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Minutes | Regular Meeting of the ICANN Board | 14 November 2024

A Regular Meeting of the ICANN Board of Directors was held in person in Istanbul, Türkiye on 14 November 2024 at 16:30 local time.

Tripti Sinha, Chair, promptly called the meeting to order.

In addition to the Chair, the following Directors participated in all or part of the meeting: Catherine Adeya, Alan Barrett, Maarten Botterman, Chris Buckridge, Becky Burr, Chris Chapman, Edmon Chung, Sally Costerton (Sr. Advisor to President and SVP, Global Stakeholder Engagement & Interim President and CEO), Sarah Deutsch, Danko Jevtović (Vice-Chair), Christian Kaufmann, Patricio Poblete, Sajid Rahman, and León Sánchez.

The following Board Liaisons participated in all or part of the meeting: Harald Alvestrand (IETF Liaison), Nico Caballero (GAC Liaison), James Galvin (SSAC Liaison), and Wes Hardaker (RSSAC Liaison).

Secretary: John Jeffrey (General Counsel and Secretary).

Main Agenda

1. New gTLD Program

Before discussing the four agenda items related to the New gTLD Program identified under Main Agenda items 1a, 1b, 1c, and 1d, the Chair called for conflicts. Harald Alvestrand stated that as an employee of a company that is also a registry, he had recused himself from all discussions of the New gTLD Program out of an abundance of caution. Edmon Chung stated that out of an abundance of caution, he too had recused himself from discussions about the New gTLD Program because his employer is a contacted party. Jim Galvin stated that he had recused himself from discussions and decisions related to the New gTLD Program out of an abundance of caution. Chris Buckridge stated that until recently, he had been taking an active part of the discussions related to the New gTLD Program, including as a part of the Board Caucus on the Program. Chris further stated that he recently contracted for an unrelated short-term project for an organization that also serves as a registry services provider, and for the duration of this project, he would recuse himself from all discussions concerning the New gTLD Program and would abstain from voting on resolutions related to the Program.

a. Issues Related to Contention Set Resolution for the New gTLD Program: Next Round

Becky Burr introduced the agenda item related to contention set resolution for the New gTLD Program: Next Round, noting that the Board considered the policy recommendations and input from the GNSO Council and others in taking the proposed action. Becky read into the record the proposed Board actions to prohibit all forms of private resolution of contention sets in the Next round, and to implement the ascending clock second-price auction methodology for auctions to resolve contention sets.

After discussion, León Sánchez moved, and Danko Jevtović seconded the proposed resolutions. The Board took the following action:

Whereas, the Board has been considering policy inputs from the New gTLD Subsequent Procedures Policy Development Process Final

about resolving contention sets in the next round of the New gTLD Program - namely, whether to allow private resolution of contention sets, and which auction methodology should be used to resolve contention.

Whereas, the Board previously expressed concerns about private resolution of contention sets during the SubPro Policy Development Process. For example, the Board asked the SubPro PDP Working Group on 30 September 2020, "to provide a rationale why the resolution of contention sets should not be conducted in a way such that any net proceeds would benefit the global Internet community rather than other competing applicants."

Whereas, on 20 June 2023, the GAC issued the ICANN77 Communiqué, advising the Board as follows: "to ban or strongly disincentivize private monetary means of resolution of contention sets, including private auctions".

Whereas, the Board reviewed the 17 May 2024 report by NERA titled ''Addressing monetary means of private resolution" (NERA Report), which notes that permitting joint ventures is "inherently in tension with ICANN's other objective of disincentivizing monetary means of private resolution."

Whereas, on 17 June 2024, the GAC issued the ICANN80 Communiqué, advising the Board as follows: "to prohibit the use of private auctions in resolving contention sets in the next round of New gTLDs"

Whereas, on 21 June 2024, the ALAC advised the Board to, "Ban all forms of post-application private resolution of contention sets, including joint-ventures regardless of claims as good-faith joint ventures, with possible one exception - where there are community-based applications in direct contention with one another and two or more of them prevail in a Community Priority Evaluation (CPE), then ICANN may postpone the auction for a limited period of time to allow such parties to reach a settlement before proceeding to auction involving only them (as currently provided for in section 4.2.2 of the 2012 Application Guidebook)."

Whereas, on 29 July 2024, the Board adopted the scorecard "GAC Advice – ICANN80 Kigali Communiqué: Board Action", thereby accepting the advice "to prohibit the use of private auctions in resolving contention sets in the Next Round of the New gTLD Program."

Whereas, on 13 September 2024, the ICANN Board sent a letter to the GNSO Council, stating the Board's intention that "private resolution of contention sets will not be permitted during the Next Round," and that "the Board understands that in order to prohibit private resolutions of contention sets, it will have to reverse its 16 March 2023 adoption of SubPro recommendation 20.6, which allows for the formation of joint ventures to resolve contention." (See 16 March 2023 Scorecard: Subsequent Procedures adopted by the Board via resolutions 2023.03.16.04 – 2023.03.16.15.)

Whereas, during the 2012 round of the New gTLD Program, ICANN used the "ascending clock second price" methodology to resolve contention via its auction of last resort.

Whereas, the SubPro Final Report notes that several auction methodologies were discussed as part of the PDP but none received a consensus designation.

Whereas, on 21 June 2024, the ALAC provided advice to the Board to use the Vickery auction method, aligned with its previous input to the SubPro PDP WG.

Whereas, the Board agrees that there were no major issues with regard to the auction method used by ICANN in the 2012 round.

Whereas, there is no policy on what auction method to use in the Next Round and ICANN, in drafting the Next Round Applicant Guidebook, needs clarity which auction method to implement for the the Next Round.

Resolved (2024.11.14.01), the Board directs the Interim President and CEO, or her designee(s), to prohibit all forms of private resolution of contention sets in the Next Round, including prohibiting the formation of joint ventures among applicants after the submission of their applications. The Board finds that that allowing joint ventures, as previously approved in SubPro Recommendation 20.6, is no longer in the best interests of the ICANN community or ICANN, as per Bylaws Annex A, Section 9(a); and by this action the Board confirms that it is no longer directing the Interim President and CEO to implement Recommendation 20.6 as directed in Board resolution 2023.03.16.04. The rationale of this resolution includes the Board Statement for why this recommendation is not in the best interests of the ICANN community or ICANN org. The Board directs the Interim President and CEO, or her designee(s), to submit the Board Statement to the GNSO Council and coordinate with the GNSO Council a time to discuss the Board Statement.

Resolved (2024.11.14.02), the Board directs the Interim President and CEO, or her designee(s), to implement, during the Next Round, the ascending clock second-price auction methodology that was also used during the 2012 round of the New gTLD Program.

Thirteen members of the Board voted in favor of Resolutions 2024.11.14.01 – 2024.11.14.02. Chris Buckridge and Edmon Chung abstained from voting. The Resolutions carried.

Rationale for Resolutions 2024.11.14.01 – 2024.11.14.02

Why is the Board addressing the issue?

Private Resolution of Contention Sets

The community has long grappled with the question of how to resolve contention in the Next Round, as evidenced, for example, in the SubPro Final Report: Policy recommendation 35.2 that would have explicitly permitted private resolution and private auctions. This recommendation received "strong support and significant opposition" from the Working Group but failed to reach consensus-level support. Consequently, the Council did not adopt this recommendation (see GNSO Council resolution, dated 18 February 2021).

