 |
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President's
Corner:
Closing Out
2016
It's
been a big year
- for ICANN -
and for me,
personally. I've
traveled around
the world,
meeting and
working together
with many of
you. It has been
a pleasure, and
I want to thank
all of you for
your hard work
this year.
This
year, the ICANN
community came
together,
trusting each
other, to create
the final
proposals and
complete the
IANA stewardship
transition,
after many years
of compromise
and
collaboration.
The success of
this effort is a
real testament
to the strength
of the
multistakeholder
model in
tackling issues
like this.
The
result of these
efforts is that
ICANN is truly
rooted in
accountability.
The entire ICANN
ecosystem is
more accountable
to each other
and to you.
Thank you for
that.
As
we look ahead at
what the next
year will bring,
my focus, as CEO
of the ICANN
organization, is
on doing what we
do even better,
under the new
mission and
bylaws, and
supporting our
strategic
objectives.
Thank
you for your
patience and
support over the
course of the
past year. I'm
looking forward
to 2017 - to
meeting more of
you and to
continue working
together. Happy
holidays to you
and your family.
I wish you all
the best in the
New Year.
Regards,
Göran
Marby
ICANN
President and
CEO
|
Reflecting
on the Africa
Strategy at ICANN57
|
|
|
| ICANN's
Pierre
Dandjinou
(left) is
recognized by
Dr. Jimson
Olufuye for
ICANN's work
in Africa. |
|
ICANN57
was the first
ICANN Public
Meeting after 1
October 2016, when
the Internet
Assigned Names
Authority (IANA)
functions contract
with the U.S.
National
Telecommunications
and Information
Administration
(NTIA) expired.
Africa was well
represented at
this historic
meeting, with over
100 participants
from 31 countries.
The program
offered two
sessions related
to Africa: Africa
Strategy Update
and Joint
AFRALO-AfrICANN
Meeting.
Africa
Strategy Update
This
session updated
participants on
the flagship
programs in
ICANN's Africa
strategy over the
past three years,
including the
DNSSEC roadshow,
the Africa DNS
entrepreneurship
program and
YouthComm.
Participants also
learned about some
newer initiatives.
Our regional
partners provided
details on other
activities,
including the
Ethiopic label
generation rules
under the
Internationalized
Domain Name (IDN)
Africa project.
The session
reinforced ICANN'S
involvement with
regional partners
in the Internet
ecosystem.
ICANN's
Pierre Dandjinou,
VP of Stakeholder
Engagement in
Africa, received a
token gift from
Dr. Jimson
Olufuye, Chairman
of the Africa
Information and
Communications
Technologies
Alliance (AfICTA)
in recognition of
ICANN's continuous
support of
AfICTA's
activities. Thank
you, AfICTA!
Joint
AFRALO-AfrICANN
Meeting
Introduced
to the ICANN
meetings four
years ago by the
African Regional
At-Large
Organization
(AFRALO), the
session is a venue
for the African
community to meet
and discuss
progress on the
continent's
participation in
ICANN to date.
ICANN's President
and CEO Göran
Marby addressed
the community,
highlighting the
importance of the
IANA functions
transition. He
thanked African
community members
for their full
involvement in the
transition
process. During
the comment period
with Marby, a
recurring theme
was the need for
ICANN to deepen
its support in
Africa so that
Africa can become
a true participant
and contributor to
ICANN's policy
development and
other activities.
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|
|
Göran
Marby, ICANN
President and
CEO, speaks at
the ICANN Open
Forum at
IGF 2016: "The
Internet is
our shared
responsibility
- that's why
it's so
important for
you to
participate
in ICANN." |
|
ICANN
Participates in
IGF in Mexico
The
11 th Internet
Governance Forum ( IGF 2016) was held
just outside
Guadalajara, Mexico,
from 6-9 December.
This year marked the
third time, and
second consecutive
year, that the
setting for the IGF
was in the Latin
American and
Caribbean (LAC)
region. Board Chair
Stephen Crocker and
President and CEO
Göran Marby were
among many ICANN
participants.
The
ICANN organization
and community
organized diverse
activities, all well
attended. We started
the week with
ICANN's Town Hall
Meeting called " ICANN
- Reflections on
the evolution of
the
multistakeholder
model in the
context of the
IANA Stewardship
Transition." At
the session, Göran
Marby looked back on
what made the
transition
successful. "Many
people from so many
countries came
together for the
IANA stewardship
transition - it's
proof the
multistakeholder
model works."
At
Monday's High-Level
Meeting, Stephen
Crocker stressed
that openness is
vital to foster
innovation and
creativity. Marby,
speaking at
Tuesday's Opening
Session, stated that
ICANN "will continue
to support the IGF
at all levels,
regionally and
nationally."
|
Read the
Post-ICANN57
Reports
ICANN57
Hyderabad was
the largest
ICANN Public
Meeting in our
history, with
3,182
checked-in
participants.
