Next steps to enhancing ICANN accountability

About

The Oxford Internet Institute (OII) and ICANN invite you to an open discussion about the development and implementation of recommendations to enhance ICANN’s accountability to the global Internet community.

ICANN is a global multistakeholder organization that manages Internet resources for the public benefit. In particular, ICANN coordinates the top-level of the Internet’s system of unique identifiers – the Domain Name System – via global, multistakeholder, bottom-up consensus policy processes.

Recommendations to enhance ICANN accountability have been developed by the ICANN community, including civil society and academic actors, as part of the effort to transition the stewardship of the core IANA functions, which are administered by ICANN, from the US Government to the global multistakeholder Internet community. These recommendations are expected to be agreed during the ICANN meeting in Marrakesh, 4-10 March, and will then be submitted for approval to the U.S. Commerce Department’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), after which the multistakeholder process to transition the stewardship from the United States government to the global Internet community will be complete.

The OII/ICANN meeting will discuss the next steps in the implementation of the transition recommendations, particularly those about enhancing ICANN’s accountability. The implementation phase is an important opportunity for experts in particular from academia and from civil society to bring their knowledge and experience to the process. For example, the accountability proposals will include bringing a commitment to human rights into ICANN’s bylaws, work on transparency mechanisms (inspection rights, document disclosure, Board decisions), further enhancements to accountability of ICANN staff, Board, supporting organizations and advisory committees, and more. These and other issues will help shape an enhanced version of ICANN that is even more accountable and responsive to the global Internet community.

Please confirm your participation in this event by replying to civilsociety@icann.org