FYI -- worth noting this advance notice. Kind regards, Olivier -------- Original Message -------- Subject: Invitation to participate in a cross-community working group framework discussion Date: Mon, 4 Nov 2013 14:22:36 -0800 From: Glen de Saint Géry <Glen@icann.org> To: Olivier MJ Crepin-Leblond (ocl@gih.com) <ocl@gih.com> CC: jonathan.robinson@ipracon.com <jonathan.robinson@ipracon.com>, gnso-secs@icann.org <gnso-secs@icann.org> To: All Chairs of ICANN Supporting Organizations and Advisory Committees Dear Colleagues, *Invitation to participate in a cross-community working group framework discussion * In the past few years, many in the ICANN community have acknowledged the usefulness of forming cross-community working groups periodically, to collaborate on policies and solutions on issues that cut across various ICANN Supporting Organizations and Advisory Committees. Recently, at its meeting on 5 October 2013, the Generic Names Supporting Organization Council expressed a wish to collaborate with other SO/ACs to develop a general framework of operating principles under which interested SO/ACs could work together, within the terms of each other's mandates and remits, on such issues of common interest. I am therefore writing to invite interested representatives of your community to join with the GNSO in such an effort. A GNSO drafting team worked on a preliminary set of draft principles in 2012, which were circulated to other SO/ACs for feedback. The GNSO Council received some very helpful comments and suggestions from various community members and groups, and we have asked ICANN policy staff to consolidate these with a view toward assisting a new cross-community drafting team to improve and develop on the initial set of draft principles. Our hope is that the new team will include members from all interested SO/ACs so that that we can work together on a set of principles that can operate across our different communities and associated rules and processes. Further, to help determine, for example, when and under what conditions cross-community working groups should be formed and their guiding principles, with the ultimate goal of ensuring the effective and constructive functioning of these groups. ICANN staff will have its report ready by the time of the ICANN meeting in Buenos Aires and shortly thereafter it should be possible to form a cross-community drafting team. I will be sure to send the ICANN staff report to you when it is complete, to assist with you and your community's deliberations on the matter. In the meantime, I very much hope that you will inform your community about the new effort and will of course be happy to discuss any questions about the topic, so please do not hesitate to contact me. For your information, the background documents and initial work done by the GNSO drafting team last year can be accessed here: http://gnso.icann.org/en/group-activities/active/cross-community. I look forward to your response and to working with you and your community on this matter, which I believe is of interest to us all. Best wishes, Jonathan Robinson Chair, ICANN GNSO Council