Dear Netizen, The ICANN86 Policy Forum officially concluded its high-intensity, four-day run at the FIBES Conference and Exhibition Centre. True to the rigorous structure of a dedicated Policy Forum, the final day bypassed traditional closing ceremonies to focus entirely on locking in policy consensus, synthesizing complex working group outputs, and formalizing critical advice to the ICANN Board. With the closing bell, the global internet governance community secured concrete baseline steps on infrastructure security and regional support frameworks, wrapping up a highly collaborative week in Seville. The final day was defined by the high-stakes delivery of the GAC Communiqué, breakthrough movements in DNS abuse frameworks, milestone community recognitions, and absolute clarity on the operational deadlines looming over the global network. *1. The GAC Communiqué: Governments Draw a Line on Applicant Support.* The focal point of the final day was the reading and official release of the Governmental Advisory Committee (GAC) Seville Communiqué. Global government representatives issued formal advice to the ICANN Board, carrying sharp directives on the Next Round of New generic Top-Level Domains (gTLDs). · *The Mandate on Digital Equity:* The GAC expressed unified concern regarding the *Applicant Support Program (ASP)* ahead of the upcoming gTLD round closing on *August 12, 2026*. Governments explicitly advised the Board to ensure that financial and administrative assistance is paired with ironclad, operational guarantees—specifically localized legal help and pro bono technical mentorship for underrepresented applicants and community networks in the Global South. · *Geographical and Cultural Protections:* Reflecting intense side-discussions held during the week (including briefings from groups like the Wine Origins Alliance), the GAC re-emphasized the critical need for rigid verification frameworks to prevent the malicious or predatory registration of sensitive geographical, cultural, and localized place names. *2. Structural Gridlock Breaks on DNS Abuse Mitigation.* Following days of intense pushback from the Registrar Stakeholder Group, the final sessions yielded a breakthrough in the draft text for the *DNS Abuse Mitigation Policy Development Process (PDP1)*, successfully stabilizing the framework. · *The Associated Domains Compromise:* Registrars and security advocates managed to carve out a preliminary consensus baseline regarding *Associated Domain Checks*. Rather than a sweeping mandate forcing registries and registrars to investigate entire customer accounts based on vague triggers, the finalized draft text leans into a "proportionate risk" framework. · *The Operational Baseline:* Registrars will be expected to cross-reference account data only when high-confidence, automated evidence proves a single malicious actor is deploying infrastructure at scale. While final text nuances will undergo intersessional refinement, this framework significantly solidifies baseline compliance while addressing industry fears of resource strain and compliance unpredictability. *3. The Multistakeholder Wrap-Up: GNSO, ALAC, and ccNSO Cement Priorities.* Individual Supporting Organizations and Advisory Committees finalized their position updates and cemented their operational roadmaps for the upcoming intersessional period: · *GNSO (Generic Names Supporting Organization):* The GNSO Council reviewed progress on the Latin Script Diacritics working text, ensuring single registry operators can handle ASCII versus diacritic variants seamlessly. Additionally, the Council established timelines for community feedback on the Registration Data Request System (RDRS) tracking metrics to maintain clear momentum. · *ALAC (At-Large Advisory Committee):* Emphasized its commitment to tracking Universal Acceptance (UA) implementation. At-Large leadership noted that linguistic sovereignty must remain at the forefront of technical policy as the industry prepares for the influx of new multilingual and internationalized scripts. · *ccNSO (Country Code Names Supporting Organization):* Wrapped up with a clear mandate to build localized technical playbooks, helping country-code registries navigate the complex, extraterritorial impacts of Europe's NIS2 directive and similar identity-verification regulations worldwide. *4. Honoring Excellence: 15 Years of Multilingual Service.* A major point of celebration during the closing sessions was the community-wide recognition of *Sabrina* for her extraordinary 15 years of dedicated service within the ICANN translation and interpretation team. Operating entirely behind the scenes, Sabrina’s decade-and-a-half of linguistic precision has been foundational to ICANN’s commitment to global inclusivity. Her work has directly empowered diverse, multilingual stakeholders to participate completely and equitably in complex technical policy development, proving that true digital inclusion begins with language. *5. Community Acknowledgments and Leadership Gratitude.* The daily analytical coverage and structural progress achieved throughout ICANN86 were driven by a deeply coordinated network of community veterans, organizational staff, and global leaders. *The Champions of Transparency and Daily Reporting.* Special appreciation and deep gratitude are extended to *Carlton Samuels, Maureen Hilyard, Vanda Scartezini, and Humberto Carrasco*. Their steady encouragement and formal support of meticulous daily reporting provided the community with an invaluable, transparent record of technical deliberations as they unfolded in real-time—serving as a welcome validation of the team's commitment to openness. *To ICANN Org, Staff, and Global Participants.* · *ICANN Support Staff:* Deep appreciation is owed to the entire ICANN organizational and support staff. From managing complex technical logistics and seamless hybrid audio-visual channels to organizing massive documentation pipelines under tight deadlines, their tireless backend work forms the structural backbone of the multistakeholder model. · *Community Leaders & Participants:* Heartfelt thanks go out to all the community leaders, working group chairs, remote participants, and in-person delegates. Their collaborative spirit over the four days in Seville ensured that despite steep operational differences, consensus remained the driving force of the forum. *Looking Ahead: The Inter-Sessional Horizon.* As the banners come down at the FIBES Centre in Seville, the global internet community leaves with clear homework and a visible countdown to two critical operational deadlines: · *August 12, 2026:* The absolute cutoff for the 2026 New gTLD application window. ICANN confirmed that the TLD Application Management System (TAMS) platform will close strictly at 23:59 UTC, with no extensions. · *October 11, 2026:* The cryptographic *DNSSEC Root Key Rollover*. Network operations teams globally must immediately verify that their resolvers are configured to trust the incoming KSK-2024 key to avoid localized internet resolution blackouts. Safe travels to all participants, and see you in Bali, Indonesia, for *ICANN87*! *Note: *If you happen to find a Canon 60D in a camera bag, reach out to me ( https://www.wa.me/+2348171111017). Thanks.