FYI Rinalia ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: "Steve Crocker" <steve@shinkuro.com> Date: Jul 8, 2014 1:30 AM Subject: [icann-board] Response to Statement made during the ICANN 50 Public Forum by GNSO's Stakeholder Groups and Constituencies To: <mllemineur@gmail.com>, "William Drake" <wjdrake@gmail.com>, < rafik.dammak@gmail.com>, <krosette@cov.com>, "Elisa Cooper" < Elisa.Cooper@markmonitor.com>, <tonyarholmes@btinternet.com>, "Michele Neylon - Blacknight" <michele@blacknight.com>, "Keith Drazek" < keith.drazek@neustar.biz>, "Jonathan Robinson" < jonathan.robinson@ipracon.com> Cc: "Icann-board ICANN" <icann-board@icann.org>, "David Olive" < David.Olive@icann.org> Dear GNSO’s Stakeholder Groups and Constituencies, On behalf of the ICANN Board I thank you for your statement at the ICANN public forum on 26 June with regards to ICANN accountability. It's copied below for reference. The Board heard your statement and we agree that trust in ICANN's accountability processes and mechanisms is of great importance to present and future success. We look forward to your active participation in the already planned accountability track along with the rest of the community. This will be, as you note in your statement, an important area of ICANN’s work. And let me emphasize “your active participation.” This cannot be done without you. As you know, ICANN’s efforts to improve the accountability mechanisms are ongoing. The work that involves the community includes the work of the AoC ATRT process, with the most recent developments reflected in the Board approved ATRT2 recommendations during the ICANN 50 meeting. Thank you again for your input and we look forward to your continued work in this area. Kind regards, Steve Crocker Chairman, ICANN Board P.S. I hope I included everyone who participated in your statement. If not, please accept my apologies and forward to all the appropriate people. *Statement made during the ICANN 50 Public Forum* I’m Keith Drazek, I’m Chair of the Registries Stakeholder Group, with me are the leaders of all of the GNSO’s Stakeholder Groups and Constituencies. I’m happy to report that the GNSO community took up Fadi’s challenge from the Opening Ceremony to seek harmony this week in London. Instead of a song or two, the statement we’re about to read represents an unprecedented -- yes unprecedented -- event. It only took us 50 meetings, but I think the rarity of what you’re witnessing this afternoon sends a very strong message about our views. The GNSO community, with all our diversity and occasionally competing interests, has come together to unanimously support the following: The entire GNSO joins together today calling for the Board to support community creation of an independent accountability mechanism that provides meaningful review and adequate redress for those harmed by ICANN action or inaction in contravention of an agreed upon compact with the community. This deserves the Board's serious consideration - not only does it reflect an unprecedented level of consensus across the entire GNSO community, it is a necessary and integral element of the IANA stewardship transition. True accountability does not mean ICANN is only accountable to itself, or to some vague definition of "the world." It does not mean that governments should have the ultimate say over community policy without regard to the rule of law. Rather, the Board's decisions must be open to challenge and theBoard cannot be in a position of reviewing and certifying its own decisions. We need an independent accountability structure that holds the ICANN Board, Staff, and various stakeholder groups accountable under ICANN's governing documents, serves as an ultimate review of Board/Staff decisions, and through the creation of precedent, creates prospective guidance for the board, the staff, and the entire community. As part of the IANA stewardship transition, the multi-stakeholder community has the opportunity and responsibility to propose meaningful accountability structures that go beyond just the IANA-specific accountability issues. We are committed to coming together and developing recommendations for creation of these mechanisms. We ask the ICANN Board and Staff to fulfill their obligations and support this community driven, multi-stakeholder initiative. _______________________________________________ icann-board mailing list icann-board@icann.org https://mm.icann.org/mailman/listinfo/icann-board