The vote to approve the new ROPs was held on Friday October 27. 

See:  NARALO's final ROP document PDF format

NAMES of Review Team

Timelines 

July 20, 2016 -   Reorganization of the ROP document for flow and readability

July 20, 2016 -  Silvia  created a ROP Review page,  document transferred to wiki page

July 30, 2016  -  NARALO discussion thread and SKYPE  communication of the proposed update on the ROP and request for  volunteers

August 8, 2016  - Request for Volunteers for the ROP review team, Set date for conference call

August 26, 2016  -  Second call for  call for volunteers

Nov 8, 2016  -   Presentation of Annual Review on status of  Rules of Procedures

Nov 16,  2016  -  Request for  Doodle Call to Staff 

Nov 29, 2016   - Meeting on  ROP- Alan, John M., Seth, Glenn, Alfredo  Regrets  Judith, Absent  Eduardo

Jan 16- Meeting call- Glenn McKnight, Judith Hellerstein, Alan Greenberg, John More, Louis Houle, Seth Reiss Absent: Eduardo Diaz
2017-01-16 NARALO Rules of Procedures Working Committee Call 

Feb 9, 2017 - Meeting with ROP Review Team

2017-02-09 NARALO Rules of Procedures Working Committee Call

March  23  2017 Judith meeting with John on the scope of the project

March 24  2017 Glenn skype call with John on the agenda of community call, sent out notice to ALS

March 28 2017    NARALO Community Discussion on NARALO Rules of Procedures

April 5 2017-  Presentation by John More of Draft Rules

April to May 2017- Additional Community Feedback on changes

Sept 28   2017 -Final edits on document and conversion to MS Word document and notice sent to Membership

NARALO RULES OF PROCEDURES FINAL DRAFT 09-28-17.pdf

Oct 20- The twenty one (21 day) notification completed to the membership

Oct 20-27 BIG PULSE Vote for the Adoption of Rules 

Oct 28 - Vote results 

Action Items

• John More agreed to act as the pen holders in the drafting of the new ROP
• Glenn and Silvia to provide RALO comparisons for NARALO ROP
• Timelines
  • Draft ROP launched at the  General Assembly at  ARIN meeting on April 2 to 5th, 2017
  • Target: Formal adoption at prior to ICANN 60 at Abu Dhabi
    

Rationale

The  NARALO ROP is under review starting at the NARALO August  8th, 2016 meeting with a call for volunteers to help to review the document and do a summary comparison to the other RALO's. The current draft as of May 28, 2017 is located here:

NARALO Rules of Procedure DISCUSSION DRAFT CLEAN2 (05-20-17).docx

These efforts are consistent with the other RALO's which have been changes or in the midst of making updates ie.  EURALO Task Force on review and revision of the EURALO By-Laws

Rules and Procedures Draft 2017-03-30:

NARALO Rules of Procedure DISCUSSION DRAFT (03-30-17).docx

  Expectations of ROP Review Team Volunteers

1. Attend a series of  Adobe Connect calls to review the ROP, provide constructive suggestions in consultation to other  RALO rules.  
2. Assess the functionality of the existing rules and assess their application to NARALO current practices
3. Suggest modifications, removal and additions of any ROP to make NARALO more productive and operative
4. Review Team will  report on the NARALO monthly calls to the ALS membership on their progress
5. Table to the membership their suggestions  
6. Encourage  community feedback on the proposed changes

NARALO Operating Principles

2013-08-20 – For NARALO Approval (Previous version: NA-2007-1-1 Revision 1)

2016-05-14- For  NARALO Approval(Previous  version: N-2013-1-1-Revision 1)--- Old Draft

1.0 Introduction–Old Draft

The Operating Principles of the North American Regional At-Large Organisation were certified as having been adopted on 12th June 2007 by the Interim Chair of the NARALO.

  The first revision of the Operating Principles was adopted on 3rd October 2010 by the NARALO ALS representatives.

  The  second revision was  adopted on  _______________   representatives  by the NARALO ALS

2.0 Authorization

2.1  The North American Regional At-Large Organization (NARALO) promotes and assures the North American user participation in the ICANN policy development process. It is formed by the unaffiliated individuals who meet the requirements under rule 17 and by those North American At-Large Structures (ALSs) accredited by the At-Large Advisory Committee (ALAC).

2.2 The NARALO will function as long as the Memorandum of Understanding between ICANN and the NARALO remains valid.( Add link to  MOU)

2.3 Participation to NARALO discussions is open to every user and group of users and their participation will be promoted.

3.0 Language

3.1 The NARALO will be multilingual from its inception. Public documents will be produced in English, French and Spanish as appropriate.
3.2  NARALO  monthly calls will be offered in French and Spanish given that at least three members expressly request the language translation services

4.0 Elections

4.1 The governance of the NARALO will be exercised by a General Assembly, formed by 1 representative of each member ALS and 1 representative of the unaffiliated individuals.

