Board Activities and Meetings
Minutes | Special Meeting of the ICANN Board 17 February 2014
A Special Meeting of the ICANN Board of Directors was held on 17 February 2014 at 22:00 UTC.
Steve Crocker, Chair, promptly called the meeting to order.
The following Directors participated in all or part of the meeting: Sébastien Bachollet, Fadi Chehadé (President and CEO), Cherine Chalaby, Bill Graham, Wolfgang Kleinwächter, Bruno Lanvin, Olga Madruga-Forti, Gonzalo Navarro, Ray Plzak, George Sadowsky, Mike Silber, Bruce Tonkin (Vice Chair), and Kuo-Wei Wu. Chris Disspain and Erika Mann sent apologies.
The following Board Liaisons participated in all or part of the meeting: Heather Dryden (GAC Liaison), Ram Mohan (SSAC Liaison), Jonne Soininen (IETF Liaison) and Suzanne Woolf (RSSAC Liaison).
Secretary: John Jeffrey (General Counsel & Secretary).
The following ICANN Staff participated in all or part of the meeting: Akram Atallah (President – Global Domains Division), Duncan Burns (VP Global Communications), Sally Costerton (Sr. Advisor to the President – Global Stakeholder Engagement), Jamie Hedlund (Advisor to the President/CEO), John Jeffrey (General Counsel and Secretary), Tarek Kamel (Sr. Advisor to President – Governmental Engagement), David Olive (Vice President, Policy Development), Karine Perset (Sr. Director of Board Support), and Theresa Swinehart (Sr. Advisor to the President on Strategy).
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Main Agenda:
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President's Globalization Advisory Groups
The Chair introduced the agenda item and the Board engaged in a discussion regard the details of the proposed resolution, including the appropriate structure and purpose of the groups to ensure that they could be focused on obtaining inputs from the community on these various globalization topics.
Cherine Chalaby moved and Olga Madruga-Forti seconded the resolution.
The Board took the following action:
Whereas, the multistakeholder model has matured in response to the many challenges of exponential growth in the Internet, so ICANN must continue to evolve and grow in response to those challenges.
Whereas, ICANN's mission and responsibilities are to the global community and stakeholders worldwide.
Whereas, as a multistakeholder organization ICANN must evolve to fully execute its narrow mission, which is to coordinate, at the overall level, the global Internet's systems of unique identifiers, and be in a position to meet new challenges whether operational, policy, political or technical.
Whereas, in order for ICANN to fully execute its mission as a multistakeholder organization and be in a position to meet operational, policy, political, or technical challenges, there must be an evolution of the globalization of ICANN.
Whereas, the globalization of ICANN includes, among other things: strengthening and continuing to evolve and improve ICANN as a multistakeholder organization; and contributing as a partner in the Internet eco-system to strengthen awareness and the evolution of multistakeholder Internet governance and cooperation in a manner that ensures the continued flexibility to adapt to emerging issues.
Whereas, on 28 September 2013, the ICANN Board authorized the CEO to, among other things, "work with other key organizations and leaders to establish a coalition towards the formation of a movement or initiative" ("Coalition"), in order to address increasing concerns regarding the effectiveness of a "global, open, multi-stakeholder Internet governance system."
Whereas, the President and CEO has executed the mandate of the 28 September 2013 Board resolution and has helped facilitate a number of activities, including: (i) the expansion and launch of a previously announced strategy panel now entitled "Panel on the Future of Internet Governance;" (ii) development of and participation in the "1net initiative"; and (iii) encouraging the establishment of and support for a meeting on multistakeholder Internet governance that is now likely to take place in Brazil in April 2014.
Whereas, on 17 November 2013, the Board approved Resolution 2013.11.17.01 directing the President and CEO to continue supporting the three emerging and evolving initiatives and recognizing that ICANN, as part of the Internet ecosystem, is just one of the many participants providing resources and support to the following three initiatives: (i) the expansion and launch of a previously announced strategy panel now entitled "Panel on the Future of Internet Governance"; (ii) development and participation in the "1net initiative"; and (iii) encouraging the establishment of and support for a meeting on multistakeholder Internet governance that is now likely to take place in Brazil in April 2014.
Whereas, in Resolution 2013.11.17.01, the Board noted that "without strengthening a global, coherent approach to Internet governance, ongoing and emerging issues will not be properly addressed in a collective, collaborate way, which may inadvertently affect the operational unity of the Internet, consistent with ICANN's mandate."
