Next month, ICANN plans to initiate its efforts to implement the next rounds of new gTLDs. The organization is currently assembling its Implementation Review Team, which will consist of community members responsible for helping the staff transform policy into reality.



Each supporting organization, advisory committee, and constituency will have the opportunity to nominate a representative (and an alternate), while ICANN will also issue an open call for volunteers to join the team.

The individuals who contributed to the development of the policy recommendations are expected to be strong contenders for membership in the working group. The primary goal of the Implementation Review Team is to ensure that ICANN adheres to both the precise wording and the essence of the recommendations, many of which were recently embraced by the board of directors, thereby preventing any re-litigation of resolved conflicts.

ICANN anticipates convening the first meeting of the Implementation Review Team during the week of May 14, or potentially even earlier. Last year, ICANN invested significant resources, including millions of dollars and the majority of 2022, in conducting an Operational Design Assessment of the new gTLDs policy recommendations. This assessment aimed, at least in part, to alleviate some of the burdensome tasks of the Implementation Review Team and accelerate the process.