MONTEVIDEO – 28 January 2026 – The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) invites the Caribbean Internet community to participate in the first ICANN Near You event for the Latin America and Caribbean (LAC) region. 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.

Hosted in collaboration with the University of Guyana and the Internet Society, the three-day program brings ICANN's technical expertise directly to local stakeholders to help address challenges related to the local identifier system. The University of Guyana plays a central role in the country's Internet ecosystem, hosting Guyana's Internet Exchange Point as well as the country code top-level domain name, .gy. The agenda includes hands-on workshops on the Domain Name System (DNS), Domain Name System Security Extensions (DNSSEC), and security best practices for Internet service providers and network operators, aimed at strengthening local technical capacity and enhancing the resilience of Guyana's Internet infrastructure.

"The Caribbean premiere of ICANN Near You in Guyana reflects the strong regional and national collaboration that makes the multistakeholder model work," said Rodrigo de la Parra, ICANN Vice President for Stakeholder Engagement and Managing Director for Latin America and the Caribbean. "We are grateful for the active participation of the Secretariat of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and the Office of the Prime Minister of Guyana, as well as the contributions of community leaders such as Lance Hinds, Chair of LACRALO, and Internet governance expert Claire Craig, participating through ICANN's Community Regional Outreach Program (CROP). Their leadership and support underscore a shared commitment to strengthening technical capacity and Internet resilience across Guyana and the wider Caribbean."

The event will feature sessions highlighting how stakeholders across Guyana, from students to government officials, can contribute to a stable, secure, and unified global Internet. In addition, ICANN representatives will share practical ways with local law enforcement and government agencies to address DNS Abuse and demonstrate how Guyanese stakeholders can further engage with ICANN's multistakeholder process.

Participating in ICANN Near You in Guyana is free and open to all. The event will be held at the University of Guyana. For additional details and to register, please visit the registration page.

About ICANN

ICANN's mission is to help ensure a stable, secure, and unified global Internet. To reach another person on the Internet, you need to type an address – a name or a number – into your computer or other device. That address must be unique so computers know where to find each other. ICANN helps coordinate and support these unique identifiers across the world. ICANN was formed in 1998 as a nonprofit public benefit corporation with a community of participants from all over the world.

https://www.icann.org/resources/press-material/release-2026-01-28-en