Changes

'''ICANN Accountability''' refers to ICANN's commitment to maintain and improve mechanisms for public input, responsibility, and transparency so that ICANN’s decision-making reflect the public interest and are accountable to the Internet community. Toward this aim, ICANN relies on a quantitative report of accountability indicators to demonstrate progress toward [[ICANN Governance]] objectives, as outlined in the organization's strategic and operating plans. [[ICANN Bylaws]] have also established four mechanisms for reviewing and reconsidering ICANN actions and decisions: [[ICANN Empowered Community]], [[Reconsideration]], [[IRP|Independent Review]], and an [[Ombudsman]].

'''ICANN Accountability''' refers to ICANN's commitment to maintain and improve mechanisms for public input, responsibility, and transparency so that ICANN’s decision-making processes reflect the public interest and are accountable to the Internet community. Toward this aim, ICANN has created a number of offices and programs for assessment and review of its level of accountability and transparency. For a period of time, ICANN published a quantitative report of [[ICANN Accountability Indicators|accountability indicators]] to demonstrate progress toward [[ICANN Governance]] objectives, as outlined in the organization's strategic and operating plans. This effort has since been folded into ICANN org's Annual Report, although it is unclear which indicators are still being tracked. ICANN also issues a "Transparency Report" at the end of each fiscal year, documenting statistics relevant to transparency efforts.<ref name="20ti">See, e.g. [https://www.icann.org/en/system/files/files/transparency-report-30jun20-en.pdf ICANN Transparency Report - 2019-20], June 30, 2020</ref> regarding the total percentage of internal process documents that are made publicly available. ICANN org has also established the [[ICANN Documentary Information Disclosure Policy]] to assist members of the public in obtaining information regarding ICANN's operations and decision-making.<ref name="didp">[https://www.icann.org/resources/pages/didp-2012-02-25-en ICANN.org - Documentary Information Disclosure Policy], last updated February 25, 2012</ref> Amendments to the [[ICANN Bylaws]] have also established four mechanisms for reviewing and reconsidering ICANN actions and decisions: [[ICANN Empowered Community]], [[Reconsideration]], [[IRP|Independent Review]], and an [[Ombudsman]].

==History==

==History==

Accountability, along with transparency, became a primary focal point of the [[ICANN]] community shortly after the [[NTIA]] announced its intent to transition the stewardship of the [[IANA]] functions to the global multistakeholder community. ICANN, already bestowed with the IANA functions contract and coordination of the [[DNS]], was asked to kick-start a multistakeholder process aimed at developing a proposal for the transition. During the early stages of this process, the community raised concern over the outlook of ICANN’s accountability following the transition. <ref>[https://www.icann.org/resources/pages/process-next-steps-2014-10-10-en Enhancing ICANN Accountability: Process and Next Steps]</ref>

Accountability, along with transparency, became a primary focal point of the [[ICANN]] community shortly after the [[NTIA]] announced its intent to transition the stewardship of the [[IANA]] functions to the global multistakeholder community. ICANN, already bestowed with the IANA functions contract and coordination of the [[DNS]], was asked to kick-start a multistakeholder process aimed at developing a proposal for the transition. During the early stages of this process, the community raised concern over the outlook of ICANN’s accountability following the transition. <ref>[https://www.icann.org/resources/pages/process-next-steps-2014-10-10-en Enhancing ICANN Accountability: Process and Next Steps]</ref>