Email from ICANN

Thursday, 25 September 2025

ICANN Community Digest

Click here to learn more about the New gTLD Program [danh45uab.cc.rs6.net]

Applicant Support Program [danh45uab.cc.rs6.net]

Registry Service Provider Evaluation Program [danh45uab.cc.rs6.net]

The ICANN organization Policy Development Support function publishes this twice-weekly digest

to help ICANN community groups track requests and follow updates.

Do you have any ideas for improving the ICANN Community Digest?

Write to us at policyinfo@icann.org!

Table of Contents

ICANN84

· Prep Week Schedule

· FAQ's

· ICANN84 Time Change Notice

Information Sharing

· NEW: Africa Engagement and DNS Forums to Be Held in Accra, Ghana

· NEW: ICANN Publishes Root Zone Label Generation Rules Version 6

· NEW: RSSAC 063: Statement on the Governance Working Group’s Root Server System Governance Structure

· NEW: Chair’s Blog: Recap of the September Board Workshop

· NEW: Registration Operations Workshop (ROW) 14

· Call for Applications: NextGen@ICANN85

Next Round

· ICANN Materials Provide Prospective New gTLD Applicants Clarity on Key Topics

· Next Round Champions Toolkit Available in the Six ICANN Languages

· Call for ASP Mentors

🚨 Action Items 🚨

· ICANN Generic Names Supporting Organization Calls for Volunteers for SPIRT

· ICANN Request for Proposal: NomCom Recruiting Services

· NextGen@ICANN Mentor Program Nominations

· ICANNWiki Seeking Volunteers

Public Comment

· CLOSES MONDAY: Registration Data Request Service Standing Cmte. Report for GNSO Council Review

· Preliminary Issue Report on a Policy Development Process on DNS Abuse Mitigation

· Updated GNSO Stakeholder Group and Constituency Charter Amendment Process

· Second Draft of the RIR Governance Document

Events

· These events occur in September and October 2025.

ICANN84

FAQ's [danh45uab.cc.rs6.net]

NEW: PREP WEEK SCHEDULE [danh45uab.cc.rs6.net]

ICANN84 Time Change Notice

On Sunday, 26 October 2025 the time zone in Dublin, Ireland will change from Irish Standard Time (UTC+1) to Greenwich Mean Time, back one hour (UTC+0).

Read more. [danh45uab.cc.rs6.net]

Information Sharing

NEW: Africa Engagement and DNS Forums to Be Held in Accra, Ghana

Both events are designed to encourage collaboration and exchange across governments, intergovernmental organizations, businesses, the technical community, academia, and civil society.

Read more. [danh45uab.cc.rs6.net]

NEW: ICANN Publishes Root Zone Label Generation Rules Version 6

This work enables top-level domains to be delegated in various languages and scripts in a stable and secure manner.

Read more. [danh45uab.cc.rs6.net]

NEW: RSSAC 063: Statement on the Governance Working Group’s Root Server System Governance Structure

Please find RSSAC 063 here [danh45uab.cc.rs6.net].

NEW: Chair’s Blog: Recap of the September Board Workshop

The workshop consisted of working sessions and a Regular Board Meeting, during which the Board approved several resolutions.

Read more. [danh45uab.cc.rs6.net]

NEW: Registration Operations Workshop (ROW) 14

The Registration Operations Workshop (ROW) is an informal industry conference that offers a platform for discussing the technical intricacies of registration operations within the domain name system.

Date: September 30th, 2025, 13:00 - 17:00 UTC

Call for Applications: NextGen@ICANN85

The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) is calling for applications [danh45uab.cc.rs6.net] for NextGen@ICANN Program [danh45uab.cc.rs6.net] participants to attend the ICANN85 Community Forum in Mumbai, India, from 7–12 March 2026.

Read more. [danh45uab.cc.rs6.net]

Next Round

ICANN Materials Provide Prospective New gTLD Applicants Clarity on Key Topics

ICANN org is developing supplemental, complementary materials to aid prospective generic top-level domain (gTLD) applicants in understanding the Next Round application requirements, and how to navigate the application and evaluation processes.

Blog [danh45uab.cc.rs6.net].

Key Topic Overview Documents. [danh45uab.cc.rs6.net]

Next Round Champions Toolkit Available in the Six ICANN Languages

ICANN is working with the community to identify potential Applicant Support Program (ASP) applicants – especially in regions that are currently under-represented in ICANN. If you are interested in helping to raise awareness among your own contacts or communities, please use the materials in the Next Round Champions Toolkit [danh45uab.cc.rs6.net].

To stay up to date on the New gTLD Program: Next Round and ASP, join the mailing list: nextroundinfo@icann.org. ASP leads, targets, and ideas can be sent to engagement.newgTLDprogram@icann.org.

Call for ASP Mentors

ICANN is seeking volunteer mentors who would like to offer their expertise to supported applicants as part of the ASP in the new gTLD Program: Next Round [danh45uab.cc.rs6.net]. ICANN is looking for mentors who can share insights and experience across ICANN Languages (Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian, or Spanish) to support diverse gTLD applicants.

Mentors may play a role in: advising applicants on navigating the gTLD application process and DNS industry; identifying resources; providing guidance; sharing experiences as appropriate; and helping supported applicants navigate the ICANN community and Public Meetings. If you or someone in your network might be interested, please refer to the mentor registration announcement [danh45uab.cc.rs6.net] for more information.

Questions about the ASP or becoming a supported applicant Mentor can be sent to globalsupport@icann.org.

Action Items

ICANN Generic Names Supporting Organization Calls for Volunteers for SPIRT

In coordination with the GNSO Council, the SPIRT will collaborate with ICANN org to address all non-minor changes during the program using the Predictability Framework.

Deadline: Friday, 17 October 2025

Read more. [danh45uab.cc.rs6.net]

ICANN Request for Proposal: NomCom Recruiting Services

By issuing this RFP, ICANN is soliciting proposals from qualified suppliers for the provision of the services to achieve this.

Deadline: 17 October 2025

Announcement [danh45uab.cc.rs6.net]

RFP Overview [danh45uab.cc.rs6.net]

NextGen@ICANN Mentor Program Nominations

The NextGen@ICANN Program is seeking nominations for three (3) positions in the 2026 Mentor Program. These mentors will guide the NextGen participants through the mentorship process during the ICANN85-87 meetings. ICANN will provide travel funding for the appointed mentors to attend these meetings.

Each Supporting Organization (SO) and Advisory Committee (AC) is invited to nominate one individual for a total of three spots. Nominations can include program alumni, and we encourage the selection of active community members who are passionate about mentoring students. SOs and ACs can also choose to renominate previous mentors. Please note that individual self-nominations will not be accepted. All nominations must be submitted by Friday, 7 November 2025 to Fernanda Iunes at fernanda.iunes@icann.org.

If we receive nominations from more than three SOs/ACs, they will be accepted on a first come, first served basis, but ICANN org will prioritize groups that have not had mentors in the past.

ICANNWiki Seeking Volunteers

ICANNWiki is seeking volunteers to assist with creating and editing articles and content for the site. Do you want to help? Getting started is as simple as requesting an account [danh45uab.cc.rs6.net]. Then, make sure to read the short content guide [danh45uab.cc.rs6.net] to get a feel for what belongs in the wiki. Also, feel free to take a look at some data source suggestions [danh45uab.cc.rs6.net] on where to find reliable data. Happy editing!