[Gnso-bylaws-dt] For GNSO Council Consideration October 24 meeting: Guidelines & Templates for the GNSO’s Role in the Empowered Community

[Heather Forrest]

Dear GNSO Council Leadership and Councillors,

I hope this message finds all of you very well as ICANN66 approaches. I
write on behalf of the Drafting Team tasked with developing Guidelines &
Templates for the GNSO’s Role in the Empowered Community. This group was
formed by the Council in early 2019 following on the earlier work of the
Bylaws Bylaws Implementation Drafting Team, which provided the GNSO Council
with recommendations for necessary updates to the GNSO Operating Procedures
arising as a result of the revised ICANN Bylaws that were adopted in May
2016. These updates to the GNSO Operating Procedures were approved by the
GNSO Council and the ICANN Board in 2018.


*What this DT has produced:*

This DT has produced a series of guidelines and draft Council motion
templates for carrying out the GNSO's responsibilities as an Empowered
Community member:

   -

   Approval Action Community Forum & Decision Whether to Approve an
   Approval Action
   <https://docs.google.com/document/d/1jXc2TQCv4ArMo0LPzTrLncIG_JwSnuQqV05xvrApg6E/edit?usp=sharing>

   -

   Petition Process for Specific Actions & Rejection Action Community Forum
   <https://docs.google.com/document/d/1g-FNo2qm0Ohc6osJJ20sud1O5yDg9xv1v5Ux0n9Z9Ic/edit?usp=sharing>
   -

   Nominating Committee Director Removal Process
   <https://docs.google.com/document/d/1YYeAMR5J7a4zN2zTE4LA_hp7sLynsKIqUnQgMWccAy4/edit?usp=sharing>
   -

   SO/AC Director Removal Process
   <https://docs.google.com/document/d/1T5AUnP-egEPqs9CDoWOzNUmc0dPFROTOlLWPq10QoOc/edit?usp=sharing>
   -

   Board Recall Process
   <https://docs.google.com/document/d/1fSv0ELSGLmaABoz2_DKXHRsHrG-MyihPR1ePpbmamDU/edit?usp=sharing>

   -

   Independent Review Process (IRP) for Covered ICANN Actions & Community
   IRP
   <https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ZNl5YHegBUOK59QIcEV8BcMhDUgcuo88BO-3n-UP6Ks/edit?usp=sharing>


The relevant Bylaws provisions underpinning these documents are quite
complex, so the DT has put significant effort into producing plain English
guidelines to assist the GNSO Council in fulfilling these provisions.
Motion templates should provide a sound starting point when motions are
needed, thus saving Council's time and effort. In many cases, the timelines
associated with these Bylaws provisions are very tight; individual
timelines are provided in the various guidelines to keep the GNSO Council
on track.


Still in progress, to be completed for Montreal: Special IFR Review Related
Guidelines:

One discrete element of our work has required close cooperation with our
counterparts serving on the ccNSO's Guidelines Review Committee. It is the
development of Guidelines for GNSO-ccNSO Joint Consultation on the
Initiation of a Special IFR, and the interrelated guidance for the GNSO’s
input process.


There have been several rounds of substantial revisions to the initial
draft Guidelines text, with suggested edits from both the GNSO and ccNSO
participants. Rather than deviate from its current work plan and momentum,
the Drafting Team proposes to return to the ccNSO's most recent suggestions
on the Joint Consultation guidelines, and the related GNSO input process
guidelines, after today’s submission of its work to the GNSO Council in
time for the Council's October meeting.


It has been suggested that the Joint Consultation Guidelines could be
symbolically submitted to both the GNSO and ccNSO Councils in time for
their respective November meetings, so that they could be discussed in the
joint meeting of the Councils in Montreal and, if appropriate, jointly
agreed in Montreal.


*Upcoming GNSO Council meetings (Oct/Nov): *

I understand that the DT's work is on the agenda for the Sunday preparatory
session in Montreal. If the GNSO Council further finds it useful, the DT
will be very pleased to attend the October and/or November GNSO Council
meetings to answer any questions or provide an introduction to the
guidelines and motion templates. We will also be very happy to explain the
involvement with the ccNSO in developing the Guidelines for GNSO-ccNSO
Joint Consultation on the Initiation of a Special IFR, and how this might
proceed in Montreal.

Suggestion for ICANN67 Public Session:

We also suggest that the Council consider submitting a meeting request for
ICANN67 Cancun for a public session (HIT or similar) to present the
guidelines and templates to the GNSO Stakeholder Groups and Constituencies.
Various of the GNSO's responsibilities as a member of the EC and a
Decisional Participant involve some action that commences by or is
communicated through or requires input from the SG/Cs. We believe that it
would be helpful to clearly identify these to the SG/C communities directly
so that they can reflect upon their own charters and internal procedures to
determine if changes are required at the SG/C level (Bylaws, internal
processes).


We remain very willing to answer any questions that the Council may have
about our work.


Lastly, may I take this opportunity please to recognise the effort and
commitment of all DT members and our outstanding GNSO support staff Ariel
Liang and Julie Hedlund, to complete this work in such a timely and
professional manner.

Best wishes, on behalf of the DT,

Heather Forrest

DT Chair
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