Dear All, Please note the following request for comments and please take time to comment. http://www.icann.org/en/announcements/announcement-2-25sep09-en.htm Public Comment: Recommended GNSO Council Operating Procedures Available for Review And Comment 25 September 2009 The newly-restructured GNSO Council is scheduled to be seated during the upcoming ICANN meeting in Seoul, South Korea. Establishing updated operating procedures consistent with the new ICANN Bylaws is a key step toward seating the new Council. Today, a package of recommended Operating Procedures for the new Council is being made available for public review and comment through 16 October 2009. The recommendations are the product of the cross-constituency GNSO Council Operations Work Team that was tasked with reviewing the existing GNSO operating rules and procedures and recommending changes consistent with the new GNSO Council's goal of becoming a strategic manager of the policy process. Community members are invited to review the recommendations and comment on all aspects of the recommended procedures. The recommended procedures address a number of areas including the selection of officers, the conduct of meetings and how Council votes are cast and counted. In authorizing the release of the recommendations for review and comment, ICANN Staff was directed to note a specific area of discussion regarding the treatment of instances where Council members may choose to abstain from a particular vote (see - http://audio.icann.org/gnso/gnso-council-20090924.mp3). Alternative treatment of vote abstentions (the original work team recommendation and potential substitute language) in the recommended procedures is noted in Section 4.2 of the package. Commenters should note which treatment they prefer. The Staff has also been asked by Council members to prepare an analysis of how potential Council votes would be tabulated based on different treatments of Councilor abstentions. That Staff analysis will be provided as a submission to the comment forum. Document Links: The recommended operating procedures can be found here: http://gnso.icann.org/drafts/draft-gnso-operating-procedures-24sep09-en.pdf http://gnso.icann.org/drafts/draft-gnso-operating-procedures-24sep09-en.doc The Process From Here: At the end of this Public Comment Forum period, ICANN Staff will review the comments submitted and prepare a summary analysis of the various submissions. Consistent with the Transition Implementation Plan approved by the GNSO Council at its 24 September meeting, the updated operating procedures will be the first substantial item on the new Council's agenda of 28 October in Seoul. The new council members will discuss and vote on the updated Council Operating Procedures. Approval of the Procedures will require a majority of the voting members of each house for approval. Any amendment that results from comments submitted, will need to be voted on prior to the vote on the Procedures and will also require a majority of the voting members of each house. Deadline and How to Submit Comments: The Staff is opening a 21-day public consultation forum, from 25 September through 16 October 2009, and invites community comments on this matter. The formal Public Comment Forum Box is located here: http://www.icann.org/en/public-comment/#gnso-operating-procedures-2009 To submit comments: gnso-operating-procedures-2009@icann.org To view comments: http://forum.icann.org/lists/gnso-operating-procedures-2009/ Staff Responsible: Robert Hoggarth Thank you. Kind regards, Glen de Saint Géry GNSO Secretariat gnso.secretariat@gnso.icann.org http://gnso.icann.org