<html><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html charset=us-ascii"><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html charset=us-ascii"></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><div class="">Leon, Thomas and Mathieu,</div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">With apologies for a few days delay, let me offer the congratulations of the ICANN Board of Directors for the extraordinary work of you and the entire Accountability team. As has already been said many times, this is indeed a historic accomplishment.</div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">The Board is fully committed to the revised model. The bylaws implementing the model were passed some months ago and automatically went into effect Saturday.</div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">The Board is committed to the spirit as well as the letter of the new bylaws. An ongoing consideration in all of our deliberations is how to make our processes more transparent and clear in concert with improving our effectiveness and efficiency.</div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">Again, thanks for your leadership and congratulations to all of us for reaching this significant milestone.</div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">Steve Crocker</div><div class="">Chair, ICANN Board of Directors</div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class=""><blockquote type="cite" class=""><div class="">On Oct 4, 2016, at 1:16 AM, Mathieu Weill <<a href="mailto:mathieu.weill@afnic.fr" class="">mathieu.weill@afnic.fr</a>> wrote:</div><br class="Apple-interchange-newline"><div class=""><div class="WordSection1" style="page: WordSection1; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 18px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><span lang="EN-US" class="">Dear colleagues,<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><o:p class=""></o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><span lang="EN-US" class=""><o:p class=""> </o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><span lang="EN-US" class="">The Iana contract has expired. ICANN's new bylaws, implementing our WS1 Recommendations, are now in place. This is a major milestone for the multistakeholder model, where communities are in charge, and where accountability is shared amongst all stakeholders.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><o:p class=""></o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><span lang="EN-US" class=""><o:p class=""> </o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><span lang="EN-US" class="">The events of the last few weeks have provided an excellent reminder, if we had ever needed some, of why this transition was required : we had all agreed that the Internet needs to be protected from partisan politics, post-truth rhetoric and interference from judiciary obstructions. In a way, we can thank those who have, almost to the point of risking exhaustion, tried everything they could to stop the transition. Their efforts have demonstrated the solidity of our principles.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><o:p class=""></o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><span lang="EN-US" class=""><o:p class=""> </o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><span lang="EN-US" class="">The transition is also the beginning of a new phase. It is now incumbent upon all of us to live up to the shared accountability model. Our work stream 2 efforts are under way, and we have to demonstrate that we can still deliver improvements to ICANN's accountability, as part of the continuous improvement journey.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><o:p class=""></o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><span lang="EN-US" class=""><o:p class=""> </o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><span lang="EN-US" class="">Let's celebrate, because this has been a tremendous group effort ! As of now, we are writing a new chapter of ICANN's history, let's make it a story of commitment, collaboration and respect for each other ! And what better way to start than to double down on implementing the post transition model we have agreed on, and delivering concrete proposals for WS2 ?<o:p class=""></o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><span lang="EN-US" class=""><o:p class=""> </o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><span lang="EN-US" class="">Thank you all for being part of this group, we look forward to continuing the great work !<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><o:p class=""></o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><span lang="EN-US" class=""><o:p class=""> </o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><span class="">Leon, Thomas & Mathieu<o:p class=""></o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><span class="">Co-chairs</span><o:p class=""></o:p></div></div><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 18px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; float: none; display: inline !important;" class="">_______________________________________________</span><br style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 18px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;" class=""><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 18px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; float: none; display: inline !important;" class="">Accountability-Cross-Community mailing list</span><br style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 18px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;" class=""><a href="mailto:Accountability-Cross-Community@icann.org" style="color: purple; text-decoration: underline; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 18px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;" class="">Accountability-Cross-Community@icann.org</a><br style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 18px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;" class=""><a href="https://mm.icann.org/mailman/listinfo/accountability-cross-community" style="color: purple; text-decoration: underline; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 18px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;" class="">https://mm.icann.org/mailman/listinfo/accountability-cross-community</a></div></blockquote></div><br class=""></body></html>