[NCUC-DISCUSS] ICANN67: Board Resolutions | Special Meeting of the ICANN Board - ICANN

Thu Feb 20 16:02:13 CET 2020

FYI, the board resolution that approved a virtual ICANN meeting.

best,
Bruna Santos

https://www.icann.org/resources/board-material/resolutions-2020-02-19-en

*Approved Board Resolutions | Special Meeting of the ICANN Board*

19 Feb 2020

1.    *Main Agenda:
<https://www.icann.org/resources/board-material/resolutions-2020-02-19-en#1>*

a.    *Impact of COVID-19 on ICANN67
<https://www.icann.org/resources/board-material/resolutions-2020-02-19-en#1.a>*

§  *Rationale for Resolutions 2020.02.19.01 – 2020.02.19.04*
<https://www.icann.org/resources/board-material/resolutions-2020-02-19-en#1.a.rationale>

*1.   **Main Agenda:*

*a.    **Impact of COVID-19 on ICANN67*

Whereas, on 23 June 2018, the ICANN Board approved for ICANN organization
to proceed to contracting in support of ICANN67 in Cancún, Mexico (
https://www.icann.org/resources/board-material/resolutions-2018-06-23-en#1.d
).

Whereas, the ICANN Board is responsible for a decision to change
an ICANN Public Meeting location once such a meeting location has been
approved for contracting and announced.

Whereas, in December 2019, a new strain of coronavirus, referred to as
COVID-19, emerged and on 30 January 2020 was declared by the World Health
Organization (WHO) as a public health emergency of international concern.
As of 18 February 2020, there are over 73,000 confirmed cases globally,
with over 1,800 reported deaths. While most of these cases are in China,
there are confirmed cases in 25  other countries around the world. As we
understand the situation, much remains unknown about the spread of
COVID-19, though it is documented to be transmittable even through
asymptomatic carriers.

Whereas, as an organization with staff and stakeholders across the globe,
in January 2020 ICANN org convened an adaptive crisis management team
(A-CMT) in order to assist ICANN org in tracking and assessing the impact
of COVID-19 on ICANN's work.

Whereas, ICANN org, through the A-CMT, briefed the Board on the current
status of COVID-19, including the potential impacts on ICANN67. The Board
also received a briefing from a representative of International SOS
regarding the status of the Mexican authorities' ability to respond to the
global health emergency and its readiness to address a suspected or
confirmed case if one were to emerge during ICANN67. ICANN org also
provided a similar briefing to the SO/AC leadership on 18 February 2020.

Whereas, there are currently 1,350 registrations for ICANN67, with
participants from approximately 155 countries or territories flying in from
around the world. While there are no confirmed COVID-19 cases to date
either in Mexico or within the Latin American region at present, it is a
fluid situation that can be impacted by unknowingly infected travelers. The
Board is concerned about the potential of an ICANN67 participant
inadvertently bringing COVID-19 into the region, or for the potential of
other cases being identified in the area.

Whereas, if there is a suspected or confirmed case of COVID-19 among the
participants in ICANN67, be it from the community, ICANN org,
or ICANN Board, neither the ICANN org or Board will be in a position to
control the impact on other participants or the ability to continue with
the meeting. The federal and state health authorities for the region will
direct the response, including possible hospitalization and quarantine of
the patient and those who have been in close proximity to the patient.

Whereas, if significant numbers of ICANN community or org members are
impacted by COVID-19 while in Cancún or after they return to their home
countries, there is a high risk that the community's ability to do its work
could be impacted.

Whereas, the Board is aware of multiple events that have been cancelled or
postponed in both the areas more directly impacted by COVID-19, as well as
areas where there are few to no confirmed cases, due to the risks and
concerns posed by hosting a large international gathering during the time
when little is understood about the transmission or containment of
COVID-19. Some of the more recent cancellations include the GSMA's Mobile
World Congress in Barcelona, Spain; Facebook's Global Marketing Summit in
San Francisco, California; and INTA's Annual Meeting in Singapore.

