[council] FW: Discussion on Accountability & Transparency Reviews, Thursday at noon

[Glen de Saint Géry <Glen@xxxxxxxxx>]

On Behalf Of Denise Michel
===========================

Dear Community Members,

We hope you will join the discussion about Accountability & Transparency 
Reviews led by ICANN's Board Chair on Thursday at noon in Congress I & II at 
the Prague ICANN meeting (remote participation is available). This 1.5 hour 
public discussion will address the effectiveness of ICANN's accountability and 
transparency projects to date, and potential issues for the next Accountability 
& Transparency Review Team (ATRT) to consider. ICANN is completing 
implementation of 27 ATRT 
Recommendations<http://www.icann.org/en/news/in-focus/accountability> and, 
later this year, we will begin the process for forming the next ATRT (AoC 
requires a review every 3 years).

The session information is posted at <http://prague44.icann.org/node/31825> and 
is included below.

We hope you will join us.

Regards,

Denise Michel
ICANN
Advisor to the President & CEO

Overview

Public input is sought on the effectiveness of ICANN's accountability and 
transparency projects to date, and potential issues for the next Accountability 
& Transparency Review Team (ATRT) to consider. ICANN is implementing 27 ATRT 
Recommendations<http://www.icann.org/en/news/in-focus/accountability> and, 
later this year, will begin the process for forming the next ATRT.

Draft Agenda
1.     Opening remarks -- Steve Crocker, Chair, ICANN Board
2.     ATRT Recommendations - A review of, and community discussion about, the 
Recommendations to improve ICANN's accountability and transparency in the areas 
listed below; panelists will outline achievements to date and work in progress.
·         Public input & Multilingual Access -- Filiz Yilmaz & Christina 
Rodriguez, ICANN Staff
·         GAC Operations, Engagement, Interaction with Board -- Bill Graham, 
Member, ICANN Board & Board/GAC Working Group Co-Chair
·         Board Operations, Composition & Review of Decisions -- Bruce Tonkin, 
Member, ICANN Board
3.     Tracking, Measuring Success & Next ATRT review -- Denise Michel, ICANN 
Staff
4.     Lessons learned & feedback from (first) ATRT -- Chris Dispain, Member, 
ICANN Board & former ATRT member
5.     Closing Remarks - Steve Crocker, Chair, ICANN Board

Background

An important step toward further enhancing accountability and transparency 
within ICANN came with the December 2010 submission of the Accountability and 
Transparency Review Team's (ATRT's) Final 
Report<http://www.icann.org/en/news/public-comment/public-comment-feb11-en.htm#atrt-final>
 and the Board's subsequent acceptance of it in 2011. This report contained 27 
recommendations (now in the implementation stage) that focus on improving 
transparency and accountability in four areas of ICANN:
·         Board governance, performance, and composition, including the 
Nominating Committee (NomCom) processes for filling Board positions.
·         Review mechanisms for Board decisions.
·         Governmental Advisory Committee's (GAC's) role, effectiveness and 
Interaction with the Board.
·         Public input and policy development processes.

Highlights of implementation actions include:

To provide better access to, and insight into, Board decisions ICANN has 
incorporated the following into its standard operating procedures (SOP):
·         Posts extensive Board meeting 
information<http://www.icann.org/en/groups/board/meetings> (including briefing 
materials and expanded minutes).
·         Publishes conditions for 
redaction<http://www.icann.org/en/groups/board/documents/briefing-materials-guidelines-21mar11-en.htm>
 of posted Board briefing materials.
·         Provides translations into the six UN Languages of approved Board 
resolutions and minutes<http://www.icann.org/en/groups/board/meetings> of Board 
meetings, which are posted within the 21-day timeframe.
·         Posts rationales<http://www.icann.org/en/groups/board/meetings> for 
Board actions and Board briefing 
materials<http://www.icann.org/en/groups/board/meetings>.

To improve ICANN's "Review Mechanisms for Board Decisions":
·         The "Reconsideration Requests" 
webpage<http://www.icann.org/en/groups/board/governance/reconsideration> has 
been revamped so the public has a standard timeline, format, and explanations 
for all Reconsideration Requests (all part of SOP).
·         Independent experts 
<http://www.icann.org/en/news/announcements/announcement-11mar12-en.htm> have 
been identified to serve on a committee to assess ICANN's review mechanisms.
·         The Board has confirmed that the Ombudsman framework is consistent 
with international standards.

To improve the process for selecting ICANN Directors and address 
recommendations on Board composition:
·         The Nominating Committee<http://nomcom.icann.org/> (NomCom) annually 
consults with the ICANN community and public on skill set requirements to 
consider when making appointments to leadership positions.
·         The Board annually provides the NomCom with information on the 
Board's skill sets.
·         New NomCom guidelines<http://nomcom.icann.org/> were instituted, 
including internal procedures and a code of conduct.
·         The Board approved 
compensation<http://www.icann.org/en/groups/board/documents/resolutions-08dec11-en.htm#3>
 to voting Directors for their services to ICANN, and revised the "ICANN 
Conflicts of Interest Policy and ICANN Bylaws."

To help advance the effectiveness of the Governmental Advisory Committee (GAC) 
and its interaction with the Board:
·         ICANN increased funding, multilingual access services, and staff 
resources to support the work of the GAC.
·          A formal, documented process for requesting and tracking GAC advice 
has been created for GAC approval.
·         A formal GAC notification process for pending policy issues also has 
been created for GAC approval.
·         Regional plans were developed for increasing involvement in ICANN.
·          Board-GAC face-to-face interactions have been increased.

To improve the processes ICANN uses to gain public input and develop policy:
·         ICANN's Bylaws<http://www.icann.org/en/about/governance/bylaws> have 
been translated into multiple languages.
·         A "Language Services Policies and 
Procedures<http://www.icann.org/en/news/announcements/announcement-2-18may12-en.htm>"
 document was posted for public comment.
·         ICANN's Public Comment 
Webpage<http://www.icann.org/en/news/public-comment> was revamped to make it 
easier to find and understand opportunities for public comment, and a list of 
up-coming comment periods is posted 
here<http://www.icann.org/en/news/public-comment/upcoming>.
·         A new stratified; prioritized "public notice & comment process" was 
implemented, including a "comment/reply cycle" for each issue under public 
comment<http://www.icann.org/en/news/public-comment>.

To help ensure ICANN staffing arrangements are appropriately multilingual, job 
postings and related forms have been updated and language-training programs 
have been identified for ICANN staff.

Finally, in terms of overarching activities, resources required to implement 
the ATRT Recommendations were included in the FY12 Operating Plan and 
Budget<http://www.icann.org/en/about/financials/adopted-opplan-budget-fy11-10jul10-en.pdf>
 [PDF, 2.51 MB], and proposed metrics and benchmarks are under development.

More information
·         Details on these efforts and implementation of the ATRT 
Recommendations is available online at ICANN's "Accountability & Transparency 
webpage<http://www.icann.org/en/news/in-focus/accountability>."
·         At a glance: ATRT Implementation 
Status<http://www.icann.org/en/news/in-focus/accountability/atrt-implementation-glance-summary-14jun12-en.pdf>
 [PDF, 2.05 MB]
·         ATRT Implementation 
Summary<http://www.icann.org/en/news/in-focus/accountability/atrt-project-list-workplans-14jun12-en.pdf>
 [PDF, 162 KB]