GAC Liaison - 2020

SSC Assignment Overview

The current GNSO Liaison to the GAC has indicated that he will step down as GAC Liaison at ICANN69. The SSC has been tasked with reviewing candidates for the GAC Liaison role and recommending a candidate to the GNSO Council. The SSC will submit its recommendation to the GNSO Council in the form of a motion for confirmation of GNSO Liaison to the GAC to the GNSO Council by 11 October 2020 at the latest.

Lori Schulman will be serving as a temporary alternate for Sophie Hey during this selection process.

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Candidates

Jeffrey Neuman: Application

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Note: The following clarification and was sent to SG/C leadership on 21 August 2020: 

There has been a request to clarify who may submit applications for the role of GNSO Liaison to the GAC.

The leadership of each Stakeholder Group / Constituency has the opportunity to submit the application of one or more candidate(s) it supports for the role, but it is not required to submit any applications.

Consistent with the original recommendation of the GAC-GNSO Consultation Group and previous practice, applications will not be accepted from individuals for this process. If an individual attempts to submit an application, they will be requested to contact the leadership of their SG/C.

The deadline for submitting applications has been extended to 7 September 2020 to accommodate SG/Cs who may need additional time to consider candidates before the deadline.

Original Request for Candidates - GNSO Liaison to the GAC (sent via email to SG/C leaders on 31 July 2020)

Candidates are invited for Generic Names Supporting Organisation (GNSO) Liaison to the Governmental Advisory Committee (GAC)

Background

The GNSO Liaison to the GAC role was first piloted in FY15-16 (1 July 2014 to 30 June 2016) as part of a broader initiative of the GAC-GNSO Consultation Group to facilitate early engagement of the GAC in GNSO policy development activities. Due to the success of the pilot, the GNSO Liaison to the GAC is now a permanent role and an integral part of communications between the GAC and GNSO.

Objective

The GNSO Council is seeking a GNSO Liaison to the GAC (hereafter “the Liaison”) to begin serving in the role following the 2020 Annual General Meeting, which is scheduled to take place from 17 to 22 October 2020. 

The Liaison will be primarily responsible for providing timely updates to the GAC on GNSO policy development activities in order to complement the existing notification processes as well as answering questions in relation to these (GNSO) activities that GAC members may have. Furthermore, the Liaison will be responsible for providing the GNSO Council with regular updates on progress, including on GAC activities, specifically in so far as these relate to issues of interest to the GNSO. The objective of the liaison mechanism, in combination with other mechanisms and early engagement tools, is to facilitate effective early engagement of the GAC as well as generally assist with flow of information between the GAC and the GNSO. In addition to these engagement tools, regular co-ordination calls are to be scheduled between the GNSO Liaison to the GAC and the GAC Leadership/GAC Support Staff to ascertain that all the relevant information has been received by the GAC and progress is being made, following which a regular status update is provided by the Liaison to the GNSO Council.

Skills and Experience

• Significant experience in and knowledge of the GNSO policy development process as well as of recent and current policy work under discussion and / or review in the GNSO
• Availability to attend and participate in GAC meetings during the course of ICANN meetings and also, where applicable, intercessional meetings (via teleconference)
• A former or recently departed GNSO Councilor is likely to be well-qualified for the position but this is not a necessary criterion for the Liaison.

Responsibilities

• Attend and participate as required in GAC meetings during ICANN meetings and possible intercessional meetings (Note: to the extent that ICANN meetings are held face-to-face, travel funding is available for the ICANN meetings should the Liaison otherwise not be able to attend an ICANN meeting)
• Represent and communicate the policy work of the GNSO in a neutral and objective manner
• Liaise with ICANN policy staff who may assist, as needed, in the preparation of briefing materials and/or responses to questions
• Liaise with relevant working groups, utilizing GNSO Council liaisons where required, in order to be continuously current and knowledgeable on work in progress
• Provide regular updates to the GNSO Council
• Guide the GAC in opportunities for early engagement
• Keep the GAC updated on how its early input was considered by the GNSO
• Assist in the facilitation of GAC-GNSO discussions in cases where GAC early input is in conflict with GNSO views
• Produce an annual report to the GAC and GNSO that highlights early engagement efforts to date as well as possible improvements to be considered

 

Practical Working

• Attend all GAC open meetings and be allowed to request the floor
• Attend GAC closed meetings discussing GNSO related topics and be allowed to request the floor
• Attend GAC conference calls by invitation and accordingly be allowed to request the floor
• Join GAC working groups by invitation and accordingly be allowed to request the floor
• Will not be on the GAC mailing list but may send to it t through the mailing list admin and receives replies by being cc’d

Application Process

1. The leadership of each Stakeholder Group / Constituency may submit the application of its candidate(s), which should include at a minimum a link to a completed and current statement of interest as well as a brief note explaining why the candidate has applied for this role and how the candidate meets the specific requirements by 1 September 2020 at the latest to the GNSO Secretariat (gnso-secs@icann.org). Candidates must complete the attached Acknowledgement and Consent Form and application template.
2. The GNSO Secretariat will relay the applications received by the deadline to the Standing Selection Committee (SSC) by 3 September 2020.
3. The SSC will review the applications received and rank these taking into account the skills and experience required as outlined in this call for volunteers by 8 October 2020.
4. Based on the outcome of the ranking process, the SSC will contact the nr 1 candidate to confirm the proposed selection by 9 October 2020 and confirm that the candidate is still available.
5. The SSC will submit its recommendation to the GNSO Council in the form of a motion for confirmation of GNSO Liaison to the GAC to the GNSO Council by 11 October 2020 at the latest.
6. Consideration of motion and approval of candidate by GNSO Council during GNSO Council meeting on 21 October 2020.
7. Confirmation of candidate to GAC leadership (by 22 October 2020).
8. GNSO Liaison to the GAC officially takes up its role (by 23 October 2020).

Removal

In the case of significant issues identified with the performance of the Liaison, the GNSO Council Leadership, in consultation with the GAC Leadership, may decide to remove (and possibly replace) the Liaison at any point during the Liaison’s term.

 

Review and Renewal

The role is reviewed and the liaison is reconfirmed by the GNSO Council in its position every year, unless the Liaison has indicated that he/she is no longer available to continue in this role in which case a new selection process as outlined above will take place. As part of this review, the GNSO Council is expected to request the GAC and/or GAC Leadership for input on the role and functioning of the GNSO Liaison to the GAC.

APPLICATION TEMPLATE