Whereas, the Board understands the import of the face-to-face interactions
as provided for at ICANN's public meetings. However, health and security
are paramount, and the Board also recognizes the ICANN community's unique
ability to conduct challenging work through remote participation avenues,
and the ICANN org's ability to provide for broad remote participation
facilities.

Whereas, the Board heard the community inputs that were solicited and
provided to ICANN org, and acknowledges that many in the community remained
ready to attend an in-person meeting for ICANN67. The deliberations amongst
the Board represented the full range of viewpoints on this sensitive and
challenging issue.

Resolved (2020.02.19.01), by virtue of the public health emergency of
international concern posed by COVID-19, the daily evolving developments,
and the high global risk still identified, the Board directs
the ICANN President and CEO, or his designees, to take all necessary
actions to not hold ICANN67 as an in-person meeting in Cancún, Mexico.

Resolved (2020.02.19.02), as the Board has determined to not proceed to
Cancun, Mexico for ICANN67, the Board directs the ICANN President and CEO
to move ICANN67 to ICANN's first fully remote public meeting.

Resolved (2020.02.19.03), the Board directs the ICANN President and CEO, or
his designees, to immediately begin engagement with the ICANN community to
achieve an appropriate schedule for the remote public meeting. This
includes engagement with those Review Teams, Working Groups, or other
committees that have meetings scheduled before or after ICANN67 to
determine appropriate alternative arrangements for those meetings.

Resolved (2020.02.19.04), the Board sends its deep gratitude to the host
committees, hotels, and venues of ICANN67 in Cancún and our regrets for the
impacts this global health emergency causes on our meeting plans. The Board
is committed to joining you in 2021 as planned for ICANN70.

*Rationale for Resolutions 2020.02.19.01 – 2020.02.19.04*

The Board takes this action today in as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak,
considered a public health emergency of international concern by the World
Health Organization. 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, ICANN org staff members, and the host country. Just as the Board
has previously considered in moving meetings due to the emerging Zika
virus, health and safety must be the paramount concern.

At the time of the Board decision, the December 2019 COVID-19 outbreak now
stands at over 73,000 confirmed cases across 26 countries, with more than
1,800 deaths attributed to the virus. Each day, new information and
questions emerge  on the mode of transmission, the methodology for
preventing the spread of the virus, the ability for carriers to transmit
the virus without having any symptoms, and the potential for fatality once
infected. While most of the confirmed cases are within China, the spread
outside of China has included multiple people infected at or after contact
with the 109 attendees of a conference in Singapore, including one attendee
who has been identified as the source of at least 11 new cases in England,
France, and Spain after he returned from the meeting. A single cruise ship
has been the source of at least 500 confirmed cases. Over 1,000 passengers
and crew from a different cruise ship disembarked and started flying around
the world, only to learn that a fellow passenger tested positive for
COVID-19 . While health officials have not declared a pandemic, the extent
of new clusters or pockets of cases outside of China are being monitored,
with health officials noting that the "next three weeks" will be crucial in
such a determination. Those three weeks span the time when
the ICANN community is expected to converge on Cancún for ICANN67.

The ICANN Board has been watching how other large, international
conferences are responding to COVID-19 in light of the emerging situation.
The GSMA cancelled its Mobile World Congress event in Barcelona, Spain,
saying, "With due regard to the safe and healthy environment in Barcelona
and the host country today, the GSMA has cancelled MWC Barcelona 2020
because the global concern regarding the coronavirus outbreak, travel
concern and other circumstances, make it impossible for the GSMA to hold
the event." Facebook cancelled its Global Marketing Summit, scheduled for
9-12 March in San Francisco, California, noting "Out of an abundance of
caution, we canceled our Global Marketing Summit due to evolving public
health risks related to coronavirus." Approximately 5,000 people were
expected to attend. IBM has withdrawn from the RSA Conference, scheduled
for 24-28 February in San Francisco, California, stating, "The health of
IBMers continues to be our primary concern as we monitor upcoming events
and travel relative to Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19). As a result, we are
cancelling our participation in this year's RSA conference." The
International Trademark Association postponed and relocated its 2020 Annual
Meeting, originally scheduled for 25-29 April in Singapore, just as more
than two dozen other conferences have been cancelled in the Asian region
due to the outbreak.

