[NCUC-EC] Fwd: [NCSG-EC] Future of ICANN Meetings

[Raphael Beauregard-Lacroix]

Dear all,

Below a summary of the discussions that have been taking place among the
broader GNSO leadership, prepared by Council chair Philippe.

More of a FYI than anything else for now, and thanks to Bruna for flagging
that on the NCSG EC list and for advocating for the maintaining of space
for sufficient in/out reach during all ICANN meetings.

There will be something coming from Org on those matters some time in
January.

Have a nice day,

***

   - *There was surprise from many that the results of the survey were
   seemingly extrapolated to influence the overall and ongoing meetings
   strategy, not just virtual ICANN Public Meetings.*
   - *While it seemed that at least most of the SG/C/Council leaders that
   took part in the call are supportive of the principles under “Proposed
   Enhancements to ICANN Public Meetings Based on Community Recommendations,”
   there are concerns about the implications for the virtual environment, but
   also and mainly when the meetings return to face-to-face.*
   - *Specifically, there are concerns about the “focus on cross-community
   interaction and policy development work,” as it is unclear what the
   definition of cross-community means in this context. To that end, the GNSO
   welcomes further clarity on what criteria may be used to determine if a
   proposed session is adequately cross-community.*
   - *Participants appreciated that there is a focus on “Networking” during
   ICANN Public Meetings, but are unsure how that effectively translates to a
   virtual setting. SG/C open meetings are an example of sessions where the
   purpose is not strictly networking, but it is indeed an important component
   of the session (in addition to simply conducting SG/C business, performing
   outreach, and information sharing, all of which can be construed as
   cross-community in nature). SG/C open meetings in a face-to-face setting
   are well positioned to meet those multiple goals, many of which can be
   considered aspects of networking.*
      - *Therefore, the SG/C/Council leaders welcome additional clarity on
      what the numerous blocks committed to Networking will look like
in practice
      for ICANN70, as currently envisioned.*
      - *One idea could be parsing “networking” into various components:
      Internal (within a group), networking, outreach across groups with the
      option of break out rooms/designated areas on the schedule in order
      encourage interaction between various groups.*
   - *Specifically for the virtual format, at least most on the call
   believe it is possible to hold SG/C/Council meetings outside of the
   specific time allocations for ICANN70, although not far from the ICANN week
   (eg the week after or before).*
   - *However, if this were to serve as the trend after the return to
   face-to-face meetings (i.e., forcing member meetings, open meetings, and
   Council meetings off the ICANN meeting schedule), there will likely be
   substantial opposition from across the community. More generally, there are
   some concerns that changes made for ICANN70 and potentially future virtual
   meetings may establish a precedent for the return to face-to-face meetings.*
      - *there was general consensus for saying that there was strong
      benefits in holding SG/C/Council meetings during the
face-to-face meetings.*
      - *Giving the tight timeframe for input, there was wide agreement
      that there is inadequate time and community consultation to establish an
      ongoing meetings strategy, especially one that would also be
applicable to
      face-to-face meetings.*
   - *One specific element of the proposal, the single session for SO/AC
   updates to the ICANN Board, met wide skepticism . Allocating only 10
   minutes per group leaves no time for interaction and dialogue, which
   seemingly makes this a poor use of time.*
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