March 2026 - Ccnso-council - lists.icann.org

NEW: Chair’s Blog: Recapping the March Board Workshop and ICANN85
by ICANN Community Digest March 30, 2026

March 30, 2026

Email from ICANN Monday, 30 March 2026 ICANN Community Digest Click here to learn more about the New gTLD Program 2026 Round Applicant Guidebook 2026 Round Vendor Sourcing Timeline 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(a)icann.org! Table of Contents Information Sharing NEW: Chair’s Blog: Recapping the March Board Workshop and ICANN85 NEW: ICANN Opens Second Evaluation Period for 2026 Round Registry Service Providers Call for Applications:NextGen@ICANN87 ICANN87 Fellowship Application Round Now Open ICANN86 Community Childcare Grants Program: Apply Now 2026 Round Advancing Toward the Open of the 2026 Round ICANN Announces Community Priority Evaluation Provider for 2026 Round 2026 Round Highlights from ICANN85 Call for Expressions of Interest: 2026 Round Independent Objectors More Entities Qualify for ICANN’s Applicant Support Program Next Round Champions Toolkit Available in the Six ICANN Languages 🚨 Action Items 🚨 ICANN Request for Proposal: Name Collision Temporary Delegation GNSO's DNS Abuse Mitigation PDP-1 Observer Enrollment ICANNWiki Seeking Volunteers Public Comment CLOSES TODAY: Fundamental Bylaws Amendments on IANA-Related Reviews and CSC Charter Update Proposed Root KSK Algorithm Rollover Standard Bylaws Amendment – Transition Article on Specific Reviews Draft Guidelines for Advancing UA Adoption Draft Evaluation Guides for Community Priority Evaluation (CPE) Events These events occur in April 2026. Information Sharing NEW: Chair’s Blog: Recapping the March Board Workshop and ICANN85 Key areas of discussion included preparations for the 2026 Round, lessons learned from the World Summit on the Information Society 20-year review process, and the evolution of ICANN reviews. Read more. NEW: ICANN Opens Second Evaluation Period for 2026 Round Registry Service Providers The second application period for the Registry Service Provider (RSP) Evaluation Program for the New Generic Top-Level Domains (gTLD) Program: 2026 Round is slated to open on 30 April 2026 and close on 12 August 2026. Read more. ICANN87 Fellowship Application Round Now Open ICANN is opening the application round for the ICANN Fellowship Program for ICANN87 Annual General Meeting. The ICANN87 meeting is scheduled for 17–22 October 2026 in Muscat, Oman. If ICANN87 is held virtually, the Fellowship Program also will be held virtually. The deadline to apply is 19 April 2026 at 23:59 UTC. Read more. ICANN86 Community Childcare Grants Program: Apply Now ICANN opened the application round for its Community Childcare Grants Program for ICANN86 in Seville, Spain. The program facilitates the in-person participation of community members with children who are 12 years old or younger at ICANN Public Meetings and eligible ICANN events. Read more. 2026 Round Advancing Toward the Open of the 2026 Round We are only weeks away from opening the 2026 Round of the New Generic Top-Level Domains (gTLD) Program. The program leaders and their teams continue to make significant progress toward the 30 April launch. Read more. ICANN Announces Community Priority Evaluation Provider for 2026 Round ICANN announced today that it has entered into an agreement with Analysys Mason Limited to be the Community Priority Evaluation (CPE) provider for the New Generic Top-Level Domains (gTLD) Program: 2026 Round. Read more. 2026 Round Highlights From ICANN85 With ICANN85 behind us, I'd like to provide you with an update on the progress being made as we approach the launch of the New Generic Top-Level Domains (gTLD) Program: 2026 Round. The ICANN85 Community Forum, the last Public Meeting before the launch day, was busy and productive. Read more. Call for Expressions of Interest: 2026 Round Independent Objectors ICANN opened a Call for Expressions of Interest (EOI) to identify three individuals to serve as Independent Objectors, including one who will act as chair, as part of the New Generic Top-Level Domains (gTLD) Program: 2026 Round. The Independent Objectors will file Community and Limited Public Interest objections and appeals and participate in mediation, where appropriate. Although an individual may be affiliated with a firm, that person will be ultimately responsible for the processes described in this EOI. Individuals from the same firm will not be selected. Read more. More Entities Qualify for ICANN’s Applicant Support Program As of 27 February, there are five fully qualified supported applicants and seven that are conditionally qualified, bringing the total to 12 – with 62 applicants still in review. Read more. 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. To stay up to date on the New gTLD Program: Next Round and ASP, join the mailing list: nextroundinfo(a)icann.org. ASP leads, targets, and ideas can be sent to engagement.newgTLDprogram(a)icann.org. Action Items ICANN Request for Proposal: Name Collison Temporary Delegation ICANN issued a request for proposal (RFP) to identify a service provider to operate the Name Collision Temporary Delegation process for the New Generic Top-Level Domains (gTLD) Program: 2026 Round. Deadline: 6 April 2026 Read more. GNSO’s DNS Abuse Mitigation PDP-1 Observer Enrollment While the PDP membership is structured as a representative model, all of the ICANN community are also free to enroll as an Observer to follow the deliberations of the PDP. To enroll as an Observer, enrollments will be fielded through ICANN Join. If you have not used ICANN Join before, please follow the first-time user instructions below. Accessing ICANN Join does require having an ICANN Account. ICANN Join Instructions 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. Then, make sure to read the short content guide to get a feel for what belongs in the wiki. Also, feel free to take a look at some data source suggestions on where to find reliable data. Happy editing! Public Comment CLOSES TODAY: Fundamental Bylaws Amendments on IANA-Related Reviews and CSC Charter Update Open for Submissions Date: Wednesday, 11 February 2026 Closed for Submissions Date: Monday, 30 March 2026 Proposed Root KSK Algorithm Rollover Open for Submissions Date: Tuesday, 3 February 2026 Closed for Submissions Date: Monday, 6 April 2026 Standard Bylaws Amendment – Transition Article on Specific Reviews Open for Submissions Date: Wednesday, 11 February 2026 Closed for Submissions Date: Monday, 13 April 2026 Draft Guidelines for Advancing UA Adoption Open for Submissions Date: Monday, 23 February 2026 Closed for Submissions Date: Monday, 13 April 2026 Draft Evaluation Guides for Community Priority Evaluation (CPE) Open for Submissions Date: Tuesday, 24 March 2026 Closed for Submissions Date: Monday, 04 May 2026 See upcoming proceedings. See other public consultations. Events These events occur in April 2026. To learn more, please visit our community engagement calendar. CanWISP 2026 DNSSEC Training in Dushanbe 1st African Preparatory Meeting for WTSA-28 DNSSEC Training CaribNOG 31 Regional Meeting Volume 8, Issue 21 | Archive | Next Issue: Thursday, 02 April 2026 STAY INFORMED: Subscribe here ICANN | 12025 Waterfront Drive Suite 300 | Los Angeles, CA 90094-2536 US Unsubscribe | Update Profile | Constant Contact Data Notice

