GNSO Policy Development Process (PDP)

The GNSO Policy Development Process (PDP) governs the way in which the GNSO develops policy consistent with the role of the GNSO as outlined in Article X of the ICANN Bylaws. As a result of GNSO Improvements, a revised GNSO PDP was adopted by the GNSO Council in October 2011 and by the ICANN Board in December 2011. As a result, all ongoing and new PDPs will follow these revised rules.

The rules for the revised GNSO PDP are outlined in Annex A of the ICANN Bylaws and the PDP Manual. In addition, the graphics shown below have been developed to facilitate understanding of the different steps of the PDP which include:

• Issue Identification
• Issue Scoping (What is the issue?)
• Initiation (Moving ahead with a PDP or not?)
• Working Group (Exploring the issue in depth and developing recommendations)
• Council Deliberation (Assess / affirm WG recommendations)
• Board Vote (Final approval)
• Implementation

Other Materials:

• ICANN Bylaws, Annex A: GNSO Policy Development Process
• PDP Timeline – 20 August 2013
• PDP Timelines – Updated May 2018
• GNSO Operating Rules & Procedures, ANNEX 2: Policy Development Process Manual
• To view the following diagrams with zoom capability, please view the PDF file of the Policy Development Process
• Detailed Overview of GNSO PDP, Including GAC Quick Look Mechanism
• Archive

General Overview:

Issue Identification:

Issue Scoping:

Initiation:

Working Group:

Council Deliberation:

Board Vote:

Implementation: