Final Report of Independent Examiner
Westlake Governance Limited, the independent examiner for the review of the Generic Names Supporting Organization has issued its final report. This marks an important milestone in ICANN's commitment to continuous improvement, accountability and transparency. After extensive consultation with the GNSO and the broader ICANN community, including a formal public comment process and ongoing engagement and participation of the GNSO Review Working Party, Westlake Governance formulated their conclusions.
Westlake determined that the GNSO has made good progress in implementing a Working Group model as the foundation for consensus work, in restructuring the GNSO Council and in improving communications and coordination with the ICANN Board and other structures, among other improvements. Recognizing that organizational effectiveness is a process of continuous improvement, Westlake offers 36 recommendations in the areas of: participation & representation, continuous development, transparency and alignment with ICANN’s future.
In preparation for the eventual implementation of Board-approved recommendations, the GNSO Review Working Party will provide their input on feasibility, focusing on prioritization of recommendations and alignment of implementation with other improvements already planned or underway. The ICANN Board is expected to take action on the findings and recommendations in the early part of 2016, after consideration of all community input.
Final Report of Review of the GNSO is available here; it can be accessed from the recently updatedGNSO Review web page.
Follow up items from GNSO Council Meeting on 24 September
Email from Larisa Gurnick to GNSO Council following up to items addressed during the 24 September 2015 Council meeting.
Draft Report of Independent Examiner
The Draft Report of Westlake Governance was posted for Public Comment on 1 June 2015. The Public Comment period was extended and closed on 31 July 2015.
Blog
Jen Wolfe, Chair of the GNSO Review Working Party, published a blog on 8 June 2015 to encourage feedback on the Draft Report published by Westlake Governance: "GNSO Review Draft Report Posted for Public Comment – Provide Your Feedback and Make Your Voice Heard!".
360 Assessment
GNSO Review 360 Assessment: Participate and Make Your Voice Heard!
NCPH Meeting in Washington, D.C. to the ICANN Board of Directors - January 2015
Letter from Participants - 16 January 2015
Response from Steve Crocker - 16 May 2015
Webinars
Presentation during ICANN50 - London (October 2014)
Webinar: Briefing About the Upcoming Review of the Generic Names Supporting Organization (GNSO)
SIC Response to Request for Clarification from GNSO Review Working Party
The GNSO Review Working Party requested clarification relating to structural aspects of the GNSO.
Memo from the SIC - 13 June 2014
Webinar
On 7 May 2014, a webinar was held to discuss the upcoming GNSO Review.
This briefing provided the GNSO community with information about the GNSI review process, collected feedback from the community, and answered questions concerning this process. The webinar was recorded and is available for those who were not be able to join the session live.
Webinar Materials
- Adobe Connect Recording
- Audio Recording [MP3, 6.5 MB]
- Transcript [PDF, 105 KB]
- Chat Transcript [PDF, 43 KB]
- Presentation [PDF, 1.24 MB]
Initial Presentation
On 22 March 2014, an initial Presentation was made by Ray Plzak to the GNSO Working Session during the ICANN meeting in Singapore.
Presentation Materials
Charter
GNSO Review Working Party Charter
Board Resolution
On 28 September 2013, the ICANN Board adopted Resolution 1e, which directs the Board Structural Improvements Committee to schedule the review of the Generic Names Supporting Organization (GNSO), which is mandated by ICANN Bylaws Article IV, Section 4, to commence in 2014, and that preparations for this Review commence as soon as feasible.