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Review ccNSO Guideline Board Recall and Director removal processes.
by Bart Boswinkel March 27, 2026

March 27, 2026

Dear all, Per last Council meeting find included the link to the draft Guideline to describe the roles, procedures and actions of the ccNSO as a Decisional Participant in respect to the removal of individual members or full ICANN Board of Directors. The guideline needs to be read in context of Annex D of the ICANN Bylaws. You are kindly requested to review and if you have any comments, please include them in the Google doc or reply directly to this email by 10 April 2026 at its latest. The draft Guideline can be found here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1GxVD6F6Ao_hcmzvlUzqIsOW1RGXBhblB3bo0wHV… After your review, the GRC will update the Guideline considering your comments and ask the ccNSO members for comments (mid-end of April). The GRC will again update the guideline if needed, following the comments from the members (if any) and intends to submit to Guideline to you for adoption in May 2026. Kind regards, Bart

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NEW: ICANN Seeks Input on Draft Evaluation Guide for Community Priority Evaluation (CPE)
by ICANN Community Digest March 26, 2026

March 26, 2026

Email from ICANN Thursday, 26 March 2026 ICANN Community Digest Click here to learn more about the New gTLD Program 2026 Round Applicant Guidebook 2026 Round Vendor Sourcing Timeline 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(a)icann.org! Table of Contents Information Sharing NEW: A Look Back at ICANN85 NEW: Artificial Intelligence and the Work of ICANN Call for Applications:NextGen@ICANN87 ICANN87 Fellowship Application Round Now Open ICANN86 Community Childcare Grants Program: Apply Now 2026 Round NEW: Advancing Toward the Open of the 2026 Round NEW: ICANN Seeks Input on Draft Evaluation Guide for Community Priority Evaluation (CPE) ICANN Announces Community Priority Evaluation Provider for 2026 Round 2026 Round Highlights from ICANN85 Call for Expressions of Interest: 2026 Round Independent Objectors More Entities Qualify for ICANN’s Applicant Support Program Next Round Champions Toolkit Available in the Six ICANN Languages 🚨 Action Items 🚨 ICANN Request for Proposal: Name Collision Temporary Delegation GNSO's DNS Abuse Mitigation PDP-1 Observer Enrollment ICANNWiki Seeking Volunteers Public Comment Fundamental Bylaws Amendments on IANA-Related Reviews and CSC Charter Update Proposed Root KSK Algorithm Rollover Standard Bylaws Amendment – Transition Article on Specific Reviews Draft Guidelines for Advancing UA Adoption Events These events occur in March 2026. Information Sharing NEW: A Look Back at ICANN85 I would like to thank everyone who contributed to the success of the ICANN85 Community Forum, which took place 7–12 March in Mumbai, India. In total, 1,517 people attended ICANN85 in person, including 332 first-time attendees, and 678 people participated virtually. Read more. NEW: Artificial Intelligence and the Work of ICANN Every few years, a new technology captures the world's imagination and prompts the same question across every industry: "How does this affect what you do?" Today, that technology is artificial intelligence (AI), specifically large language models (LLMs) like ChatGPT and its counterparts. At ICANN, we hear this question frequently. How does AI affect the Domain Name System (DNS), the identifier ecosystem, or ICANN's mission? Read more. Call for Applications: NextGen@ICANN87 ICANN is calling for applications for NextGen@ICANN Program participants to attend the ICANN87 Annual General Meeting in Muscat, Oman, 17–22 October 2026. Read more. ICANN87 Fellowship Application Round Now Open ICANN is opening the application round for the ICANN Fellowship Program for ICANN87 Annual General Meeting. The ICANN87 meeting is scheduled for 17–22 October 2026 in Muscat, Oman. If ICANN87 is held virtually, the Fellowship Program also will be held virtually. The deadline to apply is 19 April 2026 at 23:59 UTC. Read more. ICANN86 Community Childcare Grants Program: Apply Now ICANN opened the application round for its Community Childcare Grants Program for ICANN86 in Seville, Spain. The program facilitates the in-person participation of community members with children who are 12 years old or younger at ICANN Public Meetings and eligible ICANN events. Read more. 2026 Round NEW: Advancing Toward the Open of the 2026 Round We are only weeks away from opening the 2026 Round of the New Generic Top-Level Domains (gTLD) Program. The program