News Alert
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
[log in to unmask] by
Wednesday, 10 September 2014 – 23:59 UTC.
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
[log in to unmask]. 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 Wednesday, 10 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