Passing of Peter Major
Colleagues, friends, I hope you are well. I'm very sorry to tell you that Peter Major has sadly passed away this past Friday. It is hard to think of any one person who has had more impact on the political governance of the WSIS process than Peter. He personally helmed negotiation of every wsis progress resolution through CSTD, chaired CSTD multiple times, and was a tireless champion of the value of stakeholder-based Internet policy development. I do not believe the multistakeholder working groups on enhanced cooperation or the present one on data governance, of which I'm a member, would have happened without Peter pushing for the format - which is unique in the multilateral system. More importantly he was a thoroughly decent human being who always had a smile or a joke to smooth over the difficulties of negotiations, always had time to talk to those with different views, and always sought outcomes which would benefit real people's lives. Personally I've lost a friend, many of you have too. The notion of a people centric Internet has lost one of it's great champions. Below a message from his daughter, Vera Dear Colleagues, It is with a heavy heart that I announce the passing of my father, Péter Major. He died this past Friday, September 12, after a very short battle with cancer. He leaves behind his wife of 44 years, two loving daughters, and four grandchildren. [...] We are planning a private funeral, and in lieu of flowers we would be grateful for donations to the Recherche Suisse contre le cancer (IBAN: CH67 0900 0000 3000 3090 1), marked ‘P. Major’. I will put together a memorial book to celebrate his contributions and his memory. If you would like to include a message, you may email me directly or share it on the IGF website In Memoriam Péter Major. Please also feel free to circulate this message among people who knew him. I am deeply proud of all that he accomplished, and I take comfort in knowing that his contributions and time with us touched many lives. I hope you will all remember him fondly. Best regards, Vera Major Nick Ashton-Hart Senior Director, Digital Economy Policy APCO Worldwide Temporary Address: 275 Seventh Avenue, 21st Floor New York, NY 10001 USA (m) +1 202 779 1072<tel:+12027791072> nashtonhart@apcoworldwide.com<mailto:nashtonhart@apcoworldwide.com> @apcoworldwide<http://twitter.com/apcoworldwide> Celebrating 40 years of APCO Book time to meet with me here<https://outlook.office.com/bookwithme/user/ce911a0f9fa543dd9459b3a1392da25e@...> ________________________________ DATA HANDLING For data handling questions, please view our Privacy Policy<https://apcoworldwide.com/privacy-policy/> or contact us at privacy@apcoworldwide.com<https://%20privacy@apcoworldwide.com/> with any inquiries. CONFIDENTIALITY This email may contain material that is confidential, privileged and/or work product for the sole use of the intended recipient. Any review, reliance or distribution by others or forwarding without express permission is strictly prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient, please contact the sender and delete all copies.
Dear Nick, dear all, These are extremely sad news. Thank you Nick, for speaking about the importance and the impact that Peter had on internet governance discussions today at the meeting of the UN CSTD working group on data governance. If we dig even further in the past, it was Peter's skill and experience that saved the CSTD WG on improvements to the IGF from derailing. That WG was the first CSTD multi-stakeholder WG, to my knowledge, and the fact that we managed to produce a report with concrete recommendations opened the door for similar WGs to be formed. That was largely thanks to his appointment as chair. Peter was always open to explore new ideas, always ready to listen, always positive, sensible, kind. As chair, he made every effort to guarantee openness and inclusion. A peaceful force that has steered so many difficult discussions forward, productively. He will be deeply missed. He leaves us a beautiful legacy, that we must strive to preserve. RIP, dear Peter. Marilia On Mon, 15 Sept 2025 at 19:34, Ashton-Hart, Nick via wsis20 < wsis20@icann.org> wrote:
Colleagues, friends, I hope you are well.
I'm very sorry to tell you that Peter Major has sadly passed away this past Friday.
It is hard to think of any one person who has had more impact on the political governance of the WSIS process than Peter. He personally helmed negotiation of every wsis progress resolution through CSTD, chaired CSTD multiple times, and was a tireless champion of the value of stakeholder-based Internet policy development. I do not believe the multistakeholder working groups on enhanced cooperation or the present one on data governance, of which I'm a member, would have happened without Peter pushing for the format - which is unique in the multilateral system.
More importantly he was a thoroughly decent human being who always had a smile or a joke to smooth over the difficulties of negotiations, always had time to talk to those with different views, and always sought outcomes which would benefit real people's lives.
Personally I've lost a friend, many of you have too. The notion of a people centric Internet has lost one of it's great champions.
