RE: [gnso-travel-dt] Chair Travel Funding

["Gomes, Chuck" <cgomes@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

To my knowledge, the answer to both questions may be "no".

Chuck 

> -----Original Message-----
> From: owner-gnso-travel-dt@xxxxxxxxx 
> [mailto:owner-gnso-travel-dt@xxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Avri Doria
> Sent: Monday, March 15, 2010 5:57 PM
> To: gnso-travel-dt@xxxxxxxxx
> Subject: Re: [gnso-travel-dt] Chair Travel Funding
> 
> 
> Hi,
> 
> My questions: 
> 
> - has the GNSO ever gained funding for anyone to travel for 
> anything other than an ICANN meeting?
> 
> - is there any budgeted source of funding from which this could come?
> 
> a.
> 
> 
> 
> On 15 Mar 2010, at 17:18, Gomes, Chuck wrote:
> 
> > Olga
> > 
> > I want to request guidance from the GNSO Travel DT 
> regarding a special travel funding issue before bringing it 
> to the Council.
> > 
> > I have been invited to participate in the Russia IGF in my 
> capacity as GNSO Council Chair.  It is scheduled for May 
> 13-14.  Because I will be doing this not as a representative 
> of VeriSign, there is not a reasonable business case to 
> request VeriSign to fund my travel, so I would like to get 
> feedback from the members of the Travel DT with regard to this.
> > 
> > First of all, let me say that I have never used ICANN 
> provided travel funding to attend ICANN meetings and I do not 
> plan to do that for any of the scheduled ICANN in-person 
> meeting scheduled this year.  The reasons for this are: 1) I 
> do not want there to be even a perception of conflict at 
> those meetings when I wear my multiple hats of Council Chair, 
> RySG representative and VeriSign representative; 2) the RySG 
> consistently took a position that it opposed ICANN travel 
> funding except in cases of demonstrated need.
> > 
> > Second, let me say that I understand that the Travel 
> Funding practice to date has been for ICANN sponsored events 
> and that the Russia IGF is not in that category.  So one of 
> the problems would be the possibility of setting precedents 
> for other travel needs in similar situations.  For example, 
> Other countries or geographical regions also hold their own 
> IGF meetings, so what would happen if I am invited to those 
> as well, to represent the GNSO?  I think this is a legitimate 
> concern.  All I can say is that I was first contacted about 
> the Russia IGF over six months in advance of the meeting and 
> I have not been invited to any other country/regional IGF 
> meetings for 2010 or after.  Clearly, if ICANN funding is 
> considered for this, it would need to be done with the 
> limitation that travel funds are available and that this 
> instance would be a one-time consideration; any similar 
> requests in my role as chair would have to be vetted 
> independently and would have to have similar advance !
>  notice like was given with the Russia IGF.
> > 
> > I also recognize that ICANN has had to trim expenses and I 
> would not want to negatively impact the ability of any GNSO 
> members to receive travel funding to the Brussels meeting as 
> a result of my request.
> > 
> > Any thoughts that any members of the Travel DT, including 
> negative ones, would be appreciated.  I promised both Theresa 
> Swinehart and Kevin Wilson that I would get back to them on 
> this but have waiting raising it because of the huge number 
> of issues that we have been dealing with in the GNSO.
> > 
> > Chuck
> 
> 
>