Dear All,
In February this year, the ICANN Board passed a resolution (https://www.icann.org/resources/board-material/resolutions-2017-02-03-en) to move reconsideration
requests out of the Board Governance Committee (BGC) and create a separate Board committee specifically devoted to oversight of ICANN’s accountability mechanisms, including the reconsideration responsibilities. Read about the resolution and the rationale for
putting it forward in a blog by BGC Committee Chair Chris Disspain and ICANN Board Chair Steve Crocker, posted in February:
https://www.icann.org/news/blog/chairman-s-blog-en
The BGC’s reconsideration responsibilities are specified in ICANN’s fundamental bylaws, so this change requires affirmative approval by the Empowered Community. This recommendation is out for public comment (https://www.icann.org/public-comments/bylaws-bgc-2017-03-31-en
) now, and will be closing 10 May 2017. It is the first time the Empowered Community power may be used.
ICANN Board Chair Steve Crocker recently posted a blog post, which may be helpful in learning more about the EC powers and procedures, including the possibility of hosting a Community Forum on the amendments to the Fundamental Bylaws during ICANN59 in Johannesburg, South Africa, in June 2017: https://www.icann.org/news/blog/the-chairman-s-blog-reconsideration-requests-the-board-governance-committee-and-the-empowered-community.
Information on the Empowered Community can be found in Article 6 (https://www.icann.org/resources/pages/governance/bylaws-en/#article6 ) of ICANN’s bylaws,
and information on the Fundamental Bylaws Approval Process can be found in Annex D (https://www.icann.org/resources/pages/governance/bylaws-en/#annexD) , Article 1.
Best regards,
Joke Braeken
ccNSO Policy Advisor
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