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The '''Generic Names Supporting Organization''' (GNSO) is a policy-development body which is responsible for developing and recommending to the [[ICANN Board]] substantive policies relating to generic top-level domains ([[Generic top-level domain|gTLDs]]). The GNSO is formed of Stakeholder Groups, themselves composed of [[Constituency|Constituencies]], which together form one [[SO|Supporting Organization]] to form consensus, set policy, and make evidence-informed recommendations.<ref>[http://gnso.icann.org/ GNSO.ICANN.org]</ref> The GNSO was previously known as the [[Domain Name Supporting Organization]] (DNSO), which it replaced in 2003.
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Policy development within the GNSO is governed by the GNSO Council. The Council meets 12 times per year; four times face-to-face (three times at ICANN public meetings, and once at the [[GNSO Council Strategic Planning Session|Council Strategic Planning Session]]), and eight times via webinar.


<!--T:2-->
==Overview==
The '''Generic Names Supporting Organization'''  (GNSO) brings together smaller stakeholder groups, which in turn bring together [[Constituency|constituencies]] and other groups,  together into one [[SO|Supporting Organization]] to develop policies, form consensus, and make recommendations related to [[gTLD]]s to the [[ICANN Board]].<ref>[http://gnso.icann.org/ GNSO.ICANN.org]</ref> This body was previously known as the [[Domain Name Supporting Organization]] (DNSO), which it replaced in 2003.
The main objective of the GNSO is to ensure that [[gTLD]]s operate in a fair and orderly manner across the global Internet, without hindering innovation or competition. As ICANN sets policy by contract, the GNSO develops policy with the involvement of both the contracted and non-contracted parties who hold equal influence and equal voting rights. In addition, two independent appointments to the Council of non-voting members are made by [[NomCom|ICANN's Nominating Committee]].


==Overview== <!--T:3-->
''Non-Contracted Parties''
The main objective of the GNSO is to keep [[gTLD]]s operating in a fair and orderly manner across the Internet, while promoting innovation and competition.  Some examples of the types of issues that the GNSO face are:
 
* During the registration of a domain name, what type of services must the registrar provide?
* If the registrant forgets to renew the domain name, and lets it to expires, how can the domain name be recovered?
* What happens if someone registers a domain name that is very similar to another domain name?
===Stakeholder Groups/Constituencies=== <!--T:4-->
Four [[SG|Stakeholder Groups]] appoint 18 individuals to the GNSO council. Two appointments are also made by the [[NomCom|ICANN's Nominating Committee]]. Certain Stakeholder groups, like the commercial one, also delegate appointments to their [[Constituency|constituencies]].
* [[Non-Commercial Users Stakeholder Group]], 6 appointments
* [[Non-Commercial Users Stakeholder Group]], 6 appointments
* [[Commercial Stakeholder Group]], 6 total appointments coming from constituencies  
* [[Commercial Stakeholder Group]], 6 total appointments coming from the 3 constituencies  
** [[Commercial and Business Users Constituency]], 2 appointments
** [[CBUC|Commercial and Business Users Constituency]], 2 appointments
** [[Intellectual Property Interests Constituency]], 2 appointments
** [[IPC|Intellectual Property Interests Constituency]], 2 appointments
** [[ISPC|Internet Service and Connection Providers Constituency]], 2 appointments
** [[ISPC|Internet Service and Connection Providers Constituency]], 2 appointments
* [[Registrar Stakeholder Group]], 3 appointments
* [[Registry Stakeholder Group]], 3 appointments


==GNSO Council== <!--T:5-->
''Contracted Parties''
[[File:GNSO-Council.png|655px|thumbnail|right|Organizational Structure of ICANN (Image from ICANN.org)]]The GNSO Council consists of 23 members, 20 of which are full voting members; they come from a variety of different regions and represent the aforementioned [[SG|Stakeholder Groups]] and Constituencies involved in [[ICANN]]'s multi-stakeholder model.  [[James Bladel]] is its current chair.
* [[Registrars Stakeholder Group]], 3 appointments
* [[Registries Stakeholder Group]], 3 appointments
[[File:Gnso-council-ICANN 69.png|thumb|GNSO Council at ICANN 69, meeting virtually due to COVID-19]]


