Dear SOAC Chairs,

As an action item from the discussion under Any Other Business during the Roundtable on 15 August, ICANN org is pleased to convene the WSIS+20 Discussion Group. The idea for a discussion group emerged after an exchange of letters between the ccNSO and the ICANN organization (15 July and 25 July).The discussion group will be informal (i.e., no charter) and lightweight (i.e., limited membership) to foster trusted collaboration and efficient coordination. Please refer to the information below for more details.

My colleague Carlos Reyes will facilitate the discussion group with the subject matter expertise of our Government and IGO Engagement team. Please email carlos.reyes@icann.org with the name(s) and email addresses of the two participants from your Supporting Organization or Advisory Committee who will be joining the discussion group. If we may, we would like to ask for your responses by Friday 5 September at the latest.

With thanks to Alejandra and the ccNSO, we hope this new endeavor benefits both the ICANN and technical communities in the evolving global Internet governance landscape.

Cheers,
Mary

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WSIS+20 Discussion Group                          

Purpose
The WSIS+20 Discussion Group will serve as a conduit for the ICANN organization and the ICANN community to discuss and coordinate approaches to explain, promote, and defend the multistakeholder model of Internet governance in the context of the WSIS+20 review process. The discussion group will provide a platform for information exchange and shared understanding between the ICANN organization and ICANN community on matters related to the WSIS+20 review process. This may include the development of consistent messaging for use with stakeholders of the WSIS+20 review process to bolster the credibility of the technical community and ensure its successful, continued engagement in the evolving global Internet governance landscape.

Scope
The discussion group is not a policy development or advisory group within the ICANN community or a chartered cross-community working group. The discussion group will not define the strategy of the ICANN Board or ICANN organization. The discussion group will not develop deliverables such as recommendations, though its members are encouraged to share suggestions, best practices, and other informational resources to their appointing ICANN community groups. The discussion group is separate from the WSIS+20 Outreach Network, which is a broader effort (as outlined in its goals) beyond the ICANN community that the ICANN organization currently facilitates.

Membership
ICANN community participation in the discussion group is optional. Each Supporting Organization and Advisory Committee may designate up to two participants. Discussion group participants should be willing to participate and contribute their knowledge about the WSIS+20 review process. Discussion group participants will be members in their individual capacity and not representatives of their appointing ICANN community group.

ICANN’s Role
The ICANN organization will convene the discussion group and will invite participation from the ICANN community. In addition to facilitating the discussion group, the ICANN organization will have a distinct role in that it will share its thinking and analysis to inform the approaches that the ICANN community and the technical community may consider in the context of the WSIS+20 review process.

Support
In addition to its distinct role as a participant, the ICANN organization will provide subject matter experts and operational support to the discussion group. Operational support may include a mailing list, virtual meetings, and a workspace (e.g., GoogleDrive or Atlassian Confluence wiki), as determined by the participants.

There are no budgetary resources or travel support for the discussion group, which will cease to exist at the conclusion of the WSIS+20 review process.