ALAC
Liaison Report to the GAC
By Joanna
Kulesza, EURALO, ALAC Liaison to the GAC
Reporting Period: June –July 2025
Submitted: 21 July 2025
1. Key Developments
- GAC Communiqué – ICANN83
Issued on 13 June 2025, the GAC Communiqué addressed the following
matters of relevance to At-Large:
- WHOIS / Registration Data
Access: The
GAC reiterated concerns regarding persistent access limitations to
WHOIS/RDRS systems and the need for accessible, transparent procedures.
- DNS Abuse: Noted incremental progress
but emphasized the need for enforcement measures and clear accountability
mechanisms for contracted parties.
- Applicant Support Program
(ASP):
Expressed concern about the limited uptake in applications and
recommended a mid-program assessment to evaluate outreach and
implementation.
- Accountability and
Transparency:
Highlighted ongoing concerns about the deferral of ATRT4 recommendations
and requested a revised timeline from the Board.
Full communiqué: https://gac.icann.org/contentMigrated/icann83-prague-communique
- In progress: Joint GAC–ALAC
Statement on the Applicant Support Program (ASP)
Drafting began in early July 2025, following consensus on the need for a
coordinated inter-AC/SO statement. Key concerns under discussion include:
- Regional
imbalance in applications
- Barriers to entry for
underserved applicants
- Need for additional support
mechanisms and a mid-cycle review
NOTE: At-Large
topic leads: Justine Chew, Avri Doria, Tijani Ben Jemaa
Session Details:
Reference Materials
- UN OEWG Final Report (Adopted 11 July 2025):
Letter from the OEWG Chair – 10 July 2025 [docs-library.unoda.org]
Key outcomes include reaffirmation of the
applicability of international law in cyberspace, enhanced cooperation
mechanisms, and recommendations for capacity-building and confidence-building
measures.
·
TL;DR -
Why it matters to the At-Large Community? Breaking Ground: Historic Launch of
UN Global Mechanism for Cyberspace Governance
- WSIS+20 High-Level Event – Highlights and
Outcomes:
WSIS+20 Forum 2025 Outcomes [itu.int]
This event marked two decades of global digital cooperation, with
announcements on inclusive connectivity, digital public infrastructure,
and renewed commitments to the WSIS Action Lines.
- ICANN84
GAC/ALAC Bilateral (Dublin)
Scheduled for 28 October 2025 at 09:00 UTC. Tentative agenda items
include:
- Review of ASP Mid-Program
Assessment (pending outcome)
- DNS
Abuse enforcement trends and transparency
- Follow-up on intergovernmental
developments (WSIS+20, UN OEWG)
NOTE:
feedback welcome
2. Ongoing Issues of Joint Interest
- ASP Transparency and
Participation Metrics
As of 15 July 2025, no detailed public update on ASP application volume or
regional distribution has been published. Several community groups,
including ALAC and GAC, have called for:
- Weekly reporting on
application volume and demographics
- Clarification
of evaluation metrics
- External
review of outreach effectiveness
- DNS Abuse Metrics and
Enforcement
Calls persist for:
- Publication
of DNS abuse compliance actions
- Disaggregated metrics by abuse
category and registrar region
- A structured roadmap for
enforcement beyond voluntary reporting
3. Upcoming Events
|
Date
|
Event / Milestone
|
Link / Notes
|
|
24 July 2025
|
Regulatory
Briefing: UN OEWG & WSIS+20
|
Agenda
& Registration
|
|
July 2025
|
Draft
GAC–ALAC Joint Statement on ASP – Community Circulation
|
GAC and
At-Large policy lists
|
|
28 October 2025
|
GAC–ALAC
Bilateral, ICANN84 (Dublin)
|
Time: 09:00 UTC – Agenda TBA
|
4.
Strategic Alignment with ALAC FY26 Priorities
These
developments directly support and operationalize ALAC’s FY26 Strategic
Objectives, as identified in the July 2025 strategy exercises:
[1]
Strategic Objective 1:
“Evolve
and promote ICANN’s Multistakeholder Model to sustain its inclusive approach to
Internet Governance.”
- The joint GAC–ALAC engagement
on the ASP and shared concerns regarding RDRS accessibility exemplify
active inter-AC/ASO collaboration.
- The Regulatory Briefing on UN
OEWG and WSIS+20 facilitates informed community dialogue on global
governance developments, reinforcing ALAC’s commitment to inclusive
participation.
[2]
Strategic Objective 3:
“Collaborate
with relevant stakeholders to evolve the Internet’s unique identifier systems.”
- Ongoing ALAC–GAC coordination
on WHOIS/RDRS, DNS Abuse enforcement, and policy implementation reflects
shared responsibility for evolving identifier governance with a
user-centric perspective.
- ALAC’s advocacy for DNS Abuse
transparency and metrics aligns with efforts to strengthen identifier
system accountability and operational integrity.
5. Recommendations
- ICANN Org is encouraged to
publish granular ASP application data and open a public
consultation on mid-program review mechanisms.
- GAC and ALAC to
jointly pursue a cross-community session at ICANN84 focused on
inclusivity and accessibility in the next round of gTLD applications.
- Formal follow-up to
the 24 July Regulatory Briefing, possibly in the form of an intersessional
webinar on ICANN's engagement with the WSIS+20 review process.
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