ICANN Posts Revised Community Travel Support Procedure for FY09 http://www.icann.org./en/announcements/announcement-13aug08-en.htm 13 August 2008 The work to create a community travel support procedure began with a specific call for travel support in late 2007 by some in the community (though this issue has been discussed for some time). There has been extensive consultation on community travel support. It began as a workshop in Delhi, with comments received and an analysis posted. Further, a draft was posted in June, discussed in budget meetings in Paris, and again with fairly extensive comment in person, via email and on the web. These second round of comments were summarized and analyzed. This last summary is available at: http://forum.icann.org/lists/travel-support-draft/msg00013.html The revised Community Travel Support Procedure for FY09 ( http://www.icann.org./en/topics/travel-support/revised-procedure-11aug08.htm ) strives to accommodate the community feedback. Of course, this is a subject about which complete agreement is not possible. However, there is strong agreement within the community that a procedure exist that is documented, transparent, consistent, adhered-to, and reviewed/revised for efficacy. Comparing the final procedure with the draft discussed in Paris, some key changes include: * Guarantees travel support for NomCom-nominated counselors * Stresses transparency in application and post-meeting reporting * Allows for some flexibility in the allocation mechanism within a SO without overburdening the Chair The document strives to be complete without being overly-detailed. This will leave many specific questions unanswered. ICANN staff will develop and post a FAQ (frequently asked questions document) to capture questions, and provide consistent answers to the entire community. If you have questions, please send them to the ICANN staff member with whom you work most closely, or send them to travel-support@icann.org . Staff will collect feedback on issues that arise in the first implementation of this procedure, now through the Cairo meeting, and Staff will make clarifications, as needed. Additionally, Staff will conduct a complete review of the Community Travel Support Procedure at year end with a public consultation at the June ICANN meeting, and this will be an opportunity for RSSAC to provide additional input if desired. -- Regards, Nick Ashton-Hart, Matthias Langenegger, Frederic Teboul ICANN At-Large Staff email: staff@atlarge.icann.org