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We actually had a call yesterday already, but that was just an internal ALAC Finance and Budget Subcommittee call and today we are going to go through some of the requests that we have looked at yesterday and perhaps ask questions to Xavier or Xavier being able to ask questions to us.  It's going to be quite a free call.  And so what we will start with I guess is a roll call please.

Wiki MarkupNathalie Peregrine:                  Yes on the call we have Rinalia Abdul Rahim, Tijani Ben Jemaa, Olivier Peregrine:                  Yes on the call we have Rinalia Abdul Rahim, Tijani Ben Jemaa, Olivier Crepin-Leblond, Charles Mok, Cintra Sooknanan, Dev Anand Teelucksingh, \ [inaudible 00:01:25\].

Olivier Crepin-Leblond:          Can someone - someone is not muted and I cannot hear anything.

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Olivier Crepin-Leblond:          Okay thank you Xavier.  Yes, no memorization required at this call.  Perhaps in the future there will be.  And I open the floor for questions or comments and I see Cheryl Langdon-Orr has put her hand up, Cheryl?

Wiki MarkupCheryl Langdon-Orr:              Thank you very much.  Thank you Xavier, thank you Janice it's great to have you back on the call in this preparatory and ultimate stage.  I'm really delighted to see this particular document put together.  It's what being a number of heads for a number of years and of course it's drawn out of the prior agreement in previous budgets where there was requests for general assemblies and \[inaudible 00:08:24\] long term planning for general assemblies and we had the acceptance there would be a rotational roster of these sorts of things interspersed with possibilities for future summits as well.               Thank you very much.  Thank you Xavier, thank you Janice it's great to have you back on the call in this preparatory and ultimate stage.  I'm really delighted to see this particular document put together.  It's what being a number of heads for a number of years and of course it's drawn out of the prior agreement in previous budgets where there was requests for general assemblies and [inaudible 00:08:24] long term planning for general assemblies and we had the acceptance there would be a rotational roster of these sorts of things interspersed with possibilities for future summits as well. 

Probably important that we realize that previous budgets have indicated that the ICANN staff support and administrative support were going to be able to be made available for these types of rotation.  But the actual travel support for the general assemblies to actually occur themselves had never been part of a budget prior to the cobbling together or what was allocated to of course the three regions, both on their individual requests for the current budget year that we are in.  We all know how AFRALO managed to get its very successful general assembly and capacity building. 

And I think that’s important to realize it's actually just a general assembly.  It is the much larger aspects of capacity building and the interaction and involvement of the At-Large structures and the internet end users.  Of course I think is one of the crowning jewels that ICANN has to offer in the internet ecosystem with its rare ability with its multistakeholder model. unmigrated-wiki-markup

If this type of thing can be seen as an \ [imprinciple\] structure that tips to the side for future years but is there as part of the background planning it may of course stop us getting the annual rebirth of the general assembly request from all regions in competition with each other and surprise, surprise, guess what?    This is what has happened this year.  

We have all of the regions wanting to do similar and identical things so someone has to play Solomon unless this type of thing is in place.  I could say a lot more but I will leave of it to [inaudible Wiki MarkupWe have all of the regions wanting to do similar and identical things so someone has to play Solomon unless this type of thing is in place.  I could say a lot more but I will leave of it to \[inaudible 00:10:51\].    Thank you very much.

Olivier Crepin-Leblond:          Thank you very much Cheryl.  Xavier do you have any immediate response to this?  Or should we go through the comments and through the lists?

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My understanding is that we are basically carving out an envelope of funds that is intended to be included in the overall ICANN budget that is specifically dedicated to absorb and fund requests or special requests or specific requests from the ICANN community about activities that they would like to do or to expand upon what already exists in the core activities that are funded in the ICANN budget and have been.  To me it's not a zero based budget.  There is a certain amount of support and activities that are carried out on an onigon basis that are funded in the ICANN budget. 

Wiki MarkupBut because these actives may not always include specifically what each organization would like to do either on a very specific time frame basis or \ [inaudible 00:15:52\] manner then we have suggested to create this process where we look at additional requests with an envelope that is aimed at trying to accommodate a certain amount of additional activities or expansion of existing activities across all the ICANN communities.  

And I think the point of that and probably Janice will be able to correct my understating with the perspective she has from a historical standpoint and you guys as well, I think the point of this was to ensure there is a little bit of flexibility given to the budgeting process so as to allow input from the community as to specific activities that may not necessarily be the same across all organizations but really specific either in the timing or the nature of them to a given organization.  I don’t view this process at all to be zero based. 

