ICANN Governance
ICANN Governance encompasses how the ICANN Board and organization as a whole pursue ICANN's Mission. The overarching governance of ICANN can be broken down into several areas of interest, including the Board, the Multistakeholder Model, ICANN's agreements with external Internet entities, and the organization's finances, planning, and correspondence with non-ICANN parties. As recently as July 18, 2018, the governance guidelines, which define and shape the roles ICANN and its bodies, were amended, as the document is subject to refinement or changes whenever necessary.[1]
Board Governance
The running of the ICANN Board is guided by a Code of Conduct, and Board members must abide by a conflict of interest policy, submit a statement of interest, report lobbying activity to the United States House of Representatives and the Secretary of the U.S. Senate each quarter, and continue to implement the decisions that resulted from a three-phase review of the Board's Conflicts of Interest and Ethics practices, a summary of which can be found here.
Multistakeholder Model
- Main article: Multistakeholder Model
The Multistakeholder Model is fundamental to ICANN's governance and the organization's role in Internet governance.
Agreements
ICANN operates by entering into either Transition or Implementation agreements with Internet operation-related parties. Transition agreements refer to those which facilitate ending the U.S. Government's role in the Internet number and name address system while maintaining the stability of its operation.[2] This category includes
- The Memorandum of Understanding/Joint Project Agreement with the U.S. Department of Commerce and its six amendments and one modification,
- Agreement with the University of Southern California,
- IANA Function Contracts,
- Root-Nameserver Agreements, and
- InterNIC Agreement.
Implementation Agreements refer to policies adopted through the ICANN process, which are implemented through the agreement of Internet operation-related entities. This category includes the March 1, 2000 IETF/ICANN Memorandum of Understanding concerning the Technical Work of the IANA and 13 supplementary agreements to the original IETF/ICANN MoU.
Financials
The Office of Finance directs ICANN's Board, management, staff, and community on financial decisions and manages the organization's financial resources.