<html><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><div class=""><div class=""></div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div><br class=""><blockquote type="cite" class=""><div class="">On Jan 7, 2022, at 6:35 AM, Ariel Liang via council <<a href="mailto:council@gnso.icann.org" class="">council@gnso.icann.org</a>> wrote:</div><br class="Apple-interchange-newline"><div class=""><meta charset="UTF-8" class=""><div class="WordSection1" style="page: WordSection1; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; text-decoration: none;"><div style="margin: 0in; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class="">Dear Councilors,<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><o:p class=""></o:p></div><div style="margin: 0in; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><o:p class=""> </o:p></div><div style="margin: 0in; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class="">On behalf of the GNSO Council leadership, staff is circulating the proposed GNSO Council response, developed by the leadership team, to the ICANN Board regarding the request for continued deferral of IDN Implementation Guidelines v4.0.<o:p class=""></o:p></div><div style="margin: 0in; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><o:p class=""> </o:p></div><div style="margin: 0in; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class="">Taking into account the presentation by RySG Councilors on 16 December 2021, this letter provides a direct response to the Board questions and suggested approach to move forward with the IDN Implementation Guidelines v4.0.<o:p class=""></o:p></div><div style="margin: 0in; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><o:p class=""> </o:p></div><div style="margin: 0in; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class="">Highlight of the letter:<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><o:p class=""></o:p></div><ul type="disc" style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in;" class=""><li class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin: 0in; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">The IDN implementation guidelines that overlap with IDNs EPDP charter questions and should continue being deferred are: 6a, 11, 12, 13, and 18<o:p class=""></o:p><ul type="circle" style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in;" class=""><li class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin: 0in; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">While the RySG did not identify 6a as an overlapping item, upon further review by the GNSO Council leadership, it in fact overlaps with IDNs EPDP charter question c6. See annex of the letter for details.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><o:p class=""></o:p></li></ul></li><li class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin: 0in; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">Based on the understanding that non-overlapping guidelines<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><span style="" class="">are part of the currently applicable IDN Guidelines 3.0 and/or additional non-mandatory guidelines not covered in IDNs EPDP’s charter, the letter provides support for Board’s suggestion that those non-overlapping guidelines should move forward for Board adoption.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span><o:p class=""></o:p></li></ul><div style="margin: 0in; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><o:p class=""> </o:p></div><div style="margin: 0in; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class="">In the absence of objections by<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><b class=""><u class="">Thursday, 20 January 2022</u></b>, this letter will be sent to the ICANN Board as the GNSO Council response.<o:p class=""></o:p></div><div style="margin: 0in; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><o:p class=""> </o:p></div><div style="margin: 0in; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class="">Thank you for your review.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><o:p class=""></o:p></div><div style="margin: 0in; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><o:p class=""> </o:p></div><div style="margin: 0in; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class="">Best Regards,<o:p class=""></o:p></div><div style="margin: 0in; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class="">Ariel<o:p class=""></o:p></div><div style="margin: 0in; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><o:p class=""> </o:p></div><div class=""><div class=""><div style="margin: 0in; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;" class="">Ariel Xinyue Liang</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;" class=""><o:p class=""></o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0in; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;" class="">Policy Sr. Specialist</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;" class=""><o:p class=""></o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0in; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;" class="">Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN)</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;" class=""><o:p class=""></o:p></span></div></div></div><div style="margin: 0in; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><o:p class=""> </o:p></div><div style="margin: 0in; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><o:p class=""> </o:p></div></div><span id="cid:88547C215843D1469060F561E974570D@pexch112.icann.org"><GNSO Council Response to ICANN Board Letter Regarding the Request for Continued Deferral of IDN Implementation Guidelines v4.0.docx></span><span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; text-decoration: none; float: none; display: inline !important;" class="">_______________________________________________</span><br style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; text-decoration: none;" class=""><span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; 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font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; text-decoration: none;" class=""><span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; text-decoration: none; float: none; display: inline !important;" class="">_______________________________________________</span><br style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; 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