Multi-Stakeholder Consensus
Policy Making at ICANNMary WongVice President, Strategic Policy Management

APIGA 2024
Busan, Korea

Bottom-up, consensusdriven policy development
and advice is at the core ofICANN’s mission.

ICANN’s mission (as defined by the ICANN Bylaws):“To coordinate the development and implementation of policies
that are developed through a bottom-up consensus-based
multistakeholder process and designed to ensure the stable
and secure operation of the Internet's unique names systems.”|2

The ICANN Ecosystem & the Multistakeholder Model|3

The ICANN Community

SupportingOrganizations (SOs)Three SOs in the ICANN
community are responsiblefor developing policy
recommendations in theareas they represent.
Address Supporting
Organization (ASO)
Country Code Names Supporting
Organization (ccNSO)

Generic Names Supporting
Organization (GNSO)

Advisory
Committees (ACs)Four ACs give advice and makerecommendations on ICANN topics.

At-Large Advisory
Committee (ALAC)The Governmental
Advisory Committee (GAC)
The Root Server System
Advisory Committee (RSSAC)
Security and Stability
Advisory Committee(SSAC)|4

POP QUIZ!

1. How many hours does the community spend developing
policy and advice per year across the SOACs?
a.
b.
c.

3000 – 4000
4000 – 5000
Over 5000

2. How many community sessions take place at each
ICANN Public Meeting?
a.
b.
c.

50-100100-150
Over 150

3. What is the registration fee to attend an ICANN Public
Meeting (in person or virtually)?

|5The GNSO Policy Development Process (PDP)|6

The Concept of “Consensus” in the ICANN Community

Isconsensus
defined?

ASO

ccNSO

GNSO

ALAC

GAC

SSAC

RSSAC

Not
specifically,
but RIR
unanimityrequired for
globalpolicies

No, though
ccNSO
Councilrequired to“seek to actbyconsensus”
and eachworking
group’scharter must
define its
decisionmaking
methodology

Yes, for
PDP
WorkingGroups

Yes

Yes, forGAC
Consensus AdviceYes, forworkparty
outcomes

Notspecifically,
but specificvotingthresholdrequired

For regional
policies,
each RIR
maintains
its ownprocess

No, for
GNSO
Councilactions(butspecificvotingthresholdsrequired)|7

GNSO: gTLD Policy Decision Making
GNSO Working Groups:
Full Consensus (unanimity)Consensus (most agree, only small minority disagree)Strong Support but Significant Opposition

Divergence (no consensus, many different points of view)

Minority View

GNSO Council:
Different voting thresholds depending on type of decision:GNSO Supermajority (approve PDP recommendations): either 2/3 of theCouncil members of each House, or 3/4 of the Council members of one
House and a majority of the Council members of the other House.

|8ICANN Board: Approving Community-Developed Policy

GNSO Policy Recommendations:Any PDP Recommendations approved by a GNSO Supermajority Voteshall be adopted by the Board unless, by a vote of more than two-thirds(2/3) of the Board, the Board determines that such policy is not in thebest interests of the ICANN community or ICANN

ccNSO Policy Recommendations:
The Board shall adopt the ccNSO Recommendation unless by a vote ofmore than 66% the Board determines that such policy is not in the bestinterest of the ICANN community or of ICANN.

|9Policy Making at ICANN: Three Myths (maybe … ) The policy development process takes too long.
 The policy development process is too complex.
 The policy development process is too reactive.

| 10

How Can I Participate in ICANN’s MultiStakeholder Policy Process?

| 11

Ways to Participate

JOIN or OBSERVE

1a SOAC community or
open working group2

ENGAGE with ICANN’s
regional teams andattend our events

3

SUBMIT a publiccomment and seek out
specific opportunities| 12

Public Comments: Accountability & Transparency| 13

APPENDIX
Links to ICANN’s SOACs and Their Work

| 14

Links to ICANN Community Structures (1) ASO: https://aso.icann.org/
 ASO Global Policy Development Process Flowchart:

https://www.icann.org/en/system/files/files/aso-pdp-flowchart-16oct17en.pdf
 ccNSO: https://ccnso.icann.org/en
 ccNSO Policy Development Process flowchart:

https://www.icann.org/en/system/files/files/ccnso-pdp-flowchart20oct17-en.pdf
 GNSO: https://gnso.icann.org/en
 GNSO Policy Development Process flowchart:

https://www.icann.org/en/system/files/files/gnso-pdp-flowchart31aug17-en.pdf| 15

Links to ICANN Community Structures (2) At Large: https://atlarge.icann.org/

 ALAC Advice Process Flowchart:

https://www.icann.org/en/system/files/files/alac-advice-processflowchart-31aug17-en.pdf
 GAC: https://gac.icann.org/

 GAC Advice Process flowchart:

https://www.icann.org/en/system/files/files/gac-advice-processflowchart-31aug17-en.pdf
 RSSAC: https://www.icann.org/groups/rssac

 Directory of RSSAC Advice:https://www.icann.org/groups/rssac/documents
 SSAC: https://www.icann.org/en/ssac
 Directory of SSAC Advice: https://www.icann.org/en/ssac/publications
 The ICANN Empowered Community: https://www.icann.org/ec| 16

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