Dear all,

See the invitation below to join the Accountability & Transparency Review discussion.

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Dear Community Members, 

We hope you will join the discussion about Accountability & Transparency Reviews led by ICANN's Board Chair on Thursday at noon in Congress I & II at the Prague ICANN meeting (remote participation is available). This 1.5 hour public discussion will address the effectiveness of ICANN's accountability and transparency projects to date, and potential issues for the next Accountability & Transparency Review Team (ATRT) to consider. ICANN is completing implementation of 27 ATRT Recommendations and, later this year, we will begin the process for forming the next ATRT (AoC requires a review every 3 years).  

The session information is posted at <http://prague44.icann.org/node/31825> and is included below.

We hope you will join us.

Regards,

Denise Michel
ICANN 
Advisor to the President & CEO

Overview

Public input is sought on the effectiveness of ICANN's accountability and transparency projects to date, and potential issues for the next Accountability & Transparency Review Team (ATRT) to consider. ICANN is implementing 27 ATRT Recommendations and, later this year, will begin the process for forming the next ATRT.

Draft Agenda

  1. Opening remarks -- Steve Crocker, Chair, ICANN Board
  2. ATRT Recommendations - A review of, and community discussion about, the Recommendations to improve ICANN's accountability and transparency in the areas listed below; panelists will outline achievements to date and work in progress.
    • Public input & Multilingual Access -- Filiz Yilmaz & Christina Rodriguez, ICANN Staff
    • GAC Operations, Engagement, Interaction with Board -- Bill Graham, Member, ICANN Board & Board/GAC Working Group Co-Chair
    • Board Operations, Composition & Review of Decisions -- Bruce Tonkin, Member, ICANN Board
  3. Tracking, Measuring Success & Next ATRT review -- Denise Michel, ICANN Staff
  4. Lessons learned & feedback from (first) ATRT -- Chris Dispain, Member, ICANN Board & former ATRT member
  5. Closing Remarks - Steve Crocker, Chair, ICANN Board

Background

An important step toward further enhancing accountability and transparency within ICANN came with the December 2010 submission of the Accountability and Transparency Review Team's (ATRT's) Final Report and the Board's subsequent acceptance of it in 2011. This report contained 27 recommendations (now in the implementation stage) that focus on improving transparency and accountability in four areas of ICANN:

  • Board governance, performance, and composition, including the Nominating Committee (NomCom) processes for filling Board positions.
  • Review mechanisms for Board decisions.
  • Governmental Advisory Committee's (GAC's) role, effectiveness and Interaction with the Board.
  • Public input and policy development processes.

Highlights of implementation actions include:

To provide better access to, and insight into, Board decisions ICANN has incorporated the following into its standard operating procedures (SOP):

To improve ICANN's "Review Mechanisms for Board Decisions":

  • The "Reconsideration Requests" webpage has been revamped so the public has a standard timeline, format, and explanations for all Reconsideration Requests (all part of SOP).
  • Independent experts have been identified to serve on a committee to assess ICANN's review mechanisms.
  • The Board has confirmed that the Ombudsman framework is consistent with international standards.

To improve the process for selecting ICANN Directors and address recommendations on Board composition:

  • The Nominating Committee (NomCom) annually consults with the ICANN community and public on skill set requirements to consider when making appointments to leadership positions.
  • The Board annually provides the NomCom with information on the Board's skill sets.
  • New NomCom guidelines were instituted, including internal procedures and a code of conduct.
  • The Board approved compensation to voting Directors for their services to ICANN, and revised the "ICANN Conflicts of Interest Policy and ICANN Bylaws."

To help advance the effectiveness of the Governmental Advisory Committee (GAC) and its interaction with the Board:

  • ICANN increased funding, multilingual access services, and staff resources to support the work of the GAC.
  •  A formal, documented process for requesting and tracking GAC advice has been created for GAC approval.
  • A formal GAC notification process for pending policy issues also has been created for GAC approval.
  • Regional plans were developed for increasing involvement in ICANN.
  •  Board-GAC face-to-face interactions have been increased.

To improve the processes ICANN uses to gain public input and develop policy:

To help ensure ICANN staffing arrangements are appropriately multilingual, job postings and related forms have been updated and language-training programs have been identified for ICANN staff.

Finally, in terms of overarching activities, resources required to implement the ATRT Recommendations were included in the FY12 Operating Plan and Budget [PDF, 2.51 MB], and proposed metrics and benchmarks are under development.

More information