[ga] From the Archives

[DannyYounger@cs.com]

Original post from: Dr. Nii N. Quaynor 
Date: Wed, 14 Jul 1999 00:27:54 -0000 
http://www.dnso.org/clubpublic/ga/Arc00/msg00087.html

Hi Tony,
 
The concept of control in the referenced context seems inappropriate since it 
suggests capture, one of the very things the bylaws attempt to avoid. There 
seems to be intended a carefully crafted balance between consensus building 
facilitators (names council) and the consensus body (general assembly) in the 
portion of the bylaws you've quoted.
 
To answer you directly, all the work to be done may be done by the GA and 
much of it may be initiated by the GA as well, in the steady state. Here's a 
quote from the dnso link that captures this:
 
"(c) Constituencies or GA participants may propose that the NC consider 
domain name policies
or recommendations. If the NC undertakes consideration of a domain name 
topic, or if a
Constituency so requests, the NC shall designate one or more research or 
drafting committees,
or working groups of the GA, as appropriate to evaluate the topic, and shall 
set a time frame 
for the report of such committee or working group."

So one may conclude that the GA can:

1. Initiate new topics for Working groups to consider; 
 
2. Be members of the Working Groups;

3. Accept updates and reports from current Working Groups

4. Do *anything else it wants to do* not assigned to others in the DNSO 
constituencies, which in their opinion advances the cause of the DNSO. For 
example, the GA may develop a position on the ICANN budget or on the fee 
structure to fund ICANN, etc.
 
 
In addition, this section of the ICANN bylaws specifically dealing with the 
GA states:

"Section 4: THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY 

(a) The GA shall be an open forum for participation in the work of the DNSO, 
and open to all who are willing to contribute effort to the work of the DNSO. 
The participants in the GA should be individuals who have a knowledge of and 
an interest in issues pertaining to the areas for which the DNSO has primary 
responsibility, and who are willing to contribute time, effort and expertise 
to the work of the
DNSO, including work item proposal and development, discussion of work items, 
draft document preparation, and participation in research and drafting 
committees and working groups. " 
 
This suggests that the real work gets done in the open forum, where 
participation in the work of the DNSO would occur. So, may be its not so much 
what would the GA do which is not already being done by the NC but more so 
that the NC cannot possibly do all the work in isolation and requires the 
open forum of the GA to do its work.
 
Regards,
Nii
 
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