Comments

The GNSO Council has reviewed the Draft ICANN Strategic Plan and Operating Plan Framework for FY26-30 and in doing so, recognizes that the Council is closely associated with Strategic Objective 1: Evolve and Promote ICANN’s Multistakeholder Model to Sustain Its Inclusive Internet Governance Model. In particular, the Council takes note of Strategic Goal 1.2: Enhance the Agility and Effectiveness of Policy and Advice Development. The Council is generally supportive of the Strategies detailed, which line up well with initiatives both past/present (e.g., GNSO PDP 3.0, GNSO Council Committee for Overseeing and Implementing Continuous Improvement (CCOICI), etc.) and future (e.g., considering how to better ensure that GNSO policy recommendations are able to be adopted by the ICANN Board). Therefore, the Council does not have concerns or input on the Strategies identified but rather, it has input on the Phasing identified for these Strategies. With the Council having a long-standing emphasis on continuous improvement, the Council is therefore concerned with the designation of Strategic Intensity, Heightened Attention, where Incremental Improvements, Moderate Attention might be more appropriate. The Council is specifically concerned that designating Strategic Goal 1.2 as Strategic Intensity, Heightened Attention will result in that goal becoming a large-scale project, which may draw attention away from the work that the Council has already agreed to undertake, much of which will initiate prior to the next 5-year plan even coming into effect. To summarize, the Council supports the Strategies identified, such that there is general alignment between the Strategies and the priorities of the Council. However, the Council believes that designating Strategic Goal 1.2 as Incremental Improvements, Moderate Attention, is more appropriate, given the Council’s long-standing focus on continuous improvement of the Policy Development Process (PDP) and the GNSO Council’s effective management of its PDPs.