<!--T:6-->
==GNSO Council==
Members Include:
[[File:GNSO-Council.png|655px|thumbnail|right|Organizational Structure of the GNSO Council(Image from ICANN.org)]] The GNSO Council consists of 21 members, 20 of whom are voting members, and the Council has two houses. [[SG|Stakeholder Groups]] appoint 18 of their members to be involved in [[ICANN]]'s multistakeholder model. [[Sebastien Ducos]] is the current Chair and will serve until [[AGM]] 2022. [[Greg DiBiase]] was elected as the [[Contracted Party House]] GNSO Council Vice-Chair. [[John McElwaine]] was elected as the [[Non-Contracted Party House]] GNSO Council Vice-Chair.


===GNSO Council===
Members Include:
* [[James Bladel]] - '''GNSO Council Chair''', North America (Term ends at [[Annual Meeting|AGM]] 2017
* [[Carlos Raúl Gutierrez]] - '''NCA''', Latin-America/Caribbean (Term ends at [[Annual Meeting|AGM]] 2016 - Non-Voting Member


===[[ccNSO]]===
===[[Nominating Committee Appointees#NomCom Appointment to GNSO Council|NCAs]]===
* [[Patrick Myles]] - '''ccNSO Liaison''', Asia Pacific - Non-Voting, Non-Member
* [[Desiree Miloshevic]], Contracted Party House, Europe (AGM 2025)
* [[Anne Aikman Scalese]], non-voting, US, term ends AGM 2024
* [[Paul McGrady]], Non-contracted Party House, North America (AGM 2025)


===[[ALAC]]===
===GNSO Council Liaisons & Observers===
* [[Olivier Crépin-Leblond]] - '''ALAC Liaison''', Europe - Non-Voting Member<ref>[http://gnso.icann.org/en/about/gnso-council.htm GNSO Council, ICANN.org] Retrieved 04 Dec 2013. Updated 2016 April 20.</ref>
* [[Everton Rodrigues|Everton T. Rodrigues]], ccNSO liaison, Latin America and the Caribbean
* [[Jeff Neuman]], GNSO Liaison to the GAC, North America
* [[Justine Chew]], ALAC Liaison, Asia Pacific


==='''[[Contracted Parties House]]'''=== <!--T:7-->
==='''[[Contracted Party House]]'''===  
* [[Donna Austin]] - '''Vice-Chair''', Asia Pacific (Term ends at [[Annual Meeting|AGM]] 2016)
* [[Greg DiBiase]] '''Chair''', US, term ends AGM 2024
* [[Hsu Phen Valerie Tan]] - '''Voting NCA''', Asia Pacific (Term ends at [[Annual Meeting|AGM]] 2017)
* [[Nacho Amadoz]] '''Vice-Chair''', Europe, term ends AGM 2024


====[[Registry Stakeholder Group]]====
====[[Registries Stakeholder Group]]====
* [[Keith Drazek]] - North America (Term ends at [[Annual Meeting|AGM]] 2016)
* [[Kurt Pritz]], North America, term expires AGM 2024
* [[Rubens Kuhl]] - Latin America/Caribbean (Term ends at [[Annual Meeting|AGM]] 2017)
* [[Jennifer Chung]], Asia, term ends AGM 2025
* [[Donna Austin]] - '''Vice-Chair''', Asia Pacific (Term ends at [[Annual Meeting|AGM]] 2016)
* [[Nacho Amadoz]], Europe, term ends AGM 2024


====[[Registrar Stakeholder Group]]==== <!--T:8-->
====[[Registrars Stakeholder Group]]====  
* [[James Bladel]] - '''GNSO Council Chair''', North America (Term ends at [[Annual Meeting|AGM]] 2017
* [[Antonia Chu]], Asia Pacific, term ends AGM 2025
* [[Volker Greimann]] - Europe (Term ends at [[Annual Meeting|AGM]] 2016)
* [[Greg DiBiase]], North America, term ends AGM 2025
* [[Jennifer Gore]] - North America (Term ends at [[Annual Meeting|AGM]] 2017
* [[Theo Geurts]], Europe, term expires AGM 2024