leaders and their teams continue to make significant progress toward the 30 April launch. Read more. NEW: ICANN Seeks Input on Draft Evaluation Guide for Community Priority Evaluation (CPE) ICANN opened a Public Comment proceeding to gather input from the ICANN community on the draft evaluation guide for Community Priority Evaluation in the New Generic Top-Level Domains Program: 2026 Round. Read more. ICANN Announces Community Priority Evaluation Provider for 2026 Round ICANN announced today that it has entered into an agreement with Analysys Mason Limited to be the Community Priority Evaluation (CPE) provider for the New Generic Top-Level Domains (gTLD) Program: 2026 Round. Read more. 2026 Round Highlights From ICANN85 With ICANN85 behind us, I'd like to provide you with an update on the progress being made as we approach the launch of the New Generic Top-Level Domains (gTLD) Program: 2026 Round. The ICANN85 Community Forum, the last Public Meeting before the launch day, was busy and productive. Read more. Call for Expressions of Interest: 2026 Round Independent Objectors ICANN opened a Call for Expressions of Interest (EOI) to identify three individuals to serve as Independent Objectors, including one who will act as chair, as part of the New Generic Top-Level Domains (gTLD) Program: 2026 Round. The Independent Objectors will file Community and Limited Public Interest objections and appeals and participate in mediation, where appropriate. Although an individual may be affiliated with a firm, that person will be ultimately responsible for the processes described in this EOI. Individuals from the same firm will not be selected. Read more. More Entities Qualify for ICANN’s Applicant Support Program As of 27 February, there are five fully qualified supported applicants and seven that are conditionally qualified, bringing the total to 12 – with 62 applicants still in review. Read more. 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. To stay up to date on the New gTLD Program: Next Round and ASP, join the mailing list: nextroundinfo(a)icann.org. ASP leads, targets, and ideas can be sent to engagement.newgTLDprogram(a)icann.org. Action Items ICANN Request for Proposal: Name Collison Temporary Delegation ICANN issued a request for proposal (RFP) to identify a service provider to operate the Name Collision Temporary Delegation process for the New Generic Top-Level Domains (gTLD) Program: 2026 Round. Deadline: 6 April 2026 Read more. GNSO’s DNS Abuse Mitigation PDP-1 Observer Enrollment While the PDP membership is structured as a representative model, all of the ICANN community are also free to enroll as an Observer to follow the deliberations of the PDP. To enroll as an Observer, enrollments will be fielded through ICANN Join. If you have not used ICANN Join before, please follow the first-time user instructions below. Accessing ICANN Join does require having an ICANN Account. ICANN Join Instructions 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. Then, make sure to read the short content guide to get a feel for what belongs in the wiki. Also, feel free to take a look at some data source suggestions on where to find reliable data. Happy editing! Public Comment NEW: Draft Evaluation Guides for Community Priority Evaluation (CPE) Open for Submissions Date: Tuesday, 24 March 2026 Closed for Submissions Date: Monday, 04 May 2026 Fundamental Bylaws Amendments on IANA-Related Reviews and CSC Charter Update Open for Submissions Date: Wednesday, 11 February 2026 Closed for Submissions Date: Monday, 30 March 2026 Proposed Root KSK Algorithm Rollover Open for Submissions Date: Tuesday, 3 February 2026 Closed for Submissions Date: Monday, 6 April 2026 Standard Bylaws Amendment – Transition Article on Specific Reviews Open for Submissions Date: Wednesday, 11 February 2026 Closed for Submissions Date: Monday, 13 April 2026 Draft Guidelines for Advancing UA Adoption Open for Submissions Date: Monday, 23 February 2026 Closed for Submissions Date: Monday, 13 April 2026 See upcoming proceedings. See other public consultations. Events These events occur in March 2026. To learn more, please visit our community engagement calendar. WACREN 2026 Cloudfest 2026 APRALO Policy Forum Webinar Series on Multilingual Internet: Webinar #2:IDN Policies and Implementation North America UA Day Event 2026 Africa Digital Transformation Summit (ADTS-2026) Volume 8, Issue 20 | Archive | Next Issue: Monday, 30 March 2026 STAY INFORMED: Subscribe here ICANN | 12025 Waterfront Drive Suite 300 | Los Angeles, CA 90094-2536 US Unsubscribe | Update Profile | Constant Contact Data Notice

