Independent officer’s report examines successes in dispute resolution

The Ombudsman for ICANN released his annual report today, which lays out how his office has helped individuals and organizations with disputes come to a resolution while avoiding formal processes like the courts.

“I’m proud to say that thanks to the Ombudsman’s office, ICANN is at the forefront of dispute resolution and the use of online tools in helping people in dealing with their concerns and complaints,” said Frank Fowlie, ICANN’s Ombudsman. “The annual report provides a real snapshot of what a successful tool Alternate Dispute Resolution really is.”

Highlights from the annual report include:

• 375 complaints or community contacts for assistance were handled.
• Two major reports were prepared and delivered to the Board and community.
• An active Ombuds blog was launched.
• Three major evaluations were completed.
• Ongoing client satisfaction surveys were put in place.
• Paper written for the International Ombudsman Yearbook dealing with client satisfaction.
• Participation in 20 outreach or training events.
• Annual report was delivered in six languages.
• Complaints were received in and translation services provided in German, French, Arabic, Chinese and Spanish.

“Online dispute resolution is a growing tool — more and more organizations are adopting it, and helping consumers avoid more costly and time consuming processes,” added Fowlie. “ICANN is at the forefront helping the on-line model grow.”

The Ombudsman is an independent, impartial, and neutral officer of ICANN. The Ombudsman’s function is to act as an Alternative Dispute Resolution office for the ICANN community who may wish to lodge a complaint about a staff or board decision, action or inaction. The purpose of the office is to ensure that the members of the ICANN community have been treated fairly.

The annual report, as well as more information, is available online at: icann.org/ombudsman/reports.html.

This news release is also available on the ICANN website at icann.org/announcements/announcement-2-26oct07.htm