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FYI

Thursday 29 January 2026

ICANN Community Digest

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

2026 Round Applicant Guidebook [danh45uab.cc.rs6.net]

2026 Round Vendor Sourcing Timeline [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

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

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. [danh45uab.cc.rs6.net]

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 [danh45uab.cc.rs6.net].

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. [danh45uab.cc.rs6.net]

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. [danh45uab.cc.rs6.net]

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. [danh45uab.cc.rs6.net]

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. [danh45uab.cc.rs6.net]

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. [danh45uab.cc.rs6.net]

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. [danh45uab.cc.rs6.net]

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 [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

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. [danh45uab.cc.rs6.net]

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. [danh45uab.cc.rs6.net]

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. [danh45uab.cc.rs6.net]

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. [danh45uab.cc.rs6.net]

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 [danh45uab.cc.rs6.net]source suggestions [danh45uab.cc.rs6.net] on where to find reliable data. Happy editing!