Below a message from his daughter, Vera
Dear Colleagues,
It is with a heavy heart that I announce the passing of my father, Péter Major. He died this past Friday, September 12, after a very short battle with cancer. He leaves behind his wife of 44 years, two loving daughters, and four grandchildren.
[...]
We are planning a private funeral, and in lieu of flowers we would be grateful for donations to the Recherche Suisse contre le cancer (IBAN: CH67 0900 0000 3000 3090 1), marked ‘P. Major’. I will put together a memorial book to celebrate his contributions and his memory. If you would like to include a message, you may email me directly or share it on the IGF website In Memoriam Péter Major. Please also feel free to circulate this message among people who knew him.
I am deeply proud of all that he accomplished, and I take comfort in knowing that his contributions and time with us touched many lives. I hope you will all remember him fondly.
Best regards,
Vera Major
*Nick Ashton-Hart* Senior Director, Digital Economy Policy
*APCO* Worldwide *Temporary Address:*
*275 Seventh Avenue, 21**st** Floor*
*New York, NY 10001 USA* (m) *+1 202 779 1072 <+12027791072>*
*nashtonhart@apcoworldwide.com <nashtonhart@apcoworldwide.com>* *@apcoworldwide <http://twitter.com/apcoworldwide>*
Celebrating 40 years of APCO
Book time to meet with me *here <https://outlook.office.com/bookwithme/user/ce911a0f9fa543dd9459b3a1392da25e@apcoworldwide.com?anonymous&isanonymous=true>*
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-- *Marília Maciel, PhD* Director of Digital Trade and Economic Security, Diplo *Email*: *MariliaM@diplomacy.edu <mariliam@diplomacy.edu>* LinkedIn <http://www.linkedin.com/in/marília-maciel-27ab9418> *| **www.diplomacy.edu <http://www.diplomacy.edu>*
+1 Marilia and Nick. Peter's contribution to the CSTD and WSIS+10 is huge. A visionary gentleman who we'll miss greatly. Olivier On 15/09/2025 20:18, Marilia Maciel via wsis20 wrote:
Dear Nick, dear all,
These are extremely sad news. Thank you Nick, for speaking about the importance and the impact that Peter had on internet governance discussions today at the meeting of the UN CSTD working group on data governance. If we dig even further in the past, it was Peter's skill and experience that saved the CSTD WG on improvements to the IGF from derailing. That WG was the first CSTD multi-stakeholder WG, to my knowledge, and the fact that we managed to produce a report with concrete recommendations opened the door for similar WGs to be formed. That was largely thanks to his appointment as chair.
Peter was always open to explore new ideas, always ready to listen, always positive, sensible, kind. As chair, he made every effort to guarantee openness and inclusion. A peaceful force that has steered so many difficult discussions forward, productively.
He will be deeply missed. He leaves us a beautiful legacy, that we must strive to preserve. RIP, dear Peter.
Marilia
On Mon, 15 Sept 2025 at 19:34, Ashton-Hart, Nick via wsis20 <wsis20@icann.org> wrote:
Colleagues, friends, I hope you are well.
I'm very sorry to tell you that Peter Major has sadly passed away this past Friday.
It is hard to think of any one person who has had more impact on the political governance of the WSIS process than Peter. He personally helmed negotiation of every wsis progress resolution through CSTD, chaired CSTD multiple times, and was a tireless champion of the value of stakeholder-based Internet policy development. I do not believe the multistakeholder working groups on enhanced cooperation or the present one on data governance, of which I'm a member, would have happened without Peter pushing for the format - which is unique in the multilateral system.
More importantly he was a thoroughly decent human being who always had a smile or a joke to smooth over the difficulties of negotiations, always had time to talk to those with different views, and always sought outcomes which would benefit real people's lives.
Personally I've lost a friend, many of you have too. The notion of a people centric Internet has lost one of it's great champions.
Below a message from his daughter, Vera
Dear Colleagues,
It is with a heavy heart that I announce the passing of my father, Péter Major. He died this past Friday, September 12, after a very short battle with cancer. He leaves behind his wife of 44 years, two loving daughters, and four grandchildren.
[...]
We are planning a private funeral, and in lieu of flowers we would be grateful for donations to the Recherche Suisse contre le cancer (IBAN: CH67 0900 0000 3000 3090 1), marked ‘P. Major’. I will put together a memorial book to celebrate his contributions and his memory. If you would like to include a message, you may email me directly or share it on the IGF website In Memoriam Péter Major. Please also feel free to circulate this message among people who knew him.
I am deeply proud of all that he accomplished, and I take comfort in knowing that his contributions and time with us touched many lives. I hope you will all remember him fondly.