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Appointment ccNSO Council Chair and Vice-Chairs
by Bart Boswinkel March 24, 2026

March 24, 2026

17 March 2022 Appointment ccNSO Council Chair and Vice-Chairs Dear John, At its meeting on 10 March 2022 and ion accordance with the temporary election procedure adopted on 24 February 2022, the ccNSO Council appointed Alejandra Reynoso (.gt) as Jordan Carter (.nz) and Adebiyi Oladipo (.ng) as Vice-Chairs. The Chair and Vice-Chairs have been appointed to serve until the end of the ccNSO Council during ICANN76. On behalf of the ccNSO Council, Bart Boswinkel ccNSO Secretariat

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NEW: ICANN87 Fellowship and NextGen Applications Now Open
by ICANN Community Digest March 23, 2026

March 23, 2026

Email from ICANN Monday, 23 March 2026 ICANN Community Digest Click here to learn more about the New gTLD Program 2026 Round Applicant Guidebook 2026 Round Vendor Sourcing Timeline 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(a)icann.org! Table of Contents Information Sharing NEW: Call for Applications:NextGen@ICANN87 NEW: ICANN87 Fellowship Application Round Now Open ICANN86 Community Childcare Grants Program: Apply Now 2026 Round ICANN Announces Community Priority Evaluation Provider for 2026 Round 2026 Round Highlights from ICANN85 Call for Expressions of Interest: 2026 Round Independent Objectors More Entities Qualify for ICANN’s Applicant Support Program Next Round Champions Toolkit Available in the Six ICANN Languages 🚨 Action Items 🚨 ICANN Request for Proposal: Name Collision Temporary Delegation GNSO's DNS Abuse Mitigation PDP-1 Observer Enrollment ICANNWiki Seeking Volunteers Public Comment Fundamental Bylaws Amendments on IANA-Related Reviews and CSC Charter Update Proposed Root KSK Algorithm Rollover Standard Bylaws Amendment – Transition Article on Specific Reviews Draft Guidelines for Advancing UA Adoption Events These events occur in March 2026. Information Sharing NEW: Call for Applications: NextGen@ICANN87 ICANN is calling for applications for NextGen@ICANN Program participants to attend the ICANN87 Annual General Meeting in Muscat, Oman, 17–22 October 2026. Read more. NEW: ICANN87 Fellowship Application Round Now Open ICANN is opening the application round for the ICANN Fellowship Program for ICANN87 Annual General Meeting. The ICANN87 meeting is scheduled for 17–22 October 2026 in Muscat, Oman. If ICANN87 is held virtually, the Fellowship Program also will be held virtually. The deadline to apply is 19 April 2026 at 23:59 UTC. Read more. ICANN86 Community Childcare Grants Program: Apply Now ICANN opened the application round for its Community Childcare Grants Program for ICANN86 in Seville, Spain. The program facilitates the in-person participation of community members with children who are 12 years old or younger at ICANN Public Meetings and eligible ICANN events. Read more. 2026 Round ICANN Announces Community Priority Evaluation Provider for 2026 Round ICANN announced today that it has entered into an agreement with Analysys Mason Limited to be the Community Priority Evaluation (CPE) provider for the New Generic Top-Level Domains (gTLD) Program: 2026 Round. Read more. 2026 Round Highlights From ICANN85 With ICANN85 behind us, I'd like to provide you with an update on the progress being made as we approach the launch of the New Generic Top-Level Domains (gTLD) Program: 2026 Round. The ICANN85 Community Forum, the last Public Meeting before the launch day, was busy and productive. Read more. Call for Expressions