NOTES
ccNSO Council meeting 223
Thursday, 20 November 2025 | noon UTC
Jordan, Olga, Ali, Nacho
https://icann-community.atlassian.net/wiki/x/J4wlBg
Alejanra: 3 AOB
a.
SOI updates
Consult the
ccNSO SOI Guideline
Complete the SOI
template
Check the ccNSO
Statements of Interest
Alejandra: any updates?
none
b.
Meeting quorum
Apologies: Jordan, Olga, Ali
a.
Minutes Meeting 222
Circulated to the Council mailing list on 14 November 2025.
Alejandra: questions? none
b.
Action Items:
Alejandra: All action items either completed, pending, or awaiting launch of the new website.
Regarding item 222-02 (pending items tracker) are completed. In Dublin we felt that issue needs to be addressed and it still
has to. More matter is ccNSO Council and secretariat the most appropriate group to set-up and maintain the joint tracker. Needs further discussion. Will keep this as an action item agenda, with the caveat that preliminary questions need to be resolved first.
Any comments? None
·
Action item 222-01
The ccNSO Secretariat is requested to schedule a call for volunteers for a small group to review the Bylaw Change Playbook and prepare a response to be adopted by the Council at Meeting
223 in November (See agenda item 16)
·
Action item 222-02
The ccNSO Secretariat is requested to create a joint tracker in a google doc for all SO/ACs to add any pending requested items to the Board. (Pending, awaiting clarification and confirmation
by other SO/AC)
·
Action item 222-03
Following the conclusion of the candidate Q&A, the Nomination Process Manager is requested to prepare the Nomination Process report for discussion by Council at meeting 223.(Completed,
see item 13)
·
Action item 222-04
The Council Election Process Manager is requested to launch a call for nominations for one seat on the ccNSO Council, for the African region.(Completed)
·
Action item 222-05
The ccNSO Secretariat is requested to publish the updated ccNSO FY26-27 Portfolio of Activities and quarterly overview
(Pending, awaits launch of new website).
·
Action item 222-06
The ccNSO Chair is requested to inform the RySG and CSC about the adoption by ccNSO of the changes to the CSC Charter. The secretariat is requested to inform ICANN legal and other relevant
ICANN staff, and publish this resolution (Completed).
·
Action item 222-07
The secretariat is requested to publish the updated overview of the policies, guidance and practices for ccTLDs, and to archive the previous version. The secretariat is also requested
to publish this resolution regarding the adoption of the updated overview. (Pending, awaits launch of new website).
·
Action item 222-08
The secretariat is requested to inform the leadership teams of the various working groups and committees and persons appointed, of appointments and enable their participation in the respective
teams. This also includes the nominees for the 2026 ICANN leadership Program.
(Completed)
·
Action item 222-09
The ccNSO Secretariat is requested to launch calls for volunteers for the SOPC, IANA Whois Accuracy Study Group and RZERC.(Completed).
None
None
Written updates - if any - are published on the wiki space for this meeting.
Written updates for items 6, 7, 8 are available or will be coming soon to our inboxes. In the meantime does anyone have any pressing
comments? none
a.
ccPDP4-IDN (Dormant)
b.
DASC
c.
GRC
d.
IGLC
e.
MPC
f.
OMC
g.
SOPC
h.
Tech WG
i.
TLD-OPS SC
j.
Triage Committee (reported)
k.
UAC
l.
CIP-CCG
m.
Planning Prioritization Process group
n.
RZERC
o.
RSS GWG
p.
CCG Review of Reviews (item 11)
a.
Update ccNSO Liaison to ALAC
b.
Update ccNSO Liaison to GNSO Council
Informational
No update since meeting 222
Informational
Alejandra: in fact-finding mode. Webinars on Tuesday.
Chris: later one was better attended. Review on past reviews. Straightforward discussion. Well worth having. Next CCG call is
next Tuesday. We will talk about possible solutions. Focus initially on the A bucket. To be followed up in the annual reports and the strategic plan, as boundaries for the reviews.
Alejandra: all according to schedule? No concerns regarding progress?
Chris: not at the moment
Alejandra: do we need a session with ccNSO at ICANN85.
