Minutes | Meeting of the Organizational Effectiveness Committee of the Board (OEC) | 23 February 2026

OEC Attendees: Chris Buckridge – Chair, Alan Barrett, Constance de Leusse, Greg DiBiase, Raúl Echeberría and Wes Hardaker

OEC Apologies: James Galvin

Executive and Staff Attendees: Franco Carrasco (Board Operations Manager), Samantha Eisner (Deputy General Counsel), Jason Kean (Senior Manager, Reviews & Stakeholder Support)), Karen Lentz (VP, Policy Research and Stakeholder Programs), Jessica Puccio (Senior Coordinator, Review Support & Accountability), Laena Rahim (Associate General Counsel, APAC), Carlos Reyes (Senior Policy Director, Community Operations & Programs), Giovanni Seppia (VP, Implementation Operations), Theresa Swinehart (SVP, Global Domains and Strategy), Jessica Villaseñor (Senior Manager, GDS Research Services) and Russ Weinstein (SVP, Policy Development Support)

The following is a summary of discussions, decisions, and actions identified:

The Meeting was called to order at 19:00 UTC.

1. Agenda – The Chair established the agenda for the meeting and gave an overview of items to be discussed.

2. Review of Open Action Items and the OEC Work Plan – The OEC reviewed the "Open Action Items" and the updated the OEC work plan. ICANN staff noted that under the Reviews Related Work in the Open Action Items, the activity listed as "ICANN org to develop a visual that displays the future state of Reviews" currently remains on hold pending the ongoing community work on this topic.

   In relation to the OEC Work Plan, ICANN staff noted that ICANN org's subject matters experts will provide periodic updates on their current work. OEC members may request that specific items be added to a future meeting agenda or, where appropriate, reflected in the OEC Work Plan. ICANN org also shared the OEC's meeting cadence for 2026.

3. Updated GNSO Stakeholder Group and Constituency Charter Amendment Process - ICANN staff briefed the OEC on the status of the updates to the GNSO charter amendment process. The goal of updating the process is to streamline charter amendments for GNSO Stakeholder Groups and Constituencies, ensuring their continued focus on policy development within ICANN. The updates to the process allow for more in-depth review by ICANN to consider the evolving needs of the GNSO community groups. The updates to the process will also provide an opportunity for a GNSO Stakeholder Group or Constituency to work with ICANN staff at earlier stages, to allow for more streamlined consideration once a charter is ready to move forward. The updates to the process recognize the continuous evolution of the GNSO and better reflect the review roles of the ICANN Board and ICANN org.

   The updates to the process include a request for GNSO Stakeholder Groups and Constituencies to inform ICANN org when their charter amendment work begins rather than when a the group believes a draft is ready for consideration within ICANN. Additionally, the updates to the process encourage the use of a charter template and an operating procedures template that each align with the GNSO Operating Procedures, as well and Recommendation 6.5 from the Final Report of the Cross-Community Working Group on Enhancing ICANN Accountability Work Stream 2 on increasing ICANN community group accountability through regular updates to their policies and procedures.

   Following the OEC discussion in August 2025, ICANN opened a Public Comment proceeding on 10 September 2025 on the proposed updates to the process. The Public Comment proceeding closed on 5 November 2025 and ICANN developed a summary report of the four Public Comment submissions. All four comments received were supportive of the updated process and provided input and recommendations on further improvements. In response to the feedback received, ICANN org will develop an accompanying visual aid, such as a flow chart, with step-by-step instructions and publish it with the updated process, if adopted by the Board. Instead of requiring a set timeline in the updated process, ICANN org will work with the relevant GNSO Stakeholder Group or Constituency to establish an appropriate timeline for each effort.

   The OEC reviewed all the relevant documents pertaining to the proposed updates to the process. The OEC discussed and agreed to recommend to the Board to approve the updates to the process.

   • Action Item:
     • The OEC to forward its recommendation to the Board for its consideration.

4. Discussion: Review of Reviews – ICANN org provided an overview on the status of the Review of Reviews CCG-related work.

