Impact of COVID-19 on ICANN73

The Board takes this action today as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak and the inability to technically to prepare for the meeting due to the high COVID-19 risk rating in Puerto Rico.

According to the U.S. CDC COVID-19 Risk Rating system, Puerto Rico is currently rated as Level 3: High.

Due to the high risk rating, ICANN org has faced logistical factors and dependencies which pose significant risk to our planning timelines and ability to execute a successful in-person meeting. Normally a site visit would have been conducted by the Global Meeting Operations, Security Operations and Meetings Technical Services teams six months prior to the meeting date, which would have been the first week of September. The site inspection could not be conducted at that time due to Puerto Rico's risk rating remaining at Level 4: Very High at that time. While ICANN org identified the ability to shorten the planning time frame (by two months) because ICANN previously held a meeting at the same venue, travel to Puerto Rico is still not feasible due to Puerto Rico remaining at a high risk rating. At the time of this Board decision, 76 business days will remain until the start of ICANN73; typically, over 100 business days would be available from the time of a site visit, and a meeting cannot be adequately planned with any fewer days available.

The Board also bases this action out of concern for the health and safety of the ICANN community and the local community in San Juan. An in-person meeting would require org staff, Board, contractors, funded travelers, and participants to travel to Puerto Rico from dozens of other countries, at least some of which may be Level 4: Very High or Level 3: High risk at the time of departure. The prospect of ICANN meeting participants bringing COVID-19 to Puerto Rico represents a potentially significant risk not only to Meeting participants but also the local community and healthcare system in San Juan.

The Board also bases this action on its commitment to the multistakeholder model and the purposes of ICANN's Public Meetings. While the Board recognizes and upholds the value of face-to-face interactions at ICANN's Public Meetings, and the advancement of ICANN community work that happens at these meetings, we cannot move forward with an in-person meeting at the cost of the health of attendees and ICANN org staff members.

At the time of the Board decision, the COVID-19 outbreak is impacting regions in differing ways. While some countries and territories are showing advancement in containing the pandemic, including through widespread availability of vaccines, other countries and territories are facing rising case numbers, introduction of new variants of the virus, and low access to vaccines. Globally, there are frequent changes, including reintroduction of some form of a "stay-at-home" or lock-down order, directed to avoid contact with others except to receive essential services such as medical care or to purchase supplies. Governments across the world are continuing re-evaluating travel guidance, including imposing restrictions on who may enter the country, restrictions on requirements on leaving countries, and quarantine requirements. Even when travel is available, travel still poses a risk, particularly to unvaccinated persons, and for those who are caring for people who are unvaccinated. Across ICANN org, all offices remain closed (except for essential items) and personnel are working from home. Those with school-aged children are expected to care for and, in many cases, take on the education of their children. Many within the ICANN community are experiencing these same impacts. Many may also be dealing with infection amongst their family and friends. The pandemic continues to impact us all.

After the Board's February 2020 decision to cancel the in-person component of ICANN67 and direct ICANN org to proceed with a virtual meeting, a virtual ICANN67 was convened. Many valuable lessons were learned from that experience, and ICANN org then proceeded to consult with ICANN's Community Leaders about how to use the lessons from ICANN67 to design future virtual meetings as the pandemic might necessitate, taking into consideration the purpose of each Public Meeting. ICANN68, ICANN69, ICANN70, ICANN71 and ICANN72 were successful ICANN Public Meetings, planned and executed in a virtual format. ICANN73 will also be conducted as a virtual meeting.

Prior to taking this decision, the Board received briefings from ICANN org on areas including the impact of COVID-19, conversations with the ICANN community, and operational planning for a distributed meeting. During ICANN72, there were numerous discussions across all the community groups and regional representatives, including a community plenary about how to enhance the effectiveness of future ICANN Public Meetings. The community shared ideas on how the virtual experience can be on par with in-person participation, what opportunities the hybrid format can provide to bolster inclusivity, and how to ensure diversity through active participation across regions and stakeholder groups.

Other feedback heard during and after ICANN72 included overcoming time zone challenges when attending a meeting virtually; concerns of equitable participation between in-person and virtual participants in policy development work; meeting chairs participating virtually while other attendees were in person; and managing quorum issues amongst hybrid participants. Discussions also reflected interest for ICANN to return to face-to-face meetings as soon as possible, and some suggested that ICANN should consider how to test returning to meetings and travel.

The Board understands that for ICANN73, as of the date of this decision there are still many countries from which direct travel is not allowed, and due to the rise of the "Delta variant" of the virus, anticipated border openings are not happening as rapidly as earlier anticipated. While there remains the possibility for the United States to allow travel from more countries in advance of March 2022, even for those that are technically allowed to enter the country, there is a very long backlog for processing visa applications, which poses a different barrier to entry and may frustrate willing travelers. Due to vaccine unavailability, many potential participants will not have the ability to be vaccinated in time for travel to ICANN73 if it were in person. Taking these issues into account, it is likely that ICANN73 could be a meeting of in-person attendees from just a couple of regions, which does not serve global participants in ICANN's multistakeholder model. The ICANN Board cannot delay a decision on ICANN73 to see if these issues resolve, in order to preserve ICANN resources to be used for serving ICANN's mission.

The Board also understands that uncertainty and inequity in travel will continue for the foreseeable future as the COVID-19 pandemic continues, and that it is important for the ICANN community to come back together in person as quickly as possible. As there are continued positive indicators on the global fight against COVID-19, the Board believes it is appropriate to affirm its intention that ICANN74, a policy forum scheduled for June 2022 in The Hague, Netherlands, will proceed with an in-person component. It is our hope that over the next eight months, we will not be facing the same regional exclusions that drive our decision today. While there are many participants who will still want or need to attend ICANN74 remotely, the Board understands that more work is needed to make sure that ICANN74 is produced with an effective and meaningful hybrid approach. The Board therefore directs the ICANN President and CEO to coordinate with the ICANN community in designing ICANN74 as a hybrid meeting.

We thank the ICANN community for its commitment to concluding six successful ICANN Public Meetings in virtual formats. The ICANN community has shown great leadership already in a global move toward virtual collaboration.

The ICANN Board thanks the hosts of ICANN73 in San Juan for their understanding and look forward to conducting a future ICANN meeting in San Juan.

This action is within ICANN's mission and the public interest, as it is the only path to assure that the work of the ICANN community continues as planned. It is the proper decision on many levels, from not putting ICANN org staff at risk, or risking the need to divert the resources and attention of ICANN org to a response to a COVID-19 outbreak amongst ICANN org or the community; to taking a responsible and proper measure to protect against contributing to the global pandemic; and in upholding the value of meaningful and equitable global participation in ICANN Public Meetings. Given the potential inequities in participants' access to international travel and visas across regions, this decision also ensures the broadest participation of attendees by virtual means without the potential distraction of uncertainties posed by hosting an in-person meeting at this time.

This decision has resource implications that are being quantified. However, the resources needed to support an ICANN73 Community Forum as can be appropriately designed are expected to be within or below the resources that have already been allocated for ICANN73 within ICANN's budget. This decision has no impact on the security, stability, or resiliency of the Internet's DNS.

This is an organizational administrative decision that does not require public comment.