Fwd: [ICANN Community Leaders] ICANN68 Announcement
Stephanie E Perrin
stephanie.perrin at MAIL.UTORONTO.CA
Thu Apr 9 17:29:53 EEST 2020
FYI
-------- Forwarded Message --------
Subject: [ICANN Community Leaders] ICANN68 Announcement
Date: Thu, 9 Apr 2020 18:34:17 +0000
From: David Olive <david.olive at icann.org>
To: so-ac-sg-cleaders at icann.org <so-ac-sg-cleaders at icann.org>
Dear Community Leaders:
We have published the announcement and Board resolution regarding
ICANN68: https://www.icann.org/news/announcement-2020-04-09-en.
ICANN68 to be Held as Remote Public Meeting
LOS ANGELES – 9 April 2020 – The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names
and Numbers (ICANN) today announced that its ICANN68 Policy Forum, which
was to be held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, will now be held via remote
participation only. The ICANN Board of Directors has made the decision
<https://www.icann.org/resources/board-material/resolutions-2020-04-08-en> that
ICANN68 will not proceed as an in-person meeting. Instead, the Board has
directed the ICANN org to explore additional community feedback and
suggestions, in order to develop a meaningful and productive ICANN68
Policy Forum while we are unable to meet in person.
The meeting, scheduled for 22-25 June 2020, will be the second
time ICANN has held a Public Meeting solely with remote participation.
ICANN67, which was originally slated to be held in Cancún, Mexico, from
7-12 March 2020, was held as ICANN's first entirely remote virtual
meeting
<https://www.icann.org/news/announcement-2020-02-19-en> following the
declaration of COVID-19 as a public health emergency of international
concern by the World Health Organization <https://www.who.int/>.
With an increasing number of countries issuing stay-at-home, lockdown,
or social-distancing orders to its citizens to slow the spread of
COVID-19, gatherings and international travel are effectively on pause
for the foreseeable future. The health and safety of ICANN's community
is a top priority, and as such, convening ICANN68 as an in-person
meeting is no longer feasible.
Following the success of ICANN67 as a Virtual Community Forum,
the ICANN org sought the ICANN community's feedback on how to improve
future virtual meetings. In its decision, the Board also
directed ICANN org to coordinate with the ICANN community on the best
way forward in order to meet the expected outcomes of an ICANN Policy
Forum. The community's feedback will be incorporated into the planning
and execution of ICANN68.
ICANN thanks the Kuala Lumpur host committee and our regional partners
in Asia Pacific (APAC), who have provided their support and expertise
throughout the planning process for ICANN68. We look forward to
returning to the APAC region for future ICANN Public Meetings.
Those interested in attending the virtual meeting will still be required
to register. An announcement will be posted once registration is open.
To learn more about remote participation, visit ICANN Public Meetings
<https://meetings.icann.org/en/remote-participation>.
More information, including information about the meeting's time zone,
language interpretation options, and final schedule will be provided at
a later date.
About ICANN
ICANN's mission is to help ensure a stable, secure, and unified global
Internet. To reach another person on the Internet, you need to type an
address – a name or a number – into your computer or other device. That
address must be unique so computers know where to find each
other. ICANN helps coordinate and support these unique identifiers
across the world. ICANN was formed in 1998 as a not-for-profit
public-benefit corporation with a community of participants from all
over the world.
Approved Board Resolutions | Special Meeting of the ICANN Board
08 Apr 2020
1.*Main Agenda:
<https://www.icann.org/resources/board-material/resolutions-2020-04-08-en#1>*
a.*Impact of COVID-19 on ICANN68
<https://www.icann.org/resources/board-material/resolutions-2020-04-08-en#1.a>*
§/Rationale for Resolutions 2020.04.08.01 – 2020.04.08.03
<https://www.icann.org/resources/board-material/resolutions-2020-04-08-en#1.a.ratioanle>/
1.Main Agenda:
a.Impact of COVID-19 on ICANN68
Whereas, on 23 June 2018, the ICANN Board approved
for ICANN organization to proceed to contracting in support of ICANN68
in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
(https://www.icann.org/resources/board-material/resolutions-2018-06-23-en#1.e).
Under the Meetings Strategy, ICANN68 is scheduled as the Policy Forum
for 2020.
Whereas, the ICANN Board is responsible for a decision to change
an ICANN public meeting location once such a meeting location has been
approved for contracting and announced.
