NCSG Finance Committee Query for the next NCSG policy call on 20.02.2018

[Thato Mfikwe]

Hi Sam and colleagues,

I must agree with Sam, it very difficult to trace and track NCSG records at
the moment, the only clue to taking the FC forward would be assessment of
Operational plans, budgets and approved budget requests in the past 2 - 3
years (in-progress) in order to get an idea as to what activities have been
taking place within the SG. Furthermore, the SO/AC coordination secretariat
(maybe also the GNSO or previous FC committee members) can provide closure
and information on some of the missing information on NCSG dealings and
financial activities.

Secondly, it would be helpful and beneficial for members if a picture is
painted on ICANN operational goals and activities, priorities, financial
plans and how they can be aligned with the planned SG activities for 2019
as in 2018, the only opportunity to influence spending this year is through
additional budgets request, otherwise we need to submit the NCSG position
on 2019 Operational plans and budgets before the closing date. Some of the
FY19 Budgetary issues raised by Ayden in his anology relate to CROPP,
reduction of additional budgets, high costs of personnel, FTE and service
providers including significant budget allocations for the GSE and the GE
teams, as much as we can should discontent, we also need to provide
solutions and alternatives to ICANN spending, there has also been an outcry
to save ICANNWiki as it is beneficial to underdeveloped, underrepresented
and underserviced regions.

It would be good to have a team that will analyse and breakdown this
operational goals abd opportunities by project and portfolio in order to
enable members to start making recommendations and identifying
opportunities for the SG and its constituencies to participate more
effectively in ICANN processes, this will help with ensuring that
activities of the SG and its constituencies are approved, aligned,
successful and end up becoming recurring expenses in future operational
plans. ICANN also encourages communities to come up with new projects that
improve on existing activities or provide new too, although the draft
budget has been decreased for 2019 vs 2018.

There needs to be a summarised version of the operation plan articulating
the involvement of AC's, SO's, the GNSO or NCSG in ICANN operational plans
because it seems like currently this information is hidden in lengthy
documents making it difficult for members to make informed input of the
direction of the SG. In the meantime we will wait for the direction of NCSG
on how we must proceed in dealing with all this issues.


Thato Mfikwe.


On Mon, Feb 19, 2018 at 6:00 PM, Sam Lanfranco <lanfran at yorku.ca> wrote:

> NCSG Colleagues,
>
> I have recently raised these issues about the newly repopulated NCSG
> Finance Committee, and would like to urge some reflection by the NCSG
> membership and the NCSG executive. The NCSG Finance Committee has been
> effectively dormant for some time, and the NCSG Charter has rather
> extensive content about its terms of reference, duties, etc.
>
> In the absence of a history of Finance Committee activities, or current
> ongoing activities, and within the NCSG Charter, there is an opportunity
> here for NCSG to re-asses what it would like on the working agenda for the
> Finance Committee. That agenda is not something that the Finance Committee
> can determine from within, nor is there a track record of recent activities
> to guide the Finance Committee. Going forward with a viable Finance
> Committee requires broader NCSG engagement around what the Finance
> Committee should be doing.
>
> Also, without a recent history of activities, or a current work agenda, a
> Chair of the Finance Committee does not need long exposure to NCSG and
> ICANN, given that there is direction from NCSG. The Chair position should
> be occupied by one who is both willing and capable, and who will attend the
> upcoming ICANN meetings.
>
> I am not sure how NCSG wishes to move forward on these fronts, so I am
> putting this out there for thought and, hopefully, some action before (or
> at) the ICANN meetings in Puerto Rico.
>
> Sam L. (NPOC Member of NCSG Finance Committee)
>
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