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Country Code Names Supporting Organization Review Final Report Submitted

3 September 2019

LOS ANGELES – 3 September 2019 –Today, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) announces that the Meridian Institute, the independent examiner of the Country Code Names Supporting Organization (ccNSO), has concluded its review and submitted its final report.

Final Report

The final report is the result of Meridian's review of documents, observation of meetings, interviews and a community-wide survey. Meridian also collaborated closely with the ccNSO Review Working Party (RWP) and wider ICANN community via webinar, public comment, and public sessions during ICANN64 and ICANN65. The report contains important findings on how the ccNSO fulfills its purpose, manages its structure and operations, and strives for accountability.

Based upon the findings, the Meridian Institute's determination is that:

  • the ccNSO has a strong continuing purpose;
  • there does not seem to be a significant need to make structural or operational changes; and
  • the ccNSO is accountable to its constituencies, including its members.

The report contains 14 recommendations for continuous improvements, some of which have already been acted on by the ccNSO.

Background

An independent review of the ccNSO is mandated by ICANN's Bylaws. The purpose of the review is to determine (i) whether the ccNSO has a continuing purpose within the ICANN structure; (ii) how effectively the ccNSO fulfils its purpose and whether any change in its structure or operations is desirable to improve the ccNSO's effectiveness; and (iii) the extent to which the ccNSO as a whole is accountable to its organizations, committees, constituencies, and stakeholder groups. Meridian Institute was selected to perform the review and began its work in August 2018. Learn more about the ccNSO Review here.

About ICANN

ICANN's mission is to help ensure a stable, secure and unified global Internet. To reach another person on the Internet, you need to type an address – a name or a number – into your computer or other device. That address must be unique, so computers know where to find each other. ICANN helps coordinate and support these unique identifiers across the world. ICANN was formed in 1998 as a not-for-profit public-benefit corporation with a community of participants from all over the world.