Dear Thomas,

As we have indicated during our joint meeting in Copenhagen, the ccNSO Council has initiated one (1) ccNSO Policy Development Process (ccPDP) to develop and recommend both a policy on the retirement of ccTLDs and on a review mechanism for decisions pertaining to the delegation, transfer, revocation and retirement of ccTLDs.

The decision of the ccNSO Council is published and can be found at: https://ccnso.icann.org/workinggroups/minutes-ccnso-council-meeting-15mar17-en.pdf  (Resolution 127-03 under agenda item 11). Please also find attached the Issue Report.

After careful consideration of the Issue Report, the ccNSO Council decided to focus the attention first on the retirement of ccTLDs and then on the review mechanism. The work under the ccPDP will be organized through working groups. Their charters are included in the Issue Report. In a separate letter the members of the GAC will be invited to get involved in the effort in a way most convenient to them, with the understanding that participants from the GAC will not represent views of the GAC.

As this Policy Development Process is organized through working groups and hence no Task Force, as foreseen in Annex B of the ICANN bylaws, is formed, I formally request you on behalf of the ccNSO Council, to offer opinion or advice on the Issue Report.

At a later stage in the process, the ccNSO Council will invite the GAC to provide opinion or advice on the final report.

On behalf of the ccNSO Council,

Katrina Sataki