Dear Council members, Following last week's very productive meeting between the Nominating Committee and GNSO Councillors in Sao Paulo, I'm following up with you on matching the requirements for NomCom Council roles with Councillors' considered views. Attached is the Nominating Committee's 'job description' for NomCom roles. The Nominating Committee leadership would appreciate it if you could review the document to make sure it provides relevant and appropriate guidance on the time commitment and skills required of NomCom appointees to the GNSO Council. Input on the general ICANN description would also be appreciated. For your convenience, I've re-produced the relevant sections below. Your input will help ICANN describe more accurately the skill-sets needed to be a GNSO Councillor, and will also help NomCom to evaluate candidates effectively. Could you please send me any input you may have by 10th January, latest? Either focused comments or redline changes to the draft would be helpful. I will then compile all the input received, reference Glen's research last year on the role of a GNSO Councillor, and send a comprehensive response to the NomCom leadership. I will also send a copy to the GNSO Council. All the best, Maria 1 Position and Roles, Eligibility Factors, and Time Commitments Position: GNSO Council Number of Seats: 1 Start of Term: Conclusion of Annual Meeting 200x End of Term: Conclusion of Annual Meeting 200x The Generic Names Supporting Organization (GNSO) is a policy-development body responsible for developing and recommending to the ICANN Board substantive policies relating to generic top-level domains. The GNSO consists of various Constituencies representing particular groups of stakeholders and a GNSO Council, responsible for managing the policy development and administrative processes of the GNSO. The GNSO Constituencies choose the majority of the Council members; Nominating Committee chooses three Council members with staggered terms. The GNSO also includes a liaison from the ALAC and the Governmental Advisory Committee. Liaison activities from the ASO and ccNSO are under development. GNSO Council Members receive no compensation for their services as GNSO Council Members. ICANN provides administrative and operational support necessary for the GNSO to carry out its responsibilities through the GNSO Secretariat. Most recently ICANN also provides staff support for policy development. As stated in the ICANN Bylaws, such support shall not include an obligation for ICANN to fund travel expenses incurred by GNSO participants for travel to any meeting of the GNSO or for any other purpose. However, ICANN has customarily furnished travel expenses for Nominating Committee appointed Council members to ICANN meetings. This custom is planned to continue, but is subject to the Bylaw statement. [Bylaws Article X, Section 4, see http://www.icann.org/general/bylaws.htm#X-4] Nominating Committee will use the Criteria for Selection of ICANN Directors (see above) in choosing Selected Nominees for the GNSO Council. GNSO Council members are expected to support the ICANN mission and the implementation of ICANN's Core Values. Nominating Committee will also take into account the following eligibility factors and additional considerations. GNSO Council Eligibility Factors 1. No person who serves on the Nominating Committee in any capacity is eligible for selection by any means to any position on the Board or any other ICANN body having one or more membership positions that the Nominating Committee is responsible for filling, until the conclusion of an ICANN annual meeting that coincides with, or is after, the conclusion of that person's service on the Nominating Committee. [Bylaws, Article VII, Section 8, see http://www.icann.org/general/bylaws.htm#VII-8] 2. No more than one officer, director, or employee of any particular corporation or other organization (including its subsidiaries and affiliates) shall serve on the GNSO Council at any given time. [Bylaws, Article X, Section 3(5), see http://www.icann.org/general/bylaws.htm#X-3.5] Additional Considerations For the GNSO Council position, specific experience related to the scope of the GNSO's work with the Domain Name System would be advantageous. The current composition of the GNSO Council is available here http://gnso.icann.org/council/members.shtml The Bylaws do not state a limit on the number of terms GNSO Council members may serve. Time Commitment The basic responsibilities of a GNSO Council member would spend at least 18 hours per month on Council related activities, with those chairing or participating in committees or task forces spending at up to 50 hours a month. Task force members and councillors are not compensated for either time or teleconference costs. 2 About ICANN The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) is a non-profit, private-sector corporation that serves as a major technical coordination body for the Internet. Created in 1998 by a joint initiative of the Internet's business, technical, academic, and user communities, ICANN has been gradually assuming the responsibility for a set of technical functions previously performed under US government contract by the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) and other groups. ICANN is a California public benefit, non-profit corporation. ICANN's mission is "to coordinate, at the overall level, the global Internet's systems of unique identifiers, and in particular to ensure the stable and secure operation of the Internet's unique identifier systems. In particular, ICANN: 1. Coordinates the allocation and assignment of the three sets of unique identifiers for the Internet, which are: a. Domain names (forming a system referred to as "DNS"); b. Internet protocol ("IP") addresses and autonomous system ("AS") numbers; and c. Protocol port and parameter numbers. 2. Coordinates the operation and evolution of the DNS root name server system 3. Coordinates policy development reasonably and appropriately related to these technical functions. <http://www.icann.org/general/bylaws.htm#I> ICANN is dedicated to preserving the operational stability of the Internet; to promoting competition; to achieving broad representation of global Internet communities; and to developing policy appropriate to its mission through bottom-up consensus-based processes. Criteria and time commitments applicable to all positions NomCom will use the Criteria for Selection of ICANN Directors contained in the ICANN Bylaws for all four sets of positions it will fill. These Criteria are: 1. "Accomplished persons of integrity, objectivity, and intelligence, with reputations for sound judgment and open minds, and a demonstrated capacity for thoughtful group decision-making; 2. Persons with an understanding of ICANN's mission and the potential impact of ICANN decisions on the global Internet community, and committed to the success of ICANN; 3. Persons who will produce the broadest cultural and geographic diversity on the Board consistent with meeting the other criteria set forth in this Section; 4. Persons who, in the aggregate, have personal familiarity with the operation of gTLD registries and registrars; with ccTLD registries; with IP address registries; with Internet technical standards and protocols; with policy-development procedures, legal traditions, and the public interest; and with the broad range of business, individual, academic, and non-commercial users of the Internet; 5. Persons who are willing to serve as volunteers, without compensation other than the reimbursement of certain expenses; and 6. Persons who are able to work and communicate in written and spoken English." Given ICANN's Mission and Core Values, the nominees engage in discussions on the technical functions coordinated by ICANN and their impact on the global Internet operation, such as its stability and integrity, or the effect on the users of the Internet. Appointees interact in a diverse environment, involving ICANN Board, ICANN Supporting Organizations and Constituencies, or Advisory Committees, as well as the broad Internet community, by means of a continuous, transparent and informed dialogue, as it corresponds to the ICANN multi stakeholder concept. Appointees will be part of groups which function better in a collegial and cooperative manner but in which individuals must also be prepared for intense debate in which tolerance and reasoning are necessary to accommodate and synthesize conflicting views. Careful consideration of the issues, depth of study of the precedents and environment, and the ability to deal clearly with conflict, including potentially conflict of interest, are predictors of successful contributions to ICANN. NomCom welcomes and encourages participation from all members of the global Internet community. Although Candidates should be able to both work and communicate well in English, there is no requirement that English be the candidate's first language. The time commitments identified below are a basic requirement and the NomCom anticipates that in most cases people will spend more time rather than less. All appointees should expect to spend an additional significant amount of time when joining ICANN on training and learning about the organization, its mission, history and mode of operation. All NomCom appointees are expected to travel and participate in ICANN meetings.