Best regards,
Vera Major
*Nick Ashton-Hart* Senior Director, Digital Economy Policy
*APCO*Worldwide /Temporary Address:/
_275 Seventh Avenue, 21_^_st_ _ Floor_
_New York, NY 10001 USA_ (m) _+1 202 779 1072 <tel:+12027791072>_
_nashtonhart@apcoworldwide.com_ _@apcoworldwide <http://twitter.com/apcoworldwide>_
Celebrating 40 years of APCO
Book time to meet with me _here <https://outlook.office.com/bookwithme/user/ce911a0f9fa543dd9459b3a1392da25e@apcoworldwide.com?anonymous&isanonymous=true>_
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--
*Marília Maciel, PhD* Director of Digital Trade and Economic Security, Diplo *Email*: _MariliaM@diplomacy.edu <mailto:mariliam@diplomacy.edu>_ LinkedIn <http://www.linkedin.com/in/marília-maciel-27ab9418>*| *_www.diplomacy.edu <http://www.diplomacy.edu>_
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Learn more about the WSIS+20 Outreach Network and review relevant resources:https://go.icann.org/wsis20
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Dear all, I´m deeply saddened to receive the news of Peter´s passing. He was one of the first persons within the ICANN framework I met and got to know. Peter was a man of great humility, a brilliant mind, formation and kindness. We often ended up in long, stimulating conversations about a various of topics. Both at ICANN meetings and on airports since we for some reason very many times had the same connection flights. He will be very deeply missed. My sincere condolences to all of his close ones, and may his memory be a blessing. High Regards, Pär Brumark On 9/15/2025 8:18 PM, Marilia Maciel via wsis20 wrote:
Dear Nick, dear all,
These are extremely sad news. Thank you Nick, for speaking about the importance and the impact that Peter had on internet governance discussions today at the meeting of the UN CSTD working group on data governance. If we dig even further in the past, it was Peter's skill and experience that saved the CSTD WG on improvements to the IGF from derailing. That WG was the first CSTD multi-stakeholder WG, to my knowledge, and the fact that we managed to produce a report with concrete recommendations opened the door for similar WGs to be formed. That was largely thanks to his appointment as chair.
Peter was always open to explore new ideas, always ready to listen, always positive, sensible, kind. As chair, he made every effort to guarantee openness and inclusion. A peaceful force that has steered so many difficult discussions forward, productively.
He will be deeply missed. He leaves us a beautiful legacy, that we must strive to preserve. RIP, dear Peter.
Marilia
On Mon, 15 Sept 2025 at 19:34, Ashton-Hart, Nick via wsis20 <wsis20@icann.org> wrote:
Colleagues, friends, I hope you are well.
I'm very sorry to tell you that Peter Major has sadly passed away this past Friday.
It is hard to think of any one person who has had more impact on the political governance of the WSIS process than Peter. He personally helmed negotiation of every wsis progress resolution through CSTD, chaired CSTD multiple times, and was a tireless champion of the value of stakeholder-based Internet policy development. I do not believe the multistakeholder working groups on enhanced cooperation or the present one on data governance, of which I'm a member, would have happened without Peter pushing for the format - which is unique in the multilateral system.
More importantly he was a thoroughly decent human being who always had a smile or a joke to smooth over the difficulties of negotiations, always had time to talk to those with different views, and always sought outcomes which would benefit real people's lives.
Personally I've lost a friend, many of you have too. The notion of a people centric Internet has lost one of it's great champions.
Below a message from his daughter, Vera
Dear Colleagues,
It is with a heavy heart that I announce the passing of my father, Péter Major. He died this past Friday, September 12, after a very short battle with cancer. He leaves behind his wife of 44 years, two loving daughters, and four grandchildren.
[...]
We are planning a private funeral, and in lieu of flowers we would be grateful for donations to the Recherche Suisse contre le cancer (IBAN: CH67 0900 0000 3000 3090 1), marked ‘P. Major’. I will put together a memorial book to celebrate his contributions and his memory. If you would like to include a message, you may email me directly or share it on the IGF website In Memoriam Péter Major. Please also feel free to circulate this message among people who knew him.
I am deeply proud of all that he accomplished, and I take comfort in knowing that his contributions and time with us touched many lives. I hope you will all remember him fondly.