• Each year the General Assembly shall elect a Chair and a Secretariat from among the membership of the ALSs and the unaffiliated individuals.
• Each member of the General Assembly shall be allowed to cast a vote. The election can take place by electronic mail, online balloting, written balloting, or any other means deemed convenient and accurate by the Secretariat.

4.2 The NARALO will choose two (2) persons to serve as members of the At-Large Advisory Committee (ALAC), in the terms that are specified in the ICANN By Laws. The candidates shall be unaffiliated individuals or members of different ALSs and must live in the region. Selected members will have the responsibilities described in the ICANN Bylaws, ALAC Rules of Procedure and the RALO documents.

4.3 These members will serve for terms of two (2) years and may not serve more than two consecutive terms totaling more than 40 months. Each new ALAC member selected by the NARALO will be seated at the close of ICANN's annual meeting. ALAC members filling a vacancy will be seated immediately following their nomination.

The first chosen ALAC members will serve one (1) and two (2) years respectively, to allow for the yearly selection of one ALAC member, and they will be seated at the ICANN meeting where the MOU between ICANN and the NARALO is signed. If the first chosen ALAC members cannot agree between themselves on the length of their respective terms, a draw will determine which individual serves for one (1) and two (2) years.

4.4  At least once a year, on or before the First of July, or whenever a vacancy arises, the NARALO shall issue a call for nominations (including self-nominations) for members of the North American Internet community to serve on the ALAC. The call for nominations shall be open for at least 30 days. New ALAC members will be selected and announced sufficiently in advance of ICANN's annual meeting to allow them to be seated as required by Paragraph 10. Nominations other than self-nominations must be accepted within one week of the close of the nomination period.

4.5 After the close of the nomination (and acceptance period if required), the NARALO shall convene its General Assembly to select its member(s) for the ALAC. Selection of the ALAC should normally be made through a "rough consensus" process. "Rough consensus" does not require that all participants agree although this is, of course, preferred. In general, the dominant view of the NARALO shall prevail. (However, it must be noted that "dominance" is not to be determined on the basis of volume or persistence, but rather a more general sense of agreement.) Consensus can be determined by electronic mail, online balloting, written balloting, or any other means deemed convenient and accurate by the Secretariat. Note that 51% of the NARALO does not qualify as "rough consensus" and 99% is better than rough. It is up to the Chair of the General Assembly to determine if rough consensus has been reached. (This definition of "rough consensus" is substantially similar to that found in paragraph 3.3 of RFC 2418).

4.6 In the event that the Chair determines that for a contested election, a secret vote is preferable, or if a rough consensus does not exist for the selection of one or more candidates for ALAC seats, the General Assembly will vote. In the event of a tie for an ALAC Member selection, the Chair will cast an extra vote.

4.7 Rough consensus, as determined by the Chair, will generally be used within the NARALO to manage its current affairs (e.g. producing recommendations to ICANN).

4.8 These Operating Principles will take effect when adopted by not less than 70% of the active General Assembly members. They may be amended at any time by an affirmative vote of not less than 70% of active North American At-Large Structures.

4.9 In the case of a tie in any election for Chair or Secretariat, the decision of who is declared winner will rest on a secret ballot of three people. Those three persons will be selected, from the current occupants of the following positions, in order, excluding any people who are among the tied candidates: the three current ALAC members, the NARALO Chair, the NARALO Secretariat (or representative thereof if the position is filled by more than one person or an organization). Should there not be three persons who meets these requirements, the selection shall be by random choice overseen by At-Large Staff.

4.10 All consensus decisions and votes of the General Assembly members shall weight all members equally.

4.11  The unaffiliated individuals will be responsible for selecting their representative to the General Assembly. Such representative must not be employed or contracted by, or have substantive financial interest in, an ICANN contracted registry or accredited registrar. Selection of a new representative of the unaffiliated individuals will occur whenever a new ALAC member is selected by the General Assembly.

4.12 The unaffiliated individuals will adopt a verifiable process to ensure that votes cast via their elected representative reflect the views held among their membership. In the event of a tie, the unaffiliated representative will cast an extra vote.

5.0 Officers  Roles and Responsibilities

5.1   The Chair shall act as moderator and facilitator of the work of the NARALO.

5.2   The Chair shall be empowered to issue Calls for Statements of Interest for service on the ALAC and to sign and receive any official correspondence to and from ICANN or the At- Large Structures.

5.3   The Chair and Secretariat shall be ineligible to serve on the ALAC or ICANN's    Nominating Committee in any year in which they serve for NARALO.

5.4  The Secretariat will have administrative and informative functions.

5.4.1  It will be responsible for maintaining a working communications system and for ensuring the information flux about the issues under discussion between the NARALO participants. 
5.4.2 The person(s) fulfilling the function of Secretariat to the NARALO shall be ineligible to simultaneously serve as the Chair of the General Assembly.

