Dear Chairperson, GNSO ICANN has today signed a new Joint Partnership Agreement with the United States Department of Commerce. This new agreement is a major step forward. It recognizes that ICANN and its community will be responsible for the management of the Internet's system of unique identifiers on an ongoing basis. It indicates a new stage in the continued evolution of ICANN's management of the Internet's system of unique identifiers, as well as its relationship with the United States Department of Commerce. Some of the main features of this agreement are: * ICANN will no longer have its work prescribed for it. * ICANN is not required to report every 6 months to the United States Department of Commerce as it has under the Memorandum of Understanding. It will now provide an annual report that is targeted to the whole Internet community. * There is no requirement to report regularly to the DOC. The DOC will simply meet with senior ICANN staff from time to time. The new agreement makes significant progress toward the goal of transitioning the technical coordination of the Internet's system of unique identifiers to the bottom up model of stakeholder management that ICANN represents. The ICANN model of multi-stakeholder consultation is working and this agreement is a major endorsement. It is our community that makes it work and we are constantly evolving and improving through your advice and input. The press announcement, a copy of the agreement and other related materials can be found at www.icann.org _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Dr Paul Twomey President and CEO ICANN www.icann.org