The 55th ICANN meeting opened in Marrakech, Morocco on March 7. Speaking at the opening ceremony, Chair of the ICANN Board of Directors Steve Crocker said the meeting was historic. He said the proposals to transfer control functions over the DNS root zone and consolidate ICANN’s accountability and operational transparency have been largely formulated. If the work in the next few days is successful, they will be submitted for consideration by the US Government, who is acting as a coordinator, by the end of this week. Crocker also noted that the current meeting is the most representative in ICANN’s history – it is being attended by 1,200 delegates.
Moulay Hafid El Alamy, Moroccan Minister of Industry, Commerce, Investment and Digital Economy, thanked ICANN for choosing Morocco as the venue for the meeting, saying that it adds credibility to the state’s security, progress and stability. He emphasized the importance of developing online technology for the Moroccan economy and thanked Moroccan King Mohammed VI for his patronage of the meeting. Speakers noted the achievements of current ICANN President Fadi Chehadé who will leave his position upon the completion of the meeting. Moulay Hafid El Alamy called his contribution priceless. Taking the floor, Chehadé said it was an honor for him to work in ICANN. He urged the participants to follow the principles established by its founders, saying that commitment to principles is more important than commitment to any procedures.
Chehade’s successor, Göran Marby who will become president next May, also expressed his gratitude to the current president. He made a brief account of his biography and said that he was motivated to join ICANN by its full approval of the multistakeholder Internet governance model that provides for equal participation of many interested parties. Marby also thanked the president of ICANN's Global Domains Division, Akram Atallah, who will serve as ICANN’s acting president until May. Concluding his speech, Marby said that his task will be to correctly carry out decisions that are made by the meeting participants who represent the global Internet community.
The 55th ICANN meeting will run through March 10. A delegation of the Coordination Center for TLD.RU is taking part in the meeting. On March 9, its Deputy Director Irina Danelia will speak at the ccNSO meeting (the ccNSO is part of ICANN, and deals with national TLD issues). Follow our news!
