the Board Governance Committee's (BGC) recommendations on GNSO Improvements. The resolution requires some immediate and intense short-term efforts and opens the door for the marathon effort that will be necessary over the next many months to implement the BGC recommendations.

GNSO Council Structure:

In short, the Board approved all the BGC recommendations for GNSO Improvements except for those on GNSO Council restructuring. In order to resolve that final issue the Board requested that the GNSO convene a small working group on Council restructuring including:

*     One representative from the current NomCom appointees,
*     One member from each constituency; and
*     One member from each liaison-appointing advisory committee (if that advisory committee so desires)

The Board said the group should reach consensus and submit a consensus recommendation on GNSO Council restructuring back to the Board by no later than Friday, 25 July 2008. The Board then expects to consider the working group recommendation as soon as possible, but no later than it's meeting in August. That meeting is currently scheduled for 28 August 2008.

The short timetable necessitates immediate action. Volunteers for the working group have already come forward from the Commercial and Business Users Constituency (Philip Sheppard) and the group of council members selected by the Nominating Committee (Avri Doria). As the GNSO Secretariat, Glen de Saint Gery has already reached out to the GNSO Council to ask that representatives from the other groups declare their interest by Monday, 30 June and has scheduled the first conference call of the working group for Wednesday, 2 July at 1500 UTC.

It has already been suggested that the working group hold at least one conference call a week and that an in-person meeting of the group take place in mid-July in either Western Europe or on the U.S. East Coast. On their first call, the timing, frequency, and location of all calls/meetings can be determined by the working group members.

GNSO Improvements Implementation:

In approving all the other BGC recommendations, the Board also has the expectation that implementation of the GNSO Improvements will now begin. As many of you may know, during its 25 June meeting the GNSO Council did not vote as scheduled on the GNSO Improvements -Top Level Plan prepared by the GNSO Improvements Planning Team, but instructed the staff to open a 21-day public forum for comments on that plan. The forum was announced that day and comments on the plan can currently be posted though 17 July 2008. See (<http://www.icann.org/en/announcements/announcement-25jun08-en.htm>).

Because of the timing of the comment period and the proposed dates for the next two GNSO Council meetings, no Council-approved implementation structure will likely be in place before early August. During that time the staff will be doing all the preliminary work that it can to help the ultimate work teams (however they are structured) begin their work quickly and efficiently.  As the policy staff member with primary responsibility for coordinating the improvements implementation effort, I expect to reach out to many of you individually and collectively for your perspective, insights, ideas and volunteer time on various work teams so that we can meet the implementation challenge in an organized and productive fashion.  Please expect additional communications from me on that preliminary work in the near future.

Best regards,

Rob Hoggarth

Robert L. Hoggarth, Esq.
Senior Policy Director
ICANN

424 558 4805
robert.hoggarth at icann.org

Copy of text of the 26 June 2008 ICANN Board Resolution on GNSO Improvements:

Approval of BGC Recommendations on GNSO Improvements

Whereas, Article IV, Section 4 of ICANN's Bylaws calls for periodic reviews of the performance and operation of ICANN's structures by an entity or entities independent of the organization under review.

Whereas, the Board created the "Board Governance Committee GNSO Review Working Group" (Working Group) to consider the independent review of the GNSO and other relevant input, and recommend to the Board Governance Committee a comprehensive proposal to improve the effectiveness of the GNSO, including its policy activities, structure, operations and communications.

Whereas, the Working Group engaged in extensive public consultation and discussions, considered all input, and developed a final report <http://www.icann.org/topics/gnso-improvements/gnso-improvements-report-03feb08.pdf <http://www.icann.org/topics/gnso-improvements/gnso-improvements-report-03feb08.pdf> > containing a comprehensive and exhaustive list of proposed recommendations on GNSO improvements.

Whereas, the Board Governance Committee determined that the GNSO Improvements working group had fulfilled its charter and forwarded the final report to the Board for consideration.

Whereas, a public comment forum was held open for 60 days to receive, consider and summarize <http://forum.icann.org/lists/gnso-improvements-report-2008/msg00033.html <http://forum.icann.org/lists/gnso-improvements-report-2008/msg00033.html> > public comments on the final report.

Whereas, the GNSO Council and Staff have worked diligently over the past few months to develop a top-level plan for approaching the implementation of the improvement recommendations, as requested by the Board at its New Delhi meeting.

Whereas, ICANN has a continuing need for a strong structure for developing policies that reflect to the extent possible a consensus of all stakeholders in the community including ICANN's contracted parties.

Resolved (2008.06.26.__), the Board endorses the recommendations of the Board Governance Committee's GNSO Review Working Group, other than on GNSO Council restructuring, and requests that the GNSO convene a small working group on Council restructuring including one representative from the current NomCom appointees, one member from each constituency and one member from each liaison-appointing advisory committee (if that advisory committee so desires), and that this group should reach consensus and submit a consensus recommendation on Council restructuring by no later than 25 July 2008 for consideration by the ICANN Board as soon as possible, but no later than the Board's meeting in August 2008.

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