The Registries Stakeholder Group (RySG) welcomes the opportunity to comment on the proposed Continuous Improvement Program Framework and appreciates the work of the Continuous Improvement Program Community Coordination Group (CIP-CCG). 

The RySG supports the Continuous Improvement Program Framework (the “Framework”) as drafted.  The RySG believes the Framework’s Principles, Criteria and Indicators approach provides the necessary flexibility for each structure to determine how they will measure success of the Continuous Improvement Program (CIP) while ensuring each structure is driving toward the same principles.

The RySG is supportive of the five principles included in the Framework, but questions whether it is appropriate to evaluate the structures on their external accountability to the ICANN community.  The RySG believes this extension of accountability to the broader ICANN community goes beyond the requirements of the reviews contemplated under Section 4.4 of ICANN’s Bylaws.  Specifically, the Bylaws state the goal of the review should be to determine “whether that organization, council or committee is accountable to its constituencies, stakeholder groups, organizations and other stakeholders.”  The RySG does not believe “other stakeholders” necessarily means accountability to external stakeholders.  Instead, it would be more appropriate for the structure to determine whether accountability to the external ICANN community is an appropriate criteria for its structure.

The RySG agrees with the proposed next steps to carry out the CIP in two, 3-year assessment periods.

The RySG supports the Continuous Improvement Program Framework as drafted.  The RySG is supportive of the five principles included in the Framework, but questions whether it is appropriate to evaluate the structures on their external accountability to the ICANN community. The RySG agrees with the proposed next steps to carry out the CIP in two, 3-year assessment periods.