of Interest: 2026 Round Independent Objectors ICANN opened a Call for Expressions of Interest (EOI) to identify three individuals to serve as Independent Objectors, including one who will act as chair, as part of the New Generic Top-Level Domains (gTLD) Program: 2026 Round. The Independent Objectors will file Community and Limited Public Interest objections and appeals and participate in mediation, where appropriate. Although an individual may be affiliated with a firm, that person will be ultimately responsible for the processes described in this EOI. Individuals from the same firm will not be selected. Read more. More Entities Qualify for ICANN’s Applicant Support Program As of 27 February, there are five fully qualified supported applicants and seven that are conditionally qualified, bringing the total to 12 – with 62 applicants still in review. Read more. 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. To stay up to date on the New gTLD Program: Next Round and ASP, join the mailing list: nextroundinfo(a)icann.org. ASP leads, targets, and ideas can be sent to engagement.newgTLDprogram(a)icann.org. Action Items ICANN Request for Proposal: Name Collison Temporary Delegation ICANN issued a request for proposal (RFP) to identify a service provider to operate the Name Collision Temporary Delegation process for the New Generic Top-Level Domains (gTLD) Program: 2026 Round. Deadline: 6 April 2026 Read more. GNSO’s DNS Abuse Mitigation PDP-1 Observer Enrollment While the PDP membership is structured as a representative model, all of the ICANN community are also free to enroll as an Observer to follow the deliberations of the PDP. To enroll as an Observer, enrollments will be fielded through ICANN Join. If you have not used ICANN Join before, please follow the first-time user instructions below. Accessing ICANN Join does require having an ICANN Account. ICANN Join Instructions 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. Then, make sure to read the short content guide to get a feel for what belongs in the wiki. Also, feel free to take a look at some data source suggestions on where to find reliable data. Happy editing! Public Comment Fundamental Bylaws Amendments on IANA-Related Reviews and CSC Charter Update Open for Submissions Date: Wednesday, 11 February 2026 Closed for Submissions Date: Monday, 30 March 2026 Proposed Root KSK Algorithm Rollover Open for Submissions Date: Tuesday, 3 February 2026 Closed for Submissions Date: Monday, 6 April 2026 Standard Bylaws Amendment – Transition Article on Specific Reviews Open for Submissions Date: Wednesday, 11 February 2026 Closed for Submissions Date: Monday, 13 April 2026 Draft Guidelines for Advancing UA Adoption Open for Submissions Date: Monday, 23 February 2026 Closed for Submissions Date: Monday, 13 April 2026 See upcoming proceedings. See other public consultations. Events These events occur in March 2026. To learn more, please visit our community engagement calendar. WACREN 2026 Cloudfest 2026 Regional Development Forum for Europe (RDF-EUR) 2026 IGF Parliamentary Summit Aceptación Universal EURALO ICANN85 Multilingual Readout ICANN Webinar Series for EMEA 54th Executive Council Meeting CTU's 2026 2nd International ICT Forecast and Preparatory Meeting North America UA Day Event 2026 Africa Digital Transformation Summit (ADTS-2026) Volume 8, Issue 19 | Archive | Next Issue: Thursday, 26 March 2026 STAY INFORMED: Subscribe here ICANN | 12025 Waterfront Drive Suite 300 | Los Angeles, CA 90094-2536 US Unsubscribe | Update Profile | Constant Contact Data Notice