A total of 205
sessions were
dedicated to
community
policy and
advice
development.
As part of
ICANN's
commitment to
transparency,
we publish
reports after
every ICANN
Public
Meeting. The
data in these
reports will
help ICANN
improve future
meetings. The
post-conference reports are now available in English, and will soon be
posted in
Arabic,
Chinese,
French,
Japanese,
Korean,
Russian,
Spanish and
Turkish.
- The Post-ICANN57 Policy Report
captures updates from our
Supporting
Organizations
and Advisory
Committees. Our
community
develops and
refines
policies that
ensure the
security,
stability, and
resiliency of
the global
Internet, and
the ICANN
organization
is proud to
facilitate
this work.
- ICANN57 Community Feedback gives
results of the
surveys that
asked you to
rate the new
Annual General
Meeting format
and the
ICANN57 event
(sessions,
venue,
networking
opportunities).
You can also
read
constructive
feedback from
attendees in
their own
words.
- ICANN57 By The Numbers uses
easy-to-read
graphics and
charts to
present data
on a range of
topics,
including:
attendees,
most popular
sessions, remote
participation,
use of the
mobile app and
website, and
the technical
infrastructure
of the
meeting.
|
Register Today
for ICANN58 in
Copenhagen
Registration
is open for
ICANN58, which
will be held
from 11-16
March 2017, in
Copenhagen,
Denmark. Join
us for an
opportunity to
network with
your peers in
the community,
engage in
face-to-face
discussions,
ask questions
and help
develop and
implement
Internet
policies. Register now.
|
CCWG-Accountability
Co-Chairs Issue
Statement at ICANN57
Hyderabad
On
Wednesday, 2
November, the
Cross Community
Working Group on
Enhancing ICANN
Accountability
(CCWG-Accountability)
held a meeting
to discuss Work
Stream 2. The
purpose of Work
Stream 2 is to
disseminate the
new accountability
principles into
several key parts
of ICANN's
day-to-day
operations, and to
develop a culture
of accountability
across the ICANN
community,
organization and
Board.
Sixty
members and
participants
attended in
person, and many
others joined the
meeting remotely
using the virtual
meeting room. Read
the full
statement.
|
ICANN's
Gabriella
Schittek
presents the
New Generic
Top-Level
Domain (gTLD)
Program in
Warsaw,
Poland.
|
ICANN
Participates in
Digital Economy
Conference in
Poland
On
24 November,
ICANN
participated
in the Digital
Economy
Management,
Innovation,
Society and
Technology
Conference (DEMIST'16),
organized by
the Technical
University of
Warsaw in
Poland. The
conference,
targeting an
academic
audience,
hosted
discussions
about the
direction of
changes in the
digital market
in areas
ranging from
social
behavior to
the
development of
new
technologies.
Cooperation
with academia
in the Central
and Eastern
European
region is
central to
ICANN's
mission, and
ICANN was
pleased to
support the
conference.
ICANN's
Gabriella
Schittek,
Global
Stakeholder
Engagement
Manager of
Central and
Eastern
Europe,
attended the
event, and
presented the
New Generic
Top-Level
Domain (gTLD)
Program.
|
|
|
Michael
Yakushev and
Alexandra
Kulikova
present at the
ICANN57
session on
ICANN's
regional
strategy in
Eastern Europe
and Central
Asia. |
|
First
Session on
ICANN Regional
Strategy in
Eastern Europe
and Central
Asia
Held
at ICANN57
On
8 November
2016, at the
ICANN57 Public
Meeting in
Hyderabad,
India, the
Eastern Europe
and Central
Asia Global
Stakeholder
Engagement
(GSE) team
held an update
session on
their regional
strategy. This
was the first
time the team
held a public
discussion
with the
community
during an
ICANN Public
Meeting.
Michael
Yakushev (VP
of Global
Stakeholder
Engagement in
Eastern Europe
and Central
Asia) and
Alexandra
Kulikova
(Global
Stakeholder
Engagement
Manager of
Eastern Europe
and Central
Asia)
presented
their work and
vision of
ICANN's
strategic
activities in
this diverse
region of 12
countries
covering 9
time zones.
Community
members were
invited to
contribute
their own
ideas and
suggestions to
the engagement
strategy.
At
the heart of
the discussion
was a
reiteration of
the priority
of the
security,
stability and
resiliency of
the Domain
Name System
(DNS). Other
topics were
the
development of
the DNS
marketplace
and engagement
of local
experts in
policy
development in
ICANN's
Supporting
Organizations
and Advisory
Committees.
