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Enhancing ICANN Accountability – Work Stream 2 Implementation

Work Stream 2 (WS2) of the Cross-Community Working Group on Enhancing ICANN Accountability (CCWG-Accountability) comprises nearly 100 accountability and transparency-related recommendations, directed at ICANN org, the ICANN Board, and the ICANN community, which serve to ensure ICANN org remains accountable to the multistakeholder community.

The recommendations of the WS2 Final Report span the following topics: Diversity, Guidelines for Good Faith Conduct, Framework of Interpretation for Human Rights, Jurisdiction, Improving the ICANN Office of the Ombuds, SO/AC Accountability, Staff Accountability, and Transparency.

Recommendations

Implementation status of the ICANN org, Board, and community recommendations:

Implementation status of recommendations should be understood as follows:

  • Complete: a recommendation implemented in full and for which implementation documentation is available.
  • In progress: a recommendation for which work has started to address deliverables identified during the implementation design. Implementation design is the preparatory phase for implementation during which a cross-functional project team develops guidelines that include deliverables for implementation, costing out resources, risk assessment, as well as an inventory of existing work etc.
  • Not started: Work has not started because of a dependency on another recommendation and/or process.

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Background

As initial discussions of the IANA Stewardship Transition were taking place, the ICANN community raised the broader topic of the impact of the transition on ICANN accountability. From this dialogue, the Enhancing ICANN Accountability process was developed to provide assurance that ICANN remains accountable in the absence of its historical contractual relationship with the U.S. Government. The work of the Cross-Community Working Group on Enhancing ICANN Accountability (CCWG-Accountability) was divided into two phases:

  • The first work stream (WS1) concluded in 2016 and developed consensus recommendations on accountability enhancements required for the IANA Stewardship Transition.
  • The second work stream (Work Stream 2, or WS2) focused on topics whose implementation was not required for the successful IANA Stewardship Transition.

In November 2018, further to Chartering Organizations' approval, the CCWG-Accountability submitted its WS2 Final Report to the ICANN Board. The Board resolved to adopt all consensus recommendations in November 2019, including implementation guidance contained in the WS2 Final Report as well as considerations of effort identified in the WS2 Implementation Assessment Report.

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