GNSO Registrar Stakeholder Group Charter Amendments

Why is the Board addressing this issue now?

The ICANN Bylaws (Article 11, Section 11.5 c) state, " Each Stakeholder Group identified in Section 11.3(a) and each of its associated Constituencies, where applicable, shall maintain recognition with the ICANN Board;" The ICANN Board follows a process through which it formally approves any GNSO Stakeholder Group and/or Constituency Charter amendments in order to support the maintenance of recognition.

In September 2013, the Board established a Process For Amending GNSO Stakeholder Group and Constituency Charters ("Process") to provide a streamlined methodology for compliance with the Bylaws requirement.

In June 2018, the Registrar Stakeholder Group (RrSG) of the GNSO approved amendments to its governing documents and availed itself of the Process.

What are the proposals being considered?

The Registrar Stakeholder Group (RrSG) has substantially amended its existing Charter document to adjust to an evolving composition of membership and to enable it to more effectively undertake its policy development responsibilities. Among a number of amendments, the most substantial charter changes are in the following areas:

Reordered and reformatted document, aligning with other "best-of-breed" charters for the GNSO, including information as per the GNSO Operating Procedures and ICANN Bylaws;
Clarified areas of RrSG membership eligibility – particularly the definition of eligible members, voting status vs. non-voting status, and matters regarding non-eligible applicants;
Additional membership representatives, outlining different status for Member Representatives, Alternate Member Representatives and Member Participants.
Expanded provisions regarding Executive Committee roles, responsibilities, and eligibility and created new Vice Chair position;
Added details on GNSO Council Representatives and Nominating Committee Representative, specifically regarding eligibility and responsibilities towards RrSG;
Added section on decision-making, clarifying the process for any decision-making scenario in the RrSG, elections and drafting of policy comments/positions;
Creation of a new vice chair role, bringing vice chairs to two –V. Chair for Technical Operations, and V. Chair for Policy Coordination;
Added chapter on functioning of additional committees within RrSG;
Added chapter on communications: RrSG Web Presence, Distribution List and Publication Policies;
Added chapters outlining processes for: Membership Meetings, Outreach and Finances;
General expansion of governance document to include processes for members to refer to and a definitions section defining terms used within the document.
What stakeholders or others were consulted?

In addition to extensive community deliberations within the RrSG, the proposed amendments were subjected to a 50-day Public Comment period (18 December 2018 – 5 February 2019). When the period was completed, ICANN org produced a Summary Report for community and Board OEC review on 7 February 2019. ICANN org also reviewed the document for fiscal and liability issues, pursuant to the charter review process.

What significant materials did the Board review?

Board members reviewed the proposed charter amendments, a copy of the red-lined version of the proposed charter amendments following the initial staff review prior to the public comment proceeding, a copy of the Staff Summary Report summarizing community comments, the public comment Issue Tracking Checklist, and supporting documentation from the RrSG Executive Committee and ICANN Org addressing the concerns previously expressed by ICANN Org.

What factors did the Board find to be significant?

The GNSO Registrar Stakeholder Group, ICANN Org, and the Organizational Effectiveness Committee completed all steps identified in the Process and publication of the amendments for community review and comment. The OEC has recommended to the Board that it is appropriate for the Board to consider whether the RrSG Charter amendments be approved at this time, despite concerns presented by ICANN Org regarding the updated charter. The rationale for this recommendation stems from the lack of community comments or concerns presented via the public comment process, where ICANN org's concerns were publicly posted, and no comments in disfavor of the proposed amendments were received by the ICANN community.

Are there Positive or Negative Community Impacts?

The RrSG has amended its existing Charter document to adjust to an evolving composition of membership and to enable it to more effectively undertake its policy development responsibilities. No concerns were raised by ICANN community members regarding the provisions outlined in the newly drafted RrSG Charter throughout the 50-day public comment proceeding.

Are there fiscal impacts/ramifications on ICANN (Strategic Plan, Operating Plan, Budget); the community; and/or the public?

There are no anticipated fiscal impact/ramifications on ICANN or individual community members within the amendments supplied. The amendments supplied align with ICANN's mission and meet the public interest by way of updating the fundamental governance document for one of the ICANN Board-recognized constituency groups.

Are there any Security, Stability or Resiliency issues relating to the DNS?

There is no anticipated impact from this decision on the security, stability and resiliency of the domain name system as a result of this decision.

Is this either a defined policy process within ICANN's Supporting Organizations or ICANN's Organizational Administrative Function decision requiring public comment or not requiring public comment?

The proposed RrSG Charter amendments were subjected to a 50-day Public Comment period (18 December 2018 – 5 February 2019). No additional public comment prior to Board action is required.