[NCUC-DISCUSS] NCSG Chair - Candidate Statement

[David Cake]

	I am putting forward myself as a candidate for NCSG-Chair because I have considered the needs we have, as a Stakeholder Group, for this position and I feel my experience and working style make me particularly suited for the role in terms of the demands of the position at this time. 

	I have significant experience in ICANN processes. I have been a GNSO Councillor for 4 years, representing NCSG. I have been elected by the GNSO Council as Vice-Chair for two of those terms (including briefly as acting co-chair of the Council between Jonathan Robinson leaving the Council, and the election of James Bladel). I was interim Chair of NCUC in 2012 following the resignation of Konstantinos Komaitos. I have participated in many GNSO Policy Working Groups, including the currently representing NCSG as one of the vice-chairs of the Next Generation RDS Working Group. I was also active in the GNSO-GAC Consultation Group, that sought to bridge some of the barriers to GAC involvement in, and understanding of, GNSO Policy processes. And I served on the first Security, Stability and Resiliency Review Team, which gave me useful understanding of many of the parts of ICANN outside the GNSO. I think my very broad understanding of ICANN, and proven ability to work with a wide range of other groups within the ICANN Community, is particularly appropriate for a time when the ICANN community will be developing new ways to work with each other as it adapts to the new Empowered Community roles and other new community mechanisms. I think in general a strong network across ICANN is very valuable for those aspects of the NCSG Chair role that involve serving as a representative of the NCSG to the broader community. 

	I am currently, and have been for several years, the Chair of Electronic Frontiers Australia. In this role I have developed a very strong understanding of what it means to chair an active civil society organisation in the digital rights space, and I am sympathetic to the very wide range of needs of civil society organisations and the many ways they can related to ICANN. And I have developed useful skills such as understanding procedural fairness, budgeting, and how to support policy development work. I’ve worked towards developing broad civil society connections, and I think I am well equipped to help NCSG represent itself outside the ICANN community in the broader civil society and Internet governance world. 

	In terms of the Chairs role internal to NCSG, I feel very strongly that the Chair has to be focussed on working within the boundaries of the role as set in the Charter, and that means that there are limits to the extent to which the Chair can set the agenda - the Chair must work by consensus of the Executive Committee, must act unilaterally as little as practically possible, and should foster consensus with the EC as much as possible, And the NCSG Chair has a very limited role as regards to NCSG policy work, mostly focussed on finding ways for the Policy Committee and Councillors to do their work. My focus would be as much as possible to develop an EC culture of active consultation and collaboration, to go beyond the necessary consensus on the EC role and foster active cooperation between the constituencies and NCSG members. I would strive to develop the newly active Finance Committee as a mechanism for coordination of all NCSG and constituency budget requests. 

	I believe the resources of NCSG need continued development, as we grow (and ICANN grows in complexity around us). I think I am particularly well placed to assist with the development of NCSG web resources for membership and elections begun by Tapani, as I am familiar with CiviCRM and we use it extensively at EFA (I will of course strive to help if I am not elected). I would work towards the improvement of (through both volunteer coordination and budget requests) both the development of these administrative resources, and tools to assist policy committee in its work. I would also investigate, in collaboration with the EC and Constituency leadership, development of policy expertise and support through programs such as mentoring, training, and leadership. 

	I think some issues	over the last few years have shown some areas where our Charter and rules could use some improvement, and that we could also benefit significantly from some documentation and agreement on established operating procedures of the EC, PC and FC, and our interactions with other ICANN groups, particularly our colleagues in the GNSO Non-Contracted Parties House. I have been involved in the negotiation of some of these mechanisms so far, and I would continue to work towards this. 

	In conclusion, I believe the NCSG Chair needs to be focussed on consensus and cooperation within the entire Stakeholder Group, needs to have a very strong understanding of the NCSG role within the complex ICANN organisation and community, and be very aware both of the opportunities for strengthening NCSG by cooperation, and the limits off he role to act unilaterally. I think I have the skills and experience to provide the form of  leadership NCSG needs right now. I also have a number of ideas for projects that NCSG can perform in the next year to strengthen the ability of all of us to work towards non-commercial voices at ICANN. 

	David