The proposed structure was outlined at the ICANN Board of Directors retreat over the weekend. The number of members on the Board of Trustees is to drop from 19 to 15, with five members nominated by governments, according to the proposal put forward by Stuart Lynn, president of ICANN.
The rest of the board will consist of five members nominated by open Nominating Committee process, three chairs of the policy councils, one chair of the Technical Advisory committee and a CEO.
“The current structure of ICANN was widely recognised as an experiment when created three years ago,” Vint Cerf, board chairman, said in a statement. “The rapid expansion of and increasing dependence on the Internet have made it clear that a new structure is needed if ICANN is to fulfil its mission.”
Lynn agrees with this statement. “What has become clear to me and others is that a purely private organisation will not work,” he said. “We must find the right form of global public-private partnership -- one that combines the agility and strength of a private organisation with the authority of governments to represent the public interest.”
Lynn blames current organisational inertia and obsession with process as the reasons ICANN’s problems.
The plan has been put forward for public review and comment, and can be accessed at President's Report: ICANN – The Case for Reform.