==='''[[Non-Contracted Parties House]]'''=== <!--T:10-->
==='''[[Non-Contracted Party House]]'''===  
* [[Heather Forrest]] - '''Vice-Chair''', Asia Pacific (Term ends at [[Annual Meeting|AGM]] 2016)
* [[Tomslin Samme-Nlar]], '''Vice-Chair''', Asia Pacific, term ends AGM 2024
* [[Johan Helsingius]] - '''Voting NCA''', Europe (Term ends at [[Annual Meeting|AGM]] 2017)


====[[Commercial Stakeholder Group]]====
====[[Commercial Stakeholder Group]]====
'''Commercial and Business Users - [[BC|Business Constituency]]'''
'''Commercial and Business Users - [[BC|Business Constituency]]'''
* [[Philip Corwin]] - North America (Term ends [[Annual Meeting]] 2016)
* [[Lawrence Olawale-Roberts]], Africa, term ends AGM 2025
* [[Susan Kawaguchi]] - North America (Term ends at [[Annual Meeting]] 2017)
* [[Mark Datysgeld]], Latin America Caribbean, term ends AGM 2024
 
'''[[Intellectual Property]] Interests - [[IPC|Intellectual Property Constituency]]'''
'''[[Intellectual Property]] Interests - [[IPC|Intellectual Property Constituency]]'''
* [[Paul McGrady]] - North America (Term ends at [[Annual Meeting]] 2016)
* [[Damon Ashcraft]], North America, term ends AGM 2025
* [[Heather Forrest]] - '''Vice-Chair''', Asia Pacific (Term ends at [[Annual Meeting]] 2016)
* [[Susan Payne]], Europe, term ends AGM 2024
 
'''[[ISP]] Interests - [[ISPC|ISP Constituency]]'''
'''[[ISP]] Interests - [[ISPC|ISP Constituency]]'''
* [[Wolf-Ulrich Knoben]] - Europe (Term ends at [[Annual Meeting]] 2016)
* [[Osvaldo Novoa]], Latin America Caribbean, term ends AGM 2024
* [[Tony Harris]] - Latin America/Caribbean (Term ends at [[Annual Meeting]] 2017)
* [[Thomas Rickert]], Europe, term ends AGM 2025
 
====[[NCSG| Non-Commercial Stakeholder Group]]====
* [[Wisdom Donkor]], Africa, term ends AGM 2024
* [[Stephanie Perrin]], North America, term ends AGM 2024
* [[Manju Chen]], Asia Pacific, term ends AGM 2025
* [[Bruna Santos]], Latin America Caribbean, term ends AGM 2024
* [[Taiwo Peter Akinremi]], Africa, term ends AGM 2025
* [[Tomslin Samme-Nlar]], Asia Pacific, term ends AGM 2025
 
==GNSO Policy Development Process==
The GNSO is the primary engine within the [[ICANN]] community for developing, recommending changes, and making modifications to [[gTLD|generic top-level domain]] policies. The process is as follows:
# The GNSO Council, [[ICANN Board]], or an [[AC]] identifies an issue, and the GNSO Council considers whether the issue should result in a consensus policy.
# The GNSO Council requests a Preliminary Issue Report, which the Policy Development Support Team publishes for the [[Public Comment]] Period. The staff review and summarize the comments gathered and submit a Final Issue Report to the GNSO Council.
# The GNSO Council deliberates over the Final Issue Report and decides whether to initiate the PDP and adopt a charter for a PDP [[Working Group]] (WG).
#The WG develops an Initial Report for another Public Comment Period, reviews the comments, and submits a Final Report to the GNSO Council.
#The GNSO Council reviews the Final Report and decides whether to adopt it; if it does, then it sends the Final Report to the ICANN Board.
#The ICANN Board consults with the [[GAC]] and votes on the Final Report recommendations; if approved, the implementation process begins.<ref>[https://gnso.icann.org/en/basics/consensus-policy/pdp GNSO PDP]</ref> 
 
===History===
The GNSO has sought to identify ways to improve the inclusiveness and representativeness of its work while increasing its effectiveness and efficiency, which has led to several updates to the process. 
 
====GNSO Improvements, 2007-2012====
The [[First GNSO Organizational Review]], initated in 2007, resulted in a set of recommendations for improving the effectiveness of the GNSO. These recommendations were related to GNSO activities, operations, and structure.
 
