•  Accept As-Is
•  Accept With modification
•  Reject

Rationale:

MK: Accept as-is. Note, the non-binding, non-voting liaison option has already been considered and is deemed not appropriate/workable from a GAC perspective. Nevertheless, other mechanisms are being actively explored.

35

Paul Diaz

gTLD Registries Stakeholder Group

(Support) The RySG contacted the GNSO GAC Liaison on this recommendation and he expressed support for it.

72

Osvaldo Novoa

ISPCP

(Support) The ISPCP fully recognize the sensitivities facing GAC members whenever the need for representation from a large group of Governments arises. It is hoped that the neutrality engendered through a nonbinding, non-voting position can assist in overcoming barriers to their participation, thereby assisting the policy development process.

106

Etienne Sanz De Acedo, Lori Schulman

INTA

INTA agrees with the appointment of a liaison between the GNSO and GAC and that GAC appoint a non-voting liaison to each relevant PDP Working Group, allowing for informal GAC input without binding commitment.

126

Will Hudson

Google

If adopted would add greater accountability to the policy development process, increase metrics­driven policy decisions, and increase the efficacy of the process by leveraging the services of professional moderators, especially in circumstances where working group members may be conflicted. Additionally, we believe it is crucial that the GAC be involved earlier in the process.

185

Laura Covington, J. Scott Evans, Marie Pattullo

Business Constituency

The BC supports this recommendation.  Early engagement with GAC representatives is crucial to avoiding surprises at the end of the policymaking process. If fully embraced, it should lead to better policy outcomes and faster policy development.

221

Stephanie Perrin

NCUC/NCSG

We are currently doing the first part of this recommendation.  We withhold judgement on the practicality of the second option.

268

Greg Shatan

IPC

(Support) There has been a long-identified concern about the perceived late engagement of the GAC in the policy development process, with the perception of some parts of the community being that the GAC waits until the work of the PDP has been done before potentially expressing views which undermine that community-developed compromise. This is exacerbated by the GAC’s failure, generally, to give adequate reasoning for its advice, and the perception that the GAC deliberately gives vague advice which is open to differing interpretation (this is supported by the testimony of Ms. Heather Dryden, former Chair of the GAC, in the dotConnect Africa IRP hearing, https://www.icann.org/en/system/files/files/final-declaration-09jul15-en.pdf) thereby allowing the GAC to reopen matters at a later stage, as seen recently with the issue of 22-letter SLDs. The IPC understands the difficulties that GAC representatives have, in that one representative from one country cannot bind GAC colleagues from other countries, and also that GAC representatives have “day jobs.” Nevertheless, many within the GNSO’s SGs and Cs also have “day jobs” and have to make the time to participate within the ICANN community. Further, if governments wish to have the benefit of their privileged status of giving advice to the ICANN Board they must allocate adequate resources.Finally, the GAC-GNSO Consultation Group on Early Engagement is a relatively new development and must be allowed adequate time to determine whether it can help to address these longstanding concerns.

305

Amr Elsadr

Agree that exploring the possibility of a GAC liaison to GNSO WG’s should be a topic of discussion, once the GAC/GNSO CG begins to address that phase of the GNSO’s PDP.

342

Olivier Crepin-Leblond

ALAC

(Support) Many At-Large Structures members who are in touch with the GAC representatives from their governments point out that this might put an additional work pressure on the GAC representatives.  Nevertheless, the ALAC believes that having GAC early engagement in GNSO PDP Working Groups is worth the additional work pressure and hopes that governments would consider tasking their representatives to carry out such engagement.