Best regards,
Vera Major
*Nick Ashton-Hart* Senior Director, Digital Economy Policy
*APCO*Worldwide /Temporary Address:/
_275 Seventh Avenue, 21_^_st_ _ Floor_
_New York, NY 10001 USA_ (m) _+1 202 779 1072 <tel:+12027791072>_
_nashtonhart@apcoworldwide.com_ _@apcoworldwide <http://twitter.com/apcoworldwide>_
Celebrating 40 years of APCO
Book time to meet with me _here <https://outlook.office.com/bookwithme/user/ce911a0f9fa543dd9459b3a1392da25e@apcoworldwide.com?anonymous&isanonymous=true>_
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_______________________________________________
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_______________________________________________ By submitting your personal data, you consent to the processing of your personal data for purposes of subscribing to this mailing list accordance with the ICANN Privacy Policy (https://www.icann.org/privacy/policy) and the website Terms of Service (https://www.icann.org/privacy/tos). You can visit the Mailman link above to change your membership status or configuration, including unsubscribing, setting digest-style delivery or disabling delivery altogether (e.g., for a vacation), and so on.
--
*Marília Maciel, PhD* Director of Digital Trade and Economic Security, Diplo *Email*: _MariliaM@diplomacy.edu <mailto:mariliam@diplomacy.edu>_ LinkedIn <http://www.linkedin.com/in/marília-maciel-27ab9418>*| *_www.diplomacy.edu <http://www.diplomacy.edu>_
_______________________________________________
Learn more about the WSIS+20 Outreach Network and review relevant resources:https://go.icann.org/wsis20
Read the public archives for this mailing list:https://mm.icann.org/pipermail/wsis20/
_______________________________________________ By submitting your personal data, you consent to the processing of your personal data for purposes of subscribing to this mailing list accordance with the ICANN Privacy Policy (https://www.icann.org/privacy/policy) and the website Terms of Service (https://www.icann.org/privacy/tos). You can visit the Mailman link above to change your membership status or configuration, including unsubscribing, setting digest-style delivery or disabling delivery altogether (e.g., for a vacation), and so on. --
Nick, awful sad news. Peter was indeed remarkable. I first met him in early WSIS/WGIG days and was always impressed by his vision and character. Very few people coming from the (inter-) governmental side were ready to go out on a limb for a better vision - multistakeholder - of Internet governance, and to put their networks and savvy in service of the vision. And as you say, always with a gentle, supportive manner. Big loss. Alejandro Pisanty On Mon, Sep 15, 2025 at 11:34 AM Ashton-Hart, Nick via wsis20 < wsis20@icann.org> wrote:
Colleagues, friends, I hope you are well.
I'm very sorry to tell you that Peter Major has sadly passed away this past Friday.
It is hard to think of any one person who has had more impact on the political governance of the WSIS process than Peter. He personally helmed negotiation of every wsis progress resolution through CSTD, chaired CSTD multiple times, and was a tireless champion of the value of stakeholder-based Internet policy development. I do not believe the multistakeholder working groups on enhanced cooperation or the present one on data governance, of which I'm a member, would have happened without Peter pushing for the format - which is unique in the multilateral system.
More importantly he was a thoroughly decent human being who always had a smile or a joke to smooth over the difficulties of negotiations, always had time to talk to those with different views, and always sought outcomes which would benefit real people's lives.
Personally I've lost a friend, many of you have too. The notion of a people centric Internet has lost one of it's great champions.
Below a message from his daughter, Vera
Dear Colleagues,
It is with a heavy heart that I announce the passing of my father, Péter Major. He died this past Friday, September 12, after a very short battle with cancer. He leaves behind his wife of 44 years, two loving daughters, and four grandchildren.
[...]
We are planning a private funeral, and in lieu of flowers we would be grateful for donations to the Recherche Suisse contre le cancer (IBAN: CH67 0900 0000 3000 3090 1), marked ‘P. Major’. I will put together a memorial book to celebrate his contributions and his memory. If you would like to include a message, you may email me directly or share it on the IGF website In Memoriam Péter Major. Please also feel free to circulate this message among people who knew him.
I am deeply proud of all that he accomplished, and I take comfort in knowing that his contributions and time with us touched many lives. I hope you will all remember him fondly.
Best regards,
Vera Major
*Nick Ashton-Hart* Senior Director, Digital Economy Policy
*APCO* Worldwide *Temporary Address:*
*275 Seventh Avenue, 21**st** Floor*
*New York, NY 10001 USA* (m) *+1 202 779 1072 <+12027791072>*
*nashtonhart@apcoworldwide.com <nashtonhart@apcoworldwide.com>* *@apcoworldwide <http://twitter.com/apcoworldwide>*
Celebrating 40 years of APCO
Book time to meet with me *here <https://outlook.office.com/bookwithme/user/ce911a0f9fa543dd9459b3a1392da25e@apcoworldwide.com?anonymous&isanonymous=true>*
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Learn more about the WSIS+20 Outreach Network and review relevant resources: https://go.icann.org/wsis20
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_______________________________________________ By submitting your personal data, you consent to the processing of your personal data for purposes of subscribing to this mailing list accordance with the ICANN Privacy Policy (https://www.icann.org/privacy/policy) and the website Terms of Service (https://www.icann.org/privacy/tos). You can visit the Mailman link above to change your membership status or configuration, including unsubscribing, setting digest-style delivery or disabling delivery altogether (e.g., for a vacation), and so on.
-- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Dr. Alejandro Pisanty Facultad de Química UNAM Av. Universidad 3000, 04510 Mexico DF Mexico +525541444475 Blog: http://pisanty.blogspot.com LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/pisanty Unete al grupo UNAM en LinkedIn, http://www.linkedin.com/e/gis/22285/4A106C0C8614 Twitter: http://twitter.com/apisanty ---->> Unete a ISOC Mexico, http://www.isoc.org . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Dear Vera, I am very sorry of this sad news. I was not even aware that he was struggling with cancer last time I saw he looks a little bit tired, but no more than that. As you know I had a very deep esteem of him and a great friendship over the last 22 years. As many other I shall miss him a lot. Please convey my most sincere condolences to the rest of the family. Giacomo PS: thank you Nick for alerting us Da: Ashton-Hart, Nick via wsis20 <wsis20@icann.org> Inviato: 15 September 2025 19:34 A: Joly MacFie via wsis20 <wsis20@icann.org> Oggetto: [wsis20] Passing of Peter Major Colleagues, friends, I hope you are well. I'm very sorry to tell you that Peter Major has sadly passed away this past Friday. It is hard to think of any one person who has had more impact on the political governance of the WSIS process than Peter. He personally helmed negotiation of every wsis progress resolution through CSTD, chaired CSTD multiple times, and was a tireless champion of the value of stakeholder-based Internet policy development. I do not believe the multistakeholder working groups on enhanced cooperation or the present one on data governance, of which I'm a member, would have happened without Peter pushing for the format - which is unique in the multilateral system. More importantly he was a thoroughly decent human being who always had a smile or a joke to smooth over the difficulties of negotiations, always had time to talk to those with different views, and always sought outcomes which would benefit real people's lives. Personally I've lost a friend, many of you have too. The notion of a people centric Internet has lost one of it's great champions. Below a message from his daughter, Vera Dear Colleagues, It is with a heavy heart that I announce the passing of my father, Péter Major. He died this past Friday, September 12, after a very short battle with cancer. He leaves behind his wife of 44 years, two loving daughters, and four grandchildren. [...] We are planning a private funeral, and in lieu of flowers we would be grateful for donations to the Recherche Suisse contre le cancer (IBAN: CH67 0900 0000 3000 3090 1), marked P. Major. I will put together a memorial book to celebrate his contributions and his memory. If you would like to include a message, you may email me directly or share it on the IGF website In Memoriam Péter Major. Please also feel free to circulate this message among people who knew him. I am deeply proud of all that he accomplished, and I take comfort in knowing that his contributions and time with us touched many lives. I hope you will all remember him fondly. Best regards, Vera Major Nick Ashton-Hart Senior Director, Digital Economy Policy APCO Worldwide Temporary Address: 275 Seventh Avenue, 21st Floor New York, NY 10001 USA (m) +1 202 779 1072 <tel:+12027791072> nashtonhart@apcoworldwide.com <mailto:nashtonhart@apcoworldwide.com> @apcoworldwide <http://twitter.com/apcoworldwide> Celebrating 40 years of APCO Book time to meet with me here <https://outlook.office.com/bookwithme/user/ce911a0f9fa543dd9459b3a1392da25e @apcoworldwide.com?anonymous&isanonymous=true> _____ DATA HANDLING For data handling questions, please view our Privacy Policy <https://apcoworldwide.com/privacy-policy/> or contact us at <https://%20privacy@apcoworldwide.com/> privacy@apcoworldwide.com with any inquiries. CONFIDENTIALITY This email may contain material that is confidential, privileged and/or work product for the sole use of the intended recipient. Any review, reliance or distribution by others or forwarding without express permission is strictly prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient, please contact the sender and delete all copies. -- This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software. www.avast.com
