I think we can be very pleased with this outcome and the very professional way that everyone, including the Board and staff, approached achieving this change. I took note of the comments made by both of the Board members who are elected by Council in support of the change. Given that both originally opposed our views, I believe we can be very pleased at their responsiveness to the input. As I recall, we also owe Vint Cerf a special word of appreciation. It was first Vint that began to seriously listen to the expressed concerns of the constituencies and undoubtedly, that did help initiate the willingness to engage fully to understand the needs and perspectives of the Council/its constituencies. Congratulations to the Council! And thanks to the Board for their support. Marilyn -----Original Message----- From: owner-council@gnso.icann.org [mailto:owner-council@gnso.icann.org] On Behalf Of Bruce Tonkin Sent: Tuesday, April 12, 2005 10:06 PM To: council@gnso.icann.org Subject: [council] Change to ICANN Bylaws Regarding Number of GNSO Council Representatives Hello All, The ICANN Board adopted the proposed amendments to the Bylaws as posted (http://www.icann.org/announcements/announcement-18mar05.htm ) which support 3 representatives per constituency, and instructed the President and General Counsel to take such actions as appropriate to implement the amendments. Article X will now read: ARTICLE X: GENERIC NAMES SUPPORTING ORGANIZATION Section 3. GNSO COUNCIL Section 3: GNSO Council "Subject to the provisions of the Transition Article of these Bylaws, the GNSO Council shall consist of THREE representatives selected by each of the Constituencies described in Section 5 of this Article, and three persons selected by the ICANN Nominating Committee. No two representatives selected by a Constituency shall be citizens of the same country or of countries located in the same Geographic Region. There may also be two liaisons to the GNSO Council, one appointed by each of the Governmental Advisory Committee and the At-Large Advisory Committee from time to time, who shall not be members of or entitled to vote on the GNSO Council, but otherwise shall be entitled to participate on equal footing with members of the GNSO Council. The appointing Advisory Committee shall designate its liaison (or revoke or change the designation of its liaison) on the GNSO Council by providing written notice to the Chair of the GNSO Council and to the ICANN Secretary. The GNSO Council may also have observers as described in paragraph 9 of this Section. " See below for the full Board resolution. Regards, Bruce Tonkin From: http://www.icann.org/minutes/resolutions-08apr05.htm Proposed Change to ICANN Bylaws Regarding Number of GNSO Council Representatives Whereas, one of ICANN's Core Values from Bylaws Article I, Section 2 is "Seeking and supporting broad, informed participation reflecting the functional, geographic, and cultural diversity of the Internet at all levels of policy development and decision-making." Whereas, the Transition Article (XX) of the Bylaws states that "In the absence of further action on the topic by the New Board, each of the GNSO constituencies shall select two representatives to the GNSO Council...." Whereas the Board resolved in Carthage on 31 October 2003 to change the transition article (Article XX) of the ICANN bylaws to allow each constituency of the GNSO to continue to be represented on the GNSO Council by three representatives per constituency until the end of the ICANN annual meeting in 2004. Whereas the GNSO Council requested that the Board extend the arrangement of three representatives per constituency until the ICANN meeting in Mar del Plata, Argentina (4 - 8 April 2005) in order for the external review to be completed following a public comment period. Whereas, the Board initiated a review of the GNSO Council in 2004 pursuant to Bylaws Article IV, section 4, including, among other aspects of the review criteria, an analysis of the efficacy of having three representatives from each constituency on the GNSO Council. Whereas, the report of the independent consultant that performed the GNSO Council Review recommended that "The Council is working well with three representatives from each constituency. No one who is involved with the Council perceives that having three representatives hinders the workings of the Council." Whereas the GNSO Council's self-review also supported the continuance of three representatives from each constituency. Whereas public comments received on the independent review (22 December 2004 - 24 January 2005) and on the proposed Bylaws amendment (18 March 2005 - 8 April 2005) indicated no significant opposition, and considerable support, for the proposal to maintain three representatives per constituency. Resolved (05.___) the Board adopts the proposed amendments to the Bylaws as posted, and instructs the President and General Counsel to take such actions as appropriate to implement the amendments.