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Yrjö Länsipuro previously served in this role since 2016 when the ALAC unanimously voted to appoint him as the first ALAC Liaison to the GAC.

GAC Liaison's Report on draft agenda for ALAC-GAC bilateral session ahead of ICANN77 held on May 22nd, online [by Joanna Kulesza]

Date: Monday, May 22nd
Duration: 75 minutes (16:00 - 17:15 UTC)

The ICANN 77 Joint ALAC/GAC meeting took place to discuss various important topics and seek alignment between the ALAC and GAC perspectives. The meeting followed a draft agenda with specific time allocations for each agenda item.

1. New gTLD Program Next Round:
Nigel Hickson from the GAC delivered a presentation on the Next Round of the New gTLD Program, highlighting key priority issues. These included concerns regarding the Predictability Framework, Registry Voluntary Commitments/Public Interest Commitments, Applicant Support, Community Applications, Auctions, GAC Consensus Advice and GAC Early Warnings, and Closed Generics. The GAC emphasized the need for equitable participation and enforceable commitments to address these issues.

The ALAC shared their views on the topics raised by the GAC. They expressed support for community-based applications, advocated for banning private auctions, and provided input on DNS abuse mitigation. They also highlighted the importance of clear and efficient document management systems and the need for executive summaries to enhance understanding and participation. ALAC's Perspectives on the Raised Issues included:

Predictability Framework (Topic 2):
Regarding the Predictability Framework, the Standing Predictability Implementation Review Team (SPIRT) was clarified to be responsible for considering issues that arise after the approval of the next Applicant Guidebook. It does not make policy decisions but instead provides recommendations to the GNSO Council. It is important to note that membership of SPIRT is open to all interested parties.

Registry Voluntary Commitments/Public Interest Commitments (Topic 9):
ALAC emphasizes that all Registry Voluntary Commitments (RVCs) and Public Interest Commitments (PICs) must be enforceable and enforced. However, the question remains on how to achieve this. The ICANN Board is currently considering a limited Bylaw amendment to ensure enforceability within ICANN's mission. Additionally, the Implementation Review Team (IRT) needs to consider mechanisms within ICANN's organization to facilitate the proposal, review, and inclusion of RVCs and PICs in Registry Agreements (RAs), including remedies and consequences for non-compliance.

Applicant Support (Topic 17):
The ICANN Organization (ICANN Org) has taken steps to create awareness of the Applicant Support Program by engaging a communications consultant. Additionally, the Generic Names Supporting Organization (GNSO) is developing success metrics for the program. However, there are concerns that the allocated USD 2 million fund is insufficient to adequately support applicants. As a result, there has been discussion about the possibility of reducing or eliminating ongoing ICANN registry fees to provide better financial support.

In summary, ALAC's perspectives on the raised issues include the importance of clarifying the roles and membership of SPIRT in the Predictability Framework, ensuring enforceability of RVCs and PICs through potential Bylaw amendments and ICANN org mechanisms, and addressing concerns about the adequacy of funding for the Applicant Support Program. These perspectives highlight ALAC's commitment to transparency, fairness, and effective support for applicants in the ICANN ecosystem.

2. 2017 Joint Advice:
Alan Greenberg from the ALAC and Nigel Hickson from the GAC provided an update on the 2017 Joint Advice, titled "Enabling Inclusive, Informed and Meaningful Participation at ICANN." They discussed the progress made in addressing the recommendations related to document management systems and executive summaries. However, concerns were raised about the adequacy of ICANN's Information and Transparency Initiative (ITI) in meeting the core recommendations. Recommendation 1 suggests that ICANN should create a user-friendly document management system that provides easy access to ICANN documents, even for non-insiders. These documents should have clear titles, dates or reference numbers, and identify the author and intended recipients. Additionally, they should reference the relevant process they belong to and explain any acronyms used. Recommendation 2 proposes that ICANN should produce executive summaries, key points, and synopses for all important issues, processes, and activities. These summaries should be easily understandable to non-experts, allowing stakeholders to determine if a particular issue concerns them. Furthermore, stakeholders should be able to participate in the policy process easily and effectively, on an equal footing with other stakeholders. This practice should be implemented, at a minimum, for issues open for public comment.

3. DNS Abuse:
Susan Chalmers from the GAC presented the GAC's perspective on DNS abuse, focusing on the goals of fostering meaningful, inclusive, and informed participation. The discussion covered contract compliance, transparency, data accuracy, reporting of incidents and statistics, and the implementation status of relevant CCT and SSR2 Review Recommendations. The GAC welcomed ongoing contract negotiations and voluntary efforts to mitigate DNS abuse.

ALAC's Contribution to DNS Abuse:
Hadia El Miniawi from the ALAC shared ALAC's views on DNS abuse, emphasizing the need for continued efforts in contract compliance enforcement, structured monitoring processes, and responsible disclosure of DNS security threats.

The implementation status of relevant CCT and SSR2 Review Recommendations can be summarized as follows:

Complete:
- Monitor and Enforce Compliance (Rec. 9.1): This recommendation has been fully implemented.
- Resolve CZDS Data Access Problems (Rec. 11.1): The necessary actions have been taken to address this recommendation.
- Privacy Requirements and RDS (Rec. 16.1): Implementation of this recommendation has been completed.

In Progress:
- Provide Clarity on Definitions of Abuse-related Terms (Rec. 10.1): Work is currently underway to achieve this recommendation.
- To complete implementation of SSR1 Recommendations (Rec. 1.1): Efforts are ongoing to fulfill this recommendation.

SSR1 Recommendations:
- Recommendation 10 emphasizes the need for ICANN to continue its efforts to enhance contract compliance enforcement and allocate adequate resources for this function. The status of its implementation is not specified.
- Recommendation 15 states that ICANN should act as a facilitator in the responsible disclosure and dissemination of DNS security threats and mitigation techniques. Its implementation status is also not indicated.

These updates highlight the progress made in implementing the recommendations. The ones listed as complete have been successfully addressed, while ongoing efforts are being made for those categorized as in progress. The report does not provide specific details regarding the status of the implementation for SSR1 Recommendations 10 and 15, which focus on contract compliance and DNS security, respectively.

The meeting concluded with a moderated Q&A session and a summary of the discussions. The participants acknowledged the importance of collaboration and alignment between the ALAC and GAC on these critical issues.

The ICANN 77 Joint ALAC/GAC meeting provided an opportunity for productive dialogue and exchange of views, aiming to address key challenges and work towards a more inclusive and transparent ICANN ecosystem.

GAC Liaison's Report on draft agenda for ALAC-GAC bilateral sessions during ICANN77 to be held between June 11^th -16^th 2023 in Washington D.C., US [by Joanna Kulesza]

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