On November 11, the ICANN81Annual General Meeting officially commenced in Istanbul. The forum has attracted an unprecedented number of participants – 2,600 guests attending in person and over 600 watching online. The Russian delegation at the forum includes leading experts from the Coordination Center for TLD .RU/.РФ.
Unlike many previous opening ceremonies, the ICANN81 opening session was not merely a formality. Participants candidly discussed the current challenges facing the organization, particularly the lack of funding, and the significant global issues, such as the extensive internet connectivity needs of the African continent and the related tasks ICANN must address. In an unexpected development, two ICANN directors spoke at the session: outgoing Sally Costerton and the incoming President and CEO, Kurtis Lindqvist, who will assume his duties in December 2024.
"It has been an honor to serve in this role. I have learned so much more about why the world needs our mission. We are here to support the internet. Now more than ever, it is one of the world's most important resources," said Sally Costerton.
Kurtis Lindqvist thanked Sally Costerton for her service and briefly outlined his own career in technical and internet infrastructure roles, including positions at Netnod, Links, the Internet Architecture Board, ICANN, and the RIPE NCC. He looks forward to future fruitful collaborations with the ICANN community.
ICANN Board Chair Tripti Sinha emphasized,
"Our multistakeholder, collaborative, and shared responsibility approach to governance supports a unified global internet for all."
Omer Abdullah Karagozoglu, Board Chair and President of the Information and Communication Technologies Authority (ICTA/BTK) of the Republic of Türkiye, noted,
"We are witnessing a rapid transformation of the internet across all areas, from business to education, from healthcare to entertainment."
On the same day, a session was held on capacity-building initiatives in Universal Acceptance (UA). Speakers underscored the importance of collaboration with academic and educational institutions to raise awareness of Universal Acceptance for all internet users. The session also featured extensive discussions on the need to further develop and increase the number of internationalized domain names as a means for new non-Latin alphabet user groups to join the online community.
The subsequent session, addressing geopolitical, legislative, and regulatory changes worldwide, provided participants with an opportunity to discuss progress – or the lack thereof – in internet governance and ICANN's involvement in these processes. ICANN experts noted that digital transformation and data protection remain central to governmental agendas, with governments now more frequently holding open consultations on new legislation. Recent legislative changes have focused on cybersecurity and data protection rules, particularly concerning cross-border data transfers in line with international standards.
In Europe, ICANN continues its interaction with the Council of the EU Telecommunications Working Group on internet governance priorities. It acknowledges that the EU Cybersecurity Act and the NIS2 Directive are pivotal EU legislative initiatives affecting cybersecurity reporting and risk management.
Regarding the UN Global Digital Compact and the Cybercrime Convention, ICANN continues to advocate for the multistakeholder approach to internet governance, emphasizing the key role of the Internet Governance Forum (IGF).
ICANN has also participated in recent ITU meetings on internet-related standardization, contributing to discussions on sustainability and stability, and focusing on resolutions impacting internet resources, DNS, and governance.
All speakers reiterated their support for a balanced multi-stakeholder model of internet governance across various international fora, recognizing cybersecurity, data privacy, and compliance as integral to the process.
The forum continues, and throughout ICANN81, community members will deliberate on the future of the internet governance process. Highlights include the launch of the second round of the New gTLD program, the advancement of a multilingual online space, the presentation of the Applicant Support Program (ASP), and the development of policies and recommendations in priority areas.
Stay tuned for our updates!