Private resolution of contention sets was encouraged during the 2012 round of the New gTLD Program (2012 Round). As a consequence of that implementation decision, the majority of contention sets were resolved privately - anecdotally involving large amounts of money. Many in the ICANN community have since stated their unease with this practice, not least because permitting private resolution may also have encouraged gaming in that application round. Some applicants might have submitted applications with the intent to receive a payout for exiting a contention set, rather than to operate a gTLD. The SubPro PDP Working Group acknowledged this to be an issue, recommending that "applications must be submitted with a bona fide ("good faith") intention to operate the gTLD" (see Final Report recommendation 35.3). The Working Group noted further in its rationale for recommendation 35.3 that "[t]he Working Group has elected to primarily target concerns about an applicant submitting an application with no intent to operate the gTLD."

Similarly, the At-Large Advisory Committee (ALAC) in June 2024 advised the Board to "ban all forms of post-application private resolution of contention sets, including joint-ventures regardless of claims as good-faith joint ventures [...]". The Governmental Advisory Committee (GAC) also advised the Board "to ban or strongly disincentivize private monetary means of resolution of contention sets, including private auctions" in its ICANN77 Washington Communiqué. On 29 July 2024, the Board accepted GAC Consensus Advice from its ICANN80 Kigali Communiqué to "prohibit the use of private auctions in resolving contention sets in the next round of New gTLDs."

In this context, it is worth noting that in the Report 'Addressing monetary means of private resolution', delivered to ICANN in May 2024, NERA, a leading economic advisor on the design and implementation of auctions, stated that "a ban on private resolution" would "bring ICANN to the mainstream practice among governments and companies resolving contention". The Report also states that "it is extremely rare for a party organizing an allocation process to allow participants in contention to decide major allocation and pricing decisions among themselves".

During the Board's Los Angeles workshop in 2024, the Board focused its discussion on how to move forward on three items: (1) the extent to which applicants should be able to organize private agreements to resolve contention; (2) whether, and if so, how to provide less-well-resourced applicants a chance to obtain a desired string if they are in a contention set; and (3) whether to rely on ICANN auctions using the ascending-clock second-price methodology to resolve contention or to adopt an alternate methodology such as Vickrey auction, or even a raffle.

After discussing the issue of private resolution of contention sets, and taking into account relevant advice, the Board determined that private resolutions of contention sets will not be permitted during the Next Round. Consequently, the Board finds that that allowing joint ventures, as previously approved in Recommendation 20.6 (see Board resolution 2023.03.16.04), is no longer in the best interests of the ICANN community or ICANN, as per Bylaws Annex A, Section 9(a).

Methodology for ICANN Auction of Last Resort

The decision to use the ascending clock-second price auction method for ICANN's auction of last resort during the 2012 round of the New gTLD Program was an implementation decision, as the 2007 Final Report did not contain any recommendation on the specific auction method.

The SubPro PDP WG deliberated whether to recommend a different auction method than what was used in the 2012 round of the New gTLD Program. The WG ended up drafting recommendation 35.4, which recommends using a second price sealed-bid method. However, the PDP WG Co-Chairs designated the PDP WG's support for this recommendation as 'strong support but significant opposition'. As a result, the GNSO Council resolved in February 2021 not to adopt that recommendation.

Subsequently, the ALAC provided advice to the Board on 21 June 2024 to "adjust the ICANN Auction of Last Resort to an auction process methodology comparable to a Vickrey Auction (sealed-bid second-price auction) requiring each gTLD string application to be accompanied by an auction bid at the time the application is submitted, and prior to any indication of possible contention sets being formed." This advice reiterates the ALAC position contained in its Minority Statement annexed to the Final Report.

The Board decided that providing certainty on the auction method to be used in the Next Round will provide certainty on an issue for which there is no policy recommendation and also address the June 2024 ALAC advice. This Board decision does not preclude the community from developing policy recommendations on the auction method for future rounds. In fact, the Board would welcome bottom-up policy development on this issue.

What are the proposals being considered?

The Board considered the following proposals:

  • Ban all forms of private resolutions during the Next Round.
  • Direct ICANN org to implement the same auction methodology (ascending clock second price) that was used during the 2012 round of the new gTLD Program.

Which stakeholders or others were consulted?

Prior to its decision the Board consulted the following stakeholders:

  • The Board held a clarifying call with the GAC following the issuing of the ICANN77 advice Consultation as well as a clarifying call following the GAC's issuing of the ICANN80 advice.
  • Board members participated in the consultation call as observers and the Board also reviewed the readout.
  • The Board informed the GNSO Council of its intention to take the actions detailed in this Board paper.

What concerns or issues were raised by the community?

The Final Report notes the community's concerns around gaming and other issues, such as application rolling, that occurred during the 2012 round when applicants were encouraged to resolve privately, see Rationale for recommendation 35.2 and 35.3 (see Final Report pages 179-181).

The GAC has issued advice to "to ban or strongly disincentivize private monetary means of resolution of contention sets, including private auctions".

The ALAC has issued advice to "ban all forms of post-application private resolution of contention sets, including joint-ventures regardless of claims as good-faith joint ventures [...]"

The 13-14 August 2024 community consultation on contention resolution saw some participants voice concerns about financially less-well resourced applicants being inherently disadvantaged in an auction setting.

What significant materials did the Board review?

The Board reviewed the following significant materials:

Are there positive or negative community impacts?

The community impacts are positive as the action provides clarity on the implementation path for private resolutions and the auction method to be used in the Next Round, both issues for which the SUbPro PDP WG had drafted recommendation but that were not adopted by the GNSO Council as they did not reach consensus-level support, per PDP Guidelines Section 3.6.

Are there fiscal impacts or ramifications on ICANN (strategic plan, operating plan, budget); the community; and/or the public?

While private resolution of contention sets was encouraged in the 2012 round, it has been banned for the Next Round. This means there may be an increase compared to the last round in the use of ICANN Auctions of Last Resort as a contention resolution mechanism. The increased use of such auctions may have a fiscal impact on the amount of auction proceeds, and further discussion may be needed to determine how those proceeds should be used.

Are there any security, stability or resiliency issues relating to the DNS?

The adoption of these resolved clauses do not impact the security, stability or resiliency of the DNS.

Is this decision in the public interest and within ICANN's mission?

This Board action is within ICANN's Mission and is in the public interest.

Is this either a defined policy process within ICANN's Supporting Organizations or ICANN's Organizational Administrative Function decision requiring public comment or not requiring public comment?

This process does not require public comment.

b. Supplemental Recommendation on the New gTLD Subsequent Procedures Policy Development Process

Alan Barrett introduced the agenda item. Alan explained that the Final Report on the New gTLD Subsequent Procedures Policy Development Process ("SubPro Final Report") included Recommendation 24.3, which addresed singular and plural versions of the same gTLD string. In September 2023, Alan noted that the Board decided not to adopt Recommendation 24.3 for the reasons documented in the scorecard approved at that time, and instead go back to the GNSO Council to discuss the possibility of the GNSO Council providing a revised recommendation to address singulars and plurals. Alan reported that the GNSO Council worked through its process to develop a revised policy recommendation in the form of a Supplemental Recommendation.