Dear Giacomo and all, Here is Vera’s correct email address: vjmajor@gmail.com<mailto:vjmajor@gmail.com>; she has given permission to share it here. Thank you for your kind and sympathetic words. Rebecca McGilley Senior Director, Government & IGO Engagement Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) Mobile: +1 310 745 7033 www.icann.org<http://www.icann.org> From: mazzone--- via wsis20 <wsis20@icann.org> Reply-To: "mazzone@eurovisioni.it" <mazzone@eurovisioni.it> Date: Monday, September 15, 2025 at 4:00 PM To: "vera.major@icann.org" <vera.major@icann.org> Cc: "wsis20@icann.org" <wsis20@icann.org>, "'Ashton-Hart, Nick'" <nashtonhart@apcoworldwide.com> Subject: [wsis20] R: Passing of Peter Major Dear Vera, I am very sorry of this sad news. I was not even aware that he was struggling with cancer…last time I saw he looks a little bit tired, but no more than that. As you know I had a very deep esteem of him and a great friendship over the last 22 years. As many other I shall miss him a lot. Please convey my most sincere condolences to the rest of the family. Giacomo PS: thank you Nick for alerting us Da: Ashton-Hart, Nick via wsis20 <wsis20@icann.org> Inviato: 15 September 2025 19:34 A: Joly MacFie via wsis20 <wsis20@icann.org> Oggetto: [wsis20] Passing of Peter Major Colleagues, friends, I hope you are well. I'm very sorry to tell you that Peter Major has sadly passed away this past Friday. It is hard to think of any one person who has had more impact on the political governance of the WSIS process than Peter. He personally helmed negotiation of every wsis progress resolution through CSTD, chaired CSTD multiple times, and was a tireless champion of the value of stakeholder-based Internet policy development. I do not believe the multistakeholder working groups on enhanced cooperation or the present one on data governance, of which I'm a member, would have happened without Peter pushing for the format - which is unique in the multilateral system. More importantly he was a thoroughly decent human being who always had a smile or a joke to smooth over the difficulties of negotiations, always had time to talk to those with different views, and always sought outcomes which would benefit real people's lives. Personally I've lost a friend, many of you have too. The notion of a people centric Internet has lost one of it's great champions. Below a message from his daughter, Vera Dear Colleagues, It is with a heavy heart that I announce the passing of my father, Péter Major. He died this past Friday, September 12, after a very short battle with cancer. He leaves behind his wife of 44 years, two loving daughters, and four grandchildren. [...] We are planning a private funeral, and in lieu of flowers we would be grateful for donations to the Recherche Suisse contre le cancer (IBAN: CH67 0900 0000 3000 3090 1), marked ‘P. Major’. I will put together a memorial book to celebrate his contributions and his memory. If you would like to include a message, you may email me directly or share it on the IGF website In Memoriam Péter Major. Please also feel free to circulate this message among people who knew him. I am deeply proud of all that he accomplished, and I take comfort in knowing that his contributions and time with us touched many lives. I hope you will all remember him fondly. Best regards, Vera Major Nick Ashton-Hart Senior Director, Digital Economy Policy APCO Worldwide Temporary Address: 275 Seventh Avenue, 21st Floor New York, NY 10001 USA (m) +1 202 779 1072<tel:+12027791072> nashtonhart@apcoworldwide.com<mailto:nashtonhart@apcoworldwide.com> @apcoworldwide [twitter.com]<https://urldefense.com/v3/__http:/twitter.com/apcoworldwide__;!!PtGJab4!_GFh...> Celebrating 40 years of APCO Book time to meet with me here [outlook.office.com]<https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/outlook.office.com/bookwithme/user/ce911a...> ________________________________ DATA HANDLING For data handling questions, please view our Privacy Policy [apcoworldwide.com]<https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/apcoworldwide.com/privacy-policy/__;!!PtG...> or contact us at privacy@apcoworldwide.com [apcoworldwide.com]<https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/*20privacy@apcoworldwide.com/__;JQ!!PtGJa...> with any inquiries. CONFIDENTIALITY This email may contain material that is confidential, privileged and/or work product for the sole use of the intended recipient. Any review, reliance or distribution by others or forwarding without express permission is strictly prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient, please contact the sender and delete all copies. [Image removed by sender.][avast.com]<https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/www.avast.com/sig-email?utm_medium=email&...> Virus-free.www.avast.com [avast.com]<https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/www.avast.com/sig-email?utm_medium=email&...>
oh my, very sad news. On Tue, Sep 16, 2025 at 9:45 AM anil Jain via wsis20 <wsis20@icann.org> wrote:
Dear all, Sad to know about this tragic news. We all shall miss his vision and energy. May his soul rest in peace. Anil Sent from my iPhone
On 16 Sep 2025, at 00:00, mazzone--- via wsis20 <wsis20@icann.org> wrote:
Dear Vera,
I am very sorry of this sad news. I was not even aware that he was struggling with cancer…last time I saw he looks a little bit tired, but no more than that.