Whereas, in December 2019, a new strain of coronavirus, referred to as
COVID-19, emerged and on 11 March 2020 was declared by the World Health
Organization (WHO) as a pandemic. As of 7 April 2020, there are
confirmed cases of COVID-19 in 184 countries or territories across the
world, with nearly 1,400,000 confirmed cases. Globally, a high number of
people are under some form of a "stay at home" or lock-down order,
directed to avoid contact with others except to receive essential
services such as medical care or to purchase supplies. Schools and
offices are closed, gatherings are prohibited, and international travel
is largely on pause. We do not know when travel or in-person meetings
will be authorized or possible. As it relates to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
has a Movement Control Order in force at least until 14 April 2020 that
prohibits meetings such as ICANN68. The duration of the Movement Control
Order has already been extended once.
Whereas, as an organization with staff and stakeholders across the
globe, in January 2020 ICANN org convened an adaptive crisis management
team (A-CMT) in order to assist ICANN org in tracking and mitigating the
impact of COVID-19 on ICANN's work.
Whereas, ICANN org, through the A-CMT, briefed the Board on the current
status of COVID-19 on ICANN's work, including the potential impacts on
ICANN68. ICANN org has also consulted with the leadership teams of the
various ICANN community structures – our Advisory Committees, Supporting
Organizations, Stakeholder Groups and Constituencies – regarding the
planning for ICANN68 in the face of the pandemic.
Whereas, the Board recognizes that the COVID-19 pandemic has already
impacted other planned opportunities for the ICANN community to further
their work in-person. ICANN67 proceeded as a virtual meeting; the Middle
East DNS Forum was canceled; the GDD Summit (planned for May 2020) is
postponed; an intersessional meeting for the Nominating Committee has
been cancelled; no other intersessional meetings are able to be
scheduled at this time. As much as possible, ICANN org has been in
communication with the ICANN community on these schedule changes.
Whereas, at this time, it does not appear possible or feasible to
convene an in-person ICANN68 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia as planned.
Whereas, ICANN org successfully moved ICANN67 to a virtual meeting,
providing a useful test for the ICANN community on how to plan, schedule
and execute an ICANN Public Meeting in a fully virtual setting.
In ICANN org's consultations with ICANN's Community Leaders, ICANN org
sought the community's feedback about how to use the lessons from
ICANN67 to design future virtual meetings as the pandemic might
necessitate, taking into consideration the purpose of each Public Meeting.
Whereas, ICANN org reports that, due to current social distancing
requirements, ICANN org is unable to execute a virtual meeting from a
single location, and that a decentralized execution model might
necessitate changes to the format. In addition, and in light of the fact
that ICANN68 is intended to be the yearly Policy Forum, the Community
Leaders have indicated general support for a flexible, modified virtual
meeting format that focuses on cross-community dialogues on key policy
topics, supplemented by a program of topical webinars and regular online
working meetings scheduled around the key sessions.
Whereas, ICANN org reports to the Board that it continues both its
internal operational planning as well as consultation with the community
on how to best design a Policy Forum that achieves the intended purpose
and that supports the community's ongoing policy advice and development
work.
Whereas, the Board understands the import of the face-to-face
interactions as provided for at ICANN's Public Meetings.
Resolved (2020.04.08.01), the Board confirms that ICANN68 shall not
proceed as an in-person meeting, and directs the ICANN President and
CEO, or his designees, to take all steps necessary to cancel the
facilities and arrangements made for an in-person meeting in Kuala
Lumpur, Malaysia.
Resolved (2020.04.08.02), the Board directs the ICANN President and CEO,
or his designees, to coordinate with the ICANN community on the best way
forward for ICANN68 to meet the expected outcomes of an ICANN Policy
Forum, including the furthering of ICANN policy development and advice
work, reporting on milestones and community-agreed priorities for the
meeting. The ICANN President and CEO is also directed to continue
internal operational planning in order to support the delivery of the
ICANN68 Policy Forum in a distributed manner to meet the expected
outcomes as much as is practically feasible.
Resolved (2020.04.08.03), the Board thanks ICANN org and
the ICANN community for their attention to this important issue. The
Board also thanks the hosts and venues planned for ICANN68 in Kuala
Lumpur, Malaysia for their understanding of the need to cancel the
in-person plans for ICANN68. We hope that there is a future time that we
will be able to come back and visit your city to host an ICANN Public
Meeting.
