We just wrapped-up the intensive meetings this week of the ICANN Cross Community Accountability Working Group (CCWG) in preparation for finalizing our report for "work stream 1" or accountability measures that must be in place before the IANA stewardship transition can occur.  The CCWG has reached general agreement on the main issues and recommendations in the report, however, the text will be finalized over the next week.  The final report is now planned to be published on 4 May for a 30 day comment period.  Then we'll take stock of public comments and come into Buenos Aires in June ready to engage with the community on the report and receive additional feedback.  A revised version of the final recommendations will be published and out for public comment in July.   Then the final report and recommendations out for approval by the SO's, AC's and the Board in August-September.

It is anticipated that the 4 May CCWG recommendations to out for public comment will include the following accountability reforms:

- Reform of the Independent Review Panel Process
- Reform of the Request for Reconsideration Process
- Embodying key aspects of Affirmation of Commitments and ATRT report into ICANN bylaws
- Creating "fundamental bylaws" to prevent ICANN mission creep
- Removing individual board directors and the entire board en masse
- "Community empowerment", which generally means re-organizing ICANN's corporate governance structure as either a "true membership" corporation or an empowered "designator" model of corporate governance to provide the participants in the ICANN community more power on decisions about ICANN's budget, strategic plan, and bylaws.  This last specific "community empowerment" mechanism remains uncertain and in the most contention and in need of community (and wider) feedback in the coming weeks.

In the meantime, we'll also get started on accountability reforms slated for "work stream 2" and looking for input on items to add to Workstream 2.  Right now, we've got in WS2: reform of the Document Information Disclosure Policy (DIDP) and instituting a culture of transparency at ICANN, looking at ICANN's "whistle-blower" policy, building mechanisms to incorporate the community's concerns into the budget and strategic plan's development prior to its ultimate adoption, and diversity concerns.  What else should be?

Comments, feedback, questions, concerns, suggestions on any or all of this are welcome!

Thanks,
Robin