Dear All,

Thank you all for this thoughtful exchange. I share the community’s dedication to preserving the independence of the NomCom, which is fundamental to ICANN’s legitimacy. At the same time, I believe we should distinguish between influence and institutional reflection.

From my perspective, Tripti’s remarks were not an attempt to interfere, but rather a legitimate expression of concern voiced after the NomCom’s decision—an important distinction. Board leaders, like all community members, should be able to reflect openly on governance outcomes, especially when doing so invites greater vigilance, transparency, and diligence in future selections. Honest reflection strengthens accountability; silencing it would weaken the culture of openness that defines ICANN.

Tom Barrett’s reminder of the NomCom’s autonomy and Tripti’s call for reflection are not contradictory—they are complementary expressions of care for the integrity of the system. Both underscore that accountability and independence must coexist, not compete.

Rather than issue a reactive statement, ALAC could use this moment constructively—to call for clearer communication between the Board and the NomCom on how “guidance” is conveyed and understood, and to reaffirm our shared commitment to accountability, transparency, and respect for process boundaries. In doing so, we would demonstrate leadership not by taking sides, but by protecting the integrity of the multistakeholder system itself—where independence, dialogue, and mutual respect must coexist.

Pari Esfadiari

On Fri, Nov 7, 2025 at 8:44 PM Seun Ojedeji via ALAC <alac@icann.org> wrote:

Hello Leon,

I share yours and others' understanding of Carlos' comment as well. That said, the statement of the Chair of the Board is weighty and it can be really difficult to air personal opinions when wearing such a hat. It's a burden the bearer of the title must carry unfortunately. Not to defend her, perhaps she made the statement just to challenge nomcom to do more.

Nevertheless, I do know that NOMCOM has a process to interact with leadership of the various stakeholders whose leaders are partly filled by nomcom including the Board, that process is not to tell nomcom how/who to select but rather to highlight what kind of skill set or other diversity ingredients etc they feel might be missing in their current composition which i believe nomcom do put into consideration.

Tom has performed his duty as nomcom Chair to rightly reiterate the importance of maintaining the independence of nomcom (to the extent possible) and it's good to hear from Leon that the Board share the same view. The same nomcom process is what was used to appoint current nomcom appointee members of the Board including the Chair and they were not just formalities; the selections were done on merit. I believe Leon will take this as a feedback to the Board hence we may be flogging the matter by having ALAC do a separate dedicated statement.

Regards

On Fri, 7 Nov 2025 at 11:56, León Felipe Sánchez Ambía via ALAC <alac@icann.org> wrote:

I too understood that Carlos is suggesting something should be said in support of Tom’s statement in order to avoid undue interference with NomCom’s independence.

Now, having said that, let me clarify that it is not the Board being referred in Tom’s statement. His statement was addressed to the Board’s Chair as she made statements regarding her disappointment on past NomCom’s cycle selections and she was also clear that this was her personal sentiment and not of the Board.

My view is that the Board respects and supports the NomCom’s independence and also respects and supports its processes and Delegates. Proof of this is the vote on the resolution that appointed Tom and James as this year’s NomCom Chair and Chair-elect, in which only two individuals abstained and the rest of the Board members present voted in favor of the resolution.

I believe an independent NomCom is one of the corner stones of our MSM and as such we need to cherish it and care for it and defend it.

Kind regards,

León

El 7 nov 2025, a las 11:32 a.m., Tijani BEN JEMAA via ALAC <alac@icann.org> escribió:

This is also What I understood from Carlos message.
Tijani
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Vanda Scartezini via ALAC <alac@icann.org> a écrit :

i understood Tom’s words were quite clear and in a positive way defending the full independence of NOMCOM. I believe as I know what Ching said, that Carlos was just worried by the tentative of interference from the Board in the selection process of NOMCOM.

kisses

From: Raymond Mamattah via ALAC <alac@icann.org>
Date: Thursday, 6 November 2025 at 18:06
To: carlos dionisio aguirre <carlosaguirre62@hotmail.com>
Cc: alac interno 2 <alac@icann.org>, 'alac-excom@atlarge-lists.icann.org <'alac-excom@atlarge-lists.icann.org>, alac-admin@icann.org <alac-admin@icann.org>
Subject: [ALAC] Re: We need to say something about this. I think.

Hi Carlos,

I have gone through the attachment and I'm not sure I can identify where Tom went wrong.

Possibly, if you could quote his exact words that are problematic and explain why they're in bad taste. This will help us all known where you are coming from.

My one pesewa thought.

Regards,

---
Raymond Mamattah
Accra, Ghana 🇬🇭

On Thu, 6 Nov 2025, 17:17 carlos dionisio aguirre via ALAC, <alac@icann.org> wrote:

In the attachment, I’m sharing a post by Ching Chao that includes the accurate transliteration of what John Barrett said during the ICANN84 Public Forum when addressing the board.

I believe we must publicly address and demand an official response to the statements made by John Barrett (NomCom Chair). What he said is deeply concerning and cannot be left unanswered.

His words reveal a troubling perspective on the NomCom’s role and independence, and they risk undermining the trust that the entire ICANN community has worked so hard to build.

We need clarity, accountability, and a firm commitment that the NomCom will continue to operate free from undue influence.

Carlos Dionisio Aguirre

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------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tijani BEN JEMAA
Executive Director
Mediterranean Federation of Internet Associations (FMAI)
Telephone: +216 52 385 114
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--

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Seun Ojedeji,

Bringing another down does not take you up - think about your action!

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