Dear all, Please find below the agenda for the GNSO Council Part 1 ( at 13:15 IST/ UTC ) and Part 2 ( at 15:30 IST/UTC) on 29 October 2025. This will be posted on the agenda wiki page<https://icann-community.atlassian.net/wiki/x/QKafBg> shortly. Thank you. Kind regards, Terri Policy Team Supporting the GNSO ********** Draft GNSO Council Agenda 29 October 2025 - Part I Please note that all documents referenced in the agenda have been gathered on a Wiki page for convenience and easier access: https://icann-community.atlassian.net/wiki/x/LJqfBg This agenda was established according to the GNSO Operating Procedures<https://gnso.icann.org/sites/default/files/file/field-file-attach/op-procedu...> v3.5, updated on 24 October 2019 For convenience: * An excerpt of the ICANN Bylaws defining the voting thresholds is provided in Appendix 1 at the end of this agenda. * An excerpt from the Council Operating Procedures defining the absentee voting procedures is provided in Appendix 2 at the end of this agenda. GNSO Council meeting held in Dublin, Ireland 13:15 - 15:15 GMT: https://tinyurl.com/3m7ru8zw Coordinated Universal Time: 13:15 - 15:15 UTC 03:15 Los Angeles; 06:15 Washington DC; 10:15 London; 11:15 Paris; 13:15 Moscow; 21:15 Melbourne GNSO Council Meeting Remote Participation: Zoom link to be shared 24 hours in advance Councilors should notify the GNSO Secretariat in advance if they will not be able to attend and/or need a dial out call. ___________________________________ Item 1: Administrative Matters (5 minutes) 1.1 - Roll Call 1.2 - Updates to Statements of Interest 1.3 - Review / Amend Agenda 1.4 - Note the status of minutes for the previous Council meetings per the GNSO Operating Procedures: Minutes <https://gnso.icann.org/sites/default/files/policy/2025/minutes/minutes-gnso-...> of the GNSO Council Meeting on 18 September 2025 were posted on 2 October 2025. Minutes of the GNSO Extraordinary Council Meeting on 09 October 2025 will be posted on 25 October 2025. Item 2: Opening Remarks / Review of Projects & Action List (0 minutes) 2.1 - Review focus areas and provide updates on specific key themes / topics, to include review of Projects List<https://gnso.icann.org/en/council/project> and Action Item List. <https://community.icann.org/x/RgZlAg> Item 3: COUNCIL VOTE: New gTLD Subsequent Procedures PDP - Interpretation of Intent for Select IGO/INGO PDP Recommendations (20 minutes) During its September meeting<https://icann.zoom.us/rec/play/XYy4NN_IZZv08C-bg6V2CiZv-C_HxrwTqlFeWgVvkHfma...>, the Council discussed an issue that recently arose in the proposed implementation of the Subsequent Procedures PDP recommendations. Specifically, ICANN org staff prepared a discussion paper<https://icann-community.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/SPIR/pages/460783617> to explain the issue and to provide a path forward. The IRT was not aligned with ICANN org’s proposal. The Council was requested to provide guidance on the intent of relevant recommendations; without this guidance, the timeline for the Board’s adoption of the Applicant Guidebook and launch of the Next Round are likely to be negatively impacted. GNSO support staff sought to identify the underlying question for the Council to consider: What does it mean for the full name identifiers to be “protected,” but available for the relevant organization via an exception procedure? Based upon discussions within the SubPro IRT, there are two interpretations: 1. Protected only means that no organization other than the relevant organization can apply for the exact match of the full name identifier. This implies that an unrelated third party could apply for a confusingly similar string, thereby preventing the relevant organization from securing their protected string in the future. 2. Or, protected means that no organization other than the relevant organization can apply for the exact match of the full name identifier AND the ability for the relevant organization to secure their protected string should persist. This implies that unrelated third parties would need to be prevented from securing confusingly similar strings (i.e., include the protected strings in string similarity). The Council has been asked to help determine whether the intent of the relevant IGO/INGO PDP recommendations are aligned with interpretation 1 or 2 above. Councilors have been asked to consult with their respective groups to help reach alignment on the original intent of the recommendations. Here, the Council will discuss the original intent of the relevant recommendations with the aim of voting on the interpretation of the original intent either via an email vote or at its upcoming meeting at ICANN84. 