5.5   The General Assembly will be able to set up ad-hoc Task Forces to deal with specific issues.

The General Assembly and its Chair will be supported by a Secretariat. The role of the Secretariat could be exercised by a person, persons or an organization.

6.0 ALS  Criteria, Participation and  Metrics

6.1  Participation to NARALO affairs and discussions implies agreement with the NARALO Code of Conduct.( ADD LINK)

6.2   The ability of the NARALO to represent the interest of Internet users depends on strong participation from all NARALO Members and Appointees. Furthermore, the NARALO can only function effectively if all NARALO Members and Appointees meet the obligations of their positions. Satisfactory performance is a complex concept including both objective and subjective issues, and must factor in the very significant personal contributions made by At-Large volunteers.

6.3   All NARALO Members must make regular and significant contributions to the NARALO, At-Large and ICANN. Contributions can include posting comments, suggestions on the mailing list, participation in At Large working groups or in task forces, participating in RALO and ALAC meetings.

6.4    A variety of metrics will be maintained related to quantifiable performance aspects to ensure that all NARALO Members and appointees are aware of their performance, and to support the Chair in the responsibility of monitoring such performance. Such metrics will include, but are not limited to:

6.5 Meeting attendance, which includes sending prior notice if attendance is not possible. Attendance will be based on individual NARALO sessions for meetings held during an ICANN meeting and the monthly NARALO meetings held online.

6.6      Participation in the decisions and votes of the NARALO

6.7   Participation and roles played in NARALO working groups as well as those of other bodies within ICANN.

6.8   Subject to privacy and confidentiality requirements, the metrics for all Members and Appointees will be publicly available.

6.9   The NARALO is empowered to set thresholds which the ALSes could use to monitor performance.

6.10   The NARALO has the right to withdraw the appointment of NARALO appointees.

6.11  The Chair is empowered to initiate or take action as agreed to by the NARALO with regard to performance and remediation. Any such actions must be done with due sensitivity and consideration to cultural differences throughout the globally diverse At-Large Community to the extent possible. Such actions may include but not be limited to:

6.12   Discussion of issue with the NARALO Member or Appointee.

6.13  Use of an impartial third-party for mediation.

6.14     Discussion with the ALAC leadership if the NARALO Member is an appointee to the ALAC.

6.15     Recommend to ICANN the withdrawal of travel funding.

6.16   Although resignations are far preferable to the NARALO taking formal action, should the situation warrant it, the NARALO may vote to remove an NARALO Member following the procedures described in Paragraph 7.0.

6.20   The ICANN Ombudsman provides an independent internal evaluation of complaints by members of the ICANN community who believe that the ICANN staff, Board or an ICANN constituent body has treated them unfairly.

7.0 Decertifications

7.1 When an ALS representative does not participate

•  Three ( 3) consecutive NARALO elections or
•  Does not contribute a comment on ICANN policy through collaboration on the At-Large discussion lists, or
•  Participate in at least two RALO or ALAC calls in 12 consecutive months, it automatically loses its voting rights and active status within the NARALO.

The ALS will be notified prior to reaching this stage and informed that if their performance does not include they risk being decertified. The ALS should be notified of the status change and may regain its voting rights and active status if within the next 12 months it participates in online discussions, otherwise the Chair will submit to ALAC a request for de-certification of that ALS.

In the case of an apparently dormant or non-existent ALS, the Chair may also recommend that the ALS be decertified, providing evidence of such rationale.

The members of the unaffiliated individuals, including the representative to the NARALO General Assembly must submit an affirmation to At-Large Staff indicating that they meet the following criteria:

• be subscribed to the NA-Discuss list,
  

• be a permanent resident of one of the countries/territories in the North American region as defined by ICANN,

• not be a member of a certified ALS.

Ceasing to meet any of the criteria terminates unaffiliated membership.

7.2   Should a situation arise that requires the removal of an NARALO Member the following will apply:

7.2.1  In the case of an accredited ALS the ALS Representative(s) must be given an opportunity to explain to the NARALO Leadership why the ALS should not be decertified (listed as “Inactive” thereby forfeiting any and all voting rights, and then if decertification is desired or agreed upon, a submission with explanatory notes will be presented to the ALAC for further action and processing via the RALOs Regional representatives).

7.2.2  In the case of an Individual the person must be given an opportunity to explain to the NARALO why he/she should not be removed and if remedial action is not an option, then resignation is to be encouraged.

7.2.3  Should a vote be necessary within the RALO regarding removal, it will be carried out with a secret ballot of all sitting NARALO Members except the one in question.

Final Points

Where these Operating Principles may conflict with the other documents governing NARALO operating rules, procedures and practices, these Operating Principles shall prevail