Greetings from Johannesburg
Göran Marby, President and CEO, ICANN

Welcome to the second Policy Forum - whether you are here in Johannesburg or following along from home.   I am consistently reminded as I meet with ICANN stakeholders around the world, on behalf of the ICANN organization, that the Internet is no one country's national resource. It belongs to everyone, and is a set of constantly evolving technologies, cooperating and collaborating with different networks and partners.   

For ICANN community members interested in policy development, ICANN59 will provide you the opportunity to engage with colleagues and tackle the many complex and challenging topics.
Welcome to the ICANN59 Policy Forum 
David Olive, Senior VP, Policy Development Support and Managing Director of the Istanbul Office, expresses his excitement to be back in South Africa for another ICANN Public Meeting. He welcomes everyone who has come to be a part of the innovative policy work at ICANN59. Olive stresses the value of people from diverse backgrounds coming together to face mutual challenges. 

Let's get prepared to take part in policy discussions over the next four days.
2017 Multistakeholder Ethos Award Winner to Be Announced Today
Be sure to join us this morning at the ICANN59 Welcome, where we'll announce the winner of the 2017 Multistakeholder Ethos Award. The ceremony will be held at 08:30 in the Level 4 Foyer.
 
The Multistakeholder Ethos Award honors members of the ICANN community who have made outstanding contributions to ICANN's multistakeholder model of Internet governance. Read more about the selection criteria for the award here[r20.rs6.net].
ICANN Releases Africa Domain Name System Market Study
ICANN is pleased to announce the release of its Africa Domain Name System (DNS) Market Study Final Report. This study serves as part of ICANN's outreach efforts to support and improve the regional DNS industry. The report is the first of its kind in the region, which includes 54 countries. 
TIME
SESSION
ROOM LOCATION
08:30-09:00
Level 4 Foyer
09:00-12:00
Ballroom 3 (ccNSO)
11:30-12:30
Ballroom 1 (GAC)
13:30-16:45
Ballroom 3 (ccNSO)
15:15-18:30
Ballroom 1 (GAC)
TIME
SESSION
ROOM LOCATION
08:00-08:30
Ballroom 2 (GNSO)
08:00-08:30
Committee 4
Top 12 Things You Didn't Know About South Africa


 1.      Only in South Africa will you find a street that has been home to two Nobel Peace Prize laureates.

Both Nelson Mandela and Archbishop Desmond Tutu lived on Vilakazi Street[r20.rs6.net] in the Orlando West township in Soweto. Tutu was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984 for his nonviolent opposition to apartheid. Mandela shared the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993 with F.W. de Klerk, for their role in the peaceful end of apartheid and work establishing democracy in South Africa. Mandela's house is now a museum[r20.rs6.net].  

Read the full list.[r20.rs6.net] 
Highlighting the Importance of Universal Acceptance in Africa
Universal Acceptance (UA) continues to be a hot topic at ICANN meetings. Here in Johannesburg, we caught up with two community members and asked them to share their thoughts with us. Manal Ismail, Director of International Technical Coordination with NTRA Egypt, and Mike Silber, General Counsel at Liquid Telecom in Johannesburg, talk about the importance of UA to their organizations.
Click here to watch the video.[r20.rs6.net]
AFRALO Capacity-Development Sessions Start Today
The African Regional At-Large Organization (AFRALO) General Assembly plenary will be held during ICANN59 with representatives from nearly 50 At-Large Structures (ALSes) across 30 African countries and territories. At ICANN59, AFRALO members will benefit from daily capacity-development sessions focusing on ICANN policy. Seasoned AFRALO members will serve as mentors to newcomers as they learn about relevant policies and working groups. Göran Marby, ICANN President and CEO, will join a discussion with AFRALO ALSes about connectivity challenges facing many rural areas in Africa. Learn more.[r20.rs6.net]
Good Practices for the Registration and Administration of Domain Name Portfolios (Part II)
Carlos Alvarez, Security, Stability, and Resiliency (SSR) Technical Engagement Senior Manager, ICANN

Continuing with our series on good practices for managing domain registrations (read Part I[r20.rs6.net]), I'd like to provide some insight into the domain registration practices of large organizations. In general, they have followed good recommendations - they provide valid email addresses for their WHOIS contacts, configure resilient name resolution service, and use EPP status codes to mitigate domain name hijacking.
 
