Page History
The global public interest (GPI) is central to many of ICANN’s primary governance documents - - the Affirmation of Commitments, Bylaws. and Articles of Incorporation. Operationalizing the concept of the GPI remains a challenge, despite years of attempts to understand and define it within ICANN.
The ICANN Board identified the GPI as one of its 2019 operational priorities. In September 2019, the Board published a proposed GPI framework, which marked the beginning of a longer process to develop a framework as a toolkit for the ICANN community to consider the global public interest.
These considerations would not change the process by which decisions are made but could instead serve as tools for the community to reinforce the commitment to the public interest and to demonstrate how specific recommendations, advice, and public comments are in the global public interest. This includes the ICANN community guiding the ICANN Board about the public interest determination the latter must make in its decisions.
The below timeline represents the steps that the Board plans to take in this process.
17 September 2019 Webinar
The Global Public Interest Framework Webinar has been scheduled for Tuesday, 17 September 2019 at 15:00 UTC and is open to everyone in the ICANN community.
To join the webinar, please visit https://icann.zoom.us/j/288558444
Zoom call details
Meeting ID: 288 558 444
(Other meeting details to be published when available)
18 September - 18 October 2019 Community Consultation
In reviewing this proposal, the Board is asking the ICANN community to consider the following questions for input to the Board:
- What are your thoughts on the proposed framework approach? Do you have any suggestions for how it could be improved?
- What are your thoughts on the proposed approach for decisions in the ICANN ecosystem to be accompanied by a consideration of their impact on the global public interest (as well as an explanation regarding what is meant by the GPI in the specific case)?
- How do you see this working for the Supporting Organization (SO), Advisory Committee (AC), constituency, group, review team, or cross-community working group (CCWG) to which you are contributing?
Feedback on the proposed approach and questions outlined below should be emailed to gpitoolkit@icann.org by 18 October 2019.
Public Session at ICANN66
(Information related to the session will be posted on this page as soon as available)
ICANN55 – Exploring the “Public Interest” Within ICANN’s Remit
Monday, March 7th: 15:15 – 16:30
Background Details
Discussions on the topic of the “public interest within ICANN’s remit” and potential definitions of this term have been ongoing for years. In 2013-2014, the Strategy Panel on Public Responsibility Framework, led by Nii Quaynor, explored this topic. Based on community input at sessions and webinars, the Panel defined the global public interest in relation to the Internet as:
- “ensuring that the Internet becomes, and continues to be, stable, inclusive, and accessible across the globe so that all may enjoy the benefits of a single and open Internet. In addressing its public responsibility, ICANN must build trust in the Internet and its governance ecosystem.”
While some recommended the report, at individual and ICANN meetings, and at ICANN 52 in particular, it is evident there is a need and a desire to revisit this topic.
Given limits on bandwidth for additional projects, and given the intense focus on other ongoing dialogues, a wikispace was established as a resource space for all to populate with background documents that will be useful in guiding this conversation forward.
As set out in the ICANN Operating and Strategic Plans, ICANN will be facilitating a conversation in Financial Year 16 to explore the "public interest" within ICANN's mission and mandate, and this High Interest Session will form an important part of this work.
AGENDA
15:15 – 15:20 Introduction and Purpose
Presenter: Nora Abusitta, SVP Development and Public Responsibility Programs (Session Proposer)
15:20 – 15:30 Previous Discussion on this Topic – The Panel
Presenter: Nii Quaynor, Chairman of Board of Directors at National Information Technology Agency, Ghana (Chair of the Strategy Panel on the Public Responsibility Framework)
15:30 – 15:35 Recent Discussions Recap- EURALO “Public Interest” General Assembly Discussion at ICANN54
Presenter: Wolf Ludwig, EuroDIG Secretariat
15:35 - 15:40 Recent Discussions Recap- IGF “The ‘Global Public Interest’ in Critical Internet Resources”
Presenter: Marília Maciel, Center for Technology and Society of the Getulio Vargas Foundation (CTS/FGV)
15:45- 16:20 Open Discussion- Questions and comments from the floor / remote participation
Moderator: Olivier Crepin-Leblond, EURALO Chair
16:20 – 16:30 Concluding Remarks and Next Steps
