Dear Councilors, In my role as the GNSO Liaison to the Standing Committee on Improvements Implementation (SCI), I am providing the following written update on SCI activities as of June 2016. Due to the shorter length of the ICANN 56 Policy Forum meeting, this update is provided in lieu of a face-to-face report as is normally provided by the SCI to the Council at ICANN meetings. The purpose of this update is to inform the GNSO Council of the SCI’s activities and is not a request for a particular action. After extensive deliberations the SCI has agreed, by full consensus, proposed revisions to the GNSO Operating Procedures for the following two issues assigned to it by the GNSO Council. The original Issue Requests for these items are attached and I have included some background information below. 1. Documented procedures for submitting, seconding, and amending motions 2. New procedures relating to Chair and Vice Chair elections Next steps: · Per our standard process, the SCI has asked staff to initiate a Public Forum for these combined proposed revised procedures. · Following the close of the Forum the SCI will consider any comments received and then submit a motion to adopt the procedures for GNSO Council consideration at its meeting on 01 September. · Note: With respect to the Chair and Vice Chair election procedures, the SCI and staff have determined that if these are adopted at the 01 September meeting they will be in place in time for the necessary steps to occur leading up to and including the election at the Annual General Meeting at ICANN 57, 3-9 November 2016. In addition to the background below, the SCI has attached for your reference the proposed revisions to the GNSO Operating Procedures as redlines to the current procedures. If you should have any comments or questions concerning these proposed revisions please let me know. Thank you very much for the opportunity to provide this update. Thanks. Amr —————————————— Background Procedures for Submitting, Seconding, and Amending Motions: · On 05 March 2015 the SCI submitted to the GNSO Council a Review Request concerning the fact that there are currently no formal procedures on (i) whether, how and by whom a properly submitted motion is to be seconded, and (ii) treatment of proposed amendments to such motions as either “friendly” or “unfriendly”. The Review Request was one of two that the Council approved at its meeting on 16 April 2015. In the attached Review Request the GNSO Council asked that the SCI codify the existing customary practices of the GNSO Council and consider new processes to govern the seconding of motions and amendments to motions. · On 09 October 2015 the SCI agreed on a documentation of the Current Practice Relating to Motions and sent a letter along with the original Review Request and the documentation to Jonathan Robinson, GNSO Council Chair. · In December 2015 the SCI established a Sub Team to review the current practice and the Sub Team submitted its recommendations to the SCI on 02 March 2016. The SCI discussed the recommendations in Marrakech on 05 March and asked staff to draft revisions to the GNSO Operating Procedures per the recommendations. · The revisions were agreed to by full consensus on 14 April. Chair and Vice Chair Procedures: · In its motion approved on 19 November 2015 the GNSO Council requested the SCI: 1. To review Sections 2.2(b), (f) and (g) of the GNSO Operating Procedures with respect to clarifying: (i) the eligibility of incoming Council members to run for the position of GNSO Chair; (ii) the start and end dates and the duration of the Chair and Vice-Chair terms in accordance with the ICANN Bylaws; and (iii) the timing of publication of the election results; and 2. To recommend a general time table for election of the GNSO Council Chair to be approved by the GNSO Council and added to the GNSO Operating Procedures. · In December 2015 the SCI created Sub Team to discuss and draft possible new procedures. The Sub Team submitted its recommendations to the SCI to consider at its meeting during ICANN 55 in Marrakech, Morocco on 05 March 2016. · After further extensive consideration and modification the revisions were agreed to by full consensus on 20 June.