Dear Councilors, The Generic Names Supporting Organization (GNSO) Council seeks volunteers to serve on the Standing Committee on Continuous Improvement (SCCI). The SCCI will be in charge of continuous improvement related projects that are focused on the GNSO’s structural, procedural, and process improvements to the Policy Development Process (PDP). This work originally commenced through a pilot under the Council Committee for Overseeing and Implementing Continuous Improvement (CCOICI) Framework<https://gnso.icann.org/sites/default/files/file/field-file-attach/continuous...> (last updated 29 June 2021), which has now converted to a permanent standing committee following the GNSO Council’s adoption of the charter<https://gnso.icann.org/en/council/resolutions/2020-current#202411>. What This Standing Committee Will Do The SCCI and its dedicated Task Forces (TFs), populated by the Councilors and representatives of each Stakeholder Group (SG) and Constituency (C) (hereafter “SG/C”), will execute a continuous improvement program that aims to improve the GNSO’s process and procedures over time through gradual changes. The goal is to achieve measurable improvements in the efficiency, effectiveness, performance, outcomes, accountability, transparency, and other indicators of quality for the GNSO. Notably, this work affects the GNSO community more broadly and is not limited to that of the Council. Considering that this is a permanent standing committee, the specific scope of work across the varying projects that the SCCI and TFs will execute is not overly prescribed within the charter<https://gnso.icann.org/sites/default/files/policy/2024/draft/scci-charter-dr...>, as to avoid frequent edits and subsequent approvals. Previous efforts were initiated by the Council, while other changes were accomplished through Organizational Reviews anchored in Article 4.4. of the ICANN Bylaws<https://www.icann.org/resources/pages/governance/bylaws-en#article4.4>. As the ICANN community evolves towards a larger continuous improvement program, the GNSO’s SCCI and its TFs will be heavily involved in these efforts. While broad, GNSO project assignments will be limited to any processes and procedures that would have a GNSO-wide impact only. For avoidance of doubt, all assignments of the SCCI and TFs shall be first approved by the Council. Subsequently, any outcomes of the SCCI and TFs’ project related work will be sent to the Council for their consideration and follow-up actions, if any. More details on the scope of projects can be found in Section II of the charter<https://gnso.icann.org/sites/default/files/policy/2024/draft/scci-charter-dr...> and as new projects and/or assignments are distributed and in due course, completed, they will be managed via the GNSO’s Program Management Tool (PMT) Suite<https://community.icann.org/pages/viewpage.action?pageId=150178769>. Who Should Join SCCI is a representative model which shall consist of a total of 21 Members, 2 Board Liaisons, and 9 Observers. All those that join will serve in representative capacity, where applicable, and as such, be responsible for consulting with their respective groups on a regular basis: * A maximum of two members from each SG/C (14) * One Council member from the Registrar Stakeholder Group (RrSG) (1) * One Council member from the Registry Stakeholder Group (RySG) (1) * One Council member from the Commercial Stakeholder Group (CSG) (1) * One Council member from the Non-Commercial Stakeholder Group (NCSG) (1) * One Council NomCom Appointee (NCA) from each house (2) * One Council NomCom Appointee, non-voting (1) * Two GNSO Board Liaisons * One CPH Board seat #13 (1) * One NCPH Board seat #14 (1) * Nine Observers: * One Council Chair (1) * One Chair from each SG/C (8) Members that are not a part of the Council will not have terms. Councilors, Observers, and Liaisons will turn-over naturally as their terms, defined in the ICANN Bylaws, conclude and are replaced by new representatives. However, SG/Cs who nominate members to participate should frequently assess and refresh their designated representatives to ensure active participation. Members must be appointed and/or reconfirmed by the leadership of the appointing SG/C and notification to the SCCI Chair and support staff. How to Join GNSO community members who wish to join the Standing Committee should contact the GNSO Secretariat at gnso-secs@icann.org<mailto:gnso-secs@icann.org> by Monday, 6 January 2025. Background For more information and to better prepare for participation on this Standing Committee, please read its charter<https://gnso.icann.org/sites/default/files/policy/2024/draft/scci-charter-dr...>, as well as visiting the CCOICI wiki page<https://community.icann.org/display/CCFOICI>. Please do not hesitate to get in touch if you have any questions. Kind regards, Julie H., Berry, and Saewon SCCI Support Staff