Alan read the proposed resolved clauses into the record to adopt the Supplemental Recommendation from the GNSO Council. Becky Burr commented that this was an extraordinary situation, and she acknowledged the constructive and productive engagement of the GNSO Council and its "small team" in developing a solution to address singulars and plurals.

After discussion, Becky Burr moved, and Alan Barrett seconded the proposed resolution. The Board took the following action:

Whereas, the Final Report on the New gTLD Subsequent Procedures Policy Development Process ("SubPro Final Report") includes a policy recommendation to address visual similarity with respect to singular and plural versions of the same string.

Whereas, on 10 September 2023 the Board adopted a scorecard to respond to certain policy recommendations in the SubPro Final Report (the "September 2023 Scorecard"). As part of the September 2023 Scorecard, the Board found that adopting Recommendation 24.3 would not be in the best interests of the ICANN community or ICANN, and provided a Board Statement with its rationale for its decision.

Whereas, the ICANN Bylaws, Annex A, Section 9.d, provides an opportunity for the GNSO Council to "review the Board Statement for discussion with the Board as soon as feasible after the Council's receipt of the Board Statement".

Whereas, the GNSO Council convened a Small Team Plus, which included liaisons from the ICANN Board and participants from the GAC and ALAC, to develop Supplemental Recommendations for the non-adopted Recommendations.

Whereas on 19 September 2024, the GNSO Council approved the Supplemental Recommendation 24.3 developed by the Small Team Plus and instructed the GNSO Secretariat to transmit it to the ICANN Board.

Resolved (2024.11.14.03), the Board extends its appreciation to the GNSO Council Small Team Plus, which has invested considerable time and resources to draft the Supplemental Recommendation.

Resolved, (2024.11.14.04), the Board adopts Supplemental Recommendation 24.3, and directs the Interim President and CEO, or her designee(s), to implement Supplemental Recommendation 24.3.

Resolved, (2024.11.14.05), the Board further directs the Interim President and CEO, or her designee(s), to publish a document that consolidates the Board actions on all outputs of the SubPro Final Report, as detailed in the March 2023, September 2023, and the October 2023 scorecards, the June 2024 supplemental recommendation scorecards, and Supplemental Recommendation 24.3 as detailed in this resolution.

Thirteen members of the Board voted in favor of Resolutions 2024.11.14.03 – 2024.11.14.05. Chris Buckridge and Edmon Chung abstained from voting. The Resolutions carried.

Rationale for Resolutions 2024.11.14.03 – 2024.11.14.05

Why is the Board addressing the issue?

The Board is addressing this issue following the GNSO Council's approval and subsequent submission of the Supplemental Recommendation.

What are the proposals being considered?

The Board is asked to consider supplemental recommendations pertaining to Topic 24 of the Final Report on the new gTLD Subsequent Procedures Policy Development Process. Specifically, the Board is adopting supplemental recommendations 24.3:

"The GNSO Council recommends prohibiting the delegation of singulars and plurals of the same word in the same language in order to reduce the risk of end user confusion. This prohibition applies in two distinct situations 1) where an applied-for gTLD string is a singular or plural of an existing gTLD or those Blocked Names on Annex A and 2) where an applied-for gTLD string is a singular or plural of another applied-for gTLD string:

  1. If ICANN org is informed by reference to a dictionary, and verifies by reference to a dictionary, that an application for a string that is the singular or plural version of the same word in the same language during the same application window, of an existing gTLD or Blocked Name1 has been submitted, such application will not be permitted to proceed. ICANN org will treat all other applications for the same strings in the same manner.
  2. If ICANN org is informed by reference to a dictionary, and verifies by reference to a dictionary, that there is an application for the singular version of a word and an application for a plural version of the same word in the same language during the same application window, the relevant applications will be placed in a contention set. ICANN org will treat all other applications for the same strings in the same manner."

For the avoidance of doubt, adopting Supplemental Recommendation 24.3 means that applied-for strings representing singular and plural versions of the same word in the same language could be delegated if ICANN does not receive any notifications to put them into contention and if the respective strings otherwise pass all applicable evaluation and review processes. Equally, an applied-for string representing singular and plural versions of the same word in the same language of an already-delegated string or blocked name could be delegated if ICANN does not receive any notifications to put them into contention and if the respective strings otherwise pass all applicable evaluation and review processes.

Which stakeholders or others were consulted?

Through its liaisons the Board has actively observed the GNSO Council's Small Team Plus.

What concerns or issues were raised by the community?

No issues were raised.

What significant materials did the Board review?

The Board reviewed the supplemental recommendation, the GNSO Council transmission letter, and the rationale that led to the Board's non-adoption of the original Final Report recommendations.

Are there positive or negative community impacts?

The GNSO Council-approved supplemental recommendation 24.3 addresses the concerns the Board had previously raised for why the original recommendation was not in the best interest of the ICANN community or ICANN. The amendments to the recommendation mean that this supplemental recommendation will be adopted and implemented in time for inclusion into the forthcoming Applicant Guidebook and help inform the next round of new gTLDs. Adoption of this resolution will have a positive impact on the community as it will address the issue of singular and plural words in the same language applied to different strings, which was a concern for various applicants and stakeholders during the 2012 round of the New gTLD Program.

Are there fiscal impacts or ramifications on ICANN (strategic plan, operating plan, budget); the community; and/or the public?

This decision will have no direct fiscal impact or ramification on ICANN, the community or the public.

Are there any security, stability or resiliency issues relating to the DNS?

The adoption of the recommendation could be positive for security/stability because it addresses visual similarity between singular and plural versions of gTLD strings, which some have raised as a possible user confusion issue.

Is this decision in the public interest and within ICANN's mission?

This Board action is within ICANN's Mission and is in the public interest, as per Annex A of the Bylaws, the Board needs to weigh whether GNSO-developed recommendations are in the best interest of the ICANN community or ICANN before adopting them.

Is this either a defined policy process within ICANN's Supporting Organizations or ICANN's Organizational Administrative Function decision requiring public comment or not requiring public comment?

This process does not require public comment.

c. Contract for Upgrading the Service Level Agreement Monitoring System for the New Generic Top-Level Domains (gTLD) Program: Next Round

Danko Jevtović, Finance Committee Chair, introduced the agenda item. Danko explained that the action before the Board is to approve a recommendation from the Finance Committee concerning a disbursement for a contract to upgrade the current Service Level Agreement Monitoring System. The upgrades are needed to support the Next Round and the new gTLDs that are anticipated to be put into the root zone. Danko read the proposed resolved clauses into the record.

After discussion, Danko Jevtović moved, and Sajid Rahman seconded the proposed resolution. The Board took the following action:

Whereas, the Base Registry Agreement (RA) and the 2013 Registrar Accreditation Agreement (RAA) requires ICANN to monitor contracted parties to ensure that they comply with specific Service Level Requirements (SLRs) regarding the services provided to the public.

Whereas, the Service Level Agreement Monitoring (SLA Monitoring) System is the system used by ICANN to monitor compliance with SLRs, and is critical to ensure the stable and secure operation of the global DNS.