Chris: at least one plenary, probably Thursday morning. We want to meet during the week with each SO/AC, for at least 1 hour.
You will receive a letter soon.
Background
ICANN's bylaws require periodic reviews of its supporting organizations, advisory committees, and other structures to ensure accountability and effectiveness. Past reviews have faced
institutional lethargy, missed deadlines, and a failure to fully implement recommendations before the next review cycle begins. The current effort, formally initiated in May 2025 with a proposed Cross-Community Group (RoR CCG), seeks to break this cycle by
addressing the procedural challenges within the review process itself.
No update since Council meeting 222
Alejandra: attended Mumbai planning webinar. Two topics which need follow-up:
Both myself and Eberhard expressed concerns. To be followed-up
For discussion and decision
Joke: The Nomination Report is in your inboxes and posted on the Council wiki for this meeting. It contains details about the
nomination, the results, link to the reference materials etc (guideline, candidate statement, recording Q&A etc).
Two observations:
Recommendation : The Council is advised to request the Guideline Review Committee to verify if and how the ccNSO Guidelines should be adjusted, to ensure alignment across all nomination
procedures.
Recommendation: The Council is advised to request the Guideline Review Committee to verify if and how the ccNSO Guidelines should
be adjusted, to ensure alignment across all nomination procedures.
Upon adoption of the report, the nomination process will formally conclude, and Patricio Poblete will be nominated for ICANN
Board Seat 11.
Alejandra: we are not quorate. We will defer the decision to an online decision
Bart: any questions regarding the resolution?
Move? Pablo
Second? Peter
Councillors in favour, no reactions from Jiankang and Biyi. only green ticks
Alejandra: thank you for staying with us for another term
Patricio: thanks again! I hope to live up to the expectations
Alejandra: i will send the note to ECA. this concludes the process
Background
The current term of Patricio Poblete, the ccNSO-nominated Director for ICANN Board Seat 11, will conclude at the ICANN87 Annual General Meeting in October 2026. To ensure sufficient time
for due diligence and the bylaw requirements regarding appointments, the Council initiated the nomination process in July 2025. This timeline allows the community to engage with the candidate during a Question-and-Answer session at the ICANN84 Annual General
Meeting in Dublin. Patricio Poblete was duly nominated, seconded, and accepted his nomination before the deadline, in full compliance with the applicable rules. In accordance with ccNSO Council decision 219-02, an election is not required when only one candidate
is nominated.
Draft Resolution
Decision
The ccNSO Council adopts the Board seat 11 Nomination Process report as proposed, including its recommendations, and formally nominates Patricio Poblete - the selected candidate -
as outlined in Section 10.3(i) of the ICANN Bylaws. With this adoption, the Board Seat 11 Nomination Process is now closed. The Council congratulates Patricio on his nomination.
The ccNSO Guidelines Review Committee (GRC) is requested to review the Board Nomination Process Guideline, taking into account the recommendations from the Nomination Process Manager.
The secretariat is requested to publish this resolution as soon as possible and inform the GRC.
The ccNSO Chair is requested to inform the Empowered Community Administration (ECA) and ICANN's Secretary of the nomination results. This decision takes effect upon publication of
the resolution.
a.
Update on election process
Joke:
The seats for the EU, LAC and NA regions are uncontested, so no elections will be held for those regions. A Q&A was held at ICANN84
Secondly, for the AP region:
Background
Five ccNSO Council seats with terms ending in March 2026 opened for nominations from 9–30 September 2025, with nominees required to accept by 10 October 2025. The following candidates
accepted their nominations:
·
AP: Boyoung Kim, Sami Mohamed Ali
·
EU: Chris Disspain
·
LAC: Alejandra Reynoso
·
NA: Charles Noir
A candidate Q&A took place on 29 October 2025 during ICANN84. The seats for the EU, LAC and NA regions are uncontested, so no elections will be held for those regions, in accordance
with the ccNSO Council Election Guideline. Elections for the AP region will be held post ICANN84.
b.
Update call for Nomination African region
Informational
Joke:
·
AF region: the sole nominee did not accept their nomination.
·
At ICANN84, Council decided to launch a new nomination process, which started last week, and closes 4 December.