As you know I had a very deep esteem of him and a great friendship over the last 22 years. As many other I shall miss him a lot.
Please convey my most sincere condolences to the rest of the family.
Giacomo
PS: thank you Nick for alerting us
*Da:* Ashton-Hart, Nick via wsis20 <wsis20@icann.org> *Inviato:* 15 September 2025 19:34 *A:* Joly MacFie via wsis20 <wsis20@icann.org> *Oggetto:* [wsis20] Passing of Peter Major
Colleagues, friends, I hope you are well.
I'm very sorry to tell you that Peter Major has sadly passed away this past Friday.
It is hard to think of any one person who has had more impact on the political governance of the WSIS process than Peter. He personally helmed negotiation of every wsis progress resolution through CSTD, chaired CSTD multiple times, and was a tireless champion of the value of stakeholder-based Internet policy development. I do not believe the multistakeholder working groups on enhanced cooperation or the present one on data governance, of which I'm a member, would have happened without Peter pushing for the format - which is unique in the multilateral system.
More importantly he was a thoroughly decent human being who always had a smile or a joke to smooth over the difficulties of negotiations, always had time to talk to those with different views, and always sought outcomes which would benefit real people's lives.
Personally I've lost a friend, many of you have too. The notion of a people centric Internet has lost one of it's great champions.
Below a message from his daughter, Vera
Dear Colleagues,
It is with a heavy heart that I announce the passing of my father, Péter Major. He died this past Friday, September 12, after a very short battle with cancer. He leaves behind his wife of 44 years, two loving daughters, and four grandchildren.
[...]
We are planning a private funeral, and in lieu of flowers we would be grateful for donations to the Recherche Suisse contre le cancer (IBAN: CH67 0900 0000 3000 3090 1), marked ‘P. Major’. I will put together a memorial book to celebrate his contributions and his memory. If you would like to include a message, you may email me directly or share it on the IGF website In Memoriam Péter Major. Please also feel free to circulate this message among people who knew him.
I am deeply proud of all that he accomplished, and I take comfort in knowing that his contributions and time with us touched many lives. I hope you will all remember him fondly.
Best regards,
Vera Major
*Nick Ashton-Hart* Senior Director, Digital Economy Policy
*APCO* Worldwide *Temporary Address:*
*275 Seventh Avenue, 21st Floor*
*New York, NY 10001 USA* (m) *+1 202 779 1072 <+12027791072>*
*nashtonhart@apcoworldwide.com <nashtonhart@apcoworldwide.com>* *@apcoworldwide <http://twitter.com/apcoworldwide>*
Celebrating 40 years of APCO
Book time to meet with me *here <https://outlook.office.com/bookwithme/user/ce911a0f9fa543dd9459b3a1392da25e@apcoworldwide.com?anonymous&isanonymous=true>*
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This email may contain material that is confidential, privileged and/or work product for the sole use of the intended recipient. Any review, reliance or distribution by others or forwarding without express permission is strictly prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient, please contact the sender and delete all copies.
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_______________________________________________ By submitting your personal data, you consent to the processing of your personal data for purposes of subscribing to this mailing list accordance with the ICANN Privacy Policy (https://www.icann.org/privacy/policy) and the website Terms of Service (https://www.icann.org/privacy/tos). You can visit the Mailman link above to change your membership status or configuration, including unsubscribing, setting digest-style delivery or disabling delivery altogether (e.g., for a vacation), and so on.