The main areas of GNSO improvements approved by the ICANN Board fell into five categories:
# Creating a Working Group Model
# Revising the Policy Development Process ([[PDP]])
# Restructuring GNSO Council
# Improving communication and coordination among [[ICANN 101|ICANN Bodies]]  
# Advancing constituency procedures <ref name="gnso08">[https://gnso.icann.org/en/group-activities/inactive/2012/improvements/overview-en.htm ICANN.org Archive - GNSO Improvements Overview], last updated January 9, 2013</ref>
 
The reform to the GNSO's PDP procedures were inter-related with the shift to a working group model for GNSO Council policy-making. The GNSO1 working group argued that a working group model "can be a more constructive way of establishing areas of agreement than task forces, where membership is limited and discussion can become polarized along constituency lines.<ref name="gnso08" /> Similarly, the PDP revision recommendations focused on improvements that provided scaffolding and structure for a working group to tackle policy considerations more effectively. The recommendations included more flexibility of the model, and stronger focus on preparation, including "public discussion, fact-finding, and expert research in order to define properly the scope, objective and schedule for a specific policy development goal..."<ref name="gnso08" /> There were also recommendations to generate and maintain metrics for measuring the success of policy implementation, and compliance to those policies.<ref name="gnso08" />
 
The Working Group on Council Restructuring developed a compromise position to gain consensus among the many diverse interests within the GNSO. The proposed bicameral council structure would divide contracted parties (registries and registrars) and non-contracted parties into two houses, much as the U.S. Congress is divided into two houses.<ref>[https://gnso.icann.org/mailing-lists/archives/council/doc5J7pHLFhmI.doc Report to the Board from the WG-GCR], July 25, 2008 (Word)</ref>


====[[NCSG| Non-Commercial Stakeholder Group]]==== <!--T:11-->
At [[ICANN 70]], [[Bertrand de la Chapelle]] participated in an ALAC session on "Reimagining ICANN’s Role; Responding to National Pressures."<ref>[https://70.schedule.icann.org/meetings/BkrH93jYyy6z56xEn ICANN 70 Archive: Reimagining ICANN's Role], March 23, 2021 (registration/login required)</ref> During a conversation about silos and their impact on the [[Multistakeholder Model|multistakeholder model]], de la Chapelle recalled the introduction of the two houses approach and offered this critique of the mindset of the working group participants:
* [[David Cake]] - Asia Pacific (Term ends at [[Annual Meeting]] 2016)
<blockquote>...I participated in one of the calls that led to the restructuring of the GNSO and the creation of the two houses. If I can give a very frank assessment from the outside, I immediately felt that the main objective of the different entities and the different soon-to-become houses was to make sure one thing: that the other halves could not impose anything on them, period. Nothing was about how can we make it better so that we can solve problems together? I’m caricaturing a little bit, but I can tell you this was the feeling that I had exactly at the moment the proposal was made on the call. And I feel that it has remained a little bit in this way.<ref>[https://cdn.filestackcontent.com/content=t:attachment,f:%22I70CUN-Tue23Mar2021__At-Large%20Policy%20Sess-ICANN%20MultiS%20Model-New%20Legiss%20and%20Regs%20Chall%20and%20Opps-en.pdf Transcript of "Reimagining ICANN's Role"], March 23, 2021 (registration/login required)</ref></blockquote>
* [[Stephanie Perrin]] - North America (Term ends at [[Annual Meeting]] 2016)
* [[Stefania Milan]] - Europe (Term ends at [[Annual Meeting]] 2017)
* [[Edward Morris]] - Europe (Term ends at [[Annual Meeting]] 2016)
* [[Amr Elsadr]] - Africa (Term ends at [[Annual Meeting]] 2017)
* [[Marilia Maciel]] - Latin American/Carribean (Term ends at [[Annual Meeting]] 2017)