·
One candidate has been nominated as per the guideline. The secondment was not submitted by the Representative of the ccTLD manager. Secretariat reached
out to the Representative, to seek confirmation.
After closure of the various nomination and election rounds, a report will be submitted to Council for consideration and eventually
adoption. It will contain nomination and election details, including any issues and observations. Candidates takes their seat at the end of ICANN85
Pablo: regarding item a, Emissaries not voting Would it be helpful to reach out to RO’s?
Joke: that is ongoing. Since prior to ICANN84. GSE also involved
Background
Five ccNSO Council seats will become vacant when current three-year terms end in March 2026. A call for nominations was launched in September 2025. However, the sole nominee
from the African region did not accept, leaving that regional seat without an eligible candidate. As a result, the Council has initiated a new call for nominations specifically for the African region seat, following the ICANN Bylaws, the ccNSO Council Selection
Guideline, and the Council-adopted timeline.
New Nomination Timeline (Africa region only):
·
Opens: Thursday, 13 November 2025 at 00:01 UTC
·
Closes: Thursday, 4 December 2025 at 23:59 UTC
The Council needs to agree on appointment of various persons to external groups.
·
ccNSO Nominees to various external groups
Alejandra: since we are not quorate, this is deferred to an online decision
Draft resolution
Decision
The ccNSO Council appoints the following people to the respective roles as specified:
·
Members of the following committees, study groups or working groups:
o
Kristian Ørmen (.se), member of DASC
o
Hsuping Tang (.tw), member of DASC
o
Siphokazi Simandla (.za), member of IGLC
The secretariat is requested to inform the leadership teams of the various working groups and committees and persons appointed and enable their participation in the respective teams.
This resolution becomes effective upon publication.
Move? Everton
Second? Wafa
Any questions? None
Only green ticks, this has been approved
Alejandra: welcome to the new volunteers. Our engagement efforts are working
For discussion and decision
Alejandra: As you may recall the SO/AC chairs group finally received the first version of the Bylaw change Playbook just before
the roundtable in Dublin, with a request to provide feedback. The Playbook was forwarded to you, and one of the action items for today’s meeting was to prepare a response which could be adopted at this meeting.
First I want to handle the process and then deal with the content of the comment.
The playbook was sent to the SO/AC chairs by Russ Weinstein just prior to the Dublin Roundtable with a request
to provide feedback and comments. As this is not a formal process, suggest that I send the observation as an informal response to Russ. So no formal resolution is needed.
Any questions or concerns? None. green ticks in zoom
With respect to the content, let me introduce the document
In preparing the response we looked at the Playbook and tried to understand the flow and timelines. We also tried to understand
the roles and responsibilities of the various groups: community group, staff, board and the roles each of them played, including oversight. Finally we looked at the instances we have requested a Bylaw change, and why they did not result in a change. The proposed
comment focuses on these instances.
Some of these instances were:
Any questions on observations and questions raised on the playbook?
None
Alejandra: ok, will send it to Russ after this meeting, and see how it evolves
None
Alejandra: 3 items
o
joint GAC-ccNSO: GAC-ccNSo organizing have received summaries. They will be made available to broader community next week (published on ICANN84 schedule
for future reference)
Alejandra: was a request from the previous world cafe. Scribes took notes
Bart: consolidated report sent to station hosts and scribes. Following their approval.
o
GRC Continuous Improvement Program session.
Participants received the summaries per station
GRC has taken on to further review, and details the criteria and indicators emerging from the session. To be presented in Mumbai.
Alejandra: GRC Continuous Improvement Program session
Participants received the summaries per station
GRC has taken on to further review, and details the criteria and indicators emerging from the session. To be presented in Mumbai.
Sean: we looked at practical ways to measure. We welcome feedback. How are people feeling? Measurement system, within world of
KPIs. we will bring these together for you. As council members and community to see what a number means to the membership, to the people involved. How do we try to improve as an organisation. Significant change. Think you will enjoy the result. You have to
be seen, to be doing, and the other way around
Bart: qualitative and quantitative indicators. Joint effort that defines them. What is relevant for the stakeholders?
o
First: Note from Beth - Soon gNSO Council will have an updated Issues Report and Charter that reflects the Public Comments.
o
Suggestion not to participate as ccNSO in PDP (out of scope, and bandwidth). Inform individual ccTLD and check with DASC members whether they want to participate
(not as DASC, not mandated)
Second: could be the topic of a joint session organized by DASC and RySG DNS Abuse group.
Alejandra: they invites us and DASC to participate in the PDP. my suggestions is to - like we always do with GNSO PDPs - to share
it with individuals. ccNSO, not DASC, is mandated to do so. They can always collaborate and provide feedback
Chris: that is fine. But should we at least consider? Given the topic of abuse, and given the cooperation. Should we consider
a slightly different approach? Might be warranted in these circumstances. IDN fast track PDP: matter that crossed boundaries.
Alejandra: people to join in their individual capacity. Not as ccNSO. Cooperation with RySG: DASC session at ICANN85 with RySG?
Gather feedback from the ccTLD community during this session?
Chris: that is fine. But this is a GNSO matter, not just RySG. testing, to make sure we cover all basis. The way the gTLD registries
are mandated to deal with DNS abuse. Pivoting. Cross-community PDP. may have an effect on individual ccTLDs being pressured. Their own LIC to push them in future? So, is it sensible for the ccNSO to have a voice? This is an important set of PDPs coming up.
Suspect they will have an effect on ccTLDs.
Not pushing, but asking the question for us to consider this carefully
Peter: I like thinking. Chris his suggestion to have a conversation? Useful. We get dragged into gTLD precedent. Often the GAC
does not fully grasp the difference. We cannot just stick our heads in the sand. Having a conversation is good. When and where? Not sure. Mumbai might be too late
Chris: Australia as an example. Following a new RyRr policy, the Australian gvt might say “you should be doing it in .au”. If
the ccTLD does not have a voice in the gTLD policy setting, and that policy is being used to put pressure on the ccTLD back home, that is not good.
Bart: this might be timely. There is a discussion in the GNSO on the issues report. Has not been launched yet. Invites will come
later. Suggestion to involve leadership of DASC prior to the next council meeting. Have an informal conversation first. More extensive topic at the next Council meeting
Alejandra: great idea. Also supported by Chris and Peter. First have that call. Open to all interested councillors.
We will be briefly discussing our blockschedule for ICANN85, as we will have only the upcoming 4 weeks to get ready. The secretariat
has to submit the schedule into ICANN’s scheduling tool starting 5 January and be done by 16 January. Taking into account the seasonal break at the end of the year we as a community will have only 4 weeks (until 19 December) to plan the sessions.
Joke: proposed high level block schedule. WG/C meetings over the weekend.
Bart: either DASC or IGLC on Tuesday. DASC only, if there is no joint RySG-ccNSO DASC session on Wednesday
Peter: WSIS+20?
Bart: IGLC session on Tuesday. IGLC still to determine the need.
Regarding the market trends: discussed by MPC. They wanted regional diverse ccTLD contributions and perspectives. How do ccTLDs
deal with these trends? cross-regional , global function of the ccNSO
Bart: does that work for you. Wed block 5?
Chris: fine.
Bart: council prep meeting on saturday, block 1 on council roles and responsibilities. Also discussion on chair and vice chair
selection. Any concerns?
Alejandra: i see no objections.
·
18 December 2025 | 18:00 UTC, Meeting 224
·
22 January 2026 | 12:00 UTC, Meeting 225
·
19 February 2026 | 21:00 UTC, Meeting 226
·
12 March 2026 | ICANN85 - Mumbai, Meeting 227
·
16 April 2026 | 12:00 UTC, Meeting 228
·
21 May 2026 | 18:00 UTC, Meeting 229
·
11 June 2026 | ICANN86 - Sevilla, Meeting 230
·
16 July 2026 | 12:00 UTC, Meeting 231
·
13 August 2026 | 21:00 UTC, Meeting 232
·
17 September 2026 | 12:00 UTC, Meeting 233
·
22 October 2026 | ICANN87 - Muscat, Meeting 234
·
19 November 2026 | 18:00 UTC, Meeting 235
·
17 December 2026 | 12:00 UTC, Meeting 236