[council] Proposed Modifications to GNSO Operating Procedures to Address Resubmission of Motions and Working Group Self Assessment

[Glen de Saint Géry <Glen@xxxxxxxxx>]

https://www.icann.org/en/news/announcements/announcement-10feb14-en.htm
Proposed Modifications to GNSO Operating Procedures to Address Resubmission of 
Motions and Working Group Self Assessment
Comment / Reply Periods (*)
Comment Open Date: 10 February 2014
Comment Close Date: 3 March 2014 - 23:59 UTC
Reply Open Date: 4 March 2014
Reply Close Date: 1 April 2014 - 23:59 UTC
Important Information Links
Public Comment 
Announcement<https://www.icann.org/en/news/announcements/announcement-10feb14-en.htm>
To Submit Your Comments 
(Forum)<mailto:comments-gnso-op-procedures-10feb14@xxxxxxxxx>
View Comments 
Submitted<http://forum.icann.org/lists/comments-gnso-op-procedures-10feb14/>
Brief Overview
Originating Organization:
Generic Names Supporting Organization (GNSO)
Categories/Tags:

 *   Policy Processes
 *   Reviews/Improvements
Purpose (Brief):
The Generic Names Supporting Organization (GNSO) Standing Committee on 
Improvements Implementation (SCI) is recommending a modification of: (1) the 
GNSO Operating Procedures to Resubmission of Motions; and (2) the GNSO Working 
Group (WG) Guidelines to Add a WG Self Assessment Mechanism.
Current Status:
As required by the ICANN Bylaws, a public comment forum is hereby initiated on 
the proposed changes prior to GNSO Council consideration.
Next Steps:
Following the closing of the public comment forum, the SCI will review the 
comments received; revise its recommendations, if deemed appropriate, and; 
submit these to the GNSO Council for approval.
Staff Contact:
Julie Hedlund
Email Staff 
Contact<mailto:Policy-staff@xxxxxxxxx?subject=More%20information%20on%20the%20Proposed%20Modifications%20to%20GNSO%20Operating%20Procedures%20to%20Address%20Resubmission%20of%20Motions%20and%20Working%20Group%20Self%20Assessment%20public%20comment%20period>
Detailed Information
Section I: Description, Explanation, and Purpose:

The Standing Committee on Improvements Implementation (SCI) was established by 
the GNSO Council on 7 April 2011 as a standing committee of the GNSO, 
responsible for reviewing and assessing the effective functioning of the GNSO 
Operating Procedures and Working Group Guidelines. As part of its charter, the 
SCI is tasked to consider requests concerning issues related to the GNSO 
Council processes and procedures and to Working Group Guidelines that have been 
identified either by the GNSO Council or a group chartered by the GNSO Council 
as needing discussion. This public comment forum is being opened in relation to 
two proposed changes to the GNSO Operating Procedures being recommended by the 
SCI.

The current GNSO Operating Procedures do not contain a specific provision on 
the possibility of resubmitting a motion for voting by the GNSO Council. In 
addition, the current GNSO Working Group Guidelines, which form Annex I of the 
GNSO Operating Procedures, do not contain a mechanism for WGs to self-assess 
their work. As a result, the GNSO Council requested that the SCI consider 
whether there should be a modification to the GNSO Council Operating Procedures 
to address the issue of the resubmission of a motion. In addition, the GNSO 
Council asked the SCI to develop a survey that WGs could use to perform a 
self-assessment once their work is complete.

Accordingly, the SCI developed procedures to be inserted in Section 4.3 
(Motions and Votes) of the GNSO Operating Procedures that provide for the 
resubmission of a motion to the GNSO Council for consideration at a subsequent 
meeting of the Council, if three criteria are followed: 1) providing of an 
explanation for the resubmission; 2) timely publication of the resubmitted 
motion, and 3) seconding of the resubmitted motion by a Councilor from each of 
the two GNSO Houses. The proposed new procedures also include limitations and 
exceptions for the resubmission of a motion concerning the timing of its 
submission, disallowing any material changes to the original motion, and 
clarifying that a previously-submitted motion not voted upon by the GNSO 
Council is considered a new motion (and not resubmitted) if it is brought 
before the GNSO Council again.  Please see the redlined version of Section 4.3 
of the GNSO Operating 
Procedures<http://gnso.icann.org/en/council/op-procedures-voting-redline-10feb14-en.pdf>
 [PDF, 148 KB].

In addition, the SCI developed and tested a WG self-assessment questionnaire, 
as a result of which the SCI is recommending that procedures for administering 
the self-assessment be added as a new Section 7.0 to the GNSO Working Group 
Guidelines, which form Annex I of the GNSO Operating Procedures. In the 
self-assessment questionnaire WG members are asked a series of questions about 
the WG processes and outputs. ICANN staff is required to monitor responses to 
the questionnaire, close the questionnaire when all WG members have completed 
it, and provide a summary of responses to the WG Chair. Please see the redlined 
version of Annex I to the GNSO Operating 
Procedures<http://gnso.icann.org/en/council/op-procedures-guidelines-redline-10feb14-en.pdf>
 [PDF, 242 KB].

As required by the ICANN Bylaws, the SCI is requesting community input on these 
proposed modifications to the GNSO Operating Procedures.
Section II: Background:

The Standing Committee on Improvements Implementation (SCI) was established by 
the GNSO Council on 7 April 2011 as a standing committee of the GNSO, 
responsible for reviewing and assessing the effective functioning of the GNSO 
Operating Procedures and Working Group Guidelines. As part of its charter, the 
SCI is tasked to consider requests concerning issues related to the GNSO 
Council processes and procedures and to Working Group Guidelines that have been 
identified either by the GNSO Council or a group chartered by the GNSO Council 
as needing discussion. The SCI operates on the basis of the GNSO WG Guidelines, 
and its recommendations are made based on Full Consensus of the SCI on the 
proposals under consideration. Each GNSO Stakeholder Group and Constituency 
appoints a representative to the SCI. Other members of the SCI include a 
Nominating Committee appointee and an observer from any GNSO 
constituency-in-formation (if any). The SCI may also appoint observers from 
other ICANN Supporting Organizations and Advisory Committee. For further 
information about the SCI and its activities, please see 
https://community.icann.org/display/gnsosci/Home.
Section III: Document and Resource Links:

Current version of the GNSO Council Operating Procedures - see GNSO Operating 
Procedures v2.7 (13 June 
2013)<http://gnso.icann.org/en/council/op-procedures-13jun13-en.pdf> [PDF, 556 
KB].
Section IV: Additional Information:
Not applicable
________________________________

(*) Comments submitted after the posted Close Date/Time are not guaranteed to 
be considered in any final summary, analysis, reporting, or decision-making 
that takes place once this period lapses.


Glen de Saint Géry
GNSO Secretariat
gnso.secretariat@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
http://gnso.icann.org