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ICANN Webinar Series for EMEA - Behind the Scenes of the L-root: Architecture and Design
by Joke Braeken March 20, 2026

March 20, 2026

Hello All, At the request of colleagues in the ICANN global stakeholder engagement team, I am sending you the link to the registration page for an upcoming webinar: ICANN Webinar Series for EMEA - Behind the Scenes of the L-root: Architecture and Design Wednesday 25 March 2026 (12:00 - 12:45 UTC) Read more: https://www.icann.org/en/engagement-calendar/details/icann-webinar-series-f… Best regards. Joke Braeken joke.braeken(a)icann.org<mailto:joke.braeken@icann.org>

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NEW: ICANN Announces Community Priority Evaluation Provide for 2026 Round
by ICANN Community Digest March 19, 2026

March 19, 2026

Email from ICANN Thursday, 19 March 2026 ICANN Community Digest Click here to learn more about the New gTLD Program 2026 Round Applicant Guidebook 2026 Round Vendor Sourcing Timeline 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(a)icann.org! Table of Contents Information Sharing NEW: ICANN Board Approves 2026 Base Registry Agreement NEW: ICANN85 Governmental Advisory Committee Communiqué Now Available NEW: ICANN86 Community Childcare Grants Program: Apply Now 2026 Round NEW: ICANN Announces Community Priority Evaluation Provider for 2026 Round NEW: 2026 Round Highlights from ICANN85 NEW: Call for Expressions of Interest: 2026 Round Independent Objectors More Entities Qualify for ICANN’s Applicant Support Program Next Round Champions Toolkit Available in the Six ICANN Languages 🚨 Action Items 🚨 ICANN Request for Proposal: Name Collision Temporary Delegation GNSO's DNS Abuse Mitigation PDP-1 Observer Enrollment ICANNWiki Seeking Volunteers Public Comment Fundamental Bylaws Amendments on IANA-Related Reviews and CSC Charter Update Proposed Root KSK Algorithm Rollover Standard Bylaws Amendment – Transition Article on Specific Reviews Draft Guidelines for Advancing UA Adoption Events These events occur in March 2026. Information Sharing NEW: ICANN Board Approves 2026 Base Registry Agreement On 12 March 2026, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) Board of Directors approved the standard Registry Agreement (RA) that applicants in the New gTLD Program: 2026 Round would enter into with ICANN, should their application be successful. Read more. NEW: ICANN85 Governmental Advisory Committee Communiqué Now Available The Governmental Advisory Committee (GAC) of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) issued the ICANN85 GAC Communiqué. NEW: ICANN86 Community Childcare Grants Program: Apply Now ICANN opened the application round for its Community Childcare Grants Program for ICANN86 in Seville, Spain. The program facilitates the in-person participation of community members with children who are 12 years old or younger at ICANN Public Meetings and eligible ICANN events. Read more. 2026 Round NEW: ICANN Announces Community Priority Evaluation Provider for 2026 Round ICANN announced today that it has entered into an agreement with Analysys Mason Limited to be the Community Priority Evaluation (CPE) provider for the New Generic Top-Level Domains (gTLD) Program: 2026 Round. Read more. NEW: 2026 Round Highlights From ICANN85 With ICANN85 behind us, I'd like to provide you with an update on the progress being made as we approach the launch of the New Generic Top-Level Domains (gTLD) Program: 2026 Round. The ICANN85 Community Forum, the last Public Meeting before the launch day, was busy and productive. Read more. NEW: Call for Expressions of Interest: 2026 Round Independent Objectors ICANN opened a Call for Expressions of Interest (EOI) to identify three individuals to serve as Independent Objectors, including one who will act as chair, as part of the New Generic Top-Level Domains (gTLD) Program: 2026 Round. The Independent Objectors will file Community and Limited Public Interest objections and appeals and participate in mediation, where appropriate. Although an individual may be affiliated with a firm, that person will be ultimately responsible for the processes described in this EOI. Individuals from the same firm will not be selected. Read more. More Entities Qualify for ICANN’s Applicant Support Program As of 27 February, there are five fully qualified supported applicants and seven that are conditionally qualified, bringing the total to 12 – with 62 applicants still in review. Read more. 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. To stay up to date on the New gTLD Program: Next Round and ASP, join the mailing list: nextroundinfo(a)icann.org. ASP leads, targets, and ideas can be sent to engagement.newgTLDprogram(a)icann.org. Action Items ICANN Request for Proposal: Name Collison Temporary Delegation ICANN issued a request for proposal (RFP) to identify a service provider to operate the Name Collision Temporary Delegation process for the New Generic Top-Level Domains (gTLD) Program: 2026 Round. Deadline: 6 April 2026 Read more. GNSO’s DNS Abuse Mitigation PDP-1 Observer Enrollment While the PDP membership is structured as a representative model, all of the ICANN community are also free to enroll as an Observer to follow the deliberations of the PDP. To enroll as an Observer, enrollments will be fielded through ICANN Join. If you have not used ICANN Join before, please follow the first-time user instructions below. Accessing ICANN Join does require having an ICANN Account. ICANN Join Instructions 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. Then, make sure to read the short content guide to get a feel for what belongs in the wiki. Also, feel free to take a look at some data source suggestions on where to find reliable data. Happy editing! Public Comment Fundamental Bylaws Amendments on IANA-Related Reviews and CSC Charter Update Open for Submissions Date: Wednesday, 11 February 2026 Closed for Submissions Date: Monday, 30 March 2026 Proposed Root KSK Algorithm Rollover Open for Submissions Date: Tuesday, 3 February 2026 Closed for Submissions Date: Monday, 6 April 2026 Standard Bylaws Amendment – Transition Article on Specific Reviews Open for Submissions Date: Wednesday, 11 February 2026 Closed for Submissions Date: Monday, 13 April 2026 Draft Guidelines for Advancing UA Adoption Open for Submissions Date: Monday, 23 February 2026 Closed for Submissions Date: Monday, 13 April 2026 See upcoming proceedings. See other public consultations. Events These events occur in March 2026. To learn more, please visit our community engagement calendar. IETF 125 IX REGULAR MEETING OF THE ASSEMBLY OF CITEL WACREN 2026 Cloudfest 2026 Regional Development Forum for Europe (RDF-EUR) 2026 IGF Parliamentary Summit Aceptación Universal EURALO ICANN85 Multilingual Readout ICANN Webinar Series for EMEA 54th Executive Council Meeting CTU's 2026 2nd International ICT Forecast and Preparatory Meeting North America UA Day Event 2026 Africa Digital Transformation Summit (ADTS-2026) Volume 8, Issue 16 | Archive | Next Issue: Thursday, 05 March 2026 STAY INFORMED: Subscribe here ICANN | 12025 Waterfront Drive Suite 300 | Los Angeles, CA 90094-2536 US Unsubscribe | Update Profile | Constant Contact Data Notice