==GNSO Development Process== <!--T:14-->
====PDP 3.0====
The GNSO is the primary engine within the [[ICANN]] community for developing, recommending changes, and making modifications to [[gTLD|generic top-level domain]] policies. The GNSO aims to identify ways to improve the inclusiveness and representativeness of its work while increasing its effectiveness and efficiency.
'''February 2020''' saw the culmination of a GNSO initiative called "PDP 3.0," when the GNSO released the "Final Report on the Implementation of GNSO Policy Development Process 3.0." [[PDP]] 3.0 refers to the GNSO Council initiative to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of the process. During a GNSO Council’s Strategic Planning Session (SPS) in January 2018, a staff paper on GNSO PDP was shared, which led the GNSO Council to deliberate over the issues raised and identify challenges and improvements, especially concerning [[Working Group]]s. Then, the GNSO Council organize a session with PDP working group leadership and the broader community, which resulted in an updated version of the paper in May 2018. On October 24, 2018, the GNSO Council adopted 14 of the 17 recommendations listed in PDP 3.0.<ref>[https://gnso.icann.org/sites/default/files/file/field-file-attach/pdp-final-report-10feb20-en.pdf PDP 3.0 Final Report p.3]</ref>


<!--T:15-->
The 14 Accepted Recommendations included:
An important GNSO improvement was the development of recommendations for the new GNSO policy development process. The ICANN Board launched a set of recommendations for improving the effectiveness of the GNSO in June, 2008. These recommendations were related to GNSO activities, operations and structure.
# Terms of participation
# Consider alternatives to open working group model
# Criteria for joining of new members after a PDP working group is formed or re-chartered
# Consensus playbook
# Active role for and clear description of Council liaison to PDP working groups
# Document expectations for working group leaders that outline role & responsibilities as well as minimum skills/expertise required
# Provide further guidance for section 3.6 (Standard Methodology for Decision Making) and clarification of section 3.7 in the GNSO Working Group Guidelines
# Enforce deadlines and ensure bite-size pieces
# Notification to Council of changes in the work plan
# Review of working group leadership
# Make better use of existing flexibility in PDP to allow for data gathering, chartering, and termination when it is clear that no consensus can be achieved
# Independent conflict resolution 
# Criteria for PDP working group updates
# Resource reporting for PDP working groups


===GNSO Improvements=== <!--T:16-->
=====Implementation=====
The main areas of GNSO improvements which were approved by the Board, and are being implemented by the GNSO, are classified into five main categories:
A small team of GNSO Councilors led the implementation of PDP 3.0:  
# The creation of a Working Group Model
* [[Arsene Tungali]] (Non-Commerical Stakeholder Group)
# Revising the [[PDP]] (Policy Development process)
* [[Darcy Southwell]] (Registrar Stakeholder Group)
# The restructuring of GNSO Council
* [[Elsa Saade]] (Non-Commercial Stakeholder Group)
# Communication improvement and a better coordination between [[ICANN]] structures
* [[Flip Petillion]] (Intellectual Property Constituency)
# Improving constituency procedures <ref>[http://gnso.icann.org/en/improvements/ GNSO improvements]</ref>
* [[Marie Pattullo]] (Business Constituency)
* [[Maxim Alzoba]] (Registries Stakeholder Group)
* [[Pam Little]] (Registrar Stakeholder Group)
* [[Philippe Fouquart]] (Internet Service Providers & Connectivity Providers Constituency)
* [[Rafik Dammak]] (Non-Commercial Stakeholder Group)


==Implementation of URS== <!--T:17-->
This team recognized that the 14 incremental improvements aimed to tackle four overarching challenges:
In September 2012, ICANN senior executive [[Kurt Pritz]] sent a public email to [[GNSO]] Council Chairman [[Stephane Van Gelder]] advising him that URS implementation could begin after a year of delay. Implementing URS included a pair of open meetings in Fall 2012, including one at [[ICANN 45]] in Toronto. ICANN acknowledged the role played by the GNSO Council in developing and approving the model and said they were willing to "work in whichever way the GNSO wishes to proceed".<ref>[http://internetcommerce.org/URS_Implementation URS Implementation Finally to Commence Under GNSO Direction]. Internet Commerce Association. Published 2012 September 20.</ref>
# Working Group Dynamics
#: The WGs have too many members, and there is little balance between input and decisions
# Working Group Leadership
#: The expectations and reviews of WG leaders need to be clarified, and co-chairs need to coordinate
# Project Management
#: There is no project oversight nor adherence to a timeline
# Consensus Building
#: There is no guidance on how to reach a consensus