Whereas, ICANN needs to enhance the SLA Monitoring System due to the additional load expected from delegating new gTLDs in the New Generic Top-Level Domains (gTLD) Program: Next Round.

Whereas, in the last decade, ICANN has augmented the functionality of the SLA Monitoring System by signing yearly development contracts with the provider. These contracts have consistently resulted in the delivery of the required functionality on time and within budget, demonstrating the provider's reliability and commitment to excellence.

Resolved (2024.11.14.06), the Board authorizes the ICANN Interim President and CEO, or her designee(s), to take all steps necessary to enter into, and make disbursement in furtherance of, a three-year contract with the identified SLA Monitoring System provider in an amount not to exceed [Redacted- Confidential Negotiation Information] over the three-year period.

Resolved (2024.11.14.07), specific items within this resolution shall remain confidential for negotiation purposes pursuant to Article 3, section 3.5(b) of the ICANN Bylaws until the Interim President and CEO determines that the confidential information may be released.

Thirteen members of the Board voted in favor of Resolutions 2024.11.14.06 – 2024.11.14.07. Chris Buckridge and Edmon Chung abstained from voting. The Resolutions carried.

Rationale for Resolutions 2024.11.14.06 – 2024.11.14.07

The preferred vendor for the Service Level Agreement Monitoring (SLA Monitoring) System ICANN uses is the developer of this proprietary, widely used enterprise monitoring platform, which the provider customized for ICANN's use. For more than ten years, ICANN has been augmenting the functionality of the SLA Monitoring System by signing yearly development contracts with the vendor. The work covered by these annual development contracts have led to a unique tool that has been highly customized to ICANN's specifications and requirements over the years. In performing each new project, the vendor has consistently delivered the required functionality on time and within budget, demonstrating the provider's reliability and commitment to excellence. The preferred vendor has the expertise and technical skills necessary to maintain this custom system developed to ICANN's specifications for monitoring the RA and RAA provisions.

The New Generic Top-Level Domains (gTLD) Program: Next Round is estimated to add approximately 1,200 new gTLDs to the root. The number of gTLDs currently supported in the SLA Monitoring System has already consumed around 90% of the system's capacity, and adding the load arising from the Next Round requires the development of extensive code optimizations to support the anticipated additional gTLDs.

The SLA Monitoring System has been customized to ICANN's specifications and requirements over a more than ten-year period. [Redacted - Confidential Negotiation Information].

Consequently, ICANN commissioned the preferred provider to study the SLA Monitoring System's ability to perform at its current levels and effectiveness if ICANN added a significant number of additional gTLDs into the root. The study indicates that the SLA Monitoring system can only support the anticipated volume of additional gTLDs with extensive code optimizations (option 1) or implementing workarounds in the current code and scaling up hardware (option 2). The outcome of the study showed that implementing extensive code optimizations (option 1) will provide savings over option 2.

ICANN org and the provider estimate that the work required to upgrade the code in the SLA Monitoring System will not exceed [Redacted - Confidential Negotiation Information], which includes a contingency of 10% for unexpected overage. The development of such functionality is planned to be distributed into three phases, with the first phase starting in FY25 and the two remaining phases in FY26 and FY27, so that the system is ready on time to absorb the delegation of the anticipated volume of new gTLDs.

Accordingly, ICANN is now seeking to contract with the preferred provider for this code optimization work to upgrade the SLA Monitoring System over a three-year period for a total amount not to exceed [Redacted - Confidential Negotiation Information].

This action is within ICANN's Mission and is in the public interest as it is important to ensure that, in carrying out its Mission, ICANN utilizes available funding in the most effective and efficient manner to be in the best interests of ICANN and the global Internet community. Further, as noted above, this action is intended to have a positive impact on the New gTLD Program: Next Round.

This decision will have a fiscal impact, but the impact has already been accounted for in the FY25, and will be accounted for in the FY26, and FY27 New gTLD Program and ICANN Operations budgets.

Further, this decision is intended to have a positive impact on the security, stability or resiliency of the domain name system.

This is an Organizational Administrative Function that does not require public comment.

d. Contract with Provider of Support Applicant Review Panel (SARP) for the Applicant Support Program (ASP) of the New Generic Top-Level Domains (gTLD) Program: Next Round

Danko Jevtović, Finance Committee Chair, introduced the agenda item. Danko explained that the action before the Board is to approve a recommendation from the Finance Committee concerning a disbursement for the Applicant Support Program, which is part of the New gTLD Program: Next Round. Danko read the proposed resolved clauses into the record.

After discussion, Sajid Rahman moved, and Danko Jevtović seconded the proposed resolution. The Board took the following action:

Whereas, ICANN has a need for an independent third-party to conduct objective, fair, consistent, and reliable evaluations of Applicant Support Program (ASP) applications.

Whereas, ICANN org published a Request for Proposal (RFP) to identify a qualified provider to assemble and manage one or more Support Applicant Review Panel(s) (SARP(s)) to conduct evaluations of ASP applications.

Whereas, ICANN org has completed the RFP and selected a provider.

Resolved (2024.11.14.08), the Board authorizes the Interim President and CEO, or her designee(s), to enter into, and make disbursement in furtherance of, a contract with the selected provider of Support Applicant Review Panel(s) for a term of 1.5 years, in an amount not to exceed [Redacted - Confidential Negotiation Information].

Resolved (2024.11.14.09), specific items within this resolution shall remain confidential for negotiation purposes pursuant to Article 3, section 3.5(b) of the ICANN Bylaws until the Interim President and CEO determines that the confidential information may be released.

Thirteen members of the Board voted in favor of Resolutions 2024.11.14.08 – 2024.11.14.09. Chris Buckridge and Edmon Chung abstained from voting. The Resolutions carried.

Rationale for Resolutions 2024.11.14.08 – 2024.11.14.09

The Applicant Support Program (ASP) is an integral component of the New gTLD Program and aims to serve the global public interest by ensuring worldwide accessibility to, and competition within, the domain name market. It is a global program that is intended to provide financial and non-financial assistance to eligible entities that demonstrate need and that wish to apply for and operate a gTLD in the domain name system (DNS). Eligible entities are nonprofits/charities/nongovernmental organizations; intergovernmental organizations; indigenous/tribal communities; small businesses that are social enterprises or operating in a developing economy.

Using a third-party provider to conduct evaluations for the ASP will ensure that the assembled reviewers have the relevant knowledge and experience required to provide high-quality, well-informed evaluations, and do not have a conflict of interest that would disqualify them from providing this service without bias. The selected provider will formulate Support Applicant Review Panel(s) (SARP) that are diverse in terms of geography, language, race/ethnicity, and gender. Organizing the evaluation in this way is consistent with research findings on other globally recognized programs (for more information see Section: Review Panels (pg. 40) of the Survey of Globally Recognized Procedures for Financial Assistance Programs.)

After evaluation of all RFP proposals and completion of due diligence, ICANN has selected a provider and is undergoing negotiations. ICANN org identified the selected provider as having a clear understanding of the needs of the ASP and the capability to perform at the appropriate service levels. Additionally, the selected provider has a broad understanding of the current industry and of the ICANN multistakeholder model.

