<html><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html charset=utf-8"></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space;" class="">Hi,<div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">The GNSO’s Standing Committee on Improvements (SCI) is looking into a rewrite of the GNSO Operating Procedures’ guidelines on Council Chair elections. This was tasked to the SCI at the request of the GNSO Council following the failure of the Council to elect a chair in the first election round at the last AGM in Dublin.</div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">This is an ongoing project, so there is still no consensus call, but something came up during the course of the committee’s work, and I would like to ask for guidance. Particularly since the issue in question may have some background info I am not familiar with, which may have come up during the last intersessional meeting in LA a couple of months ago.</div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">Anyway…, below is the working text of what the SCI is thinking in the event that what happened in Dublin is repeated during any future Council Chair elections. My question will follow this, but it is specific to the below scenarios 1 and 2:</div><div class=""><br class=""><div><blockquote type="cite" class=""><div class=""><b class="" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">Chair/Vice Chair Elections Scenarios:</b></div><div class=""><div style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; font-size: 14px; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><div style="" class=""><br class=""></div><div style="" class=""><u class="">SCENARIO 1:<b class=""> </b>A new GNSO Council Chair is not elected, but both Vice Chairs are continuing on the Council.</u></div><span id="OLK_SRC_BODY_SECTION" class="">Suggestion: “In the case where no Chair is conclusively elected, the two Vice Chairs shall jointly oversee the Chair election and conduct Council business until such time as a new Chair is elected.”<br class=""><div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;" class=""><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""></span></div></span></div></div></blockquote><blockquote type="cite" class=""><br class=""></blockquote><blockquote type="cite" class=""><div class=""><div style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; font-size: 14px; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><span id="OLK_SRC_BODY_SECTION" class=""><div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;" class=""><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><u class="">SCENARIO 2: A new GNSO Council Chair is not elected, but one Vice Chair is continuing on the Council, while the other Vice Chair’s term on the Council is ending<span style="color: rgb(192, 0, 0);" class="">. </span></u></span></div><div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;" class=""><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class="">Suggestion: “In the case where one of Vice-Chair's terms on the Council ends at the same time as the Chair, and no Chair is conclusively elected, <font color="#ff0000" class="">[OPTION 1: </font>the remaining Vice Chair shall oversee the Chair election and conduct Council business until such time as a new Chair is elected<font color="#ff0000" class="">] OR [OPTION 2: </font></span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" class=""><font color="#ff0000" class="">the House with a vacant Vice-Chair position shall designate an Interim Vice Chair to join the continuing Vice Chair to oversee the Chair election and conduct Council business. The deadline for the vacant House to designate its Interim Vice Chair is 10 calendar days following the Council meeting at which no Chair was conclusively elected [OR: 14 calendar days following the Council meeting at which no Chair was conclusively elected] [OR: 1 week prior to the next scheduled GNSO Council meeting.]</font></span></div><span id="OLK_SRC_BODY_SECTION" style="" class=""><span id="OLK_SRC_BODY_SECTION" class=""><div style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class=""><u class="">SCENARIO 3: A new GNSO Council Chair is not elected in the first round, and neither of the two Vice Chairs is continuing on the Council.<span style="color: rgb(31, 73, 125);" class=""> </span></u></div></div></span><span id="OLK_SRC_BODY_SECTION" class=""><div style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><span id="OLK_SRC_BODY_SECTION" class="">Suggestion: “In the case where both Vice-Chairs’ terms on the Council end at the same time as the Chair, and no Chair is conclusively elected, this procedure would apply: Each House should designate a new or continuing Councilor </span><font color="#ff0000" class="">from within its respective House</font><strike class="">, </strike><strike class="">which may include the voting and non-voting NCAs,</strike> to temporarily fill the role of Vice Chair on an interim basis, not as an elected Vice Chair. <span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);" class="">The deadline for each House to designate its Interim Vice Chair is 10 calendar days following the Council meeting at which no Chair was conclusively elected [OR: 14 calendar days following the Council meeting at which no Chair was conclusively elected] [OR: 1 week prior to the next scheduled GNSO Council meeting.] </span><span style="font-size: 10.5pt;" class="">The Designated Interim Vice Chairs will co-chair the Chair election and conduct Council business until such time as a Chair is conclusively elected. Once the election is completed their service in those roles would end. Candidates for Chair will not be eligible to serve as Designated Interim Vice Chairs, to avoid potential conflicts of interest. [However, </span><span style="font-family: -webkit-standard;" class=""><font face="Calibri,sans-serif" class="">Interim Vice Chairs are not prohibited from being appointed as continuing Vice Chairs by their respective Houses following a successful Chair election.]</font></span></div></span></span><span id="OLK_SRC_BODY_SECTION" class=""><div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;" class=""><br class=""></div></span><u style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class="">SCENARIO 4: A new GNSO Council Chair is not elected, neither of the two Vice Chairs is continuing on the Council, and the Houses do not designate Interim Vice Chairs.</u><o:p style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""></o:p> </span><span id="OLK_SRC_BODY_SECTION" class="">Suggestion: “If both Houses should fail to temporarily fill the role of Vice Chair on an interim basis, <font color="#ff0000" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class="">[the] </font>non-voting NCA will be designated Interim Chair to oversee the election and conduct Council business until such time as a Chair is conclusively elected. <span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; color: rgb(255, 0, 0);" class="">The deadline for each House to designate its Interim Vice Chair is 10 calendar days following the Council meeting at which no Chair was conclusively elected [OR: 14 calendar days following the Council meeting at which no Chair was conclusively elected] [OR: 1 week prior to the next scheduled GNSO Council meeting</span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; color: rgb(255, 0, 0);" class="">]</span>”<span style="font-family: -webkit-standard; font-size: inherit;" class=""></span></span></div></div></blockquote><br class=""></div><div>The whole point of this exercise is to make sure that the GNSO Council does not find itself leaderless as the result of an election that failed to produce a winning candidate for Council Chair. In the first two scenarios, the suggestion is for sitting Council Vice-Chairs from each House, who are continuing on as Councillors, to remain as interim Vice-Chairs to see the election through a second round (and possibly although unlikely for more rounds than just a second round).</div><div><br class=""></div><div>My question is this: Has there been any agreement made between the NCSG and CSG at the last intersessional that may make this problematic? Like I said, this was raised by the IPC rep to the SCI. She was concerned that a deal struck between the NCSG and CSG to rotate Council Vice-Chairs from the NCPH could prevent a sitting councillor from remaining in his/her position of Vice-Chair on an interim basis until the Chair elections are concluded?</div><div><br class=""></div><div>I know that we’ve been informally following this procedure with the CSG for a few years now. Our own David Cake ended his tenure as Vice-Chair at the last AGM, and Heather Forrest from the IPC replaced him, but only after he remained as an interim Vice-Chair to oversee a second round of Chair elections. For efficiency’s sake, I would suggest that this practice continue, should it be necessary. The scenarios we are working through are starting to take shape into something the SCI can endorse, but I would appreciate any insights from folks who were in LA. I wouldn’t want to be disruptively working across other efforts the NCSG is engaged in.</div><div><br class=""></div>A follow-up question would be, that even if this agreement has been formalised (or even if it remains informal), are there any objections or concerns to an interim Council Vice-Chair continuing on an interim basis until elections are successfully concluded?</div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">Would really appreciate any feedback, no matter how brief, so I can try to settle this within the SCI.</div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">Thanks.</div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">Amr</div></body></html>