/*Rationale for Resolutions 2020.04.08.01 – 2020.04.08.03*/
The Board takes this action today in as a result of the COVID-19
outbreak, considered a pandemic by the World Health Organization. While
the Board recognizes and upholds the value of face-to-face interactions
at ICANN's Public Meetings, and the advancement of ICANN community work
that happens at these meetings, we cannot move forward with an in-person
meeting at the cost of the health of attendees, ICANN org staff members,
and the host country. Just as the Board has previously considered in
moving meetings due to the emerging Zika virus, health and safety must
be the paramount concern.
At the time of the Board decision, the December 2019 COVID-19 outbreak
now stands at nearly 1,400,000 confirmed cases across 184 countries and
territories. Each day, there is updated news on the spread of the virus
and the worldwide response. Globally, a high number of people are under
some form of a "stay at home" or lock-down order, directed to avoid
contact with others except to receive essential services such as medical
care or to purchase supplies. Schools and offices are closed, gatherings
are prohibited, and international travel is largely on pause.
Across ICANN org, all offices are closed (except for essential items)
and personnel are working from home. Those with school-aged children are
expected to care for and, in many cases, take on the education of their
children. Many within the ICANN community are experiencing these same
impacts. Many may also be dealing with infection amongst their family
and friends. The pandemic is impacting us all.
As it relates specifically to Malaysia, there is a Movement Control
Order in force at least until 14 April 2020 that prohibits meetings such
as ICANN68. The duration of the Movement Control Order has already been
extended once. Just as we cannot know today if global citizens will be
in a position to travel in June 2020, we cannot know if the Movement
Control Order will remain in force at the time planned for ICANN68.
Taking the global reality into account, there is no way that ICANN can
responsibly plan to host an in-person meeting for ICANN68.
After the Board's February 2020 decision canceling the in-person
component of ICANN67 and directing ICANN org to proceed with a virtual
meeting, a virtual ICANN67 was convened. Many valuable lessons were
learned from that experience. The ICANN Board is
asking ICANN organization to continue its consultation with ICANN's
Community Leaders about how to use the lessons from ICANN67 to design
future virtual meetings as the pandemic might necessitate, taking into
consideration the purpose of each Public Meeting. To date, the Community
Leaders have indicated general support for a flexible, modified virtual
meeting for the ICANN68 Policy Forum format, a schedule that focuses on
cross-community dialogues on key policy topics, supplemented by a
program of topical webinars and regular online working meetings
scheduled around the key sessions. ICANN org itself will need plan
differently for how to execute a virtual Policy Forum that achieves the
intended purpose and that supports the community's ongoing policy advice
and development work. Because of the social distancing requirements as
well as the inability to travel, ICANN org will not be able to plan for
a centralized hub of operations to deliver on the ICANN community's
needs. ICANN org instead is planning on distributed operations for a
meeting, which requires significant logistical coordination.
Prior to taking this decision, the Board received briefings
from ICANN org, on areas including the impact of COVID-19, conversations
with the ICANN community, and operational planning for a distributed
meeting.
We thank the ICANN community for its commitment to concluding a
successful ICANN67 and for your continued dedication in developing a
meaningful and productive ICANN68 Policy Forum even while we cannot meet
in person. The ICANN community has shown great leadership already in a
global move towards virtual collaboration. The ICANN Board thanks the
host committee as well as our community in the Asia Pacific Region
(APAC) who worked tirelessly to host this meeting in Kuala Lumpur. We
appreciate their understanding and look forward to returning to the APAC
region as soon as we are able.
This action is within ICANN's mission and the public interest, as it is
the only path to assure that the work of the ICANN community continues
as planned. It is the proper decision on many levels, from not
putting ICANN org staff at risk; risking the need to divert the
resources and attention of ICANN org to a response to a COVID-19
outbreak amongst ICANN org or the community; to taking a responsible and
proper measure to protect against contributing to the global pandemic.
This decision has resource implications that are being quantified.
However, the resources needed to support an ICANN68 Policy Forum as can
be appropriately designed are expected to be within or below the
resources that have already been allocated for ICANN68 within ICANN's
budget. This decision has no impact on the security, stability, or
resiliency of the Internet's DNS.
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