NPOC's comments on the GNSO Review report

[Rudi Vansnick <rudi.vansnick@xxxxxxx>]

NPOC has reviewed the draft report and would like to highlight some important 
aspects related to the proposed recommendations.

With Reference to Theme 1: Participation and Representation: We agree on the 
majority of the recommendations, especially those emphasizing efforts for 
better and greater outreach to, and enabling participation of, volunteers in 
the policy work (rec. 3, 7 and 35). 

However, the report is lacking some guidance and recommendations related to a 
balanced representation of constituencies in the council. We accept that 
constituencies are defending the interests of their users, for example with a 
specific focus on security, privacy, human rights and other specific user 
rights, and represent essentially the internet users. But, as well, the report 
needs to underline and highlight the fact that another part of the community, 
NGO’s who use the Internet in pursuit of missions not focused directly on 
Internet policy, is a growing and important constituency with operational 
concerns related directly to the impact of DNS policy on their work. We 
strongly suggest that this issue receive more attention in the final report.

To illustrate the point with reference to our new constituency, NPOC is the 
youngest constituency in ICANN, and is a good example, especially in the 
context of being part of a SG. There are no recommendations with regards to 
structure adaptation of an existing SG when a new constituency enters into that 
SG.  

NPOC would like to provide some ideas and propose guidance rules to allow the 
format/structure of the SG enable the appropriate empowerment of the new 
constituency. One of the elements we would like to see reflected in the report 
is recommendations related to the Charters of SGs and constituencies, and the 
relationship alignments required to allow more effective engagement and 
equitable participation in ICANN’s multistakeholder processes.


Rudi Vansnick
Chair Non-for-Profit Operational Concerns Constituency (NPOC)
www.npoc.org <http://www.npoc.org/>

rudi.vansnick@xxxxxxxx
Tel : +32 (0)9 329 39 16
Mobile : +32 (0)475 28 16 32