3.1 - Introduction of Topic (Tomslin Samme-Nlar, GNSO Interim Vice-Chair) 3.2 - Council Vote (voting threshold: majority of each house) 3.3 - Next Steps Item 4: COUNCIL DISCUSSION - Celebrating GNSO Accomplishments between ICANN Meetings (10 minutes) During the GNSO Council’s most recent Strategic Planning Session in January 2025, the Council discussed ideas for highlighting the work of the GNSO to a larger audience. To that end, Councilors agreed to highlight the GNSO Council’s accomplishments or milestones between each ICANN meeting during the Council’s public meeting. In the period between ICANN83 and ICANN84, the Council and the groups under its remit accomplished the following milestones: 1. DNS Abuse - GNSO Council voted to request a Preliminary Issues Report, and the public comment period on this report recently closed. 2. Accuracy - GNSO Council Accuracy Small Team delivered a report with four Council recommendations, which the Council voted to approve in August. 3. Board readiness - The Council’s Board Readiness Small Team delivered its Findings Report to the GNSO Council, and the Council has started discussing the next steps for these recommendations. 4. Registration Data Request Service Standing Committee (“RDRS SC”) - the RDRS SC published its Findings Report for public comment, and has been reviewing the public comments during ICNAN84. The RDRS SC will soon deliver its Findings Report to the Council in preparation for the Board and GNSO Council dialogue on the System for Standardized Access/Disclosure (“SSAD”) recommendations. 5. Council Privacy Proxy Services Accreditation Issues (PPSAI) Small Team - the Council’s PPSAI Small Team completed its draft responses to the threshold questions from ICANN org and the Implementation Review Team (“IRT”), which will be discussed later in this meeting. Here, the Council will briefly highlight these milestones. 4.1 - Introduction of Topic (Tomslin Samme-Nlar, GNSO Interim Vice-Chair) 4.2 - Council Discussion 4.3 - Next Steps Item 5: COUNCIL DISCUSSION - Council PPSAI Small Team Responses to Threshold Questions (30 minutes) On 9 August 2016, the ICANN Board approved the Final Report<https://gnso.icann.org/sites/default/files/filefield_48305/ppsai-final-07dec...> of the Privacy Proxy Services Accreditation Issues (PPSAI) Working Group, which contains 21 policy recommendations. ICANN org convened an Implementation Review Team (IRT) in 2016 and worked on the implementation of the policy recommendations until 2019 when the implementation work was paused due to overlapping issues around the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), data processing, and the Temporary Specification<https://www.icann.org/resources/pages/gtld-registration-data-specs-en/#temp-...>. In June 2024, ICANN org reconvened the PPSAI IRT and has been refining a set of overarching threshold questions that require input from the GNSO Council in order for ICANN org to, in consultation with the IRT, move forward on implementation of the 21 policy recommendations from the Final Report<https://gnso.icann.org/sites/default/files/filefield_48305/ppsai-final-07dec...>. ICANN org sent the threshold questions<https://lists.icann.org/hyperkitty/list/council@icann.org/thread/7WQUZAK2VHP...> to the GNSO Council for further guidance. The threshold questions are: 1. Are there any policy questions or items the IRT already wants to bring to the GNSO Council for guidance? 2. Implementation Model: Accreditation Program or Alternative Implementation: * Can an implementation model without a new standalone accreditation program remain consistent with the policy recommendations? 3. Disclosure Frameworks (Intellectual Property and Law Enforcement) * Are there specific areas to revisit under new law/policy? * Can these frameworks be aligned with existing work on the Registration Data Request Service (RDRS), Registration Data Policy, and other existing procedures and remain consistent with the policy recommendations? The PPSAI Small Team delivered its proposed responses<https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/gnso.icann.org/sites/default/files/policy...> to the Council on 29 September 2025. Here, the PPSAI Small Team will present its draft responses, and the Council will determine next steps. 5.1 - Introduction of Topic (Paul McGrady, Council PPSAI Small Team Lead) 5.2 - Council Discussion 5.3 - Next Steps Item 6: COUNCIL DISCUSSION - Prioritization of Upcoming Work (35 minutes) During the GNSO Council’s second Working Session at ICANN82<https://icann-community.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/gnsocouncilmeetings/pages/...