Dear All, This is to inform you about the list of candidates and next steps for the 2023 ccNSO Council elections. In accordance with the approved timeline, the nomination period for the ccNSO Council closed on Wednesday, 5 October 2022, 23.59 UTC. The nomination archives can be found here<https://mm.icann.org/pipermail/ccnso-nominations/>. The following candidates were nominated, seconded, and have accepted their nomination for the ccNSO council election, as per the applicable rules and timeline: Africa: Molehe Wesi Asia-Pacific: Ai-Chin Lu Europe: Chris Disspain Latin America – Caribbean: Alejandra Reynoso North America: Stephen Deerhake In preparation of the Q&A sessions, the written candidate statements and possible other material shared by the candidates are enclosed. This announcement will also be published on the ccNSO website<https://ccnso.icann.org/en/about/elections/council.htm>. Join the 19 October Q&A session with Council candidates Two sets of Question & Answer sessions will be held virtually. Both sessions will be moderated by ccNSO Council Vice Chair Biyi Oladipo (.ng). You are warmly invited to participate in the Q&A sessions, as it will provide the ccNSO members and broader ccTLD community an opportunity to interact with the candidates from their respective regions. Registration links are included below. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting. All sessions will be recorded, and recordings will be posted here<https://community.icann.org/display/ccnsowkspc/ccNSO+Webinars>. Q&A candidates AF, AP, EU region When? Wednesday, 19 October 2022, 08:00 am UTC for max. 1 hour Register in advance for this meeting: https://icann.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJApcuuurDIvH9Ti_slICJwG_c-w2LU1jjxj Q&A candidates LAC, NA region When? Wednesday, 19 October 2022, 18:00 pm UTC for max. 1 hour Register in advance for this meeting: https://icann.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJwrcOqvpjotG9W8hi7R1bziAsy4aB_Kijyh Next steps As only one candidate was nominated and seconded within the nomination period for the African, Australia-Asia-Pacific, European, Latin American-Caribbean and North American regions, no elections need to be held in those regions. Since at the close of nominations there are no more valid candidates in the aforementioned geographic regions than there are seats on the ccNSO Council available for those regions, the nominated candidates shall be selected to serve on the ccNSO Council. Conclusion The Election Manager will prepare the Election Report for the 2023 ccNSO council elections for consideration by the ccNSO Council. The Council Election process 2023 will formally close 7 days after adoption and publication of the Election Report. The terms of the appointed Council members will start at the end of ICANN76, in March 2023. Background The 3-year term for five members of the ccNSO Council will end in March 2023, at the conclusion of the ICANN73 Community Forum: Africa: Souleymane Oumtanaga Asia Pacific: Ai-Chin Lu Europe: Chris Disspain Latin America/Caribbean: Alejandra Reynoso North America: Stephen Deerhake The ccNSO opened a call for nominations to fill those seats: the nomination and secondment procedure started 14 September 2022 (00:01 UTC) and closed 3 weeks later Wednesday, 5 October 2022 (23:59 UTC). The ccNSO Council<https://ccnso.icann.org/about/council.htm> consists of 18 Councillors: 15 Councilors are elected by the ccNSO members within that ICANN Geographic Region. Individuals are elected in their personal capacity and serve the ccTLD community. There are 5 geographic regions, and 3 Councilors per region. Three additional Councillors are appointed by the ICANN Nominating Committee. Links Archive for nominations and secondments<https://mm.icann.org/pipermail/ccnso-nominations/> Relevant ccNSO guideline<https://ccnso.icann.org/sites/default/files/field-attached/guideline-ccnso-c...> Timeline<https://community.icann.org/display/ccNSOCWS/June+2022+-+@ICANN74?preview=/1...> ccNSO Council Election Webinar: recording<https://community.icann.org/display/ccnsowkspc/ccNSO+Webinars> Call for nominations<https://ccnso.icann.org/en/announcements/announcement-08sep22-en.htm> Invite Q&A session with Council candidates<https://ccnso.icann.org/en/announcements/announcement-07oct22-en.htm> Best regards, Joke Braeken joke.braeken@icann.org