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Call for Candidates: Seeking Advisors to the ICANN Accountability & Governance Coordination Group

28 August 2014

In Short

The Accountability & Governance Public Experts Group is asked to select up to seven advisors to the ICANN Accountability & Governance Coordination Group. As part of executing its mandate, the Public Experts Group is issuing a Call for Candidates to encourage nominations from the community.

Nominations are to be submitted to acct-advisors@icann.org by Tuesday, 30 September 2014 – 23:59 UTC.

* [Update on 9 September 2014]: In light of the 6 – 27 September public comment period on the Enhancing ICANN Accountability and Governance Process, the Public Experts Group has decided to extend its Call for Candidates.


Background Information

On 14 March 2014 the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) announced its intent to transition its stewardship of the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) functions to the global multistakeholder community. NTIA asked the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), as the IANA functions contractor and global coordinator for the Domain Name System (DNS), to convene a multistakeholder process to develop a proposal for the transition. This process is currently under way as further described here.

During discussions around the transition process, the community raised the broader topic of the impact of the change in the historical contractual relationship with the United States in light of the transition of NTIA's stewardship role. The community identified the importance of improving ICANN Accountability & Governance as a crucial aspect and, after community consultations at the ICANN 49 and ICANN 50 meetings and a comment period on a draft process from 6 May – 27 June 2014, ICANN published a final Process and Next Steps on 14 August 2014.

Subsequent to this announcement, on 19 August 2014, ICANN announced the formation of the Public Experts Group. These four individuals – who are not part of ICANN's staff or Board – are asked to select up to seven advisors to the Coordination Group. The Public Experts are Mr. Brian Cute, Ms. Jeanette Hofmann, Amb. Janis Karklins, and Hon. Lawrence E. Strickling.

Role of Advisors

The role of the Advisors is defined as follows in the Process:

The advisors, selected by the Public Experts Group, will bring an external, independent voice to this process to assure that best practices are brought in from outside of the ICANN community. While there is a level of research and work that the advisors will do on their own, the integration of the advisors with the rest of the Coordination Group is key to considering how the research they perform can be best implemented to solve for the issues identified. The advisors can also help bring inputs in from their own networks as necessary. Utilized correctly, the advisor inputs will not only assist in developing enhanced accountability practices for ICANN, but provide a model that other multistakeholder organizations will strive to meet.

The areas identified for expertise include:

  • Internet Technical Operations
  • International Organizational Reviews
  • Global Accountability Tools and Metrics
  • Jurisprudence / Accountability Mechanisms
  • Internet Consumer Protection (including privacy, human rights and property rights concerns)
  • Economics (Marketplace and Competition)
  • Global Ethics Frameworks
  • Operational, Finance and Process
  • Board Governance
  • Transparency
  • Risk Management
  • Governmental Engagement and Relations
  • Multistakeholder Governance

Selection of Advisors

As part of executing its mandate, the Public Experts Group is issuing a Call for Candidates to encourage nominations and self-nomination of suitable candidates. The Public Experts Group may reach out to their networks for additional suggestions.

The Public Experts Group will conduct its activities with a "default open" and its process can be followed, through its mailing list and its Wiki. In evaluating candidates, the Public Expert Group will respect individual candidates' privacy and will deliberate in closed session where appropriate.

How to Submit a Nomination

The Public Experts Group is seeking nominations for individuals to serve as Advisors to the Coordination Group. Nominations should include the following:

  • A brief description of the candidate's background
  • Identified area(s) of expertise based on the list in the Process.

Nominations should be emailed to acct-advisors@icann.org. Upon receipt of a nomination, ICANN staff will confirm with the candidate if he/she is indeed willing to be considered.

Deadline

Nominations will be accepted until Tuesday, 30 September – 23:59 UTC. The Public Experts Group will select Advisors to the Coordination Group in time for the first Coordination Group meeting, which will take place from during the ICANN 51 meeting in Los Angeles from 12-16 October 2014.

Timeline

Advisors are anticipated to serve on the Coordination Group from October 2014 until April 2015. During this time, Advisors can estimate 5-10h of work per week, with a heightened workload during the ICANN 51 (12 – 16 October 2014) and ICANN 52 (8 – 12 February 2015) meetings where travel for in person meetings is expected.

NB: The timeline described above is the Public Experts Group's assessment based on the Process and is subject to change after the Coordination Group determines its working methods.

Compensation

Advisors will not receive remuneration for their time. However, travel, meal and lodging costs to participate in Coordination Group meetings will be reimbursed upon request in accordance with ICANN's community travel support guidelines.

Contact

Please contact acct-advisors@icann.org for any questions you may have.