The ATRT2 report documents how a very small group of dedicated volunteers carry an extraordinary proportion of the working-group load and correctly identifies this as a major concern.  We note that simply increasing the pool of people aware of and in some way engaged with ICANN should not be viewed as the goal.  Ultimately what is needed is a larger and more diverse group of active and effective volunteer participants in PDP working groups. 

 

Although outreach is an important part of the effort and crucial for bringing new volunteers to ICANN, the path to this goal should not end at simply recruiting a large diverse group of people.  Rather, there needs to be a clear and well-supported progression for community volunteers to gain the skills, knowledge and experience needed to broaden the ranks of active PDP participants and leaders. 

 

We support reversing the current trend of too little focus on the recruiting, development and support of capable volunteer policymakers while increasingly following the expedient path of hiring expert panels, expanding staff and hand-picking “community representatives” through opaque “selection committees.”