   Review of Reviews Cross-Community Group (Reviews CCG):

   In terms of progress, ICANN staff re-capped that the Reviews CCG has transitioned to Phase 2 (Analysis and Development of Proposals) and is now focused on presenting an initial design for discussion at ICANN85 in Mumbai, which will include multiple buckets of reviews. This will be followed by a more detailed draft report at ICANN86, and a Final Report and Documentation of Support from SO/ACs to be sent to the Board in August/September 2026 for consideration.

   ICANN staff noted that the Reviews CCG has received some inputs from the community groups. Community feedback indicates an increasing focus on resourcing considerations, and the community groups are seeking clarity on what the resulting recommendations may involve. The ICANN85 prep week session on Review of Reviews held on 23 February 2026 featured similar questions relating to resourcing and scoping issues.

   Preparation for March Board Workshop: Review of Reviews

   The OEC also prepared for the March Board workshop discussion on this topic. The Chair noted that a 45-minute session is scheduled on the Review of Reviews. ICANN org observed that it would be beneficial to seek the Board's perspective on the Reviews CCG's work plan, as well as any guidance or input the Board may wish to clarify, e.g., its expectations regarding the scope and content of the final recommendations. ICANN org further noted that it would be timely for the Board to raise any concerns it may have regarding the direction of the Reviews CCG work, and to clarify and confirm with the Board the respective roles of the Board and the Board representatives to the Reviews CCG to support clearer coordination going forward. The OEC will continue its discussion on this topic.

5. Implementation Update: Continuous Improvement Program (CIP) – ICANN org provided an update on the status of CIP-related work.

   The CIP Community Coordination Group (CIP-CCG) was assembled to develop a CIP Framework as part of implementing ATRT3 Recommendation 3.6. The draft CIP framework was published for Public Comment proceeding and the finalized CIP framework was published on 7 July 2025, concluding the work of the CIP-CCG.

   ICANN staff is working directly with each SO/AC and NomCom on implementation of their respective CIP efforts. As of 21 January 2026, four organizational structures have initiated the first phase of the CIP cycle (Assessment and Prioritization). The ASO has deferred implementation of the CIP cycle to allow for completion of the ICP-2 review. The NomCom has expressed interest in delaying or deferring the start of implementation of the CIP cycle until June 2026.

   ICANN org concluded the update by providing an overview of the next steps:

   • ICANN org to continue to support community groups in implementation of their CIP efforts and provide regular updates to the OEC on the progress of implementation of the CIP pilot.
   • The Board to assess the CIP pilot following the conclusion of one CIP cycle (estimated at three years).

   Upon being briefed by ICANN staff on the status of the CIP-CCG work, the OEC engaged in a discussion on this topic, and some observations and feedback include:

   • In considering the outcome of the CCG-related work, ICANN org noted that it would be good to discuss with the SO/ACs as to whether the groups have the necessary bandwidth to operationalize the work outlined by the CIP-CCG along with the implementation of their CIP efforts.
   • ICANN org observed that the cost of developing recommendations is relatively low compared to the potentially higher cost of implementing them. ICANN org noted that this is a key consideration to bear in mind when engaging further with the SO/ACs.

6. Discussion: Proposed OEC Name Change – The Chair noted that the matter had previously been raised with the ICANN Board Chair and Vice-Chair. The Board Governance Committee (BGC) is receptive to reconsidering this issue and is seeking further views and input from the OEC as this initial conversation gets underway.

   The Chair noted the proposal to rename the OEC, as the current title was acknowledged as not fully reflecting the scope of the OEC's work. It was suggested that the OEC Charter provides a useful starting point in considering an appropriate title that reflects the OEC's purpose. The OEC agreed to discuss the matter further with a view to resolving the matter within the current annual cycle.

   • Action Item:
     • ICANN org to assist the OEC in arranging an informal lunch discussion during the March Board Workshop to continue discussions and move the matter forward.

7. Decision reached via E-mail – The chair noted the decisions which the OEC has reached via e-mail. The OEC voted unanimously via e-mail to take the following action:

   • Approved the OEC Preliminary Report for meetings held on 18 November 2025 and 11 December 2025.

8. Review of New Action Items – ICANN org recapped the new action items arising from the OEC's present meeting.

The Chair called the meeting to a close.