On 18 Feb 2020, at 17:59, Julie Hedlund <julie.hedlund@icann.org> wrote:

c. New issues raised in deliberations since publication of the Initial Report, if applicable.

-- Re: The second paragraph.

ACTION ITEM: Request alternative text from Christopher Wilkinson

>  c. New issues raised in deliberations since publication of the Initial Report-

The working group considered several proposals that applications should be professionally evaluated in specific batches according to their nature : IDNs, geographic names,. Geographic indications, community TLDs, .brands, etc. This, to ensure that evaluations are competently and transparently undertaken and that the application process is not to be overwhelmed, as in 2012, by large numbers of simultaneous applications.

This option has been retained for further consideration by the WG, as a number of participants did not express themselves in the WG to date, and because any repetition of the 2012 experience in this respect would reflect very badly on the credibility and reputation of the new gTLD process and on ICANN.

NB: In any call for expressions of interest for evaluators it would be essential that individual applicants would specify their areas of expertise in this context.