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Fwd: [soac-chairs] Chairing Skills Training Opportunity @ICANN86
by Alejandra Reynoso Barral March 18, 2026

March 18, 2026

Dear Councillors I hope you all are well and recovered from ICANN85. At our last council meeting I forgot to mention that on 23 February a one-day pilot training activity on chairing skills at ICANN86 in Seville was shared with the SO/AC Chairs (please find the full details below). We are invited to propose two participants. Based on the current list of Chairs and Vice-Chairs of our committees and working groups, and considering who would benefit most from this training, who has not yet completed the leadership training program, and who is already planning to attend ICANN86, the most suitable candidates are: - Régis Massé - TLD-OPS Chair - Regina Fuchsová - UAC Vice-chair Since the due date to send our candidates was last Friday, I will send them today hoping we are not too late. Best regards, Alejandra ******************************************* Work like you don't need the money. Love like you've never been hurt. Dance like nobody's watching. Sing like nobody's listening. And live like it's Heaven on Earth. ******************************************* ---------- Forwarded message --------- From: Russ Weinstein via soac-chairs <soac-chairs(a)icann.org> Date: Mon, Feb 23, 2026 at 3:03 PM Subject: [soac-chairs] Chairing Skills Training Opportunity @ICANN86 To: ICANN SOAC Chairs <soac-chairs(a)icann.org> Cc: Policy Team Leaders <policy-team-leaders(a)icann.org>, Ergys Ramaj < ergys.ramaj(a)icann.org> Dear SOAC leaders, I hope this message finds you well. My team and I are looking forward to seeing you all shortly in Mumbai for ICANN85. I am excited to share that we will be able to provide a one-day training activity on-site in Seville (ICANN86) for around 20 community participants that will focus on chairing skills. I’d like your help to select participants from your community and to influence the design of the course. Investing in chairing skills for our community seemed like a natural place to focus efforts for a number of reasons. Our Five-Year Strategic and Operating Plans contain a number of goals and strategies aimed at developing leadership pathways and skills for our community members as well as enhancing the effectiveness of our policy development efforts. My discussions with staff and community members have also impressed upon me the importance of skilled leaders. These all indicate an obvious need for more targeted leadership and facilitation training for the chairs of our working groups and other community initiatives. As such, we are in the process of engaging a professional firm to conduct a one-day workshop on Chairing Skills Training just prior to the ICANN86 meeting in Seville. The training will be based on the Consensus Playbook <https://gnso.icann.org/sites/default/files/file/field-file-attach/pdp-3-4-c…>that ICANN commissioned a few years ago. Our thinking is that this training pilot will focus on skills that contribute directly to effective chairing of a group and of meetings, including organizational, communication, decision making, and facilitation skills. This workshop - which we are targeting for Day -1 (i.e., Saturday) in Seville - will serve as a pilot to test out ideas and gather information on possible formats and content for future training activities. Given the tight timeframe to make travel decisions between now and ICANN86, I would like to ask for your help in selecting participants for the workshop as soon as possible. I would also very much welcome your input on the skills a chair needs to have, or experiences they need to be able to leverage, to be successful. I hope we can have that discussion. post ICANN85, either via 1:1 discussions, or an intersessional group discussion, or both. For this pilot, I suggest that each SO and AC, except the GNSO, select up to 2 participants. For the GNSO, we will work directly with the GNSO’s Stakeholder Groups and Constituencies for their participant selection. In making your selections, please bear the following points in mind: - Participants should be current or potential chairs, co-chairs, or vice-chairs of a working group or committee. - Participants should already be planning to attend ICANN86 in person, either self funded or as an ICANN funded traveler. - ICANN will cover the additional hotel room nights and requisite per diems for the participants (in this case, Day -1 is the Saturday before the Policy Forum commences). However, we will not be able to provide airfare or travel support (beyond the funded travel already provided to each community group). If you and your group are interested, please provide the names of your participants to Susie Johnson (susie.johnson(a)icann.org) by Friday 13 March. You are of course free to choose not to participate in this pilot; if so, please inform us as soon as possible. Thank you for your continued support. Safe travels, and see you soon. Best regards, Russ _______________________________________________ soac-chairs mailing list -- soac-chairs(a)icann.org To unsubscribe send an email to soac-chairs-leave(a)icann.org _______________________________________________ By submitting your personal data, you consent to the processing of your personal data for purposes of subscribing to this mailing list accordance with the ICANN Privacy Policy (https://www.icann.org/privacy/policy) and the website Terms of Service (https://www.icann.org/privacy/tos) You can visit the Mailman link above to change your membership status or configuration, including unsubscribing, setting digest-style delivery or disabling delivery altogether (e.g., for a vacation), and so on.

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Reminder: please respond to the ccNSO members meeting satisfaction survey
by Joke Braeken March 12, 2026

March 12, 2026

Dear All, We hope the ICANN85 ccNSO Members Meeting was a rewarding experience for you, whether you joined us in person or remotely. The ccNSO Meetings Programme Committee (MPC) values your input and is seeking feedback on this ccNSO Members Meeting. Which sessions did you find particularly engaging? How can we improve? What topics would you like to see addressed at the ICANN86 Policy Forum? Your feedback is crucial in shaping future ccNSO Members Meetings. How to provide your feedback: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/PVLX7SF The survey will be open until Wednesday, 25 March 2026, 23:59 UTC. Thank you for sharing your insights! Best regards, Joke Braeken joke.braeken(a)icann.org<mailto:joke.braeken@icann.org>

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Welcome to Day 6 of ICANN85!!
by Claudia Ruiz March 11, 2026

March 11, 2026

Hello, Welcome to Day 6 of ICANN85!! Thursday, 12 March 2026 * ccNSO Council Meeting <file:///Thursday,%2012%20March%202026%20ccNSO%20Council%20Meeting%20|%2014/00%20–%2015/00> | 13:15 – 14:30 | 206 A/B Consult the ICANN85 session highlights: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1RveTGlMh53fS3Wv8FAWdTLwOr_ADBpKkzvTDtu2… This guide is designed to help you easily navigate the ccNSO sessions at ICANN85, whether you are participating in person or remotely. It provides a quick-reference schedule, as well as session descriptions and context, to help you identify topics relevant to you. Thank you!

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