Stakeholder Groups and Constituencies | Generic Names Supporting Organization

The GNSO comprises Stakeholder Groups and Constituencies. The ICANN Board encouraged the GNSO to structure its Council on the basis of broad Stakeholder Groups in order to represent the wide variety of groups and individuals in the ICANN community.

Stakeholder Groups function as caucuses and are intended to facilitate the creation of new Constituencies, promoting growth and expansion of GNSO participation.

Constituencies are a group of Internet users united around a particular common interest or perspective, recognized by the GNSO Council. Two Stakeholder Groups in the GNSO are composed of individual Constituencies.

Membership information and the leadership teams of the four Stakeholder Groups and five Constituencies are available in the following links:

Process for Amending GNSO Stakeholder Group and Constituency Charters

The ICANN Bylaws (Article 11, Section 5.c) state that each GNSO Stakeholder Group and its associated Constituencies "shall maintain recognition with the ICANN Board." The ICANN Board has interpreted this language to require its approval of any GNSO charter amendments. The ICANN Board Organizational Effectiveness Committee (OEC) oversees GNSO charter amendments through the Process for Amending GNSO Stakeholder Group and Constituency Charters ("Process"), which the ICANN Board established in 2013

In 2025, the ICANN organization ("ICANN org") developed updates to the Process based on over a decade of experience managing the Process and from working with several GNSO Stakeholder Groups and Constituencies. The updates included a request for GNSO Stakeholder Groups and Constituencies to inform ICANN org when charter amendment begins rather than when it concludes. Additionally, the updates to the Process encourage the use of templates that align with the GNSO Operating Procedures and Recommendation 6.5 (viz., to increase ICANN community group accountability through regular updates to their policies and procedures) of the Final Report of the Cross-Community Working Group on Enhancing ICANN Accountability Work Stream 2 (WS2). ICANN org conducted Public Comment on the proposed updates to the Process and developed a summary report of the four supportive submissions for the review of the OEC.

Based on the recommendation of the OEC, the ICANN Board approved the updated Process in March 2026. The updated Process is now in force. As a best practice, each Stakeholder Group and Constituency should review its charter and governance documents on a regular basis. Questions about this process should be directed to gnso-secs@icann.org.

Phase 1: Charter Revision

Initiate. When a GNSO Stakeholder Group or Constituency begins a charter revision process, it should notify its ICANN org support team as soon as possible. Together, ICANN org and the GNSO Stakeholder Group or Constituency may establish an appropriate timeline for the effort.
1. Liaison. The GNSO Stakeholder Group or Constituency should identify a liaison to ICANN org for the charter revision process.
2. Templates. A charter template and an operating procedures template are available to guide GNSO Stakeholder Groups and Constituencies. The templates account for requirements in the ICANN Bylaws, GNSO Operating Procedures, and applicable WS2 recommendations.
Revise. During the charter revision process and at the request of the GNSO Stakeholder Group or Constituency, ICANN org may serve as a resource. ICANN org may identify requirements related to ICANN reviews and implementation. The aim is to raise concerns early and prior to approval by the GNSO Stakeholder Group or Constituency.
Conclude. The GNSO Stakeholder Group or Constituency should approve any proposed charter amendments according to its operating procedures. After approval, the GNSO Stakeholder Group or Constituency sends the proposed charter amendments to ICANN org (gnso-secs@icann.org) for review.
Note: If required, proposed amendments to GNSO Constituency charters must first be submitted to the applicable GNSO Stakeholder Group for consideration before ICANN org review.

Phase 2: ICANN org Review

Initial Review. After the GNSO Stakeholder Group or Constituency submits its revised charter, ICANN org will identify any areas of concern or outstanding questions related to ICANN governance and legal requirements.
Engagement. Depending on the complexity of the documents and potential issues, ICANN org may engage in a discussion with the GNSO Stakeholder Group or Constituency. The timing of this engagement may vary.
Submission to the ICANN Board. After ICANN org completes its review, ICANN org will submit the proposed charter amendments to the appropriate ICANN Board committee, identifying any fiscal, legal, or governance concerns for its consideration.

Phase 3: Public Comment

When the appropriate ICANN Board committee approves the ICANN org report of the proposed charter amendments, it then directs the ICANN org to open a Public Comment proceeding. The Public Comment proceeding will include an overview of the proposed charter amendments. ICANN org will prepare a Public Comment summary report of all submissions for the consideration of the appropriate ICANN Board committee.

Phase 4: ICANN Board Review

The appropriate ICANN Board committee will review the proposed charter amendments, the report by ICANN org, and the Public Comment summary report then make a recommendation for the consideration of the ICANN Board. At any point in its consideration, the ICANN Board may engage with the GNSO Stakeholder Group or Constituency for more explanation and information about the proposed charter amendments.

The ICANN Board can either:

Recognize the proposed charter amendments by a simple majority vote; or
Reject the proposed charter amendments by a supermajority (⅔) vote and provide specific rationales for its concerns.

Phase 5: Adoption

ICANN Board recognition of the proposed charter amendments constitutes approval. The GNSO Stakeholder Group or Constituency shall adopt the amended charter and publish it.