As the Chair of the 2014 Generic Names Supporting Organization (GNSO) Review Working Party, I have the privilege of working with 19 dedicated and passionate individuals who represent the diversity of the GNSO community. We’ve held numerous meetings and provided extensive input and feedback on key aspects of the GNSO Review in the short time that our group has been assembled to act as a liaison between the GNSO, the Independent Examiner (Westlake Governance Limited), and the ICANN Board Structural Improvements Committee.

A new component within the organizational review of the GNSO is the 360 Assessment, designed to gather data for the Independent Examiner to use in the GNSO Review process and also may inform GNSO self-improvement efforts. This online tool collects feedback from the GNSO community, other ICANN structures and community members, the Board and staff.?The 360 Assessment is an opportunity for everyone involved with ICANN to provide comments, critiques and recommendations for the GNSO. Since its early August launch, we have received approximately 125 responses. ??

Please take the time to complete the survey and let your voice be heard to help shape the conclusions reached in the Review of the GNSO. Throughout the halls of ICANN, I hear many discussions about what works and what doesn’t work in the GNSO. The 360 Assessment is currently open, but is closing 17-October-2014 23:59 UTC. I invite you to participate in the 360 Assessment and make your voice heard! The survey is tailored to your involvement, experience and participation in the GNSO activities. It’s an easy-to-use survey tool. There are short answer questions that take about 10 – 15 minutes to complete and several open ended questions where you can provide your commentary. We also included a final “catch all” question in which you can provide any other comments or information that you think is important, but may not have been covered in the questions posed.

We have extended the survey, which is available in all UN languages, in an effort to ensure that we receive diverse input from all interested parties. We greatly appreciate your valuable and timely input in helping review this key component of the Internet ecosystem.

The Independent Examiner developed and is currently managing the 360 Assessment. Westlake will collate, analyze and summarize all responses, and will supplement the assessment survey with other methods of data collection including a review of documents, observations of GNSO work, and one-on-one interviews. Westlake will provide their initial findings later this year and will collect input and feedback from the ICANN community through the Public Comment process.?They will issue their final report in early 2015.

I became involved in the GNSO Review for several reasons. Recognizing that organizational reviews are an essential component of ICANN’s commitment to continuous improvement, accountability and transparency, I wanted to take part in shaping this important process. Additionally, the review provides a timely opportunity for the GNSO to reflect upon our self-improvement efforts as we acknowledge areas that are working well, identify areas that need improvement and work toward affecting needed changes. I am committed to a collaborative effort resulting in useful and productive improvements and am very excited to share with you our accomplishments to date. On behalf of the GNSO, I thank you for participating in the GNSO Review 360 Assessment and making your voice heard! (GNSO Survey)