>, the Council discussed its immediate and longer term pipeline of work, including work that the Council has previously committed to, e.g. Latin Diacritics, RPMs Phase 2, and a list of potential topics the GNSO Council could consider for future PDPs. Specifically, the GNSO Council discussed: (i) a newly-started PDP: Latin Diacritics; (ii) a previously committed to PDP: Rights Protection Mechanisms (RPMs) in gTLDs, Phase 2, and (iii) identified topics for potential future work: * DNS Abuse * RDDS (Accuracy, RDRS, PPSAI) * New gTLDs (from rounds to open process) * Expiration Policies * Transfers (dispute mechanism for registrants) The Council generally aligned around the need to prioritize the DNS Abuse work, requesting an Issue Report on 14 August. The RDRS Standing Committee published its Council Report for public comment<https://www.icann.org/en/public-comment/proceeding/registration-data-request...>; the report provides some insight into anticipated next steps. The Council suggested that level of effort be integrated into the prioritization document, to help provide important context for the prioritization exercise. An updated prioritization document<https://gnso.icann.org/sites/default/files/policy/2025/draft/gnso-council-pr...> was shared with Council on 05 September 2025. Following the Council’s September meeting, Councilors were asked to share the updated prioritization document<https://gnso.icann.org/sites/default/files/policy/2025/draft/gnso-council-pr...> with their respective groups for further feedback and guidance. Here, the Council will continue this discussion for how to prioritize these topics given limited resources. 6.1 - Introduction of Topic (Tomslin Samme-Nlar, GNSO Interim Co-Chair) 6.2 - Council Discussion 6.3 - Next Steps Item 7: Open Mic (10 minutes) Here, interested individuals may use this time to address the GNSO Council directly with comments, ideas, and feedback. Comments may be provided virtually via the Zoom room or via the microphone in the meeting room. 7.1 - Introduction of Topic (Nacho Amadoz, GNSO Interim Co-Chair) 7.2 - Council Discussion 7.3 - Next Steps Item 8: Any Other Business (10 minutes) 8.1 - Update to Council on Latin Diacritics PDP Timeline (Prudence Malinki, GNSO Council Liaison to LD PDP WG) 8.2 - Proposed Updates to ICANN Bylaws and Customer Standing Committee (CSC) Charter 8.3 - Farewell to Outgoing Councilors _______________________________ Appendix 1: GNSO Council Voting Thresholds (ICANN Bylaws, Article 11, Section 11.3(i)) See https://www.icann.org/resources/pages/governance/bylaws-en/#article11. Appendix 2: GNSO Council Absentee Voting Procedures (GNSO Operating Procedures, Section 4.4) See https://gnso.icann.org/sites/default/files/file/field-file-attach/op-procedu... References for Coordinated Universal Time of 13:15 UTC Local time between October and November in the NORTHERN hemisphere See https://www.timeanddate.com/time/change/ for Dates for Daylight Saving Time and Clock Changes ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- California, USA (PST) UTC-8 03:15 San José, Costa Rica (CST) UTC-6 04:15 New York/Washington DC, USA (EST) UTC-5 06:15 Buenos Aires, Argentina (ART) UTC-3 07:15 Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo (WAT) UTC+1 11:15 Paris, France (CET) UTC+1 11:15 Moscow, Russia (MSK) UTC+3 13:15 Singapore (SGT) UTC+8 18:15 Melbourne, Australia (AEDT) UTC+11 21:15 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- For other places see http://www.timeanddate.com<http://www.timeanddate.com/> and https://tinyurl.com/3m7ru8zw Draft GNSO Council Agenda 29 October 2025 - Part II (Admin) Please note that all documents referenced in the agenda have been gathered on a Wiki page for convenience and easier access: https://icann-community.atlassian.net/wiki/x/LJqfBg This agenda was established according to the GNSO Operating Procedures<https://gnso.icann.org/sites/default/files/file/field-file-attach/op-procedu...> v3.5, updated on 24 October 2019 For convenience: * An excerpt of the ICANN Bylaws defining the voting thresholds is provided in Appendix 1 at the end of this agenda. * An excerpt from the Council Operating Procedures defining the absentee voting procedures is provided in Appendix 2 at the end of this agenda. GNSO Council meeting held in Dublin, Ireland 15:30-16:00 GMT: https://tinyurl.com/3dwc8fvr Coordinated Universal Time: 15:30-16:00 UTC 05:30 Los Angeles; 08:30 Washington DC; 12:30 London; 13:30 Paris; 15:30 Moscow; 23:30 Melbourne GNSO Council Meeting Remote Participation: posted 24 hours before meeting Councilors should notify the GNSO Secretariat in advance if they will not be able to attend and/or need a dial out call. ___________________________________ Item 1: Seating of the 2025-2026 Council (10 minutes) 1.1 - Roll Call 1.2 - Updates to Statements of Interest INCOMING COUNCILORS & LIAISONS: Susan Mohr SOI<https://icann-community.atlassian.net/wiki/x/2c1dBg> Commercial Stakeholder Group (ISPCP) Tapani Taravainen SOI<https://icann-community.atlassian.net/wiki/x/7YFdBg> Non-Commercial Stakeholder Group (NCSG) Benjamin Akinmoyeje