Accountability and Transparency Review (ATRT)

Objectives of the ATRT Review

According to the Bylaws (Section 4.6(b)), the ICANN Board ‘shall cause a periodic review of ICANN’s execution of its commitment to maintain and improve robust mechanisms for public input, accountability, and transparency so as to ensure that the outcomes of its decision-making reflect the public interest and are accountable to the Internet community (“Accountability and Transparency Review”).’

The Bylaws continue to explain that ‘the issues that the review team for the Accountability and Transparency Review (the “Accountability and Transparency Review Team”) may assess include, but are not limited to, the following:

1. assessing and improving Board governance which shall include an ongoing evaluation of Board performance, the Board selection process, the extent to which the Board’s composition and allocation structure meets ICANN’s present and future needs, and the appeal mechanisms for Board decisions contained in these Bylaws;
2. assessing the role and effectiveness of the GAC’s interaction with the Board and with the broader ICANN community, and making recommendations for improvement to ensure effective consideration by ICANN of GAC input on the public policy aspects of the technical coordination of the DNS;
3. assessing and improving the processes by which ICANN receives public input (including adequate explanation of decisions taken and the rationale thereof);
4. assessing the extent to which ICANN’s decisions are supported and accepted by the Internet community;
5. assessing the policy development process to facilitate enhanced cross community deliberations, and effective and timely policy development;
6. assessing and improving the Independent Review Process.’

For additional information and guidelines on the ATRT Review, please refer to the Bylaws, Section 4.6 (b).

Review Progress and Milestones

The graphic below illustrates phases and status of each review - a  indicates that all activities within a given phase have been completed.  The chart that follows the graphic provides further details of key activities and milestones within each phase – you can view these details by clicking on each of the phases in the graphic.  The table also contains links to relevant documents
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ATRT2
ATRT1
Implementation of ATRT2 Recommendations