Dear BC Members, FYI regarding Accountability and Transparency Review as found on the following link: http://www.icann.org/en/accountability/overview-en.htm Please see the 3 links below the main paragraph. Kindest Regards, Benedetta Rossi BC Secretariat ICANN Accountability & Transparency**Looking for the status of the Accountability & Transparency Review Team's recommendations? Click here.****Looking for information on implementation of ICANN's Affirmation of Commitments obligations? Click here.**In order for ICANN's international, bottom-up, multi-stakeholder model to operate effectively, frameworks and mechanisms for accountability and transparency were built into ICANN and have been improved upon over time. ICANN's commitment to transparency and accountability is emphasized in its foundational documents, such as its Bylaws, and delineated in the "Accountability and Transparency Frameworks and Principles" adopted by ICANN's Board in 2008. Our commitment also is regularly reinforced in ICANN's strategic and operational plans and in targeted efforts to periodically review and improveICANN's structures and processes.Affirmation of CommitmentsICANN's accountability to the global community was permanently reinforced in September 2009 when ICANN's President & CEO signed, on behalf of ICANN, the Affirmation of Commitments with the U.S. Department of Commerce. It affirms ICANN's independence and commitment to making decisions in the public interest that are accountable and transparent. The Affirmation also commits ICANN to reviews performed by the community — including the recently completed Accountability and Transparency review. ICANN intends to fulfill, and where possible exceed, our obligations under the Affirmation.ICANN's commitment to fulfilling its Affirmation obligations and advancing its transparency and accountability is demonstrated in a multitude of ways throughout ICANN. ICANN's President & CEO, for example, regularly publishes a metrics "dashboard" that provides the public with detailed information on internal operations, including performance indicators in areas such as Registrant Protection, Global Participation, Finance and IDNs, to name but a few. To advance the Board's transparency and accountability, a public wiki was launched to track and document action on every Board resolution, briefing materials for Board meetings are publicly posted along with Board meeting minutes and resolutions, the rationale for each new Boardresolution is publicly archived, and new resolutions are translated into five languages, to name just a few activities.The ICANN community also has been at the forefront of increasing transparency and accountability. For example, ICANN Supporting Organizations and Advisory Committees publicly post detailed information on their activities, along with resources for participating in their deliberations.A more exhaustive list of ICANN activities that contribute to accountability and transparency and support the Affirmation's objectives can be found on our website.Accountability & Transparency ReviewRecent ATRT implementation activities are summarized here.In January 2011, the Board acknowledged receipt of the final report, encouraged input on the recommendations, and asked ICANN staff to propose initial work plans and budgets for the recommendations. From 31 December 2010 to 14 February 2011 the ATRT Report was posted for public comment. The Board subsequently found that "all 27 of the recommendations have the potential to advance ICANN's transparency and accountability objectives and may be implemented by ICANN following careful and transparent consideration, and with the necessary support and resources." The Board also acknowledged that "some of the ATRT recommendations relate to operations that staff has already changed, or is in the process of changing, thanks to ATRT guidance, and some recommendations will require additional time, resources, and consultations to implement."At its March 2011 Board meeting, the Board asked staff to provide the Board with: proposed plans for the implementation of the ATRT recommendations and input on implementation costs; proposed metrics to quantify and track activities called for in the Affirmation and ATRT report; and proposed benchmarks that will enable ICANN to compare its accountability and transparency-related efforts to international entities' best practices. The Board also asked the Governmental Advisory Committee and the Nominating Committee to work with the Board on implementation of recommendations involving their organizations. In addition, the Board also tasked [PDF, 60 KB] Board Committees and the Board-GAC Joint Working Group (JWG) to address specified ATRT recommendations [PDF, 60 KB] and asked the Board Finance Committee to consider proposed FY2012 ATRT implementation funding.Board Committees and the JWG considered the ATRT recommendations and corresponding, proposed implementation plans and provided advice to the Board. The ATRT Report and budget is scheduled for Board action on 24 June 2011 at ICANN's Singapore meeting. The latest updates on ATRT recommendations are provided below:ATRT recommendations implementation summary, June 2011ATRT recommendations projects list, updated 19 June 2011 [PDF, 334 KB]ATRT recommendations implementation plans, June 2011 [PDF, 750 KB]Previous material provided to the Board in March 2011 includes:Board Paper [PDF, 121 KB] and Annex [PDF, 216 KB] recommending ATRT implementationATRT project list [PDF, 131 KB] detailing proposed implementation schedules and resources.Initial proposed implementation plans for ATRT recommendations [PDF, 424 KB]ATRT-related activities as of 9 March 2011 [PDF, 75 KB]Reconsideration & Independent Review of ICANN ActionsInformation on ICANN processes for reconsideration and independent review of ICANN actions, including the Office of the Ombudsman, can be found here.