[Gnso-ppsai-pdp-wg] Electing a WG chair (or co-chairs)

[ebw at abenaki.wabanaki.net]

Comments: In-reply-to Nacer Adamou Saidou <adamou.nacer at gmail.com>
   message dated "Sun, 08 Dec 2013 18:56:07 +0300."
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Nacer,

> I want to say that this is my very first involvement with an ICANN
> working group, so I maybe wrong in my understanding.

Welcome to ...

> But my understanding is that the output of our contribution is  based
> on consensus. That means also (once more according to my understanding)
> that (co)-chair, except some administrative duties, cannot change in
> their own direction the decision made from the whole group.
> Please, let me know if I am wrong.
        
It depends. In theory this working group will conduct itself according
to the process(es) established by the GNSO Council, and over the years
we (various contributors) have made efforts to institutionalize several
latent problem areas like actual, or apparent conflicts of interest and
what we've thought were credible solutions to these specific problems.

However, we have a history, one that Steve mentioned in his candid note,
there are individuals with interests and these have been quite large in
our past and remain. In a two sentence summary, we formed "consitutencies"
to constitute the original DNSO (later renamed the GNSO) in 2000, and
proceeded to be deadlocked over several issues (privacy being one), and
in an attempt to resolve the policy deadlock reformed the GNSO into two
"houses", contracted parties and non-contracted parties, and also made
changes related process and its control to the GNSO's PDP process(es)
and the GNSO's operations.

As Steve pointed out, even with all this we, the "volunteers" have our
histories of, and our present, alignments. Where Steve and I differ is
in our pessimisms -- whether we can work out a means of self-interest
management through the usual plurality of co-chair means -- which I
hope we can, or must find a single disinterested person -- Steve's
solution.

Another think to keep in mind as this is your first invovement with an
ICANN working group is that not all of what is called "ICANN" operates
under the process(es) of the GNSO, and "consensus" can take on very
different meanings in other contexts.

Eric