The selected provider is well positioned to provide SARP services. [Redacted - Confidential Negotiation Information]. It has staff with the appropriate evaluation skills and diverse experience to conduct fair and objective assessments of globally diverse ASP applicants. In addition, it has extensive knowledge and experience with ICANN, and the adequate resources to conduct the assessments and evaluations.

Accordingly, ICANN is now seeking to contract with the preferred provider to provide Support Applicant Review Panel (SARP) services for a term of 1.5 years, not to exceed [Redacted - Confidential Negotiation Information].

This decision is in the furtherance of ICANN's mission and the support to increase global diversity and representation across regions within the New gTLD Program by ensuring that efforts are made to minimize any competitive disadvantages is within the public interest.

This decision will have a fiscal impact, but the impact has already been accounted for in the FY25 New gTLD Program budget and will be for future budgets as well.

This is an Organizational Administrative Function that does not require public comment.

2. Approval of the Amended gTLD Registries Stakeholder Group Charter

The Chair called for conflicts. Edmon Chung noted that he is part of the gTLD Registries Stakeholder Group, however, his participation in the discussion and decision should not cause a conflict.

Alan Barrett, Chair of the Organizational Effectiveness Committee, introduced the agenda item. Alan stated that the Board has a practice of approving charters for all the subgroups within the GNSO, and the gTLD Registries Stakeholder Group recently revised their charter. Alan explained that the proposed revisions to the charter were published for public comment, and the comments were supportive of the changes. Alan read the proposed resolved clauses into the record.

After discussion, Becky Burr moved, and Chris Chapman seconded the proposed resolution. The Board took the following action:

Whereas, the ICANN Bylaws (Article 11, Section 11.5.c) state that "[e]ach Stakeholder Group identified in Section 11.3(a) and each of its associated Constituencies, where applicable, shall maintain recognition with the ICANN Board."

Whereas, the ICANN Board has established a Process for Amending Generic Name Supporting Organization Stakeholder Group and Constituency Charters to guide its consideration of any charter amendments.

Whereas, the gTLD Registries Stakeholder Group amended its current charter and notified the ICANN organization of its request for approval by the ICANN Board.

Whereas, the RySG, the ICANN organization, and the ICANN Board Organizational Effectiveness Committee (OEC) have completed all steps identified in the Process to date, and the OEC has recommended that the ICANN Board approve the amended RySG charter.

Resolved (2024.11.14.10), the ICANN Board approves the charter amendments of the gTLD Registries Stakeholder Group of the Generic Names Supporting Organization.

All members of the Board voted in favor of Resolution 2024.11.14.10. The Resolution carried.

a. Rationale for Resolution 2024.11.14.10

Why is the ICANN Board addressing the issues now?

The ICANN Bylaws (Article 11, Section 5.c) state that "[e]ach GNSO Stakeholder Group and its associated Constituencies shall maintain recognition with the ICANN Board." The ICANN Board has interpreted this language to require approval of any charter amendments. As a best practice, each GNSO Stakeholder Group and Constituency reviews its charter on a regular basis. In September 2013, the ICANN Board approved a four-phase Process for Amending GNSO Stakeholder Group and Constituency Charters ("Process"). This is a defined Process requiring Public Comment and guides ICANN Board consideration of any charter amendments (see Appendix A).

What are the proposals being considered?

The RySG completed Phase 1 of the Process (see Appendix A) by voting to amend its charter and submitting it to the ICANN organization in December 2023. The amended charter is the culmination of work over four years by the RySG Charter Drafting Team in partnership with the ICANN organization, to reflect its current practices, align with its operating procedures, and accommodate its evolving needs. It also considered best practices in the GNSO Operating Procedures, Work Stream 2 Recommendation 6, and the ICANN Bylaws.

Specific amendments include:

  • Updated organizational structure while bringing charter in uniformity with ICANN formatting.
  • Clarified mission and participation principles.
  • Clarified areas of governance, including expanded methods of determining decision-making and policy positions.
  • Updated the qualities and definitions of membership categories.
  • Composition of the officer positions on the executive committee.
  • Provisions for communications and publication policies.
  • Addition and definition of an annual meeting for membership.
  • Authorization to use proxies in votes.

Is this action within ICANN's mission? How does it relate to the global public interest?

This action is within ICANN's commitments to make decisions by applying documented policies consistently, neutrally, objectively, and fairly and to remain accountable to the Internet community. These commitments ensure ICANN performs its mission to ensure the stable and secure operation of the Internet's unique identifier systems, specifically, the coordination of the development and implementation of policies. Moreover, this action upholds ICANN's core value of seeking and supporting broad, informed participation, reflecting the functional, geographic, and cultural diversity of the Internet at all levels of policy development and decision-making. This action also supports ICANN's strategic objective to improve the effectiveness of ICANN's multistakeholder model of governance and evolve it to be increasingly effective, transparent, and accountable. The amendments align with ICANN's mission and meet the global public interest by updating the fundamental governance document for one of the ICANN Board-recognized GNSO constituencies.

What stakeholders or others were consulted?

As part of Phase 3 of the Process (see Appendix A), the ICANN Board OEC oversaw a Public Comment proceeding. The Public Comment proceeding received one submission that expressed support for the amended RySG charter. There were no comments submitted raising concerns or issues with any of the sections of the amended RySG charter. The ICANN organization developed a summary report (see Appendix D) of the single Public Comment submission, which did not require further adjustments to the amended charter by the RySG.

What materials did the ICANN Board review?

The ICANN Board reviewed the amended RySG charter (see Appendix C) and summary report (see Appendix D) of the Public Comment proceeding. The OEC also reviewed the recommendation from Phase 2 of the Process in which the ICANN organization assessed any potential issues.

What factors did the ICANN Board find to be significant?

The RySG, ICANN organization, and the OEC completed all steps identified in the Process (see Appendix A) and published the amended RySG charter for ICANN community review through Public Comment. The OEC has recommended to the ICANN Board that it approve the amended RySG charter.

Are there any positive or negative ICANN community impacts?

The ICANN community did not raise any concerns regarding the provisions outlined in the amended RySG charter during Public Comment.

Are there fiscal or liability concerns for ICANN (Strategic Plan, Operating Plan, Budget); the ICANN community; and/or the public?

There are no anticipated fiscal impacts or ramifications on ICANN or individual ICANN community members within the amended RySG charter (see Appendix C). The amendments align with ICANN's mission and meet the public interest by updating the fundamental governance document for one of the ICANN Board-recognized GNSO constituencies.

Are there any security, stability or resiliency issues relating to the DNS?

There is no anticipated impact from this decision on the security, stability and resiliency of the DNS as a result of this decision.

Is this either a defined policy process within ICANN's Supporting Organizations or Advisory Committees or is it an ICANN organizational administrative function decision requiring Public Comment or not requiring Public Comment?

The amended RySG charter was available for Public Comment from 16 July 2024 to 26 August 2024. No additional Public Comment proceeding before ICANN Board action is required.

3. Security and Stability Advisory Committee (SSAC) Member Appointments

Jim Galvin introduced the agenda item and thanked the community on behalf of the SSAC for presenting many new member opportunities for SSAC. Jim commented on the skills of the two new recommended SSAC members, noting that one has experience in blockchain namespaces, and the other brings significant expertise with internationalized domain names. Jim read the proposed resolved clauses to appoint Georgia Osborn and Nabil Benamar to the SSAC.

