Dear all,

Please find below the updated final agenda for GNSO Council's 15 May 2025 meeting, followed by my summary report on Matters of Interest.  Happy to answer and questions on this thread or during the next ALAC Monthly Call on 20 May.

GNSO Council Meeting #5 of 2025 held on 15 May 2025

Full Agenda  |  Documents  |  Motions

  • Item 1: Administrative Matters

  • Item 2: Opening Remarks / Review of Projects  Action List

    • 2.1 - Review focus areas and provide updates on specific key themes / topics, to include review of Projects List and  Action Item List    

  • Item 3: Consent Agenda

    • Aspirational Statement
  • Item 4: COUNCIL VOTE - Deferral of the Next Steps of Phase Two of the Review of All Rights Protection Mechanisms (RPMs) in All New gTLDs Policy Development Process (PDP) for an Additional Six Months
  • Item 5: COUNCIL DISCUSSION - Han Script Character gTLDs (Recommendation 3.17)
  • Item 6: COUNCIL DISCUSSION - Council Alignment on the Future of Reviews
  • Item 7: COUNCIL UPDATE: Subsequent Procedures Implementation Review Team on Recommendation 36.4

  • Item 8: Any Other Business

    8.1 - ICANN83 Planning
    • 8.2 - GAC Liaison updates
    • 8.3 - Update on the WSIS+20 work
    • 8.4 - Whois Implementation Advisory Group update
    • 8.5 - Registration Data Request Service (RDRS) Standing Committee Report - open question of public comment
    • 8.6 - HRIA of Transfer Policy Review
    • 8.7 - Chair update

Summary to the ALAC on GNSO Council Meeting #5 of 2025 held on 15 May 2025

For brevity, I will just highlight a few things here.

1. Consent Agenda

2. Review of All Rights Protection Mechanisms (RPMs) in All New gTLDs

  • Council resolved to defer next steps on Phase Two of the RPMs PDP – specifically the launch of a Charter Drafting Team – for an additional 6-month period beginning on 15 May 2025. Council may revise the deferral period depending on the progress of the RPM Phase 1 IRT and/or the outcome of Council’s prioritization exercise.

3. Han Script Character gTLDs

  • During Council deliberations at its April meeting, some Councilors suggested an Expert Working Group (EWG), as an alternative to the GGP, to determine the guidance necessary to allow Han single characters to proceed.  Staff had provided an update to the Council where an additional mechanism was identified - the External Expert Advice (EEA) process as captured in Article 13 of the ICANN Bylaws.

  • After much deliberation, Council decided to the matter be referred back to ICANN org with a recommendation for ICANN to establish an Expert WG using the EEA process. Council Leadership offered to draft a letter to org, to that effect, to address the need for guidance necessary to allow Han single characters to proceed without introducing confusion risks that rise above commonplace similarities.

4. Future of Review

  • Council discussed the potential options on the status of Reviews, including:

    • Status Quo: Continue on the current path, kick off ATRT4 and bifurcate out the Pilot Holistic Review (structural review) and the Continuing Improvement process.

    • Change Option 1: Repurpose ATRT4 to have it undertake the structural review, and as a result wind down the Pilot Holistic Review (with the Continuing Improvement process independent and functioning).

    • Change Option 2: Suspend all reviews and kick off a Review of Reviews to determine what reviews are necessary at this time (including a structural review).

  • After some discussion, Council leaned towards both Change Option 1 and Change Option 2.

5. Registration Data Request Service (RDRS)

  • After some discussion, it was decided that the RDRS Standing Committee Report should be put out for public comment considering that it may contain some recommendations.


Thanks for reading / considering

Justine Chew
ALAC Liaison to the GNSO 



On Mon, 5 May 2025 at 23:34, Justine Chew <justine.chew.icann@gmail.com> wrote:
Dear all, 

Due to technical issues with my GNSO Liaison workspace which prevent me from updating its webpage, I am informing you of the agenda of the GNSO Council 15 May 2025 meeting (as set out below), followed by a curation of the matters of interest therein, by way of a googledoc.

GNSO Council Meeting #5 of 2025 held on 15 May 2025 

Full Agenda  |  Documents  |  Motions

  • Item 1: Administrative Matters

  • Item 2: Opening Remarks / Review of Projects & Action List

  • Item 3: Consent Agenda

    • Aspirational Statement

  • Item 4: COUNCIL VOTE - Deferral of the Next Steps of Phase Two of the Review of All Rights Protection Mechanisms (RPMs) in All New gTLDs Policy Development Process (PDP) for an Additional Six Months

  • Item 5: COUNCIL DISCUSSION - Han Script Character gTLDs (Recommendation 3.17)

  • Item 6: COUNCIL DISCUSSION - Council Alignment on the Future of Reviews

  • Item 7: COUNCIL UPDATE: Subsequent Procedures Implementation Review Team on Recommendation 36.4

  • Item 8: Any Other Business

    • 8.1 - ICANN83 Planning

    • 8.2 - ccNSO and GAC Liaison updates

    • 8.3 - Whois Implementation Advisory Group update

    • 8.4 - Registration Data Request Service (RDRS) Standing Committee Report - open question of public comment

    • 8.5 - Chair update


Matters of Interest can be found at this link: GNSO Council 15 May 2025 Meeting

This Council meeting will take place on 15 May 2025 at 05:00 UTC:  https://tinyurl.com/knke3w  for 2 hours and is open to observers remotely in listen-only mode via Zoom: https://icann.zoom.us/j/91048235847?pwd=bmEHjk0uYT3sR2DIoE0c0yw4HKbM6O.1

Thanks for reading / considering

Justine Chew
ALAC Liaison to the GNSO