Dear GNSO Council members, For your information, the Call for Volunteers message below will be sent today to the GNSO Stakeholder Groups and Constituencies along with the attached referenced table. Best regards, Julie Julie Hedlund, Policy Director Call for Volunteers: GNSO Drafting Team to Further Develop Guidelines and Principles for the GNSO’s Roles and Obligations as a Decisional Participant in the Empowered Committee In Brief Following the adoption by the GNSO Council of the revised GNSO Operating Procedures, as well as the proposed modifications to the ICANN Bylaws which were adopted by the ICANN Board of Directors on 13 May 2018, staff has outlined in the attached table the additional proposed steps to be taken to ensure preparedness as well as facilitate the ability for the GNSO Council to act in relation to the new roles and responsibilities outlined in the post-transition Bylaws.  As previously agreed, staff has developed draft templates for motions or other actions as draft Google Documents at: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1OQUhdG25D-OWloCdab1DTs7t4Uob6-1o. These fall within the GNSO’s existing processes and procedures and track the requirements in the ICANN Bylaws - templates were deemed helpful to ensure all required information as outlined in the Bylaws is provided by those considering submitting motions or initiating other actions. Still to be drafted are guidance and/or principles for the GNSO to complete a particular action(s), as follow: Article 4 (Accountability and Review): 4.3 Independent Review Process (IRP) for covered ICANN actions - initiating an IRP, representation and payment, and decision to make the claim for Council consideration Customer Standing Committee (CSC): Section 17.2 CSC composition, appointment, term and removal; and section 17.3 CSC Charter periodic review - process and timeline Section 18.12 Special IANA Naming Function Reviews (IFRs) -- proposed process for revising the procedures and outcomes and a consultation process developed with the ccNSO on whether to initiate the IFR Participation in community forums: Section 1.3 approval action community forum and section 2.3 rejection action community forum – proposed process for input Section 2.2 petition process for specified actions – rules for submitting petitions and identify representative Recall / removal processes: Section 3.1 Nominating Committee Director removal process and section 3.3 Board recall process  -- representation, participation, and communication These actions fall within the remit of the GNSO’s existing processes and procedures, but additional details and steps are deemed to be helpful to ensure preparedness for if/when these action are invoked. As such, the GNSO Council is re-constituting a Drafting Team which is expected to have at least one representative from each GNSO Stakeholder Group and Constituency to work with GNSO support staff to develop these guidelines/principles for GNSO Council consideration. What This Team Will Do The Drafting Team will work with GNSO staff to develop proposed guidance or principles for the GNSO to complete a particular action(s) that fall within the GNSO’s existing processes and procedures, but where additional details and steps are deemed to be helpful, relating to the GNSO’s participation as a Decision Participant in the Empowered Community. The Drafting Team shall provide to the GNSO Council the proposed guidance and principles, including any recommendations, if applicable, for changes to GNSO Operating Procedures to enable effective GNSO participation as a Decisional Participant, for its consideration. Any such new, or proposed modifications to existing procedures must be approved by the GNSO Council following the applicable process. How to Join Each GNSO Stakeholder Group and Constituency is expected to identify at least one volunteer to participate in this effort, according to their own process and procedures. Ideally, volunteers have an interest and can demonstrate reasonable knowledge of, or experience with, the GNSO Operating Procedures as well as the roles and responsibilities of Decisional Participants in the Empowered Community. Stakeholder Groups and Constituencies are requested to identify volunteers by email to gnso-secs@icann.org by 02 January 2019. In addition, observers may be subscribed to the mailing list, which will be publicly archived, by contacting the gnso-secs@icann.org. Next steps As noted above, the GNSO Council directed that this call for volunteers be circulated to the Stakeholder Groups and Constituencies. It is anticipated that the Drafting Team will convene online for the first time in early January 2019. Following that, regular online meetings will be scheduled in accordance with the Drafting Team’s work plan, which it is expected to develop as one of its first tasks. Further information and Preparation For those interested in volunteering for this effort, you are encouraged to review the attached table.   Background On 27 May 2016 the ICANN Board adopted a set of new ICANN Bylaws, as revised on 26 May 2016, that aim to reflect changes needed to implement the IANA Stewardship Transition Proposal and such adoption is contingent on the proposed transition away of remaining United States Government oversight of ICANN.  Per the motion adopted on 30 June 2016, the GNSO sought volunteers for a Bylaws Implementation Drafting Team to provide the GNSO Council with recommendations for any necessary updates to the GNSO Operating Procedures, or possibly the Bylaws as they relate to the GNSO, arising as a result of the revised ICANN Bylaws that were adopted in May 2016.  The members of the original Drafting Team were: https://community.icann.org/display/GBIDT/DT+Members+and+mailing+list. In addition, the GNSO Council requested that the Drafting Team should determine what (if any) existing GNSO processes can be used to address any new or additional obligation, and if there are none, whether an existing process can be modified or if a new process needs to be created. Following the adoption by the GNSO Council of the revised GNSO Operating Procedures resulting from the Drafting Team’s recommendations, as well as the proposed modifications to the ICANN Bylaws adopted by the ICANN Board of Directors on 13 May 2018, staff sought guidance from the GNSO Council as to how to proceed with the next steps relating to the attached table of the additional proposed steps to be taken to ensure preparedness as well as facilitate the ability for the GNSO Council to act in relation to the new roles and responsibilities outlined in the post-transition Bylaws. At ICANN63 in October 2018 the GNSO Council agreed that a Call for Volunteers should be issued to reconstitute the Drafting Team to develop guidance and principles for the GNSO to complete a particular action(s) that fall within the GNSO’s existing processes and procedures, but where additional details and steps are deemed to be helpful, relating to participation of the GNSO within the Empowered Community.