After discussion, Edmon Chung moved, and León Sánchez seconded the proposed resolution. The Board took the following action:

Whereas, in January 2024, the SSAC Membership Committee initiated an annual recruitment cycle and submitted to the SSAC its recommendation for Georgia Osborn and Nabil Benamar's appointment on 13 September 2024.

Whereas, on 4 October 2024, the SSAC approved the recommendation for Georgia Osborn and Nabil Benamar.

Whereas, the SSAC Membership Committee, on behalf of the SSAC, requests that the Board should appoint Georgia Osborn and Nabil Benamar to the SSAC for terms beginning immediately upon approval of the Board and ending on 31 December 2027.

Resolved (2024.11.14.11), the Board appoints Georgia Osborn and Nabil Benamar to the SSAC for terms beginning immediately upon approval of the Board and ending on 31 December 2027.

All members of the Board voted in favor of Resolution 2024.11.14.11. The Resolution carried.

a. Rationale for Resolution 2024.11.14.11

The SSAC is a diverse group of individuals whose expertise in specific subject matters enables the SSAC to fulfill its role and execute its mission. Since its inception, the SSAC has invited to its membership individuals with deep knowledge and experience in technical and security areas that are critical to the security and stability of the Internet's naming and address allocation systems.

The SSAC's continued operation as a competent body is dependent on the accumulation of talented subject matter experts who have consented to volunteer their time and energies to the execution of the SSAC mission.

Georgia Osborn is a Senior Research Analyst for Oxford Information Labs and a Research Community Manager at the DNS Research Federation. She specializes in emerging technology and has published work on alternative blockchain namespaces, as well as focusing on DNS abuse projects. Georgia's ICANN experience includes presenting to the GAC at ICANN78; she also serves as a Committee Member for the UK Internet Governance Forum. Previously, she worked in law enforcement and intelligence in the Counter Terrorism Police in London, where one of her roles focused on takedowns.

Nabil Benamar is a professor of computer sciences based in Morocco, who has taught security and networking courses for 20 years. As well as focusing on IPv6, he has extensive experience with Internationalized Domain Names (IDNs), having joined—and later, chaired—the Arabic script IDN task force. Nabil is also the Vice Chair of the Universal Acceptance Steering Group (UASG) and the Chair of the UA Measurement Working Group. He first became involved with ICANN as a Fellow back in 2014.

This resolution is an organizational administrative function for which no public comment is required. The appointment of SSAC members is in the public interest and in furtherance of ICANN's mission as it contributes to the commitment of the ICANN to strengthen the security, stability, and resiliency of the DNS. The appointment of SSAC members is not anticipated to have any fiscal impact on ICANN org that has not already been accounted for in the budgeted resources necessary for ongoing support of the SSAC.

4. Thank You to Katrina Sataki for her Service to the ICANN Board

The Chair introduced the agenda item and expressed thanks to Katrina Sataki for her service to the Board. The Chair highlighted the Board Committees, Working Groups, and Caucuses on which Katrina served during her term.

After discussion, León Sánchez moved, and Patricio Poblete seconded the proposed resolution. The Board took the following action:

Whereas, Katrina Sataki was nominated by the Country Code Names Supporting Organization (ccNSO) to serve as a member of the ICANN Board, with a term starting on 28 October 2021.

Whereas, Katrina resigned from the ICANN Board on 23 August 2024.

Whereas, Katrina served as a liaison member of the following Board Committees, Working Groups and Caucuses:

  • Board Organizational Effectiveness Committee - Chair
  • Board Accountability Mechanisms Committee
  • Board Audit Committee
  • Board Technical Committee
  • President and CEO Search Committee
  • Board Anti-Harassment Working Group
  • Board GDPR / ePDP Working Group
  • Board Governmental Advisory Committee (GAC) Working Group
  • Board Caucus on ccPDP3 Review mechanism – Chair
  • Board Caucus on CCWG-Accountability Work Stream (WS2)
  • Board Caucus on Data Protection/Privacy
  • Board Caucus on DNS Abuse
  • Board Caucus on the Third Accountability and Transparency Review Team (ATRT3)

Resolved (2024.11.14.12), Katrina has earned the deep appreciation of the Board for her term of service, and the Board wishes her well in her future endeavors within the ICANN community and beyond.

All members of the Board approved of Resolution 2024.11.14.12 by acclamation. The Resolution carried.

5. Thank You to Harald Alvestrand for his Service to the ICANN Board

The Chair introduced the agenda item and expressed thanks to Harald Alvestrand for his service to the Board. The Chair highlighted the Board Committees, Working Groups, and Caucuses on which Harald served during his term. During the meeting, Harald was invited to provide comments about his term on the Board.

After discussion, Becky Burr moved, and Maarten Botterman seconded the proposed resolution. The Board took the following action:

Whereas, Harald Alvestrand was appointed by the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) to serve as a liaison to the ICANN Board on 25 October 2018.

Whereas, Harald concludes his term on the ICANN Board on 14 November 2024.

Whereas, Harald served as a liaison member of the following Board Committees, Working Groups and Caucuses:

  • Board Risk Committee - Chair
  • Board Finance Committee
  • Board Technical Committee
  • Board Internationalized Domain Names-Universal Acceptance (IDN-UA) Working Group

Resolved (2024.11.14.13), Harald has earned the deep appreciation of the Board for his term of service, and the Board wishes him well in his future endeavors within the ICANN community and beyond.

All members of the Board approved of Resolution 2024.11.14.13 by acclamation. The Resolution carried.

6. Thank You to Edmon Chung for his Service to the ICANN Board

The Chair introduced the agenda item and expressed thanks to Edmon Chung for his service to the Board. The Chair highlighted the Board Committees, Working Groups, and Caucuses on which Edmon served during his term. During the meeting, Edmon was invited to provide comments about his term on the Board.

After discussion, Becky Burr moved, and Alan Barrett seconded the proposed resolution. The Board took the following action:

Whereas, Edmon Chung was nominated by the Nominating Committee to serve as a member of the ICANN Board, with a term starting on 28 October 2021.

Whereas, Edmon concludes his term on the ICANN Board on 14 November 2024.

Whereas, Edmon served as a member of the following Board Committees, Working Groups and Caucuses:

  • Board Accountability Mechanisms Committee
  • Board Finance Committee
  • Board Governance Committee
  • Board Organizational Effectiveness Committee
  • Board Strategic Planning Committee
  • Board Technical Committee
  • Board Internationalized Domain Names-Universal Acceptance (IDN-UA) Working Group - Chair
  • Board Anti-Harassment Working Group
  • Board Governmental Advisory Committee (GAC) Working Group
  • Board Internet Governance Working Group
  • Board Caucus on Auction Proceeds, now the Board Caucus on the ICANN Grant Program
  • Board Caucus on ccPDP3 Review mechanism
  • Board Caucus on CCWG-Accountability Work Stream (WS2)
  • Board Caucus on Competition, Consumer Trust, and Consumer Choice Review (CCT) Review
  • Board Caucus on Data Protection/Privacy
  • Board Caucus on DNS Abuse
  • Board Caucus on New gTLD Subsequent Procedures Policy Development Process (SubPro)

Resolved (2024.11.14.14), Edmon has earned the deep appreciation of the Board for his term of service, and the Board wishes him well in his future endeavors within the ICANN community and beyond.