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And if we can know we can then tailor our own requests back to you in a form that will help you a lot more in terms of making decisions.  I think the critical thing here is we don’t know the base.unmigrated-wiki-markup

Xavier Calvez:                        Understood.  I think that one way or the other we’re going to have to make sure we can come up with that view of across - and by the way I'm sure that this is something that will be relevant for other organizations than ALAC as well - is to have an adequate understanding of the activities that and ideally as complete as possible, of the activities that are carried out on the core budget so that then the picture of the support that’s funded by ICANN is as complete as possible and then facilitate your work on formulating requests, things that \[inaudible 00:19:33\] provide \[inaudible 00:19:33\]. Calvez:                        Understood.  I think that one way or the other we’re going to have to make sure we can come up with that view of across - and by the way I'm sure that this is something that will be relevant for other organizations than ALAC as well - is to have an adequate understanding of the activities that and ideally as complete as possible, of the activities that are carried out on the core budget so that then the picture of the support that’s funded by ICANN is as complete as possible and then facilitate your work on formulating requests, things that [inaudible 00:19:33] provide [inaudible 00:19:33]. 

I am sure that the requests that you guys have been working on are things that don’t already happen.  I'm sure of that.  But I think to your point it would be helpful to understand how these activities complete and how they add themselves onto what already exists.  And in the support - not going into the details because I don’t have this detail in hand and I think we need to work on formulating that - but the activities I have in mind is the Secretariat support or the travel support, the conference call and a number of activities that happen, that’s already part of the budget. 

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Xavier Calvez:                        I can't right now.  I'm just covering the question and I didn’t gather any specific detail to the subject, so I don’t know.unmigrated-wiki-markup

Olivier Crepin-Leblond:                    I'm not expecting a quick answer but I think that was one of the action items we had yesterday so it is a very \ [inaudible 00:24:23\] question.

Xavier Calvez:                        Okay.

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Olivier Crepin-Leblond:          Oh I see Tijani has put his hand up.  Maybe he can say a few words, Tijani please.

Wiki MarkupTijani Ben Jemaa:                    Yes thank you Xavier.  I have to think I have a \[inaudible 00:26:45\] and a question.  First for the \[inaudible Jemaa:                    Yes thank you Xavier.  I have to think I have a [inaudible 00:26:45] and a question.  First for the [inaudible 00:26:47\] sessions you are asking for we cannot probably not cost anything for ICANN except staff involvement.    So we were thinking about to put it as an addition to the request or not to put it as an addition to the request.    There is not a \ [inaudible 00:27:12\] request.    The second point now, it's a question, in our request, the AFRALO request, we didn’t put money, we put the unit. unmigrated-wiki-markup 

For example, how many persons are requested for this - how many persons are proposed for the request \ [inaudible 00:27:36\] for travel support etc., do you need compulsory the amount requested or is it enough for you and you will \ [inaudible 00:27:49\] giving the money?

Xavier Calvez:                        I guess the - I don’t necessarily need - it would be helpful but it's not indispensible that you guys put amounts with the travel.  We can make our own guesses.  I guess what I would like to know is whether in the request it is specified whether the travel is within a given region or is an international travel.  What I mean by that is if we are talking about the members of a given region travelling to a common point within that region it is probably a different type of cost than if it is an international travel from one continent to the other or.  You see what I'm saying? 

For example, if that is specified I think it narrows down the subject and we can make an estimate ourselves I guess.  And we have some tools to do that from the meetings team so we can do that.  If you have your own standards, benchmarks or information it can't hurt to provide it as well, so at least we have a point to start from.  But I'm not going to tell you that it's indispensible that you do that especially at this stage of the process. 

Wiki MarkupOlivier Crepin-Leblond:          Okay I think that all of the requests as Cheryl points out in the chat are in \[inaudible           Okay I think that all of the requests as Cheryl points out in the chat are in [inaudible 00:29:40\] requests taking place in the region except for just one.    All of the other requests are for general assemblies to take place in the region where the RALO is located.    And the AFRALO request which we are speaking about here does not involve any travelling as Tijani very kindly said.    It's just effectively ICANN staff time and electronic resources such as Adobe Connect rooms and telephone costs which is, I think, another budget even separate and a lot less than the budget for travelling.      

Xavier Calvez:                        Okay and then that will be part of the requests that we will get?

Olivier Crepin-Leblond:          He will yes.  You will receive all of the requests - sorry I hear -

Wiki MarkupCheryl Langdon-Orr:              Sorry Olivier is it possible for matt to just put that on \[inaudible               Sorry Olivier is it possible for matt to just put that on [inaudible 00:30:35\] Olivier is saying that - sorry Xavier is saying the fact that we’re happy to think out to 2016 or beyond 2021 and he will get this and he can chew over the pretty thing that’s on the screen now.    But what we've done is exactly what Xavier and his team asked for which is taking in from the regions their specific requests.    We have sifted and sorted them. unmigrated-wiki-markup 

We’ve seen where they are blended or can be blended and we've given them priority ranking.    Let's have a look at this one from AFRALO as an example because it is an example of one which is rare compared to the others because it doesn’t involve any travel support.    And yet is has multiregional opportunity, for example, Janice you will look at this and I'm quite sure see clear ramifications for where all of the fellowship both graduate and yet non - to be graduated could benefit from \ [inaudible 00:31:47\] similar things as Tijani is suggesting would be a very worthwhile as a build or a next step on the successful capacity building work that we've done in Dakar.    If Matt could bring that other up and I could -

Olivier Crepin-Leblond:          Matt is working on it. -Leblond:          Matt is working on it. 

