May 2025 - Middle-East - lists.icann.org

ALAC/GAC: Regulatory Developments Briefing Series on Laying the Groundwork: Internet Infrastructure and Multistakeholder Governance in MENA
by farzaneh badii May 24, 2025

May 24, 2025

Hello, I just came across this session and I wanted to know if this group had any role in organizing it? " *Regulatory Developments Briefing Series* on *Laying the Groundwork: Internet Infrastructure and Multistakeholder Governance in MENA": * https://icann-community.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/atlarge/pages/99713038/20… I suggest these are the types of sessions that we as MEAC should do in the future working with other constituencies and stakeholder groups. We also missed the deadline for commenting on the strategy. I think we should have done a more organized community effort on that. For example, digital inclusion is not just about UA. Digital inclusion is also about domain name registrants and their rights. Best regards, Farzaneh

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ICANN Webinar Will Introduce Complete Draft Applicant Guidebook
by Fahd Batayneh May 17, 2025

May 17, 2025

https://www.icann.org/en/announcements/details/icann-webinar-will-introduce… The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) will host a webinar to introduce the complete draft Applicant Guidebook for the New Generic Top-Level Domains Program: Next Round. To accommodate multiple time zones, the interactive session will be offered twice on 3 June 2025. The aim is to prepare the ICANN community for the final Public Comment proceeding on proposed language for the Applicant Guidebook. The proceeding is expected to open on 30 May 2025 and close on 23 July 2025. The community has had an opportunity to weigh in on draft sections of the Applicant Guidebook as it was being developed. While there have been four Public Comment periods, this is envisaged to be the only time that the entire draft guidebook will be open for review and input. Beginning with a high-level overview of the applicant journey, the interactive webinar session will delve into topics such as Community Priority Evaluation, contention set resolution, fees, and community input, including objection and appeals. The webinar takes place on Tuesday, 3 June, at 04:00-05:30 UTC and again at 16:30-18:00 UTC. To register please visit https://icann.zoom.us/meeting/register/V5IVFCXVT9qK_f1exR-cGQ.

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Requesting Your Input: Office of the Ombuds Baseline Survey Now Open
by Fahd Batayneh May 14, 2025

May 14, 2025

https://www.icann.org/en/blogs/details/requesting-your-input-office-of-the-… Filling In the Big Picture with Data I invite and encourage all community members to take this baseline survey about the ICANN Office of the Ombuds, even if you haven't used the Office. The purpose of the survey is to get an understanding of how well-known and trusted the Office is within the ICANN community. I'll be using the data collected from the baseline survey to discover what's working (or not), to improve the services of the Office, and to monitor progress against the priorities set for the Office. Collecting and eventually sharing the survey data will help me strengthen accountability to the community. Most importantly, the survey gives you, the community, a voice in shaping the Office. Your Voice: Taking the Survey Click here to access the survey. The survey closes 30 May 2025. The survey should take you no more than five to eight minutes to complete. At the same time, I'm using this first survey to test the community's appetite for multilingual surveys; you can take the survey in English, French, and Spanish. The survey itself is confidential and has been designed so respondents cannot be identified. We will not be collecting any personal identifiers. After you've completed the survey, please encourage others to do the same! The more community member voices in the survey, the more complete the picture. Acknowledging the Community Spirit and Next Steps I'm pleased to say this survey benefited richly from the ICANN community and volunteer spirit. I'd like thank all our survey testers, including Alfredo Calderon, Sébastien Bachollet, Aziz Hilali, and Robert Guerra, who gave excellent feedback and helped improve the survey. A short time after the survey closes, I'll share the results with the ICANN community via a brief report, alongside an Ombuds Office Action Plan. I plan to re-run the survey in nine to 12 months to track changes (and ideally, progress) in community awareness of and trust in the Office. Going forward, I'll continue to improve how we use data in the Office, including tracking client satisfaction and drawing richer insights from cases. Keep an eye out for upcoming blogs, including more details about the Office's activties and strategic priorities. As always, please get in touch should you have any questions or suggestions: elizabeth.field(a)icann.org or ombuds(a)icann.org.

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[Interactive Webinar] Meet & Greet with Kurtis Lindqvist: ICANN's President & CEO
by Fahd Batayneh May 11, 2025

May 11, 2025

Friends and Colleagues, I trust this finds you well. You are cordially invited to the Middle East and Africa Regional Meet & Greet Webinar with Kurtis. Kurt Erik “Kurtis” Lindqvist, ICANN’s new President and CEO, who assumed his role in late 2024, will be the focus of this webinar. This session will provide attendees with an opportunity to learn about his professional background, leadership approach, and vision for ICANN’s future. The webinar will include a brief interview conducted by Baher Esmat, ICANN’s GSE Middle East Vice President and Managing Director for Middle East and Africa, followed by a moderated Q&A session. When: Wednesday 14 May 2025 at 11:00 - 12:00 UTC Where: Zoom. Please register at https://icann.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_6B1kIuZgTiiJV8Ihqa2jiw Thank you, Fahd Batayneh ICANN

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ICANN83 Prep Week Schedule Now Available
by Fahd Batayneh May 7, 2025

May 7, 2025

Friends and Colleagues, The ICANN83 prep-week schedule is now available at https://www.icann.org/en/announcements/details/icann83-prep-week-schedule-n…. The schedule consists of seven sessions to prepare the ICANN community for the ICANN83 Policy Forum taking place 9–12 June 2025 in Prague, Czech Republic. Thank you, Fahd Batayneh ICANN

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[Interactive Webinar] Meet & Greet with Kurtis Lindqvist: ICANN's President & CEO
by Fahd Batayneh May 6, 2025

May 6, 2025

Friends and Colleagues, We cordially invite all community members to the Middle East and Africa Regional Meet & Greet Webinar with Kurtis. Kurt Erik “Kurtis” Lindqvist, ICANN’s new President and CEO, who assumed his role in late 2024, will be the focus of this webinar. This session will provide attendees with an opportunity to learn about his professional background, leadership approach, and vision for ICANN’s future. The webinar will include a brief interview conducted by Baher Esmat, ICANN’s GSE Middle East Vice President and Managing Director for Middle East and Africa, followed by a moderated Q&A session. When: Wednesday 14 May 2025 at 11:00 - 12:00 UTC Where: Zoom. Please register at https://icann.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_6B1kIuZgTiiJV8Ihqa2jiw Thank you, Fahd Batayneh ICANN

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FY26-FY30 Middle East Regional Plan - Public Comments Window
by Fahd Batayneh May 6, 2025

May 6, 2025

Dear All, The Public Comments window for the FY26-FY30 Middle East Regional Plan is still open for comments, and remains so until Monday 12 May 2025 at 23.59 UTC. https://www.icann.org/en/public-comment/proceeding/fy26-fy30-middle-east-re… So far, we have received 3 comments. If you have any comments to share, please do so before the end date. Thank you, Fahd Batayneh ICANN

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