All members of the Board approved of Resolution 2024.11.14.14 by acclamation. The Resolution carried.

7. Thank You to Danko Jevtović for his Service to the ICANN Board

The Chair introduced the agenda item and expressed thanks to Danko Jevtović for his service to the Board. The Chair highlighted the Board Committees, Working Groups, and Caucuses on which Danko served during his term. During the meeting, Danko was invited to provide comments about his term on the Board.

After discussion, Sajid Rahman moved, and Catherine Adeya seconded the proposed resolution. The Board took the following action:

Whereas, Danko Jevtović was nominated by the Nominating Committee to serve as a member of the ICANN Board, with a term starting on 25 October 2018.

Whereas, Danko concludes his term on the ICANN Board on 14 November 2024.

Whereas, Danko served as a member of the following Board Committees, Working Groups and Caucuses:

  • Board Finance Committee – Chair
  • Board Audit Committee
  • Board Compensation Committee
  • Board Executive Committee
  • Board Governance Committee
  • Board Organizational Effectiveness Committee
  • Board Risk Committee
  • Board Strategic Planning Committee
  • Ombuds Search Committee
  • Board Anti-Harassment Working Group
  • Board Internationalized Domain Names-Universal Acceptance (IDN-UA) Working Group
  • Board Internet Governance Working Group
  • Board Strategic Planning Working Group
  • Board Caucus on Auction Proceeds, now the Board Caucus on the ICANN Grant Program - Chair
  • Board Caucus on Budget and Prioritization of Community Recommendations (BPCR)
  • Board Caucus on New gTLD Subsequent Procedures Policy Development Process (SubPro)
  • Board Caucus on Second Security, Stability, and Resiliency (SSR2)

Resolved (2024.11.14.15), Danko has earned the deep appreciation of the Board for his term of service, and the Board wishes him well in his future endeavors within the ICANN community and beyond.

All members of the Board approved of Resolution 2024.11.14.15 by acclamation. The Resolution carried.

8. Thank You to the Local Government and Supporting Organizations of ICANN81 Meeting

The Chair introduced agenda items 8, 9, 10, and 11 and thanked all the local government and supporting organizations of ICANN81. The Chair also thanked the sponsors, interpreters, staff, event, and hotel teams for a successful meeting.

After discussion, Danko Jevtović moved, and Edmon Chung seconded the proposed resolutions to approve agenda items 8, 9, 10, and 11. The Board took the following actions with respect to the noted agenda items:

The Board wishes to extend its thanks to Dr. Ömer Fatih Sayan, the Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure, Mr. Ömer Abdullah Karagözoğlu, the President of Information and Communication Technologies Authority (ICTA); and their teams for their great support.

9. Thank you to Sponsors of ICANN81 Meeting

The Board wishes to thank the following sponsors: Verisign, Inc., Identity Digital, Inc., Hello Registry, Gransy s.r.o., Wedos Internet a.s., Core Association, Public Interest Registry, NetBeacon Institute, Intis Telecom Inc., Vercara LLC, Freename AG, Nicky L.L.C, TLDTR, METUnic, and OlaCV Inc.

10. Thank You to Interpreters, Staff, Event and Hotel Teams of the ICANN81 Meeting

The Board expresses its deepest appreciation to the scribes, interpreters, audiovisual team, technical teams, and the entire ICANN staff for their efforts in facilitating the smooth operation of the meeting. The Board would also like to thank the management and staff of the Istanbul Congress Center, MAGICBOX Productions, Studio Cozzy and Universal Travel Services for providing a wonderful facility and support for this event. The Board extends its thanks to the Hilton Istanbul Bosphorus, Grand Hyatt Istanbul, InterContinental Istanbul, and Divan Istanbul Hotels.

11. Thank You to Community Members

Whereas, ICANN wishes to acknowledge the considerable effort, skills, and time that members of the stakeholder community contribute to ICANN.

Whereas, in recognition of these contributions, ICANN wishes to express appreciation for and thank members of the community when their terms of service end in relation to our Supporting Organizations, Advisory Committees, Customer Standing Committee, Empowered Community Administration, Nominating Committee, and the Root Zone Evolution Review Committee.

Whereas, the following members of the Address Supporting Organization are concluding their terms of service:

  • James Kennedy, Address Supporting Organization Address Councilor
  • Oscar Robles, Address Supporting Organization Chair
  • Sander Steffan, Address Supporting Organization Address Councilor
  • Saul Stein, Address Supporting Organization Address Councilor
  • Paul Wilson, Address Supporting Organization Vice Chair

Resolved (2024.11.14.16), James Kennedy, Oscar Robles, Sander Steffan, Saul Stein, and Paul Wilson have earned the deep appreciation of the ICANN Board of Directors for their terms of service, and the ICANN Board of Directors wishes them well in their future endeavors within the ICANN community and beyond.

Whereas, the following members of the Country Code Names Supporting Organization are concluding their terms of service:

  • Segun Akano, Liaison to the At-Large Advisory Committee
  • Everton Rodrigues, Liaison to the Generic Names Supporting Organization
  • Tatiana Tropina, Country Code Names Supporting Organization Councilor

Resolved (2024.11.14.17), Segun Akano, Everton Rodrigues, and Tatiana Tropina have earned the deep appreciation of the ICANN Board of Directors for their terms of service. The ICANN Board of Directors wishes them well in their future endeavors within the ICANN community and beyond.

Whereas, the following members of the Generic Names Supporting Organization are concluding their terms of service:

  • Benjamin Akinmoyeje, Non-Commercial Users Constituency Chair
  • Beth Bacon, Registries Stakeholder Group Vice Chair
  • Mark Datysgeld, Generic Names Supporting Organization Councilor
  • Steve DelBianco, Business Constituency Vice Chair
  • Samantha Demetriou, Registries Stakeholder Group Chair
  • Wisdom Donkor, Generic Names Supporting Organization Councilor
  • Jothan Frakes, Registrar Stakeholder Group Vice Chair
  • Ashley Heineman, Registrar Stakeholder Group Chair
  • Julf Helsingius, Non-Commercial Stakeholder Group Chair
  • Glenn McKnight, Not-for-Profit Organizations Constituency Vice Chair
  • Jeffrey Neuman, Liaison to the Governmental Advisory Committee
  • Stephanie Perrin, Generic Names Supporting Organization Councilor
  • Kurt Pritz, Generic Names Supporting Organization Councilor
  • Benny Samuelsen, Registrar Stakeholder Group Treasurer
  • Lori Schulman, Intellectual Property Constituency President
  • Tim Smith, Business Constituency Vice Chair

Resolved (2024.11.14.18), Benjamin Akinmoyeje, Beth Bacon, Mark Datysgeld, Steve DelBianco, Samantha Demetriou, Wisdom Donkor, Jothan Frakes, Ashley Heineman, Julf Helsingius, Glenn McKnight, Jeffrey Neuman, Stephanie Perrin, Kurt Pritz, Benny Samuelsen, Lori Schulman, and Tim Smith have earned the deep appreciation of the ICANN Board of Directors for their terms of service. The ICANN Board of Directors wishes them well in their future endeavors within the ICANN community and beyond. The ICANN Board of Directors joins the ICANN community in celebrating the legacy of Jonathan Cohen.