Cheryl Langdon-Orr:              I'm filibustering here.  I'm very good at it.  There is a point at which it becomes [inaudible Wiki MarkupCheryl Langdon-Orr:              I'm filibustering here.  I'm very good at it.  There is a point at which it becomes \[inaudible 00:32:12\] and I will have to start talking about the fact that it's middle of the night and something is upsetting my Galas and I can take you all out the front and give you background noises.    There we go okay, I filibustered long enough.    And it's not the right one Matt but we will go through this as an example.    This is an APRALO one workshop at the regional IGF; the one that has absolutely zero travel ramifications is the AFRALO one which is the building.    Here we go.    Well done, ta-da thank you.  

Olivier Crepin-Leblond:          That’s not the right one either.

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Olivier Crepin-Leblond:          That’s not the correct one. not the correct one. 

Cheryl Langdon-Orr:              You're right.  That’s the one that - the one that’s on the screen now Xavier and Janice is the one that is out of region travel.  [Inaudible Wiki MarkupCheryl Langdon-Orr:              You're right.  That’s the one that - the one that’s on the screen now Xavier and Janice is the one that is out of region travel.  \[Inaudible 00:33:19\] as a filter anyway, ta-da - phew\!

Olivier Crepin-Leblond:          Now none is showing on my screen.

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Xavier Calvez:                        But when you say four, I'm not understanding.  Is it four meetings, four people, is it four hours?it four hours?

Janice Douma Lange:              I think it's four [inaudible Wiki MarkupJanice Douma Lange:              I think it's four \[inaudible 00:37:28\].

Tijani Ben Jemaa:                    May I explain?

Olivier Crepin-Leblond:          Yes please Tijani.unmigrated-wiki-markup

Tijani Ben Jemaa:                    Okay.  \[Inaudible Jemaa:                    Okay.  [Inaudible 00:37:34\] so it will provide those who provide the courses and we need \ [inaudible 00:37:41\] in this period, July to September (four times) \ [inaudible 00:37:46\].    And the other period, October to December the same, so the \ [inaudible 00:37:54\] would be 16 times, 16 courses prepared.  

Xavier Calvez:                        Sorry 16 calls?  I just couldn’t hear you well Tijani.couldn’t hear you well Tijani.

Tijani Ben Jemaa:                    Please [inaudible Wiki MarkupTijani Ben Jemaa:                    Please \[inaudible 00:38:07\] provide the courses you see?    Do you see the column?

Xavier Calvez:                        Support needed, I was just looking at the first top one that says staff support needed not including subject matter expertise.unmigrated-wiki-markup

Tijani Ben Jemaa:                    \[Inaudible Jemaa:                    [Inaudible 00:38:30\] those are \ [inaudible 00:38:32\] number.  

Xavier Calvez:                        Staff number?

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Xavier Calvez:                        I'm sorry it's staff support for a conference call?

Wiki MarkupTijani Ben Jemaa:                    For example a conference call or we \[inaudible Jemaa:                    For example a conference call or we [inaudible 00:38:53\] everything \ [inaudible 00:38:55\] only an online course then staff would help in putting the \ [inaudible 00:39:00\] in the right place and advise the members about the place where they can find the call, what \ [inaudible 00:39:11\] the call and how they have to \ [inaudible 00:39:15\].  

Xavier Calvez:                        Okay so is it fair to summarize this information to be it's four events that will require coordination logistic staff support?

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Xavier Calvez:                        And my point is to make sure that I understand how we’re going to try to assess this request from the perspective - because I can see there that to the point that we were making earlier that this specific item of the request pertains to the need of time to support an activity from a staff member which is a perfectly adequate subject and request.  And what we will need to in the point we were making earlier, I think we will need to do as it relates to that request is understand how much bandwidth this request adds to - or bandwidth requirement this request adds to the existing staff and see how the response can be made. 

Wiki MarkupBecause to the point that I think we had discussed before, if a request asks for staff support and we think that based on bandwidth and \ [inaudible 00:41:33\] we can absorb it but then it's a fairly easy request to potentially accommodate and it's an element that should enter into our assessment of how to select the requests that will make their way into the budgets.    I understood, so we will go through the requests and I think this is helpful as long as we do understand what is mentioned there.    But I suspect that spending a little bit of time on each request as we intend to do, will help us make sure we have less basic questions and more substantial questions once we have reviewed them.  