==ICANN Supporting Organizations== <!--T:18-->
The implementation of PDP 3.0 has resulted in a series of work products that were first tested among GNSO [[EPDP]] WGs. They include:
Apart from GNSO, there are other [[SO]]'s (supporting organizations) and advisory committees which help [[ICANN]] to fulfill its objectives. They include:
# [[Statement of Participation]]
# Alternatives to the [[Working Group#WG Models and Guidelines|open WG model]]
# Active role for and clear description of Council liaison
# Expectations for WG leaders
# Enforce deadlines & ensure bite-size pieces
# Notification to Council of change in work plan
# Criteria for PDP WG updates
# [[Consensus Playbook]]


<!--T:19-->
=====Overlap with MSM Evolution=====
* [[ASO|Address Supporting Organization]] (ASO)
PDP 3.0 was also found to overlap significantly with ICANN's overarching aim to update its execution of the [[Multistakeholder Model]] (MSM).
* [[ccNSO|Country Code Domain Name Supporting Organization]] (ccNSO)
* [[ALAC|At-Large Advisory Committee]] (ALAC)
* [[GAC|Governmental Advisory Committee]] (GAC)<ref>[http://www.icann.org/tr/english.html ICANN supporting organizations]</ref>


==Implementation of the Uniform Rapid Suspension System==
In September 2012, ICANN senior executive [[Kurt Pritz]] sent a public email to [[GNSO]] Council Chairman [[Stephane Van Gelder]] advising him that [[URS]] implementation could begin after a year of delay. Implementing URS included a pair of open meetings in Fall 2012, including one at [[ICANN 45]] in Toronto. ICANN acknowledged the role played by the GNSO Council in developing and approving the model and said they were willing to "work in whichever way the GNSO wishes to proceed".<ref>[http://internetcommerce.org/URS_Implementation URS Implementation Finally to Commence Under GNSO Direction]. Internet Commerce Association. Published 2012 September 20.</ref>


</translate>
==References==
==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{Reflist}}


[[Category: Glossary]]
[[Category: ICANN Bodies]]
[[Category: ICANN Bodies]]
[[Category:Articles with Chinese]]

Latest revision as of 16:52, 21 December 2023

The Generic Names Supporting Organization (GNSO) is a policy-development body which is responsible for developing and recommending to the ICANN Board substantive policies relating to generic top-level domains (gTLDs). The GNSO is formed of Stakeholder Groups, themselves composed of Constituencies, which together form one Supporting Organization to form consensus, set policy, and make evidence-informed recommendations.[1] The GNSO was previously known as the Domain Name Supporting Organization (DNSO), which it replaced in 2003.

Policy development within the GNSO is governed by the GNSO Council. The Council meets 12 times per year; four times face-to-face (three times at ICANN public meetings, and once at the Council Strategic Planning Session), and eight times via webinar.

Overview[edit | edit source]

The main objective of the GNSO is to ensure that gTLDs operate in a fair and orderly manner across the global Internet, without hindering innovation or competition. As ICANN sets policy by contract, the GNSO develops policy with the involvement of both the contracted and non-contracted parties who hold equal influence and equal voting rights. In addition, two independent appointments to the Council of non-voting members are made by ICANN's Nominating Committee.

Non-Contracted Parties

Contracted Parties

GNSO Council at ICANN 69, meeting virtually due to COVID-19

GNSO Council[edit | edit source]

Organizational Structure of the GNSO Council(Image from ICANN.org)

The GNSO Council consists of 21 members, 20 of whom are voting members, and the Council has two houses. Stakeholder Groups appoint 18 of their members to be involved in ICANN's multistakeholder model. Sebastien Ducos is the current Chair and will serve until AGM 2022. Greg DiBiase was elected as the Contracted Party House GNSO Council Vice-Chair. John McElwaine was elected as the Non-Contracted Party House GNSO Council Vice-Chair.

