Updated Operating Standards for Specific Reviews

Purpose: This public comment proceeding seeks to solicit input on the updated Draft Operating Standards for Specific Reviews (Operating Standards). The Operating Standards aim to ensure that ICANN's Specific Reviews are conducted in a transparent, consistent, efficient, and predictable manner, while supporting the community's work to derive the expected benefit and value from review processes.Areas of guidance in the Operating Standards, as mandated by the ICANN Bylaws, include review team selection process, conflict of interest practices, confidential disclosure to review teams, review team decision-making practices, and guidelines on how review teams are to work with and consider independent expert advice. Specific Review teams currently conducting reviews are encouraged to use these Draft Operating Standards as a reference for their work.

Current Status: The current draft is an update to the Draft Operating Standards that were published for public comment in October 2017. ICANN organization has incorporated public comments received on the October 2017 draft, as well as community feedback on proposed updates in several key areas of importance that were presented via two webinars in October 2018.

Next Steps: ICANN organization will incorporate feedback from this public comment proceeding into an updated final document. The final document will be presented to the ICANN Board, with the aim of Board adoption in April / May 2019. A public session on the final document is planned for ICANN64.

The Operating Standards aim to ensure that ICANN's Specific Reviews are conducted in a transparent, consistent, efficient, and predictable manner, while supporting the community's work to derive the expected benefit and value from review processes. The Operating Standards are subject to the relevant provisions in the ICANN Bylaws that govern Specific Reviews (see Article IV, Section 4.6).

The updated Draft Operating Standards for Specific Reviews address, among other things:

• Review team candidate nomination and member selection
• Scope setting
• Roles and responsibilities
• Review team working methods
• Dispute resolution
• Review output
• Amending the Operating Standards

ICANN organization has developed the Operating Standards to provide guidance on conducting Specific Reviews, as mandated by the Bylaws. The development process began shortly after the adoption of the Bylaws in consultation with the community. ICANN organization has held public sessions on the Operating Standards to socialize drafts and solicit community input at ICANN57, ICANN58, ICANN60, and ICANN63. ICANN organization has also conducted webinars on the Operating Standards in February 2017, October 2017, and October 2018.

This current version is an update from a prior version that was available for public comment from 27 October 2017 through 2 February 2018.

Modifications are based on:

• Public comments on the October 2017 Draft Operating Standards and community feedback received during a cross-community session at ICANN60 in Abu Dhabi
• Public comments received on the Long-Term Options to Adjust the Timeline for Specific Reviews
• Best practices and process improvements from Specific Reviews that were launched and/or conducted under the new Bylaws
• Feedback on proposed updates to the October 2017 Draft Operating Standards in several key areas of importance, as presented to the community during webinars in October 2018.

• Draft Operating Standards for Specific Reviews for public comment (October 2017)
• Cross-Community Session: Operating Standards for Specific Reviews (ICANN60 Abu Dhabi, October 2017)
• Long-Term Options to Adjust the Timeline for Reviews for public comment (May 2018)
• Proposed updates to the Draft Operating Standards (October 2018)
• Webinars on proposed updates to the Draft Operating Standards (October 2018)

• Report