Dear all,
Please find included the draft updated slide deck.
@Gudrun and Sami: please share your slides as soon as possible to be included in the Mentimeter presentation,
Kind regards,
Bart
NOTES | UAC | Wed, 7 May at 7 UTC
ACTION ITEMS
Action Item #1
Secretariat and leadership team to prepare an e-mail to share with the ccTLD community and potentially broader stakeholders, inviting them to join the ICANN83 UA session
1. Welcome
Welcome by Chair Abdalmonem
2. Admin matters
a. Statements of Interest (SOI): any updates?
Consult the
ccNSO SOI Guideline [ccnso.icann.org]
Complete the SOI
template [docs.google.com]
Check the ccNSO Statements of Interest
b. Welcome to new members, if any
No new members. Note from staff: Andrew Lewela (.ke), Frank Ogochukwu (.ng) now formally appointed
c. ICANN CEO blog | Universal Acceptance: Aligning Resources and the Path Forward
Abdalmomen refers to a blog post. Reference to a new expert working group, achievements by UASG, and the next steps
He thinks it is a good decision. The work of UA is now a work for SO/ACs. There should be more cooperation between icann, and the various SO/ACs.
Bart: no further information at this stage. It makes sense to look for future cooperation, especially with Sarmad and Seda’s team. Revisit the work plan of UAC post ICANN83, to check
the impact.
Seda: Abdalmomen covered all details from the blog. Celebration at ICANN83 to celebrate the achievements by UASG. The work will continue on UA adoption, but also with internal external
interaction, including UNESCO, ccNSO UAC. Gears will change, but the work will continue
Bart: Would it be worthwhile to spend a bit more time on the change of direction of this group, and how it impacts UAC, post Prague, once details are clear?
Seda: Yes, after Prague. Currently we focus on the UASG report and ICANN83, including the next UA Expert WG. more details to follow.
Bart: end June, early July, where Sarmad and Seda are sharing further details. Relation with UNESCO, etc. See nice experience from Seattle. The future of UA day is also a topic for discussion.
The planning cycle starts again in July/August.
Seda: this year we had the most events ever. Discuss how to have a more impactful approach for UA Day next year.
Regina: agree. Would be useful to discuss.
Abdalmomen: yes, have a plan for the work moving forward in terms of relations with other stakeholders, and SO/ACs. Staff support for the expert group?
Sami and Seda exchange a discussion on photos from UA Day Bahrain
Seda: UASG made a plan for the next year after July. good document. FY26 Action Plan.
Bart: yes, please send us the link. We can discuss after Prague
Abdalmomen: kenya, somalia…. I am also ambassador for ccnso. For Somolia there is no representative. I invite them to join, firstly the ccNSO, then UAC
Ann: i am new to the committee. Question for Bart. are there any learnings from previous ICANN adoptions. E.g. DNSSEC adoptions. Previous learnings that speak to adoption from previous
cases?
Bart: UA adoption is far more difficult than DNSSEC. Usability, acceptance etc
Seda shares the Action Plan:
https://uasg.tech/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/UASG-FY25-Action-Plan.pdf
[uasg.tech]
Correction: this was for this fiscal year, not the next. But still a good document to see some action items.
d. Action items previous meeting
i. Secretariat to review ICANN84 proposal by Abdalmonem and provide feedback (ongoing)
ii. Secretariat to update the draft briefing paper [docs.google.com] (completed)
iii. Secretariat to reach out to Gudrun regarding a presentation in Prague (completed)
iv. Secretariat to review planning timeline: have an additional UAC meeting? When to hold dry-run? Defer the UA Day review to post ICANN83? (completed)
v. Secretariat to ask ICANN staff about a potential speaking slot during the UA session at ICANN83 Prep Week, if any. (completed)
Seda: we have only one prep week session. IDN updates and UA updates. 30 min for the UA part. UASG and
Arnt will speak.
Bart: if there is no time for an update, please alert people to the session.
Seda: yes, we have a slide with UA-related sessions during the main week
Abdalmomen: yes. Notify about the UAC session in Prague.
Notify people we exist. Acknowledgement. Draft an email to invite people to join, in cooperation with Seda and Sarmad
Bart: why not
Action Item #1
Secretariat and leadership team to prepare an e-mail to share with the ccTLD community and potentially broader stakeholders, inviting them to join the ICANN83 UA session
3. Planning for ICANN83, Prague (Breaking Barriers: how governments and ccTLDs advance UA): Detailing the approach
Joke provides a summary about the topic, the goal, and the structure of the session, and those involved in the session. Reference to the briefing paper.
Bart: speaks to PDF. focus on the blockers. Suggestion: have a similar structure as what we did in Seattle
Abdalmomen: the word “survey” caught my attention. Now that UASG has been closed, there is a role for UAC.
Bart: when?
Abdalmomen: not sure.
Bart: let’s address this when we look at the UAC workplan after Prague
One of the major differences between UA readiness and UA awareness and DNSSEC. In a way there is an overlap, and in a way there is not.
Ann: agree
Bart: drivers are prominent. Both the drivers and impediments keep each other in balance.
The impediments of blockers, they create the dynamic. Highlights in the doc, are the impediments, or the blockers.
Decrease in stability, what was derived from the survey. They balance each other.
Digital inclusion
In Seattle, we had an opening question. Why not use the same opening question in Prague? We will have a more diverse audience. Ask the question again, perhaps even at the very start of
the session. How does the room look like?
Bart: follow the same structure of the questions.
Joke: shares results of the session in Seattle
Q1 | Is your ccTLD currently working on - or planning initiatives related to - IDNs or Universal Acceptance (UA)?
Q2 | Blockers: What impedes/blockers are most important barriers for your ccTLD to work towards Universal Acceptance (UA) readiness?
Q3 | Beyond the blockers listed earlier, are there other important factors hindering UA readiness for your ccTLD?
Q 4| If you could change one thing to make you UA ready, what would be that thing?
Q5 | Please select how much you agree or disagree with the statement - My ccTLD will expand its efforts in Universal Acceptance (UA) or Internationalized Domain Names (IDNs)
Maria: helps us to better understand the issues. At the start of the session, we could provide a brief on the previous session on the drivers
Bart: that is the plan.
Maria: regarding the situation with UASG. We can invite people to move from UASG to UAC
Joke: One caveat: UAC is open to ccTLD representatives only.
Bart: yes, we will discuss the future role of UAC after Prague
Maria: suppose that most discussions happen in Prague. There will be a big interest in the next steps. We need to discuss and speak about it in Prague. Reminder that UAC exists, and will
continue. Hub for ccTLDs.
Bart: for the session chair to mention at the start of the session.
Abdalmomen: future UAC workplan. Recognition for UASG in Prague. Presume the next expert group will be announced there. No need to overlap. Until we have a clear view, what UAC will do
after June 2025.
Any questions on the proposed Q1 to Q5 questions? none
Bart: Question for Sami.
Do the suggested questions make sense, to structure your presentation in Seattle?
Sami: yes
Regina: we need to check with Gudrun as well
Joke: yes, hence the prep and dry-run. Briefing paper will be updated too.
Bart: suggestion to have a wrap-up menti poll, to check with the audience after the testimonials
4. AOB
none
5. Next meetings and closure
Tue, 13 May at noon UTC (prep for all involved in ICANN83 session) NEW
Wed, 21 May at 13 UTC – UAC meeting, looking back at UA Day
Wed, 21 May at 14 UTC (dry-run for all involved in ICANN83 session) NEW
9-12 June 2025 (ICANN83)