Members Include:

NCAs[edit | edit source]

GNSO Council Liaisons & Observers[edit | edit source]

Contracted Party House[edit | edit source]

Registries Stakeholder Group[edit | edit source]

Registrars Stakeholder Group[edit | edit source]

Non-Contracted Party House[edit | edit source]

Commercial Stakeholder Group[edit | edit source]

Commercial and Business Users - Business Constituency

Intellectual Property Interests - Intellectual Property Constituency

ISP Interests - ISP Constituency

Non-Commercial Stakeholder Group[edit | edit source]

GNSO Policy Development Process[edit | edit source]

The GNSO is the primary engine within the ICANN community for developing, recommending changes, and making modifications to generic top-level domain policies. The process is as follows:

  1. The GNSO Council, ICANN Board, or an AC identifies an issue, and the GNSO Council considers whether the issue should result in a consensus policy.
  2. The GNSO Council requests a Preliminary Issue Report, which the Policy Development Support Team publishes for the Public Comment Period. The staff review and summarize the comments gathered and submit a Final Issue Report to the GNSO Council.
  3. The GNSO Council deliberates over the Final Issue Report and decides whether to initiate the PDP and adopt a charter for a PDP Working Group (WG).
  4. The WG develops an Initial Report for another Public Comment Period, reviews the comments, and submits a Final Report to the GNSO Council.
  5. The GNSO Council reviews the Final Report and decides whether to adopt it; if it does, then it sends the Final Report to the ICANN Board.
  6. The ICANN Board consults with the GAC and votes on the Final Report recommendations; if approved, the implementation process begins.[2]

History[edit | edit source]

The GNSO has sought to identify ways to improve the inclusiveness and representativeness of its work while increasing its effectiveness and efficiency, which has led to several updates to the process.

GNSO Improvements, 2007-2012[edit | edit source]

The First GNSO Organizational Review, initated in 2007, resulted in a set of recommendations for improving the effectiveness of the GNSO. These recommendations were related to GNSO activities, operations, and structure.

The main areas of GNSO improvements approved by the ICANN Board fell into five categories:

  1. Creating a Working Group Model
  2. Revising the Policy Development Process (PDP)
  3. Restructuring GNSO Council
  4. Improving communication and coordination among ICANN Bodies
  5. Advancing constituency procedures [3]

The reform to the GNSO's PDP procedures were inter-related with the shift to a working group model for GNSO Council policy-making. The GNSO1 working group argued that a working group model "can be a more constructive way of establishing areas of agreement than task forces, where membership is limited and discussion can become polarized along constituency lines.[3] Similarly, the PDP revision recommendations focused on improvements that provided scaffolding and structure for a working group to tackle policy considerations more effectively. The recommendations included more flexibility of the model, and stronger focus on preparation, including "public discussion, fact-finding, and expert research in order to define properly the scope, objective and schedule for a specific policy development goal..."[3] There were also recommendations to generate and maintain metrics for measuring the success of policy implementation, and compliance to those policies.[3]

The Working Group on Council Restructuring developed a compromise position to gain consensus among the many diverse interests within the GNSO. The proposed bicameral council structure would divide contracted parties (registries and registrars) and non-contracted parties into two houses, much as the U.S. Congress is divided into two houses.[4]

At ICANN 70, Bertrand de la Chapelle participated in an ALAC session on "Reimagining ICANN’s Role; Responding to National Pressures."[5] During a conversation about silos and their impact on the multistakeholder model, de la Chapelle recalled the introduction of the two houses approach and offered this critique of the mindset of the working group participants:

...I participated in one of the calls that led to the restructuring of the GNSO and the creation of the two houses. If I can give a very frank assessment from the outside, I immediately felt that the main objective of the different entities and the different soon-to-become houses was to make sure one thing: that the other halves could not impose anything on them, period. Nothing was about how can we make it better so that we can solve problems together? I’m caricaturing a little bit, but I can tell you this was the feeling that I had exactly at the moment the proposal was made on the call. And I feel that it has remained a little bit in this way.[6]

PDP 3.0[edit | edit source]

February 2020 saw the culmination of a GNSO initiative called "PDP 3.0," when the GNSO released the "Final Report on the Implementation of GNSO Policy Development Process 3.0." PDP 3.0 refers to the GNSO Council initiative to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of the process. During a GNSO Council’s Strategic Planning Session (SPS) in January 2018, a staff paper on GNSO PDP was shared, which led the GNSO Council to deliberate over the issues raised and identify challenges and improvements, especially concerning Working Groups. Then, the GNSO Council organize a session with PDP working group leadership and the broader community, which resulted in an updated version of the paper in May 2018. On October 24, 2018, the GNSO Council adopted 14 of the 17 recommendations listed in PDP 3.0.[7]