SOI<https://icann-community.atlassian.net/wiki/x/a5FdBg> Non-Commercial Stakeholder Group (NCSG) Gaurav Vedi SO<https://icann-community.atlassian.net/wiki/x/FwAVGg>I Contracted Parties House (CPH) Nominating Committee Appointee (NCA) Christian Dawson SOI<https://icann-community.atlassian.net/wiki/x/1YddBg> Non-Contracted Party House (NCPH) Nominating Committee Appointee (NCA) 1.3 - Review / Amend Agenda Item 2. Election of the Chair (10 minutes) One nomination was received for this position from Susan Payne of the Non-Contracted Party House (NCPH). Susan circulated her candidate statement to the GNSO Council on 10 October 2025. Here the GNSO Council will proceed to hold the election for its Chair for 2025-2026, according to the GNSO Operating Procedures (note Section 2.2 of the GNSO Operating Procedures on Officer Elections: Chair and Vice-Chairs (see Appendix 1 below)). Item 3. Selection of GNSO Council Vice Chair 2025-2026 (05 minutes) Non-Contracted Party House - TBD Contracted Party House - TBD Item 4. ANY OTHER BUSINESS (05 minutes) 4.1 - TBD Appendix 1: Excerpt from GNSO Operating Procedures (Section 2.2) 2.2 https://gnso.icann.org/en/council/op-procedures-01sep16-en.pdf Officer Elections: Chair and Vice-Chairs The GNSO Council shall select the GNSO Chair and two Vice-Chairs as follows: 1. The GNSO Chair shall be elected by a 60 percent vote of each house. 2. Each house will be allowed to nominate one candidate for GNSO Council Chair. Each house is responsible for determining how to nominate its candidate. A candidate for GNSO Council Chair does not need to be a member of a house, but must be a current or incoming member of the GNSO Council. Should a Chair be elected from outside of the houses that Chair will be a non-voting Chair. a. All ballots will include the “none of the above” option. In the event that a 60 percent vote of each house selects the “none of the above” option, each house will commence a new nomination period of not longer than 15 days. An election for the new nominees will be scheduled for no sooner than 30 days after the unsuccessful vote. b. In the case of a tie for the most votes between the two candidates, or between a candidate and “none of above,” a second election will be held no sooner than 30 days. The candidates shall remain the same for this second election. In the case this second election also results in a tie, each house will commence a new nomination period of not longer than 15 days. An election for the new nominees will be rescheduled for no sooner than 30 days after the unsuccessful vote. c. The leading candidate will be defined as the one with the highest score. The score is calculated by adding together the voting percentages attained from each house. The highest percentage attainable in each house is 100. Thus, the maximum score a candidate can achieve is 200 as a result of attaining 100 percent of the votes from the contracted party house and 100 percent from the non-contracted party house (100 percent + 100 percent = score of 200). In case neither candidate reaches the 60 percent of each house threshold, a second ballot will be held between the leading candidate and “none of the above.” d. In case neither candidate reaches the 60 percent of each house threshold and the candidates do not tie, a second runoff ballot will be held between the leading candidate and “none of the above.” e. If the single candidate does not reach the 60 percent of each house threshold in the runoff ballot, then each house will commence a new nomination period of not longer than 15 days. An election for the new nominees will be rescheduled for no sooner than 30 days after the unsuccessful runoff ballot. 1. Each house shall select a Council Vice-Chair from within its respective house. 2. A Chair may not be a member of the same Stakeholder Group of either of the Vice-Chairs. 3. The Chair and Vice-Chairs shall retain their votes (if any) in their respective houses (if any). 4. In the event that the GNSO Council has not elected a GNSO Council Chair by the end of the previous Chair’s term, the Vice-Chairs will serve as Interim GNSO Co- Chairs to jointly oversee the new Chair election and conduct Council business until a successful election can be held. In the event that one or both Vice-Chairs’ terms ends concurrently with the term of the previous Chair, the procedures described in Section 2.2.1 below shall apply. 