[discuss] Fwd: ] Request for Comments:Enhancing ICANN Accountability

Tue May 6 22:16:06 UTC 2014

fyi

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: 	[liaison6c] Request for Comments:Enhancing ICANN Accountability
Date: 	Tue, 6 May 2014 14:45:54 -0700
From: 	Glen de Saint Géry <Glen at icann.org>
To: 	liaison6c <liaison6c at gnso.icann.org>

http://www.icann.org/en/news/public-comment/enhancing-accountability-06may14-en.htm

  Enhancing ICANN Accountability

Comment / Reply Periods (*)

Comment Open Date: 6 May 2014

Comment Close Date: 27 May 2014 - 23:59 UTC

Reply Open Date: 28 May 2014

Reply Close Date: 18 June 2014 - 23:59 UTC

Important Information Links

Public Comment Announcement
<http://www.icann.org/en/news/announcements/announcement-06may14-en.htm>

To Submit Your Comments (Forum)
<mailto:comments-enhancing-accountability-06may14 at icann.org>

View Comments Submitted
<http://forum.icann.org/lists/comments-enhancing-accountability-06may14/>

Brief Overview

Originating Organization:

ICANN

Categories/Tags:

  * Transparency/Accountability

Purpose (Brief):

As announced at ICANN's March 2014 Public Meeting in Singapore, ICANN is
initiating a discussion on Enhancing ICANN Accountability. This
discussion will look at how ICANN remains accountable in the absence of
its historical contractual relationship to the U.S. Government and the
perceived backstop with regard to ICANN's organization-wide
accountability provided by that role. While related to the ongoing
discussions around the IANA Stewardship Transition, this is a separate
process, though the output of this process is expected to be completed
on the same timeframe as the stewardship transition work.

Current Status:

ICANN is initiating the community discussion on enhancement of ICANN's
accountability through the posting of a background document and
questions for input.

Next Steps:

The responses received will be compiled and analyzed. Prior to ICANN's
June 2014 Public Meeting in London, ICANN's Supporting Organizations and
Advisory Committees will be requested to start identifying Working Group
participants, so that the work can start in earnest at ICANN 50 after
community input is received.

Staff Contact:

Theresa Swinehart, Senior Advisor to the President on Strategy

Email Staff Contact
<mailto:theresa.swinehart at icann.org?subject=More%20information%20on%20the%20Enhancing%20ICANN%20Accountability%20public%20comment%20period>

Detailed Information

Section I: Description, Explanation, and Purpose:

On March 14, 2014, the US National Telecommunications and Information
Administration (NTIA) announced its intent to transition its stewardship
over key Internet domain name functions to the global multistakeholder
community. NTIA asked ICANN, as the IANA functions contractor and the
global coordinator for the DNS, to convene a multistakeholder process to
develop a proposal for the transition.

During discussions around the IANA stewardship transition, the community
has also raised the broader topic of the impact of the transition on
ICANN accountability. While the community develops a proposal for the
transition of NTIA's stewardship role, it is important that the
community also address the separate – but interdependent and
interrelated – issue of ICANN's accountability. As a result, ICANN is
launching a separate process, the scope of which is to look at ICANN
remaining accountable in the absence of its historical contractual
relationship to the U.S. Government and the perceived backstop with
regard to ICANN's organization-wide accountability provided by that
role, such as the renewal process of the IANA Functions Contract. This
second process will examine from an organizational perspective how
ICANN's broader accountability mechanisms should be strengthened to
address the absence of its historical contractual relationship to the
U.S. Government. This includes looking at strengthening existing
accountability mechanisms like the Affirmation of Commitments
<http://www.icann.org/en/about/agreements/aoc/affirmation-of-commitments-30sep09-en.htm>.
This process is additive, not a duplication of any of the reviews called
for under the Affirmation of Commitments.

This Accountability Process is envisioned to be coordinated by the ICANN
Accountability Working Group, comprised of community members as well
subject-matter experts in a range of areas, including:

  * Internet Technical Operations
  * International Organizational Reviews
  * Global Accountability Tools and Metrics
  * Jurisprudence / Accountability Mechanism
  * Internet Consumer Protection
  * Economics (Marketplace and Competition)
  * Global Ethics Frameworks
  * Operational, Finance and Process
  * Board Governance
  * Transparency
  * Risk Management

The Enhancing ICANN Accountability
<http://www.icann.org/en/news/in-focus/accountability/enhancing-accountability>page
sets out the detail of the proposed terms of reference for the process
as well as setting forth questions designed to provide input to the
ICANN Accountability Working Group. For ease of reference, the questions
posed are:

  * What issues does the community identify as being core to
    strengthening ICANN's overall accountability in the absence of its
    historical contractual relationship to the U.S. Government?
  * What should be the guiding principles to ensure that the notion of
    accountability is understood and accepted globally? What are the
    consequences if the ICANN Board is not being accountable to the
    community? Is there anything that should be added to the Working
    Group's mandate?
  * Do the Affirmation of Commitments and the values expressed therein
    need to evolve to support global acceptance of ICANN's
    accountability and so, how?
  * What are the means by which the Community is assured that ICANN is
    meeting its accountability commitments?
  * Are there other mechanisms that would better ensure that ICANN lives
    up to its commitments?
  * What additional comments would you like to share that could be of
    use to the ICANN Accountability Working Group?

As the public comment period is underway, ICANN will be reaching out to
the Supporting Organizations and Advisory Committees regarding the
identification of Working Group members. ICANN anticipates that the
Working Group will commence its work, including consideration of
community input, during ICANN 50 in June 2014. It's expected that
sub-working groups on specialized subject areas will be useful and open
to all.

Section II: Background:

The Enhancing ICANN Accountability
<http://www.icann.org/en/news/in-focus/accountability/enhancing-accountability>page
sets forth detail on the community consultation that led to the creation
of this ICANN Accountability Process, as well as an inventory of ICANN's
current accountability efforts.

Section III: Document and Resource Links:

Community input is sought on the Enhancing ICANN Accountability proposal.
Further background on the IANA Stewardship Transition is available at
http://www.icann.org/en/about/agreements/iana/transition.

Section IV: Additional Information:

N/A

------------------------------------------------------------------------

(*) Comments submitted after the posted Close Date/Time are not
guaranteed to be considered in any final summary, analysis, reporting,
or decision-making that takes place once this period lapses.

Glen de Saint Géry

GNSO Secretariat

gnso.secretariat at gnso.icann.org

http://gnso.icann.org