The 14 Accepted Recommendations included:

  1. Terms of participation
  2. Consider alternatives to open working group model
  3. Criteria for joining of new members after a PDP working group is formed or re-chartered
  4. Consensus playbook
  5. Active role for and clear description of Council liaison to PDP working groups
  6. Document expectations for working group leaders that outline role & responsibilities as well as minimum skills/expertise required
  7. Provide further guidance for section 3.6 (Standard Methodology for Decision Making) and clarification of section 3.7 in the GNSO Working Group Guidelines
  8. Enforce deadlines and ensure bite-size pieces
  9. Notification to Council of changes in the work plan
  10. Review of working group leadership
  11. Make better use of existing flexibility in PDP to allow for data gathering, chartering, and termination when it is clear that no consensus can be achieved
  12. Independent conflict resolution
  13. Criteria for PDP working group updates
  14. Resource reporting for PDP working groups
Implementation[edit | edit source]

A small team of GNSO Councilors led the implementation of PDP 3.0:

This team recognized that the 14 incremental improvements aimed to tackle four overarching challenges:

  1. Working Group Dynamics
    The WGs have too many members, and there is little balance between input and decisions
  2. Working Group Leadership
    The expectations and reviews of WG leaders need to be clarified, and co-chairs need to coordinate
  3. Project Management
    There is no project oversight nor adherence to a timeline
  4. Consensus Building
    There is no guidance on how to reach a consensus

The implementation of PDP 3.0 has resulted in a series of work products that were first tested among GNSO EPDP WGs. They include:

  1. Statement of Participation
  2. Alternatives to the open WG model
  3. Active role for and clear description of Council liaison
  4. Expectations for WG leaders
  5. Enforce deadlines & ensure bite-size pieces
  6. Notification to Council of change in work plan
  7. Criteria for PDP WG updates
  8. Consensus Playbook
Overlap with MSM Evolution[edit | edit source]

PDP 3.0 was also found to overlap significantly with ICANN's overarching aim to update its execution of the Multistakeholder Model (MSM).

Implementation of the Uniform Rapid Suspension System[edit | edit source]

In September 2012, ICANN senior executive Kurt Pritz sent a public email to GNSO Council Chairman Stephane Van Gelder advising him that URS implementation could begin after a year of delay. Implementing URS included a pair of open meetings in Fall 2012, including one at ICANN 45 in Toronto. ICANN acknowledged the role played by the GNSO Council in developing and approving the model and said they were willing to "work in whichever way the GNSO wishes to proceed".[8]

References[edit | edit source]

  1. ↑ GNSO.ICANN.org
  2. ↑ GNSO PDP
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 ICANN.org Archive - GNSO Improvements Overview, last updated January 9, 2013
  4. ↑ Report to the Board from the WG-GCR, July 25, 2008 (Word)
  5. ↑ ICANN 70 Archive: Reimagining ICANN's Role, March 23, 2021 (registration/login required)
  6. ↑ Transcript of "Reimagining ICANN's Role", March 23, 2021 (registration/login required)
  7. ↑ PDP 3.0 Final Report p.3
  8. ↑ URS Implementation Finally to Commence Under GNSO Direction. Internet Commerce Association. Published 2012 September 20.

Generic Names Supporting Organization. Develops and recommends to the Board substantive policies relating to generic top-level domains and other responsibilities set forth in the Bylaws (ICANN Bylaws).

Deprecated. Domain Name Supporting Organization. Predecessor of the Generic Names Supporting Organization, which advised the Board with respect to policy issues relating to the Domain Name System (ICANN Bylaws).

Country Code Names Supporting Organization. Develops and recommends to the Board global policies relating to country-code top-level domains (ICANN Bylaws).

Governmental Advisory Committee. Considers and provides advice on the activities of ICANN as they relate to concerns of governments, particularly matters where there may be an interaction between ICANN's policies and various laws and international agreements or where they may affect public policy issues (ICANN Bylaws).

At-Large Advisory Committee. Considers and provides advice on the activities of ICANN related to the interests of individual Internet users (ICANN Bylaws). Not to be confused with the Non-Commercial Stakeholder Group.

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