Whereas, the following members of the At-Large community are concluding their terms of service:

  • Abdeldjalil Bachar Bong, African Regional At-Large Organization Secretary
  • Eduardo Diaz, At-Large Advisory Committee Member
  • Bill Jouris, At-Large Advisory Committee Member
  • Tommi Karttaavi, At-Large Advisory Committee Member
  • Joanna Kulesza, At-Large Advisory Committee Member
  • Marcelo Rodriguez, At-Large Advisory Committee Member

Resolved (2024.11.14.19), Abdeldjalil Bachar Bong, Eduardo Diaz, Bill Jouris, Tommi Karttaavi, Joanna Kulesza, and Marcelo Rodriguez have earned the deep appreciation of the ICANN Board of Directors for their terms of service, and the ICANN Board of Directors wishes them well in their future endeavors within the ICANN community and beyond.

Whereas, the following member of the Governmental Advisory Committee is concluding her term of service:

  • Laureen Kapin, Governmental Advisory Committee Public Safety Working Group Co-Chair

Resolved (2024.11.14.20), Laureen Kapin has earned the deep appreciation of the ICANN Board of Directors for her term of service, and the ICANN Board of Directors wishes her well in her future endeavors within the ICANN community and beyond.

Whereas, the following members of the Root Server System Advisory Committee have concluded their terms of service:

  • Jill Place, Root Server System Advisory Committee Representative
  • Gerry Sneeringer, Root Server System Advisory Committee Alternate Representative

Resolved (2024.11.14.21), Jill Place and Gerry Sneeringer have earned the deep appreciation of the ICANN Board of Directors for their terms of service, and the ICANN Board of Directors wishes them well in their future endeavors within the ICANN community and beyond.

Whereas, the following members of the Security and Stability Advisory Committee have concluded their terms of service:

  • Patrik Fältström, Security and Stability Advisory Committee Member
  • Ondrej Filip, Security and Stability Advisory Committee Member
  • Julie Hammer, Security and Stability Advisory Committee Member
  • Jacques Latour, Security and Stability Advisory Committee Member
  • Doron Shikmoni, Security and Stability Advisory Committee Member

Resolved (2024.11.14.22), Patrik Fältström, Ondraj Flip, Julie Hammer, Jacques Latour, and Doron Shikmoni have earned the deep appreciation of the ICANN Board of Directors for their terms of service, and the ICANN Board of Directors wishes them well in their future endeavors within the ICANN community and beyond.

Whereas, the following members of the Customer Standing Committee are concluding their terms of service:

  • Brett Carr, Customer Standing Committee Member
  • Gloria Atwine Katuuku, Customer Standing Committee Member
  • Ken Renard, Customer Standing Committee Member

Resolved (2024.11.14.23), Brett Carr, Gloria Atwine Katuuku, and Ken Renard have earned the deep appreciation of the ICANN Board of Directors for their terms of service, and the ICANN Board of Directors wishes them well in their future endeavors within the ICANN community and beyond.

Whereas, the following member of the Empowered Community Administration is concluding his term of service:

  • Greg DiBiase, Empowered Community Administration Member

Resolved (2024.11.14.24), Greg DiBiase has earned the deep appreciation of the ICANN Board of Directors for his term of service, and the ICANN Board of Directors wishes him well in his future endeavors within the ICANN community and beyond.

Whereas, the following members of the Root Zone Evolution Review Committee are concluding their terms of service:

  • Tim April, Root Zone Evolution Review Committee Chair
  • Daniel Migault, Root Zone Evolution Review Committee Member

Resolved (2024.11.14.25), Tim April and Daniel Migault have earned the deep appreciation of the ICANN Board of Directors for their terms of service, and the ICANN Board of Directors wishes them well in their future endeavors within the ICANN community and beyond.

Whereas, the following members of the Nominating Committee are concluding their terms of service:

  • Santanu Acharya, Nominating Committee Delegate
  • Thomas Barrett, Nominating Committee Delegate
  • Pascal Bekono, Nominating Committee Delegate
  • Naveed Bin Rais, Nominating Committee Delegate
  • Mia Brickhouse, Nominating Committee Delegate
  • Alfredo Calderon-Serrano, Nominating Committee Delegate
  • Paul Diaz, Nominating Committee Chair Elect
  • Betty Fausta, Nominating Committee Delegate
  • Robert Guerra, Nominating Committee Delegate
  • Vivek Goyal, Nominating Committee Delegate
  • Lia Hernandez, Nominating Committee Delegate
  • Maureen Hilyard, Nominating Committee Delegate
  • Sophie Mitchell, Nominating Committee Delegate
  • Seun Ojedeji, Nominating Committee Delegate
  • Flip Petillion, Nominating Committee Delegate
  • Vanda Scartezini, Nominating Committee Associate Chair
  • Craig Schwartz, Nominating Committee Delegate
  • Ron da Silva, Nominating Committee Delegate
  • Suzanne Woolf, Nominating Committee Delegate

Resolved (2024.11.14.26), Santanu Acharya, Thomas Barrett, Pascal Bekono, Naveed Bin Rais, Mia Brickhouse, Alfredo Calderon-Serrano, Paul Diaz, Betty Fausta, Robert Guerra, Vivek Goyal, Lia Hernandez, Maureen Hilyard, Sophie Mitchell, Seun Ojedeji, Flip Petillion, Vanda Scartezini, Craig Schwartz, Ron da Silva, and Suzanne Woolf have earned the deep appreciation of the ICANN Board of Directors for their terms of service, and the ICANN Board of Directors wishes them well in their future endeavors within the ICANN community and beyond.

Whereas, Manal Ismail received the 2024 ICANN Community Excellence Award.

Resolved (2024.11.14.27), Manal Ismail has earned the deep appreciation of the ICANN Board of Directors for her dedication to ICANN's multistakeholder model, and the ICANN Board of Directors wishes her well in her future endeavors within the ICANN community and beyond.

Whereas, Rodrigue Guiguemde received the 2024 Dr. Tarek Kamel Award for Capacity Building.

Resolved (2024.11.14.28), Rodrigue Guiguemde has earned the deep appreciation of the ICANN Board of Directors for his contributions to local and regional capacity-building programs including his contributions to the development of a new Coalition for Digital Africa capacity building track for governments, and the ICANN Board of Directors wishes him well in her future endeavors within the ICANN community and beyond.

All members of the Board approved of Resolutions 2024.11.14.16 – 2024.11.14.28 by acclamation. The Resolution carried.

a. Rationale for Resolutions 2024.11.14.16 – 2024.11.14.28

Community-driven work is at the core of ICANN's mission. Countless hours are spent in working groups across the Supporting Organizations, Advisory Committees, and other groups, including the Customer Standing Committee, Empowered Community Administration, Nominating Committee, and the Public Technical Identifiers Board. Together, these community groups develop and refine policies that ensure the security, stability, and resiliency of the global Internet. The Board is grateful for the community's tireless efforts and cooperative spirit shown over the last year.

The Chair called the meeting to a close.

Published on 27 January 2025

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