Dear all, Please find included material for item 3a on the agenda of meeting 173. As you are approaching the final phase of the ccPDP3 on Retirement of ccTLDs, the Council will have to take 3 decisions: 1. Formally separate part 1 and Part 2 of the ccPDP. 2. Make a recommendation on the proposed policy 3. Approve the Members report, which is the Final Report with the Council Recommendation and minutes of the Council meeting added It is assumed that the Council supports the proposal to start the members voting on the ccTLD retirement process by 6 July 2021. If that is the case the 3 decisions listed need to be completed at the latest one week before the voting starts to allow the ccNSO members to consider the members report, which includes the Final Report, the Council Recommendation and related minutes of the meeting. For discussion tomorrow is the following proposed timeline: 1. The Decision to separate part 1 and part 2. Proposed is to do this on-line decision by 4 June 2021, so starting next week, 28 May 2021. This will give you time to read through the report prepared to underpin this decision. Note this decision is NOT part of the ccPDP. It is therefore subject to section 6 of the 2004 members rules: 10 % of the members can ask for a vote to veto or ratify this decision. Given the nature of this decision I suggest that in this case we explicitly need to vote in support of the separation 2. Adopt Recommendation on the proposed policy. This is our decision to support, object or abstain from recommending the proposed policy (Council Recommendation). Propose we take this decision during our ICANN71 meeting, and after the decision to separate part 1 and part 2 of ccPDP3 has become effective. This decision has to be taken by consensus, meaning that at least 14 members of the Council need to express their support for the Council Recommendation. 3. Approve the Members Report. As required under Annex B the Council will need to formally approve the Members Report. The suggestion is to circulate this report to the Council list by 18 June 2021. This will give you time to object. Once approved by Council it will be submitted/circulated to the members Under the assumption that the 1st round of members vote should start on 6 July 2021, alternative timelines will , make decision-making more complicated and/or you run the risk of not meeting the deadline. The alternatives are: special council meeting, at the latest 10 days before the 17 June 2021 meeting to take a vote on the separation. It may prove difficult to organize such a meeting (which has to be quorate!) at such short notice. Take a conditional decision on the ccPDP (condition that the separation becomes effective). Given the gravity of the decisions, it may not be the most transparent way of taking decisions, and difficult to explain to members. Included is already the proposed text for your decision to split ccPDP in two parts ccPDP on Retirement and ccPDP Review Mechanism. The text is circulated now and will be introduced tomorrow. No decisions will be required yet. For avoidance of doubt: you will NOT be asked to take a decision on splitting ccPDp3 nor on the Retirement Policy tomorrow. The Final Report will be formally submitted to you as soon as ccPDP3 has been split into the ccPDP on Retirement of ccTLD and the ccPDP on Review Mechanism. Kind regards, Bart