Therefore I'm coming back to my earlier question, because we've talked about one request over the past 15 or 30 minutes.  The call finishes in seven minutes and I think we have also something else to talk about, I wanted to make sure I understand what input from us you needed because I don’t necessarily have the impression we have answered or addressed the purpose of this call. And if we have, it would be helpful to just understand that.

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Cheryl Langdon-Orr:              Thank you Olivier.  just quickly and one of the reasons I think having this one up on the screen is important for meeting the purposes of this call Xavier and that is you for example, while you were going through this document seems to be, I think, making an assumption that part of what we were looking at or in fact, we were all looking at in terms of allocation of staff logistics was to do with our own more than valuable working 26x7, not even 24x7 At-Large staff.  In fact, these courses would be interactive and required as skill sets and involvement of staff specific to their topic. 

Wiki MarkupFor example, if it was a new gTLD roll out related topic, that unit would in fact rely on input from staff at a number of levels and a number of different prorates.    How much does \ [inaudible 00:45:41\] time take and how much of that time is costed at what?    What input Scott may or may not to have so these things are polished.    It's actually the stuff that is outside of our little bubble in the wonderful world of At-Large that this type of request is formulating and trying to say these are black box things that we don’t have the information for because they're a mix of both core costs and existing infrastructure and how much does it cost per hundred words of interpretation.  

There is a mix between what we need to know and what we would rather you fill in providing you know that’s what we are asking for, thank you.

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Xavier Calvez:                        I need to be able to get a little bit of history and background.  I would assume that we would always want to try to ensure that the activities that are carried out are consistent with the bylaws.  And I'm assuming that this doesn’t start with me here.  I suppose there is a history of doing that and verifying that that’s the case and trying to accommodate as much as possible meeting the bylaws and meeting the charters or any guidelines or requirements. unmigrated-wiki-markup

In principle I would assume that we would on a permanent basis look at the activities that we carry out and that we always refer to the documents that exist whether it's bylaws or guidelines or anything else that help us determine whether the activities meet the requirements that we have.    And I will try to go back and try to understand how much that has been done in the past and if it's \ [inaudible 00:52:30\] how do we deal with it so that we can have a path forward.    There is a very basic, pragmatic and unavoidable concept which is when you have the dollar bill you can stretch it up or down, it's still one dollar.  

At the end of the day it's what resources we have.  But having said that this is how I think that we need to make sure that the activities that we carry out are consistent with the requirements and if we don’t carry out activities that are in the requirements then we need to look at them and have a plan to be able to accommodate them which may mean that other activities that we carry out that are considered less consistent with the requirements may have to come out. 

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Olivier Crepin-Leblond:           Thank you Xavier.  Referring to your earlier mention of the $500,000 envelope, looking at our roadmap we - well I can only note that the total amount of requests for this year from our community would be in the region exceeding $200,000.  Is that $500,000 envelope to be distributed evenly across SOs and ACs or is the on a case by case basis?

Wiki MarkupXavier Calvez:                        Calvez:                        It's neither.    To distribute evenly I'm not even sure what evenly would mean depending upon some organizations are bigger than others in terms of members or I'm sure are different from a structure standpoint so even \ [inaudible 00:54:46\] is difficult to determine but I think that what we are suggesting to do is so once we gather all the requests, I suppose we will arrive at something that is higher than $500,000.  

Second we need to look at the requests across the board and each request individual and what we will do is before we complete this review we are going to suggest a process and a method to select the requests and ideally we would have been able to provide that process and suggested method and arrive with the representation or the organizations to a compromise on this process and method would be prior to you guys formulating their requests. 

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And but other criteria should be used as well and I want to make sure we have that compromise on that method and approach so we can use that method to work through the requests and assess them against that.  That’s what the next step is and as part of this we also need to provide you with a calendar or the process for the public comment period which as you know includes a period of public comments and a period of response. 

Wiki MarkupAnd we want to use even though this is not a \ [inaudible 01:11:28\] public comment process typically we still would like to make sure we use this framework of communication that has been implemented January 1 to ensure that we receive your information and provide comments in a timely manner to you guys.  

I will also provide you with the calendar but basically our approach to look at the requests as soon as they come, formulate immediate questions if we have any, schedule the review of the request in more in-depth and potentially schedule a call with the policy staff support of the organization so that we have that help to look at the request and assess it and by that time I'm expecting we will have formulated the process and method for selection and therefore assess each request as per this method, compile it and my expectation is to review the results of that approach with all the organizations in Costa Rica in order to be able to formulate a final list.  And what would make its way therefore into the budget.

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