A session titled "Driving Local Change for Universal Acceptance Adoption Globally" was held on September 20 as part of ICANN 75. The prospects, successes, and roles of local initiatives in the global process of implementing Universal Acceptance were discussed by members of the Global Steering Group on Universal Acceptance, leaders of local initiatives, and UA ambassadors from around the world.
Maria Kolesnikova, Chief Analyst of the Coordination Center for TLD .RU/.РФ and Head of the Local Initiative for Universal Acceptance of the CIS and Eastern Europe, took part in the section. She spoke about the current challenges and problems associated with the adoption of internationalized domains and email addresses, as well as the directions of work and future plans for the local initiative.
In order to successfully implement Universal Acceptance, Maria pointed out that it is necessary to, on the one hand, create demand in the local market and popularize the use of IDN domains and EAI addresses, and, on the other hand, actively work with the technical and academic community, software manufacturers, government authorities, and other stakeholders.
“We also need the help of ICANN and the global tech community to promote IDN and EAI, work with major software vendors, digital platforms and open source contributors,” Maria added.
