[ALAC] SSR2 RT

[Alan Greenberg]

For your information, appended here is a letter sent from the SO/AC 
Chairs to the OEC and the SSR2-RT last week (slightly modified to 
reflect a wording that was confusing in the original message).

I have asked our RT members for their thoughts on this plan and for 
confirmation that they will be staying on the RT.

Alan


>Date: Tue, 13 Mar 2018 14:08:40 -0400
>To: Khaled Koubaa <khaled.koubaa at board.icann.org>
>Cc: Board Calendaring <board-caucus-ssr2 at icann.org>,
>  SO-AC Chairs List <soac-chairs at icann.org>, ssr2-review at icann.org
>Subject: SSR2-RT
>
>Dear Khaled,
>
>Thank you for your reply on behalf of the Board OEC to our request 
>for support in the appointment of an external facilitator to enable 
>the re-start of SSR2-RT. In this message, while ICANN61 is underway, 
>we hope to answer the questions you have raised to make tangible 
>progress during this meeting and immediately provide the RT members 
>and the broader community with much-needed action and clarity. In 
>short, to the extent that a procure process is necessary, we ask 
>that it commence immediately. The appointment of the facilitator and 
>all new members (already in progress within the SO/ACs) will signal 
>the formal "un-pause" or "re-start" of the SSR2-RT.
>
>Our overarching aim is to empower the RT members to come together as 
>a group and progress their work. To that end, it is absolutely 
>imperative that the RT members be involved in this discussion. Our 
>responses here should be interpreted as guidance from the community 
>rather than a top-down mandate. We therefore have included the RT 
>members in this reply, and ask that going forward our communications 
>include them, and that they contribute to these recommendations.
>
>To guide the procurement process (specific details for which are set 
>out below) we wish to explain in more detail the intended role of 
>the facilitator. Our email of 15 February stated: "The primary aim 
>of the external facilitator would be to facilitate this transition 
>process, with a view to winding facilitation down when RT members 
>and leaders consider that issues are satisfactorily resolved to 
>continue their work." We consider the role of the facilitator to be 
>a) onboarding new members who have joined since the "pause" and 
>agreeing on leadership from within the then current membership; b) 
>helping the group to work through concerns around membership and 
>scope as identified in a confidential survey conducted by the SO/AC 
>Chairs shortly after the pause; and c) helping the RT to identify 
>ways to reach consensus. Specifically in response to the procurement practice:
>    * Skill set requirements: To most effectively fulfil a), b) and 
> c) above, the facilitator should be external to ICANN, with 
> expertise in group dynamics and empowering group members with 
> divergent views and experience to coalesce around a common goal. 
> The SO/AC Chairs will provide the confidential responses received 
> to the survey conducted following ICANN60 which sought RT member 
> input on issues relating to membership and scope, and which 
> generated quite divergent responses. The facilitator must therefore 
> establish a safe space in which the broad range of views on 
> membership and scope can be discussed and common positions 
> identified, with agreement on moving forward in an agreed statement 
> of scope and list of members.
>    * Experience requirements: As appropriate to meet skill set 
> requirements above
>    * Scope of work:  a) helping the group to coalesce around 
> leadership and onboarding new members who have joined since the 
> "pause"; b) helping the group to work through concerns around 
> membership and scope as identified in a confidential survey 
> conducted by the SO/AC Chairs shortly after the pause;  c) helping 
> the RT to identify ways to reach consensus.
>    * Timing and duration: Facilitation ends when all expected 
> deliverables (below) are completed.
>    * Expected deliverables: a) confirmation of membership list of 
> RT going forward, with chair/s identified; b) an agreed statement 
> of scope; and c) if considered necessary by the RT members, a 
> request from the RT for additional or different resources (ie, more 
> members with particular skills, refinements to staff support), with 
> a clear statement as to how any such request is necessary to and 
> directly supportive of the RT's work.
>We appreciate your positive response to our initial request, and are 
>prepared to respond promptly to any further questions this week, in 
>order that the procurement process can commence immediately. We ask 
>further that this be prioritised by the OEC so that the 
>facilitator's appointment - and thus the re-start of SSR2-RT - can 
>take place as soon as possible, and no later than 1 May for 
>scheduling to take full advantage of face to face time at ICANN62.
>
>Kind regards, on behalf of,
>
>SO/AC Chairs
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