Participants
from Russia,
Ukraine,
Belarus,
Kyrgyzstan,
Armenia and
Kazakhstan
flagged a few
issues they
expected ICANN
to address,
including data
escrow
services for
compliance
with local
data
protection
legislation,
terminology
challenges for
translation
into local
languages, and
more training
opportunities
for
stakeholder
groups.
|
|
|
| Participants
discuss
ICANN's Middle
East strategy
in Hyderabad,
India. |
|
|
GSE
Team Presents
the Middle East
Strategy at
ICANN57
During
ICANN57, close to
30 participants
attended the
Middle East
regional update
session. Baher
Esmat (VP,
Stakeholder
Engagement for the
Middle East) and
Fahd Batayneh
(Stakeholder
Engagement Manager
for the Middle
East) conducted
the session, which
showcased:
- ICANN's
work in the
Middle East
since ICANN55 in
Marrakech -
presented by the
ICANN team
- Updates
from the DNS
Entrepreneurship
Center (DNS-EC) - presented by
Hadia Elminiawi,
Director of the
DNS-EC
- Work of
the Middle East
and Adjoining
Countries
Strategy Working
Group (MEAC-SWG) and the 2016-2019 draft
regional
strategy -
presented by
Walid Alsaqaf,
Chair of the
MEAC-SWG
We
received positive
feedback and
constructive
comments on the
new regional
strategy and on
our regional work
in general. Review
the session's presentation
materials and
audio recordings.
|
Last
month, close
to 200
participants
came together
at one of the
most important
cybersecurity
events
in the region.
|
ICANN
Participates
in Regional
Cybersecurity
Summit in
Egypt
From
30 October - 1
November, the
Egyptian
National
Telecommunications
Regulatory
Authority (NTRA)
hosted the fifth
edition of the
Regional
Cybersecurity
Summit (RCSS)
in
Sharm El
Sheikh, Egypt.
The event
attracted
close to 200
participants,
mainly from
the local
community.
Topics at the
event included
the latest
trends and
threats and
the importance
of a
networking
platform with
community
emergency
response
teams, law
enforcement
agencies and
other agencies
involved in
cybersecurity
in the region.
ICANN
attended as
part of the
Middle East
regional
strategy
objective to
promote a
secure, stable
and resilient
DNS
infrastructure.
ICANN's Fahd
Batayneh,
Stakeholder
Engagement
Manager for
the Middle
East, spoke
about the
Internet's
system of
unique
identifiers in
the context of
the Internet
of Things
(IoT),
shedding light
on
dependencies
and ICANN's
role. He also
covered the
importance and
ICANN's work
on deploying
DNS Security
Extensions
(DNSSEC).
|
Participants
gather at
UbuntuNet-Connect
2016 in
Entebbe,
Uganda.
|
ICANN
Reaches Out to
Academia at
UbuntuNet-Connect
2016
On
3- 4 November,
ICANN
sponsored the
UbuntuNet-Connect
2016
conference in
Entebbe,
Uganda, as
part of our
strategic
engagement
with academia
in the region.
Around 150
participants
from 30
countries,
coming from a
variety of
backgrounds,
attended the
conference.
ICANN
presented work
on IDNs and
emphasized the
leadership of
academia in
leading the
label
generation
rule panel for
the Ethiopic
script. ICANN
invited the
community to
contribute to
other relevant
panels,
including the
Latin script
panel, to
support other
African
languages.
|
The
theme of the
West Africa
Internet
Governance
Forum was
using the
multistakeholder
model to
develop the
Internet in
West Africa.
|
ICANN
Attends the
West Africa
Internet
Governance
Forum in Niger
The
West Africa
Internet
Governance
Forum (WAIGF)
took place
17-18 November
in Niamey,
Niger. Sani
Hadiza Koubra,
representing
the Minister
of Post,
Telecommunications
and Digital
Economy,
officially
opened the
forum. The
Internet
Society and
the African
Network
Information
Center
(AFRINIC) were
represented at
the event. And
it was
encouraging to
see a group of
university
students at
the forum.
Presentations
and
discussions
were on topics
such as access
and diversity,
security and
privacy in the
Internet age
and critical
Internet
resources. As
a sponsor and
participant in
the event,
ICANN's Africa
GSE team gave
an update on
the IANA
functions
transition and
the process to
enhance
ICANN's
accountability
to the
community.
A
key session
addressed how
to improve the
structure of
the bodies
that
coordinate the
West Africa
IGFs.
Participants
agreed that
the Economic
Community of
West African
States (ECOWAS)
would be a
virtual
secretariat
for the WAIGF,
with a
coordinator
assigned from
the
community.
|
|
Turkish
Read
David Olive's
interview in one
of Turkey's major
newspapers:
|
|
ccNSO Councilor Elections
At
ICANN57, the
Country Code Names
Supporting
Organization
(ccNSO) Council
adopted the Election
Report for the
General Council
Elections
and the Election
Report for the
Special Council
Elections 2017
for the African
Region.
