Background:
The ICANN Bylaws have, since 2003, called for regular Organizational Reviews of SOs and ACs to assess their continuing purposes and whether changes might be appropriate.
In 2020, however, ATRT3 concluded that ICANN has reached a point of diminishing returns with respect to Organizational Reviews in their current form. ATRT3 noted, in particular, that SOs and ACs have significantly evolved since the inception of these reviews and that they will continue to evolve as CCWG Accountability WS2 recommendations are implemented.
In addition, ATRT3 found that there are significant issues with Organizational Reviews, for instance backlogs of review recommendations, issues of timing and cadence, and issues with Independent Examiners recommendations.
Consequently, ATRT3 recommended that Organizational Reviews evolve into SO/AC Continuous Improvement Programs (CIP) with the community developing the appropriate CIP frameworks. This, ATRT3 added, would help inform Holistic Reviews and would help ensure that ICANN organizational structures collaborate and evolve in support of ICANN’s mission.