Email from ICANN Thursday 29 January 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@icann.org! Table of Contents ICANN85 Register now NEW: ICANN85 Prep Week Schedule Now Available Information Sharing NEW: Approved Resolutions | Regular Meeting of the ICANN Board | 25 January 2026 NEW: ICANN Announces Dates for Public Meetings 2029–2033 NEW: ICANN’s Middle East Engagement in FY26: Midyear Progress Report NEW: Upcoming Publication of 2026 Round List of Evaluated Registry Service Providers NEW: Happy New Year 2026: Ombuds Office Updates on Survey and Public Comment NEW: Press Release: ICANN Nominating Committee Seeks Accomplished Business Leaders for ICANN Board of Directors NEW: Press Release: ICANN Launches Caribbean Premiere of ICANN Near You in Guyana 2026 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 Request for Information: Event Sponsorship Management ICANN Request for Proposal: 2026 Round Evaluation Quality Control ICANN Request for Proposal: Evaluator Panels for String Similarity and Variant Strings for the new gTLD Program: 2026 Round Apply Now for ICANN and PTI Leadership Positions ICANNWiki Seeking Volunteers Public Comment ICANN Office of Ombuds Framework and Process ICANN FY27–31 Operating & Financial Plan, ICANN/IANA FY27 Op Plans & Budgets Draft PTI FY27 Operating Plan and Budget Latin Script Diacritics PDP Initial Report Events These events occur in January and February 2026. ICANN85 Register now NEW: ICANN85 Prep Week Schedule Now Available The schedule consists of 12 sessions to prepare the ICANN community for the ICANN85 Community Forum taking place 7–12 March 2026 in Mumbai, India. ICANN85 Prep Week will be held Monday, 23 February to Wednesday, 25 February 2026. Read more. Information Sharing NEW: Approved Resolutions | Regular Meeting of the ICANN Board | 25 January 2026 Please find the Approved Resolutions of the 25 January 2026 Regular Meeting of the ICANN Board here. NEW: ICANN Announces Dates for Public Meetings 2029–2033 The five-year schedule reflects the 2014 Meeting Strategy Working Group recommendations for the timing and duration of ICANN Public Meetings Read more. NEW: ICANN’s Middle East Engagement in FY26: Midyear Progress Report During the reporting period, the ICANN Global Stakeholder Engagement Middle East team conducted 81 engagement activities across 14 countries. Read more. NEW: Upcoming Publication of 2026 Round List of Evaluated Registry Service Providers The list, which will be published on 30 January, will include organizations that have cleared evaluation and organizations that have cleared some, but not all, of the technical evaluations. This comprehensive list will provide the most up-to-date information on the status of RSP applicants for these services as of 28 January 2026, end of day UTC. Read more. NEW: Happy New Year 2026: Ombuds Office Updates on Survey and Public Comment Community input is essential to ensure the Ombuds Office serves and meets the needs of the community as is called for in the ICANN Bylaws. Read more. NEW: Press Release: ICANN Nominating Committee Seeks Accomplished Business Leaders for ICANN Board of Directors The ICANN Board of Directors provides strategic oversight, policy direction, and fiduciary governance for this global nonprofit organization, which has an annual operating budget of approximately $150 million and more than 450 staff members worldwide. Read more. NEW: Press Release: ICANN Launches Caribbean Premiere of ICANN Near You in Guyana The event will take place from 3 to 5 February 2026 in Georgetown, Guyana. The inaugural event offers an accessible and responsive approach to addressing region-specific technical and Internet governance needs. Read more. 2026 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. Key Topic Overview Documents. 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@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. 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 for more information. Questions about the ASP or becoming a supported applicant Mentor can be sent to globalsupport@icann.org. Action Items Call for Nominations for ICANN Fellowship Program Mentors Interested SOs/ACs should select their respective Fellowship Program mentor representative to serve for the ICANN87–ICANN89 meetings, and notify ICANN Fellowship Program Manager Siranush Vardanyan via email at siranush.vardanyan@icann.org no later than 10 February, 2026. Read more. ICANN Request for Proposal: 2026 Round Evaluation Quality Control As was the case in the 2012 Round of the New gTLD Program, administration of the QC process will be outsourced to a third party to preserve independence with the objective of ensuring that the evaluation processes are transparent, consistent, and repeatable across all applications. DEADLINE: 10 February 2026 Read more. ICANN Request for Proposal: Evaluator Panels for String Similarity and Variant Strings for the new gTLD Program: 2026 Round The selected provider(s) will also be required to collaborate with ICANN on the development of evaluation guides for the work conducted by the panels, ensuring that the evaluation processes are transparent, consistent, and repeatable across all gTLD applications. DEADLINE: Wednesday 18 February, 23:59 UTC Read more. Apply Now for ICANN and PTI Leadership Positions The selected individuals will have a unique opportunity to work with accomplished colleagues from around the globe to help shape the policy development and technical coordination of the Internet's unique identifiers. DEADLINE: 18 February 2026 Read more. 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 ICANN Office of Ombuds Framework and Process Open for Submissions Date: Tuesday, 23 December 2025 Closed for Submissions Date: Tuesday, 10 February 2025 ICANN FY27–31 Operating & Financial Plan, ICANN/IANA FY27 Op Plans & Budgets Open for Submissions Date: Tuesday, 16 December 2025 Closed for Submissions Date: Thursday, 12 February 2025 Draft PTI FY27 Operating Plan and Budget Open for Submissions Date: Tuesday, 16 December 2025 Closed for Submissions Date: Thursday, 12 February 2025 Latin Script Diacritics PDP Initial Report Open for Submissions Date: Monday, 12 January 2026 Closed for Submissions Date: Monday, 23 February 2026 See upcoming proceedings. See other public consultations. Events These events occur in January and February 2026. To learn more, please visit our community engagement calendar. Data, Power, and Authoritarianism NANOG 96 APTLD89 Amman Meeting with Reykjavik University Students Afternoon on Internet Security DNSSEC Training at Iceland University APRICOT 2026 / APNIC61 Domain Pulse Volume 8, Issue 08 | Archive | Next Issue: Monday, 02 February 2026 STAY INFORMED: Subscribe here ICANN | 12025 Waterfront Drive Suite 300 | Los Angeles, CA 90094-2536 US Unsubscribe | Update Profile | Constant Contact Data Notice