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:

• Recommendations to Improve Diversity
• Recommendations for Guidelines for Standards of Conduct Presumed to Be in Good Faith Associated with Exercising Removal of Individual ICANN Board Directors
• Recommendation for a Framework of Interpretation for Human Rights
• Recommendations on Jurisdiction
• Recommendations for Improving the ICANN Office of the Ombuds (IOO)
• Recommendations to Increase SO/AC Accountability
• Recommendations to Improve Staff Accountability
• Recommendations to Improve ICANN Transparency

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.

Latest Updates

• Update on Implementation of Work Stream 2 Recommendations delivered during ICANN 76 prep week - see session archives.

• Work Stream 2 Implementation, Fourth Quarter of 2022 Update (1 February 2023)

  • Work Stream 2 Implementation Summary Q4 2022 Quarterly Report (31 December 2022)

• ICANN Quarterly Update on Work Stream 2 Implementation (20 October 2022)

  • Work Stream 2 Implementation Summary – Q3 2022 Quarterly Report (30 September 2022)

• Work Stream 2 Implementation Update (22 August 2022)

  • Work Stream 2 Implementation Summary - Q2 2022 Quarterly Report (30 June 2022)
• Update on ICANN Work Stream 2 Implementation (2 May 2022)
• Q1 2022 Implementation Summary (31 March 2022)
• Update: Sharing Recent ICANN Work Stream 2 Implementation Progress (22 December 2021)
• Moving Work Stream 2 Implementation Forward (5 November 2021)
• Q4 2021 Implementation Summary (28 October 2021)
• Register for the ICANN Webinar on Work Stream 2 Implementation (10 May 2021)
• An Update on Work Stream 2 Implementation (4 March 2021)
• Moving Toward Implementation: Next Steps for Work Stream 2 (8 May 2020)

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.