ALAC and GAC had a joint meeting at ICANN60 in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday, 31 October (14:15-15:00). Following a discussion on how to help all stakeholders – including those unable to devote a great deal of time and effort – to be informed participants in the ICANN processes, ALAC and GAC issued a joint statement [1] entitled “Enabling inclusive, informed and meaningful participation at ICANN”.
Signing of the joint ALAC-GAC statement by GAC Chair Thomas Schneider and ALAC Chair Alan Greenberg, at ICANN60 in Abu Dhabi, 2 November, 2017
The statement asks ICANN to (1) to develop a simple and efficient document management system that allows – even to non-insiders – an easy and quick access to ICANN documents and (2) to produce executive summaries, key points and synopses for all relevant issues, processes and activities, made easily understandable to non-experts so that all stakeholders will be able (a) to quickly determine if a particular issue is of concern to them and (b) if yes, to participate in the policy process.[2]
The substance of the joint statement was also included in the GAC communiqué as consensus advice to the Board.
The need for a better document management system and for editorial efforts to make the ICANN documents easier to comprehend has been felt for a very long time. Since ICANN56 GAC Chair Thomas Schneider has been actively pushing the issue in order “to remove the barriers for in particular those who don’t have enormous resources to follow and participate in ICANN processes as compared to others who may have more resources”, as he said at the joint ALAC-GAC meeting in Abu Dhabi. GAC has called upon other communities to join its effort, and ALAC was the first to respond positively. The joint statement was prepared before ICANN60, discussed at the joint ALAC/GAC meeting, re-edited and signed on 2 November.
Apart from the preparation of the statement, the 45 minute meeting managed to discuss two other agenda items relating to the subsequent procedures for new gTLD’s .
ALAC informed GAC that it will participate in the Work team 5 (geographic names), reserving the right to reject or approve the results.
A longer discussion developed on the issue of Community Based Applications (CBA), which had been subject to ALAC/GAC discussion both at previous joint meetings and most recently when the GAC lead on the issue, Mark Carwell (UK), participated at an ALAC call.
Both ALAC and GAC are critical of how the CBA’s were handled in the previous new gTLD round and interested in improving the process in subsequent new gTLD procedures. Focus is now on definitional issues, and GAC and ALAC could look at them jointly (Mark Carwell). The CBA report of the Council of Europe[3] was mentioned as a uselful resource: “I guess I would start with that paper and just go right through chapter to chapter because everyone of them highlighted some of the difficultes. That said, I think it’s a terrific idea but needs a lot of work to make it work well.” (Holly Raiche)
[1] As far as can be ascertained, this is the second joint statement by ALAC and GAC in the history of ICANN. The first was issued on the on the Second Milestone Report of the Joint Applicant Support Working Group 4 August 2011.
[2] https://gac.icann.org/file-asset/public/GAC-ALAC%20Joint%20Statement%20-%2002%20Nov%202017.pdf
[3] https://rm.coe.int/16806b5a14
