World Wide Alliance of Top Level Domain-names

Administration Committee Procedures

Draft Rules of Procedure for the Administration Committee of the World Wide Alliance of Top Level Domain-names Registries (ccTLDs)

Presented to the AdCom teleconference on 12 March 2003.

Background

The Administration Committee (AdCom) was set up in May 1999 at the same time as the initial document for the ccTLD Constituency was drafted and application to became one of the ICANN DNSO Constituencies.

See background information at:

1. http://www.wwtld.org/aboutcctld/history/wwtld1999/const-principlesV4.html
2. http://www.wwtld.org/aboutcctld/history/wwtld1999/history.html

The initial role of the AdCom (comprising 1 representatives from each of the 5 ICANN geographic regions) was:

1. to manage the administrative affairs of the ccTLD Constituency;
2. to act as the channel of communication between regional ccTLD organizations (some of which are in the process of formation) and also to provide informed guidance to the three elected ccTLD representatives to the DNSO Names Council.

In addition, and as a practical matter of service to the wider ccTLD community, AdCom has had the responsbility for organizing world-wide ccTLD meetings (held in conjunction with ICANN's regular meetings), drawing up agendas and nominated meeting chairmen, as well as preparing requests for proposals (e.g. for secretariat and staff support) and reporting ccTLD meeting's results to the ICANN open forum and to ICANN's Governmental Advisory Committee.

During almost four years now the AdCom has been functioning without a formal legal framework, with the legal personality for the secretariat function being a project of several ccTLD registries. Initially this was at THNIC-AFNIC (legal & accounting oversight in France) then subsequently at KRNIC (Korea).

In June 2001, the ccTLD Managers concluded that the DNSO was principally a gTLD organisation and resolved to created another structure more adapted to their specific and complex concerns.

At several meetings, concluding with the Shanghai meetings in October 2002 ccTLD Managers undertook the process of withdrawal from the ICANN DNSO.

It is also worthy of note that since February 2002 ICANN itself has been undertaking its own reform process, which is still underway.

In January 2003, upon suggestion by the AdCom and the former ccTLD Names Council representatives, it was decided to expand the number of AdCom members to 10 persons, 2 per geographic region, to face increasing work and to ensure a better communication with ccTLD regional associations.

Regional ccTLD organizations in 2003

There are 5 regional ccTLD organizations:

• AFTLD (Africa region) legally incorporated in Mauritius in 2002 (?)
• APTLD (Asia Pacific region) legally incorporated in ??, APTLD Secretariat run by TWNIC
• CENTR (European region) legally incorporated in the UK since January 1999
• LACTLD (Latin America and Caribbean region) legally incorporated in the xx, MoU signed in September 2001
• NATLD (North America region)

Those organizations are serving their members and are operating forums of information exchange appropriate to the needs of the Regional Internet Communities.

Administration Committee role in 2003

While the different options for the ccTLD future are being considered jointly by the ccTLD Managers (both within the ICANN reform and outside), these are matters which are highly politically sensitive on which only the affected ccTLD Managers may make public statements representing the will of their local Internet communities.

The outcome of ICANN reform concerning ccTLD Managers is not clear at this point of time, and is outside of AdCom scope.

Nevertheless the management of administrative ccTLD affairs should be continued for the benefit of ccTLD Managers reunited in World Wide alliance of the Top Level Domain-names.

Therefore the AdCom function includes:

1. To act as a single point of contact for ccTLD Managers working together as the WWTLD, i.e. to receive correspondence and transmit it to the regional organizations; when appropriate answer that correspondence with input provided either by AdCom members or by regional organizations.
2. To continue to select an AdCom Chair on rotating basis, the role of the AdCom Chair is to chair the AdCom meetings and the next physical ccTLD meeting.
3. To organize meetings, set up agendas and solicit presentations from various ccTLD Managers.
4. To act as Treasurer, gather voluntary donations from members and sponsors, approve secretariat support expenses, and periodically submit the AdCom book of accounts for audit by a legal auditor.
5. To act as Budget Manager.
6. To act as guardian of ccTLD documents which originals shall be preserved on the wwtld.org website with the total integrity.
7. To provide guidance to the administrative Secretariat staff support.
8. To take care of continuous holding of the wwtld.org domain name, initially created on 23 August 1998 (currently expires on 23 August 2003).

ccTLD Secretariat role in 2003

The ccTLD Secretariat is a purely administrative function which acts as support to the Administration Committee and the WWTLD.

The ccTLD Secretariat shall be operated under an umbrella of a regional ccTLD organization (for example as a specific project), which will provide a legal frame for financial activity. The ccTLD Secretariat is reporting to the AdCom. There is no conditions on place of work of the individual operating the ccTLD Secretariat function, it might be an office within regional ccTLD organization, it might be a home office, but this information must be known to the AdCom.

The Secretariat function includes:

1. To maintain the wwwtld.org server with a website and mailing lists.
2. To preserve the integrity of ccTLD documents which shall be preserved over time as they were originally recorded.
3. To preserve an administrative section on the website with Rules and Procedures for the AdCom and the Secretariat (with the full record of possible modifications over time).
4. To draft agendas and minutes of meetings under guidance of the AdCom (more specific rules might be determined by the AdCom).
5. To publish agendas and minutes of meetings on the website, and inform membership using mailing lists.
6. To make arrangements for AdCom teleconferences and, when decided, for ccTLD physical meetings.
7. To keep a list of ccTLD regional organizations, their postal and legal information.
8. To inform other ccTLD-related organizations about ccTLD events (the list of organizations shall be maintained by the Secretariat on the website).
9. To keep public on the website all the correspondence of the AdCom (or secretariat acting under guidance from AdCom) with the ccTLD-related organizations.
10. To provide monthly report of Secretariat activity, including incurred and projected expenses. In general the ccTLD Secretariat physical presence and support are needed to the ccTLD meetings organized in conjunction with ICANN ones. The projected travels must be approved by AdCom in advance.