Dear EPDP Team,

Welcome back to phase 2A! We are happy to see that many of you have decided to continue on but we also welcome a couple of new faces to the team (see https://community.icann.org/x/hYjzC). 

As you may be aware, the Council is expected to confirm the chair for this effort during its upcoming meeting (see https://mm.icann.org/pipermail/council/2020-December/024263.html). The staff support team met with Keith to discuss next steps and preparations. In order to hit the ground running, a first meeting of the EPDP Team will be scheduled for Thursday 17 December at 14.00 UTC. 

In order to refresh your minds on the topics that are part of the scope of phase 2A, the staff support team has prepared the two briefing papers that are attached to this email. Please review these in advance of the first meeting. The papers also include a proposed approach and estimated timing for your consideration. As always, these are intended to serve as a starting point for the discussion and we look forward to any input or alternative proposals you may have. 

You can expect to receive an agenda invite and call details shortly. A proposed agenda will be circulated closer to the meeting. Further information can be found on the EPDP Phase 2A wiki: https://community.icann.org/x/VojzC. 

Best regards,

Berry, Marika, and Caitlin