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<p class="MsoNormal">Dear Councilors,<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">As you will recall from my agenda item at September’s Council Meeting, on 17 July 2023, Xavier Calvez sent a
<a href="https://mm.icann.org/pipermail/council/2023-August/027220.html">written update</a> on the progress of ICANN org’s implementation of the Cross Community Working Group’s - Auction Proceeds (CCWG-AP) Final Report. Specifically, the letter let us know
of the Board’s intention to direct ICANN org to change the implementation path of the CCWG-AP’s Recommendation 7, which was focused on limiting the use of ICANN’s accountability mechanisms to challenge individual application decisions made by the independent
assessment panel. The CCWG-AP recommended that this limitation should be achieved through changing the ICANN Bylaws on the Reconsideration Request and Independent Review Processes to specify a carve out. Instead of touching ICANN’s core accountability mechanisms
in the Bylaws, the ICANN Board intends to now direct ICANN org to achieve this recommendation through the applicant terms and conditions that grant applicants will agree to when submitting their grant application. Because the Board is looking to direct ICANN
org to implement the CCWG-AP’s recommendation to limit access to ICANN’s accountability mechanisms in a different manner than the CCWG-AP contemplated, the Board agreed it was important to give advance notice to those CCWG representatives who formed Recommendation
7 and at the same time wanted to provide transparency to the chartering organizations approved the CCWG-AP Final Report and its recommendations.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The specific ask was to let ICANN Org know if the GNSO Council was comfortable in having ICANN Org engage with the former CCWG-AP members in this conversation or whether it should be held differently. There was a good discussion on this
topic and on the Board’s decision to change implementation of Recommendation 7, which we have summarized in the attached letter.<o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">If you have any comments or revisions, please provide them in a reply to this email.
<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Kind regards,<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">John<o:p></o:p></p>
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