5. The Council shall inform the Board and the Community appropriately and post the election results on the GNSO website within 2 business days following each election and runoff ballot, whether successful or unsuccessful. Appendix 2: GNSO Council Voting Thresholds (ICANN Bylaws,<https://www.icann.org/resources/pages/governance/bylaws-en/#article11> Article 11, Section 3) (i) Except as otherwise specified in these Bylaws, Annex A, Annex A-1 or Annex A-2 hereto, or the GNSO Operating Procedures, the default threshold to pass a GNSO Council motion or other voting action requires a simple majority vote of each House. The voting thresholds described below shall apply to the following GNSO actions: (i) Create an Issues Report: requires an affirmative vote of more than one-fourth (1/4) vote of each House or majority of one House. (ii) Initiate a Policy Development Process ("PDP") Within Scope (as described in Annex A): requires an affirmative vote of more than one-third (1/3) of each House or more than two-thirds (2/3) of one House. (iii) Initiate a PDP Not Within Scope: requires an affirmative vote of GNSO Supermajority (as defined in Section 11.3(i)(xix)). (iv) Approve a PDP Team Charter for a PDP Within Scope: requires an affirmative vote of more than one-third (1/3) of each House or more than two-thirds (2/3) of one House. (v) Approve a PDP Team Charter for a PDP Not Within Scope: requires an affirmative vote of a GNSO Supermajority. (vi) Changes to an Approved PDP Team Charter: For any PDP Team Charter approved under (iv) or (v) above, the GNSO Council may approve an amendment to the Charter through a simple majority vote of each House. (vii) Terminate a PDP: Once initiated, and prior to the publication of a Final Report, the GNSO Council may terminate a PDP only for significant cause, upon a motion that passes with a GNSO Supermajority Vote in favor of termination. (viii) Approve a PDP Recommendation Without a GNSO Supermajority: requires an affirmative vote of a majority of each House and further requires that one GNSO Council member representative of at least 3 of the 4 Stakeholder Groups supports the Recommendation. (ix) Approve a PDP Recommendation With a GNSO Supermajority: requires an affirmative vote of a GNSO Supermajority, (x) Approve a PDP Recommendation Imposing New Obligations on Certain Contracting Parties: where an ICANN contract provision specifies that "a two-thirds vote of the council" demonstrates the presence of a consensus, the GNSO Supermajority vote threshold will have to be met or exceeded. (xi) Modification of Approved PDP Recommendation: Prior to Final Approval by the Board, an Approved PDP Recommendation may be modified or amended by the GNSO Council with a GNSO Supermajority vote. (xii) Initiation of an Expedited Policy Development Process ("EPDP"): requires an affirmative vote of a GNSO Supermajority. (xiii) Approve an EPDP Team Charter: requires an affirmative vote of a GNSO Supermajority. (xiv) Approval of EPDP Recommendations: requires an affirmative vote of a GNSO Supermajority. (xv) Approve an EPDP Recommendation Imposing New Obligations on Certain Contracting Parties: where an ICANN contract provision specifies that "a two-thirds vote of the council" demonstrates the presence of a consensus, the GNSO Supermajority vote threshold will have to be met or exceeded. (xvi) Initiation of a GNSO Guidance Process ("GGP"): requires an affirmative vote of more than one-third (1/3) of each House or more than two-thirds (2/3) of one House. (xvii) Rejection of Initiation of a GGP Requested by the Board: requires an affirmative vote of a GNSO Supermajority. (xviii) Approval of GGP Recommendations: requires an affirmative vote of a GNSO Supermajority. (xix) A "GNSO Supermajority" shall mean: (A) two-thirds (2/3) of the Council members of each House, or (B) three-fourths (3/4) of the Council members of one House and a majority of the Council members of the other House. https://gnso.icann.org/en/council/op-procedures-01sep16-en.pdf Appendix 1 GNSO Council Voting Results table Absentee Voting Procedures https://gnso.icann.org/en/council/op-procedures-01sep16-en.pdf 4.4 Absentee Voting 4.1.1 Applicability Absentee voting is permitted for the following limited number of Council motions or measures. 1. Initiate a Policy Development Process (PDP); 2. Approve a PDP recommendation; 3. Recommend amendments to the GNSO Operating Procedures (GOP) or ICANN Bylaws; 4. Fill a Council position open for election. 4.1.2 Absentee ballots, when permitted, must be submitted within the announced time limit, which shall be 72 hours from the meeting’s adjournment. In exceptional circumstances, announced at the time of the vote, the Chair may reduce this time to 24 hours or extend the time to 7 calendar days, provided such amendment is verbally confirmed by all Vice-Chairs present. 4.1.3 The GNSO Secretariat will administer, record, and tabulate absentee votes according to these procedures and will provide reasonable means for transmitting and authenticating absentee ballots, which could include voting by telephone, e- mail, web-based interface, or other technologies as may become available. 4.1.4 Absentee balloting does not affect quorum requirements.