Dear Community Members: We are pleased to provide the information below at the request of the Chair of the ALAC --- ACSO Open Joint Sessions in Mexico Objectives and approach On the Monday of the Mexico meeting, there will be a joint meeting of the Advisory Committees and Supporting Organisations. The objective of this ³ACSO² session is to share views and perspectives on common issues in a way that will inform the discussions within those groups during the week. The format is a discussion among selected members of each of the Supporting Organisations and Advisory Committees. Each SO and AC will designate up to four people in order to represent a range of perspectives. The meeting will be held in two 90-minute sessions, separated by a 30-minute break, and with a 30-minute feedback period at the end. There will be two broad discussion topics of common interest, with specific sub-questions. They are: 14:00-15:30 -- EXPANDING THE NAME SPACE - What is the impact of the new gTLD and IDN Fast Track processes on the market structure of the Domain Name Space and ICANN¹s processes? - How should geographic names be handled and is there a blurring of ³cc² and ³g² spaces ? - What should be the cost and the pricing structure for new TLDs (both application fee and ongoing fees)? 16:00-17.30 -- IMPROVING POLICY DEVELOPMENT - What do we mean by ³policy development²? - How can technical expertise and input from stakeholders be included early in the process? - What changes, if any, could be made to ICANN¹s processes to allow for more effective policy development? These topics were chosen by the Chairs of the SOs and ACs after consultation with their members. The objective in each session is to have an open discussion rather than statements of official position, in order to foster a common understanding within the community. These sessions will not take decisions nor does the group represent a decision-making body. Sessions will be public and transcribed, but they are not a public forum. Opinion will however be sought during the discussion through the use of coloured cards to represent whether people agree or disagree with a particular comment or proposal put forward. A feedback period will follow at 1730 where members of the community will be invited to comment on any of the topics discussed in the previous two sessions. Please note that the session and its format remain experimental in an effort to improve discussion and interaction between Supporting Organizations and Advisory Committees. As such, not only do we expect to learn from the session in Mexico but we will be seeking feedback from the SOs and ACs themselves after the meeting is over in order to identify improvements for ICANN¹s next meeting in Sydney in June. -- Regards, Nick Ashton-Hart, Heidi Ullrich, Matthias Langenegger, Gisella Gruber-White, Marie-Helene Bouchoms ICANN At-Large Staff email: staff@atlarge.icann.org