Dear all, Please find included the written update from the ccNSO appointed co-chairs of the CCWG Use of Country and Territory Names, Annebeth Lange and Paul Szyndler Kind regards, Bart ---------------- Update on Cross-Community Working Group on Country and Territory Names At ICANN Buenos Aires, the C&TN Working Group concluded its initial deliberations on the first significant element of its work - the current and future use of two-letter codes as TLDs. Although all elements of the group's work are subject to ongoing revision until it delivers a Final Report, there was a pleasing level of preliminary agreement on maintaining the status quo. That is, 2-letter codes should be reserved for current, and possibly future, ccTLDs, according the ISO3166 list. This preliminary outcome was based not only on the WG's discussions, but also the feedback received from the community in response to a questionnaire issued by the group. The WG also provided updates to the GAC and other community stakeholders, in order to minimise confusion between our work and other initiatives relating to geographic terms. In order to maintain the momentum of its work, the WG has convened a regular schedule of (approximately fortnightly) teleconferences since Buenos Aires. In early August, the WG released a second questionnaire, addressing the use of 3-letter codes as TLDs. It was transmitted to Chairs of all SOs and ACs. The use of 3-letter codes as TLDs (and implications for country names) is a far more complicated issue than 2-letter codes. The WG expects to release both an explanatory note on historical uses of these codes, and an updated overall progress report, in advance of the Dublin meeting. The group will also focus on a preliminary discussion of 3-letter code use at that meeting. As a procedural aside, it is useful for Council to note that the "questionnaire" style of consultation of the WG has been only moderately successful. Although the WG is not formally issuing a "call for public comment" at each stage of its work, it is attempting to be as consultative as possible. However, these consultations have been slowed considerably by the differing engagement and approval processes of each SO and AC - which are only calibrated to cope with slower, formal consultation processes.