NIck already sent it to me. very sad!! we are missing a excellent vision that will certainly impact the next generation. he will follow his path with peace and the same light he has shared with us while here. Vanda Scartezini DNS WOMEN Sao Paulo, Brazil + 55 11 98181-1464 Vanda@Scartezini.org www.dnswomen.org From: anil Jain via wsis20 <wsis20@icann.org> Date: Tuesday, 16 September 2025 at 10:46 To: mazzone@eurovisioni.it <mazzone@eurovisioni.it> Cc: vera.major@icann.org <vera.major@icann.org>, wsis20@icann.org <wsis20@icann.org>, Nick Ashton-Hart <nashtonhart@apcoworldwide.com> Subject: [wsis20] Re: R: Passing of Peter Major Dear all, Sad to know about this tragic news. We all shall miss his vision and energy. May his soul rest in peace. Anil Sent from my iPhone On 16 Sep 2025, at 00:00, mazzone--- via wsis20 <wsis20@icann.org> wrote: Dear Vera, I am very sorry of this sad news. I was not even aware that he was struggling with cancer…last time I saw he looks a little bit tired, but no more than that. As you know I had a very deep esteem of him and a great friendship over the last 22 years. As many other I shall miss him a lot. Please convey my most sincere condolences to the rest of the family. Giacomo PS: thank you Nick for alerting us Da: Ashton-Hart, Nick via wsis20 <wsis20@icann.org> Inviato: 15 September 2025 19:34 A: Joly MacFie via wsis20 <wsis20@icann.org> Oggetto: [wsis20] Passing of Peter Major Colleagues, friends, I hope you are well. I'm very sorry to tell you that Peter Major has sadly passed away this past Friday. It is hard to think of any one person who has had more impact on the political governance of the WSIS process than Peter. He personally helmed negotiation of every wsis progress resolution through CSTD, chaired CSTD multiple times, and was a tireless champion of the value of stakeholder-based Internet policy development. I do not believe the multistakeholder working groups on enhanced cooperation or the present one on data governance, of which I'm a member, would have happened without Peter pushing for the format - which is unique in the multilateral system. More importantly he was a thoroughly decent human being who always had a smile or a joke to smooth over the difficulties of negotiations, always had time to talk to those with different views, and always sought outcomes which would benefit real people's lives. Personally I've lost a friend, many of you have too. The notion of a people centric Internet has lost one of it's great champions. Below a message from his daughter, Vera Dear Colleagues, It is with a heavy heart that I announce the passing of my father, Péter Major. He died this past Friday, September 12, after a very short battle with cancer. He leaves behind his wife of 44 years, two loving daughters, and four grandchildren. [...] We are planning a private funeral, and in lieu of flowers we would be grateful for donations to the Recherche Suisse contre le cancer (IBAN: CH67 0900 0000 3000 3090 1), marked ‘P. Major’. I will put together a memorial book to celebrate his contributions and his memory. If you would like to include a message, you may email me directly or share it on the IGF website In Memoriam Péter Major. Please also feel free to circulate this message among people who knew him. I am deeply proud of all that he accomplished, and I take comfort in knowing that his contributions and time with us touched many lives. I hope you will all remember him fondly. Best regards, Vera Major Nick Ashton-Hart Senior Director, Digital Economy Policy APCO Worldwide Temporary Address: 275 Seventh Avenue, 21st Floor New York, NY 10001 USA (m) +1 202 779 1072<tel:+12027791072> nashtonhart@apcoworldwide.com<mailto:nashtonhart@apcoworldwide.com> @apcoworldwide<http://twitter.com/apcoworldwide> Celebrating 40 years of APCO Book time to meet with me here<https://outlook.office.com/bookwithme/user/ce911a0f9fa543dd9459b3a1392da25e@...> ________________________________ DATA HANDLING For data handling questions, please view our Privacy Policy<https://apcoworldwide.com/privacy-policy/> or contact us at privacy@apcoworldwide.com<https://%20privacy@apcoworldwide.com/> with any inquiries. CONFIDENTIALITY This email may contain material that is confidential, privileged and/or work product for the sole use of the intended recipient. Any review, reliance or distribution by others or forwarding without express permission is strictly prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient, please contact the sender and delete all copies. [https://s-install.avcdn.net/ipm/preview/icons/icon-envelope-tick-round-orange-animated-no-repeat-v1.gif]<https://www.avast.com/sig-email?utm_medium=email&utm_source=link&utm_campaign=sig-email&utm_content=emailclient> Virus-free.www.avast.com<https://www.avast.com/sig-email?utm_medium=email&utm_source=link&utm_campaig...> _______________________________________________ Learn more about the WSIS+20 Outreach Network and review relevant resources: https://go.icann.org/wsis20 Read the public archives for this mailing list: https://mm.icann.org/pipermail/wsis20/ _______________________________________________ By submitting your personal data, you consent to the processing of your personal data for purposes of subscribing to this mailing list accordance with the ICANN Privacy Policy (https://www.icann.org/privacy/policy) and the website Terms of Service (https://www.icann.org/privacy/tos). You can visit the Mailman link above to change your membership status or configuration, including unsubscribing, setting digest-style delivery or disabling delivery altogether (e.g., for a vacation), and so on.
participants (11)
-
Alejandro Pisanty -
anil Jain -
Annebeth Lange -
Ashton-Hart, Nick -
Becky Burr -
Becky McGilley -
Marilia Maciel -
mazzone＠eurovisioni.it -
Olivier MJ Crépin-Leblond -
Pär Brumark -
Vanda Scartezini