It is within this framework that the Board considers the impact of COVID-19
on the plans for ICANN67 in Cancún. There are over 1,350 registered
attendees, traveling from 155 countries or territories – including the 26
countries that have confirmed cases. While ICANN org can, and has, planned
for detection of the virus during the meeting and can provide best practice
guidelines for attendees to try to reduce the risk of transmission, if even
a single attendee at the conference presents with COVID-19, ICANN would
contribute to the global spread of COVID-19 and bring the virus into Mexico
and the LAC region. Separately, the impact to the attendees and the ability
to even proceed with the meeting cannot be known at this time.

Taking all of this into account, the global health emergency presented by
COVID-19 makes it inappropriate for ICANN to convene an in-person Public
Meeting at this time. While we have every confidence in the ability of the
Federal and State health authorities in Cancún, Mexico to respond to
suspected or confirmed cases, it is still too early in the path of COVID-19
to raise the risk of spread in this way.

The ICANN org has initiated planning for ICANN's first remote-only meeting,
so that the important work of the ICANN community can continue even without
the face-to-face interaction. With this resolution, the Board is directing
the ICANN org to coordinate with the ICANN community to achieve an
appropriate schedule for the sessions planned for ICANN67. The Board also
recognizes that there are other face-to-face meetings attendant to ICANN67,
such as Review Team meetings or Nominating Committee meetings, that must
also be reconfigured as a result of this decision, and the Board
directs ICANN org to identify appropriate alternative arrangements for
those sessions.

Prior to taking this decision, the Board received briefings from ICANN org,
as well as experts from International SOS (ISOS), on the status of COVID-19
and preparations for ICANN67. ICANN's President and CEO contacted the
leadership of ICANN's SOs and ACs to see how the different constituencies
were reacting to the outbreak, and convened a session on 18 February 2020
with the SO/AC leadership to share ICANN org's briefing and make an ISOS
doctor available to receive questions. ICANN org then followed up with the
leadership to further the understanding of the community on this issue.
While we understand that many in the community are still willing and
interested to travel to an in-person ICANN67, the risks and uncertainty
discussed above are too difficult to mitigate. We understand that this
cancellation poses some hardship on those with existing plans to travel to
Cancún, and we greatly apologize for this. We also thank
the ICANN community for its commitment to pursue the work of this meeting
remotely, as we know that the ICANN community is well-suited for this
effort. As the Board, we have been assured that a remote public forum
remains on the schedule, and we look forward to engaging directly with you
as we do at every Public Meeting.

The ICANN Board thanks the host committee as well as our community in Latin
America and the Caribbean (LAC) who worked tirelessly to host this meeting
in Cancún. We appreciate their understanding and look forward to returning
to the LAC region for ICANN70 in 2021.

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 for ICANN67. It is the proper decision on many levels, from not
putting ICANN org staff at risk; 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 outbreak.

This decision has resource implications that are being quantified. However,
the resources that could be used in the event that ICANN needs to respond
to a COVID-19 case/outbreak are currently unquantifiable and likely
extremely high. 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.

Published on 19 February 2020

David A. Olive
Senior Vice President

Policy Development Support

Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN)

Washington, D.C.

_______________________________________________
SO-AC-SG-CLeaders mailing list
SO-AC-SG-CLeaders at icann.org
https://mm.icann.org/mailman/listinfo/so-ac-sg-cleaders

_______________________________________________
By submitting your personal data, you consent to the processing of your
personal data for purposes of subscribing to this mailing list accordance
with the ICANN Privacy Policy (https://www.icann.org/privacy/policy) and
the website Terms of Service (https://www.icann.org/privacy/tos). You can
visit the Mailman link above to change your membership status or
configuration, including unsubscribing, setting digest-style delivery or
disabling delivery altogether (e.g., for a vacation), and so on.

-- 
*Bruna Martins dos Santos *

Skype ID: bruna.martinsantos
@boomartins
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.ncuc.org/pipermail/ncuc-discuss/attachments/20200220/cfd63177/attachment.html>