Dear Alan, members of the ALAC and At-Large community, Congratulations! A significant milestone and achievement. Best regards, Rinalia

Link: https://www.icann.org/en/system/files/files/report-comments-op-budget-fy17-f...

“Response

Value in Face-to-Face Meetings ICANN recognizes the fundamental importance of the representation of users in ICANN’s multistakeholder model, and of the participation of such representatives in its activities. ICANN also recognizes that the existing structures of the At-Large organization depend for their effectiveness on face-to-face meetings, and that the past experience of the value resulting from such face-to-face meetings has received broad consensus from the community.

ICANN Agrees with the At-Large Request ICANN welcomes the request from At-Large for a multiyear schedule of General Assemblies and Summits. It is consistent with the organization’s efforts to plan more and better in both short and long terms. It allows the existing meetings and costs to be put in the longer term perspective of a five-year cycle. This will improve the predictability of activities and costs for the ICANN organization and allow better planning and increased efficiency in the organization of such meetings. It also makes explicit the commitment of the At-Large organization to the suggested structure of meetings included in the proposal.

The Way Forward ICANN plans to integrate the At-Large multiyear schedule of General Assemblies and Summits, and similar requests from other parts of the community, into ICANN’s Five-Year Operating Plan. This means At-Large will not have to make new requests every year for the inclusion in the Fiscal Year Operating Plan and Budget.

Future Considerations The Fiscal Year Operating Plan and Budget are subject to community and Board approval each year. Because of the longer term planning arising from this process, both the ICANN and At-Large organizations will need to be flexible and adjust the scheduling of General Assemblies and Summit meetings to take account of circumstances as they arise. “ We also recommended that At-Large provides periodic updates of the five-year cycle of meetings. These should happen at least once a year and at least two months before the scheduled date of publication of the draft annual operating plan and budget for public comment. Changes to be made in final FY17 planning documents Integrate the proposed multiyear planning proposal into the FY17 Operating Plan and Budget