The following
candidates were
elected or
re-elected as
Councilors.
Regular
Council
Elections
These
Councilors will
begin their terms
at the end of the
ccNSO Council
meeting at
ICANN58:
- Souleymane
Oumtanaga (.ci),
Africa
- Hirofumi
Hotta (.jp),
Asia-Pacific
- Nigel
Roberts (.jj and
.ge), Europe
- Alejandra
Reynoso (.gt),
Latin
America/Caribbean
- Stephen
Deerhake (.as),
North America
Special
Council Election
(term ends March
2018)
This
Councilor began
his term at the
end of the ccNSO
Council meeting at
ICANN57:
- Abdalla
Omari (.ke),
Africa
Becky
Burr stepped down
from the ccNSO
Council on 7
November 2016. To
fill this vacancy
on the Council,
the ccNSO members
in the North
American region
will elect
a candidate.
The new Councilor
will begin service
immediately,
serving through
the end of the
term in March
2019.
The
ccNSO Council also
nominated Chris
Disspain to be
designated by the
Empowered
Community
Administrative
Committee to fill
ICANN Board of
Directors Seat 11
for a term of
three years, which
starts at the end
of the Annual
General Meeting in
2017.
|
|
Update on the ccNSO
Guidelines
Review Committee
The
purpose of the
Guidelines Review
Committee (GRC) is
to review existing
guidelines and to
ascertain whether
they reflect
current practices
and working
methods, identify
potential gaps,
and based on this
analysis, propose
changes to the
ccNSO Council. During
its latest meeting
at ICANN57,
the ccNSO Council
adopted the
guideline ccNSO
Nominations to
Specific Review
Teams,
as proposed by the
ccNSO GRC.
You can find documents,
meeting recordings
and additional
information on the
GRC
workspace.
|
|
ccNSO
Adopts Charter for
CCWG on New gTLD
Auction Proceeds
The
ccNSO Council
adopted the charter
of the
Cross-Community
Working Group
(CCWG) on New
gTLD Auction
Proceeds
and will
participate as one
of the chartering
organizations. A call
for volunteers
to fill the slate
of between two and
five
ccNSO-appointed
members was also
launched. This
call for
volunteers is not
limited to the
country code
top-level domain
(ccTLD) community.
It also targets
representatives of
organizations
closely related to
ccTLD managers,
which have
experience in the
areas to be
considered by the
CCWG on New gTLD
Auction Proceeds.
|
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New!
RIPE IoT
Discussion
Mailing List
The
Réseaux IP
Européen (RIPE)
has set up a
dedicated IoT
discussion
mailing list for
people with an
interest in the
Internet of Things
(IoT) and related
topics. During
RIPE 73, a group
of community
members in the
RIPE region
highlighted the
need for more
information
exchange
concerning IoT,
especially in
light of
increasing
security concerns
around IoT
devices.
|
ICANN
Kicks Off Open
Data
Initiative
Pilot
ICANN
has launched a
pilot project
for an
initiative
that will
bring selected
ICANN-generated data sets into the open. Various activities produce data
related to
ICANN's
mission of
coordinating
the Internet's
system of
unique
identifiers,
including
Domain Name
System
operations,
domain name
registration
activities,
performance
monitoring and
many other
topics. The
Open Data
Initiative
will make data
available
through web
pages and
programming
APIs for the
purposes of
external party
review and
analysis.
Read more...
|
Ram
Mohan, UASG
Chair and
Executive Vice
President and
CTO at
Afilias,
explains the
concept of
Universal
Acceptance.
|
Universal
Acceptance:
Enabling a
Multilingual
Internet
The
world of
domain names
has changed
dramatically -
they are now
available in
many non-Latin
scripts,
including
Hindi, Russian
and Greek. Why
is it
important to
make sure
every browser,
application
and system can
support and
display all
domain names
correctly?
Members of the
Universal
Acceptance
Steering Group
(UASG) share
their views in
a new video. Click
here to watch.
|
ICANN's
Brad White
sits down with
David Conrad,
CTO, at
ICANN57 to
chat about the
key signing
key rollover.
|
Rolling
the Root Zone
Key Signing
Key
ICANN
is changing
the "master
key" of the
Domain Name
System. The
root zone key
signing key
consists of a
private key
and a public
key. The
private
component is
securely
stored by
ICANN, but the
public
component is
widely
distributed
and configured
in a great
number of
devices,
possibly
numbering in
the millions.
In this short
video David
Conrad, ICANN
CTO, talks
about why the
key is
changing, what
to expect
throughout the
rollover
process and
who needs to
take action. Click
here to watch.
|
Eleven New gTLDs Were Delegated in
November 2016
|
FOOD
BOX
CRUISE
|
AOL
BOSTON
JIO |
|
|
Join
us at these
upcoming EMEA
events:
|
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