Read more...[r20.rs6.net]
We Need Your Input!
What is the ICANN Process Documentation Initiative? It's a new effort involving ICANN organization staff members who are working to clearly describe and document several processes that we all rely on. Please visit the Ballroom gallery area during ICANN59 to review, give input and help with further alignment on these processes. The processes are printed on several large flowcharts, and we'll have markers and sticky notes available for you to give feedback. We'll also have a session on Thursday, 29 June at 08:00 in Ballroom 3. At this session, there will be further discussions about a few specific processes and time for questions and answers. You can also send questions or comments on the flowcharts to processdocumentation@icann.org.
Health and Safety Tips for ICANN59
We are committed to keeping everyone safe and healthy at ICANN Public Meetings. Our Security Operations team provides two 24/7 services:
  • Health and Safety Center (HSC) in the Sandton Convention Centre
  • Health and Safety Hotline
These services are described in the ICANN59 Health and Safety Instructions[r20.rs6.net]. 
 
The ICANN59 website[r20.rs6.net] contains other useful information for your stay in Johannesburg:
  • Travel safety guidance
  • Transportation options and recommendations
  • Suggested restaurants 
We're here to assist you. If you have any questions, email meeting-assistance@icann.org.
Abdulrahman Almarzouqi (United Arab Emirates)
Government Advisory Committee (GAC) Representive, UAE
Participant in more than 10 ICANN Public Meetings 

Abdulrahman Almarzouqi is a Manager of Internet Advancement in the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority, a federal government oversight body in the UAE. Almarzouqi was introduced to Internet governance in 2006 when he worked on the domain name strategy for his country and became a GAC representative for the UAE. In 2007, he contributed to the redelegation of the .ae domain. Almarzouqi was also heavily involved in launching the Internationalized Domain Name (IDN) fast track process. His primary interests are improving the UAE's domain name ecosystem, promoting IDNs, and addressing Internet public policy interests in the Middle East. He also worked on the introduction of new generic top-level domains (gTLDs) and the New gTLD Applicant Guidebook.
 
Calls to action: Almarzouqi wants to improve domain name processes, frameworks, and focus on customers. He'd also like to promote inclusiveness and openness toward Internet governance issues and to create a strong presence for the Middle East in the GAC and ICANN. 
Claire C. Craig (Trinidad and Tobago)
Coming from the Caribbean, I am passionate about issues affecting the Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) region. I am a member of the Caribbean Network Operators Group (CaribNOG) Coordinating Team. While working on the LAC-i-Roadshow, I learned about ICANN's work.
 
I attended my first ICANN Public Meeting as a Fellow at ICANN58 in Copenhagen, Denmark. This experience gave me a chance to interact with other ICANN stakeholders and to participate in various constituencies and sessions. I gained a better understanding of the term multistakeholderism. I realize that I have a voice - through ICANN's decentralized community-based policymaking process - in keeping the Internet secure, stable, and open. Since receiving the Fellowship, I have become more involved in the Caribbean ICANN Working Group.
 
As a Senior IT officer at the University of the West Indies, at ICANN58 I was aligned with the Academic community. My interests include regional Internet governance issues, and I am currently researching Internet exchange points in the Caribbean as a catalyst for social development. 
Zeina Daghlas (Palestine)
I'm a member of the Internet Society (ISOC) Palestine Chapter. In 2016, ISOC awarded me a Fellowship to attend the conference of the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) in Berlin (IETF 96). There, I attended sessions where I learned about ICANN's role and work and the value of attending ICANN Public Meetings. My first experience as a NextGenner was at ICANN57 in Hyderabad, India. I learned about how ICANN works and became friends with people from around the world. The most amazing thing for me was seeing people from different fields, not just engineering, and how they work together to make the Internet available and safe for all.  I applied for the ICANN59 NextGen Ambassador Program because I wanted both to give back and to continue to learn. As a NextGen Ambassador, I'll be responsible for guiding new NextGenners. ICANN59 will be positive experience, both in terms of gaining knowledge and building my character.
Ceasar Chembezi (Malawi)
Through my research into different ways that I could contribute to change and development in Malawian society through networking and conferences, I came across an advertisement for ICANN on a website called opportunitiesforafricans.com[r20.rs6.net]. As a young person living in the Information Age, I thought that by participating in ICANN, I would contribute to making the Internet more usable and accessible, even to individuals in the most remote locations. At ICANN59, I hope to learn more and share my experience with Internet topics. I'd like to see how this diverse community can devise policy to improve the Internet.