At-Large ICANN Future Meetings Strategy Workspace

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Comment / Reply Periods (*)

Comment Open Date: 

25 February 2014

Comment Close Date: 

21 April 2014 - 23:59 UTC

Reply Open Date: 

22 April 2014

Reply Close Date: 

13 May 2014 - 23:59 UTC

Important Information Links

Public Comment Announcement

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Brief Overview

Originating Organization: 

ICANN Meeting Strategy Working Group (MSWG)

Categories/Tags: 

• Events/Conferences
• Participation

Purpose (Brief): 

The purpose of this document is to help guide the Community through a proposed new strategy for the structure, purpose and locations of the ICANN public meetings to support broad, informed participation and reflect the functional, geographic, and cultural diversity of the Internet at all levels of policy development and decision-making.

Current Status: 

Recommendations posted for public comment.

Next Steps: 

At the conclusion of the public comment period a revised final report of recommended changes to the meetings model will be studied and decided upon by the Board. A public meeting of the MSWG will be held in Singapore on Monday, 24 March 2014.

Staff Contact: 

Tanzanica King

Email Staff Contact

Detailed Information

Section I: Description, Explanation, and Purpose: 

The Meeting Strategy Working Group (MSWG) is a true cross community Working Group. Its mandate was to gather information, exchange ideas and propose changes to future ICANN meetings at both a strategic and operational level.

The most significant aspects of ICANN meetings addressed by the group included:

• Scheduling (and general conference agenda)
• Length (of the conference overall)
• Number (of international public meetings per year)

This document [PDF, 565 KB] outlines the resulting recommendations of the working group and is submitted here for public comment.

For all recommendations in the document, subject to Board approval, the anticipated timing for implementation would be calendar year 2016.

Section II: Background: 

ICANN has been hosting international meetings since 1999 at a rate of four meetings per year, which was then reduced in 2003 to three meetings per year.

The meetings are a central principle of ICANN's multi-stakeholder model because they provide a venue for progressing policy work, conducting outreach, exchanging best practices, conducting business deals, interacting among members of the ICANN Community, including Board and Staff, and learning about ICANN.

Over the past several years the ICANN meetings have become increasingly complex events, and the success and growth of the Community's Global Multi-stakeholder organization has begun to introduce stresses to the current meetings model.

The growing demand for more sessions and meetings spread over more days has resulted in over-scheduled agendas and reduced opportunities for cross-community interaction. The growth of constituencies (and alike) and overall attendance at the meetings has also created the need for larger venues to accommodate the growing number of attendees.

Section III: Document and Resource Links: 

• Meeting Strategy Working Group Recommendations for Public Comment [PDF, 565 KB]
• http://www.icann.org/en/groups/board/participation/mswg/charter
• http://www.icann.org/en/groups/board/participation/mswg/composition

Section IV: Additional Information: 

N/A

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(*) Comments submitted after the posted Close Date/Time are not guaranteed to be considered in any final summary, analysis, reporting, or decision-making that takes place once this period lapses.

FINAL VERSION TO BE SUBMITTED IF RATIFIED

Please click here to download a copy of the pdf below. 

FINAL DRAFT VERSION TO BE VOTED UPON BY THE ALAC

The At-Large Advisory Committee supports the recommendations of the Meeting Strategy Working Group report.

The differentiation of the 3 annual meetings looks interesting and would permit to:

• Improve the geographic rotation allowing ICANN to go to countries where no large meeting venues are available
• Minimize the number of conflicting sessions through the separation of the constituencies’ internal work and the cross community sessions.
• Give more opportunities the cross community interaction
• Increase concentrated time of policy work
• Undertake outreach to engage with local Internet communities
• Increase opportunities for thematic, regional and or language-based interactions.

The ALAC also appreciates very much that visa deliverance becomes one of the main criteria for the selection of the meetings venue.

In addition, the ALAC suggests the following:

• that local availability of an open Internet without hindrance should also be added to the selection criteria.
• that venues without facilities for the easy participation of disabled communities should not be considered
• that video coverage of meetings using cameras and camera-work (pan and zoom) rather than a stationary Webcam would make the meetings more engaging for remote participants thus putting less pressure on face to face meetings

Finally, we welcome the recommendation not restricting rotation of any meeting to ICANN hub cities. 

FIRST DRAFT SUBMITTED

The At-Large Advisory Committee supports the recommendations of the Meeting Strategy Working Group report.

The differentiation of the 3 annual meetings looks interesting and would permit to:

• Improve the geographic rotation allowing ICANN to go to countries where no large  meeting rooms are available
• Minimize the number of conflicting sessions through the separation of the constituencies’ internal work and the cross community sessions.
• Give more opportunities for the cross community interaction
• Increase concentrated time of policy work
• Undertake outreach to engage with the local Internet communities
• Increase opportunities for thematic, regional and or language-based interactions.

 Also, the ALAC appreciates very much that the visa deliverance becomes one of the main criteria for the selection of the meetings venue. 

On the other hand, we welcome the recommendation not restricting rotation of any meeting to ICANN hub cities.