Whereas, the continued globalization of ICANN must evolve in several ways, including: partnerships in the broader Internet eco-system to strengthen multistakeholder Internet governance frameworks; strengthening ICANN itself, including affirmations of commitments and relationships among the stakeholders; evolving the policy structures to serve and scale to the needs of the global community, and identify opportunities for the future legal structures and IANA globalization.
Whereas, given the nature and breadth of issues involved with the continued globalization efforts, ICANN has recognized the importance of the timely establishment of groups of Board members to focus on given topic areas, and then report and make recommendations to the President and CEO, and the full Board, for consideration.
Whereas, as part of its continued globalization efforts, ICANN should establish certain "President's Globalization Advisory Groups" composed of Board members to address the following areas: Affirmation of Commitments ("AOC"), policy structures, legal structure, root server system, the IANA multistakeholder accountability, and Internet governance.
Resolved (2014.02.17.01), the Board approves the creation of several President's Globalization Advisory Groups in order to support further ICANN globalization. These Advisory Groups of Board members are being set up to provide guidance to the full Board in support of ICANN's globalization work led by the President and CEO. The President's Globalization Advisory Groups will meet with the community during ICANN 49 Singapore Meeting, and around IETF 89, and other community meetings to discuss the ICANN globalization issues. The President's Globalization Advisory Groups will then make recommendations to the Board, which the Board will report during ICANN 50 London Meeting. These Advisory Groups will deal with the following topics: Affirmation of Commitments ("AOC"); policy structures; legal structure; root server system; the IANA multistakeholder accountability; and, Internet governance. The President and CEO will announce the composition of these Advisory Groups within two days following the posting of this resolution at http://www.icann.org/en/groups/other/globalization-19feb14-en.pdf [PDF, 35 KB]; the President and CEO shall have the authority to change the Advisory Groups and their composition from time to time, without requiring a further resolution.
All members of the Board that were in attendance voted in favor of Resolution 2014.02.17.01. Mike Silber abstained. Chris Disspain and Erika Mann were unavailable to vote. The Resolution carried.
RATIONALE FOR RESOLUTION 2014.02.17.01
This resolution is a continuation of the Board's 28 September 2013 and 17 November resolutions providing ICANN's President and CEO with a mandate to explore how ICANN could coordinate with stakeholders from across the globe to address the pressing issue of the future of Internet governance. On 28 September 2013, the Board directed the President and CEO to work towards the establishment of a coalition to start an effort to form an Internet cooperation agenda, and to do so in a manner consistent with ICANN's mission. Following the September meeting, the President and CEO executed the mandate of the 28 September 2013 Board resolution and helped facilitate a number of activities, including: (i) the expansion and launch of a previously announced strategy panel now entitled "Panel on the Future of Internet Governance;" (ii) development of and participation in the "1net initiative"; and (iii) encouraging the establishment of and support for a meeting on multi-stakeholder Internet governance that is now likely to take place in Brazil in April 2014.
On 17 November 2013, the Board approved Resolution 2013.11.17.01 directing the CEO to continue supporting the three emerging and evolving initiatives and recognizes that ICANN, as part of the Internet ecosystem, is just one of the many participants providing resources and support to the following initiatives: (i) the expansion and launch of a previously announced strategy panel now entitled "Panel on the Future of Internet Governance"; (ii) development and participation in the "1net initiative"; and (iii) encouraging the establishment of and support for a meeting on multi-stakeholder Internet governance that is now likely to take place in Brazil in April 2014. The Board also noted in Resolution 2013.11.17.01 that "without strengthening a global, coherent approach to Internet governance, ongoing and emerging issues will not be properly addressed in a collective, collaborate way, which may inadvertently affect the operational unity of the Internet, consistent with ICANN's mandate."
ICANN and the multistakeholder model have been exposed to many challenges, and ICANN must evolve to face the challenges. ICANN's mission and responsibilities are to the global community and stakeholders worldwide. To remain accountable to ICANN's mission and community, the Board recognizes that as a multistakeholder organization ICANN must evolve to fully execute on its mission, and be in a position to meet the challenges whether operational, political or technical.
The continued globalization of ICANN must evolve in several ways, including: partnerships in the broader Internet eco-system to strengthen multistakeholder Internet governance frameworks; strengthening ICANN itself, including affirmations of commitments and relationships among the stakeholders; evolving the policy structures to serve and scale to the needs of the global community, and identify opportunities for the future legal structures and IANA globalization.
This is an Organizational Administrative Function for which public comment is not required.
The Chair then called the meeting to a close.
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Published on 28 March 2014