The ICANN81 Annual General Meeting successfully concluded in Istanbul on November 14. This year’s conference became the most significant gathering in the organization’s history, with 1,926 participants representing 141 countries attending in person as well as an additional 712 individuals joining online. Over the span of six days, 177 sessions were conducted, covering a wide array of topics from internet governance to cybersecurity challenges.
ICANN81 was particularly dynamic for the Country Code Names Supporting Organization (ccNSO), which featured active participation from experts of the Coordination Center for TLD .RU/.РФ. Throughout these sessions, ccNSO members engaged in a comprehensive discourse on various critical subjects. Notably, the session titled Engaging with the Global Digital Compact (GDC): Key Insights for ccTLDs in the WSIS+20 Process, held on November 12, focused on the ccNSO community’s contribution to the advancement of the Global Digital Compact and preparations for the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS).
The Global Digital Compact, an initiative outlined in the Common Agenda by UN Secretary-General António Guterres, aims to responsibly harness digital technologies to bridge the digital divide and foster a secure and inclusive digital environment for all. Representatives from national domain registrars in Brazil, Germany, Japan, Switzerland, and Egypt shared their perspectives on the role of national domain zones in addressing these global challenges.
The ccNSO Internet Governance Liaison Committee (IGLC) compiled a comprehensive list of Frequently Asked Questions concerning WSIS+20. The session also referenced a document released prior to ICANN80, which contains specific recommendations for national TLDs (Towards WSIS+20: the GDC, SGDS, and Why They Matter to ccTLDs). This document is designed to assist national domain representatives in understanding the significance of WSIS+20 and the pivotal role of the ccTLD community in this process.
The meeting underscored the necessity for several national Internet Governance Forums (IGFs) to convene and deliberate on these issues before WSIS+20.
During the session titled ccNSO Policy Gap Analysis Working Group (PGA WG)| Updates, participants presented an Overview of Policies and Guidance Related to ccTLDs as a valuable resource for the ccNSO community.
The group is developing a list of potential policy gaps related to ccTLDs, making assessments and formulating proposals to address them. By the time of ICANN82, scheduled for March 2025, the group intends to complete its evaluation of the IANA list of potential policy gaps, offer recommendations to the ccNSO Council, and assess feedback from the community on the Overview of Policies and Guidance document for potential revisions.
On the same day of the conference, the ICANN and ccNSO boards convened. ICANN Board Chair Tripti Sinha opened the meeting by emphasizing the importance of engaging with national domain representatives and fostering open and candid dialogue. In this spirit, the discussion addressed challenging topics, including ICANN’s financial situation amid a substantial budget deficit. Representatives from the ccNSO Strategic and Operational Planning Committee (SOPC) reiterated the necessity for prudent management of expenses, including those for ICANN staff, and the efforts to maintain an adequate reserve fund, ensure sufficient resources to fulfill IANA functions, adhere to a conservative revenue forecast, and focus on a sound investment strategy. Irina Danelia, Deputy Director of the Coordination Center for TLD .RU/.РФ and Vice Chair of the SOPC, highlighted the reserve fund’s pivotal role as a cornerstone of ICANN’s financial stability. She emphasized that competent fund management and a reasonable investment strategy are essential for the continuous execution of ICANN’s core functions.
The following day, ccNSO members met with representatives of ICANN’s Governmental Advisory Committee (GAC). The ccNSO briefed the GAC on the launch of the Policy Gap Analysis Working Group (PGA WG) and the ccNSO DNS Abuse Standing Committee (DASC), which has been conducting surveys and research on DNS abuse within ccTLDs since 2022. The first results of this year’s survey were presented at ICANN81, with participation from approximately 100 national domains, including the top 10 largest ccTLDs. Compared to 2022, there is increased awareness of DNS abuse rates within national domains, with 21% demonstrating a lack of awareness in 2024 versus 35% in 2022. The survey results indicate a reduction in DNS abuse levels within ccTLDs from 2022 to 2024, with 69% of respondents reporting that abuse levels in their domain are under 0.1%, compared to 49% in 2022. Overall, the survey highlights that DNS abuse rates in ccTLDs are significantly lower than those in generic domains (gTLDs).
The traditional ccNSO news sessions provided a platform for national domain representatives to share their projects, accomplishments, and initiatives. Further details are available in our news section.
The sequence of ccNSO sessions concluded on November 14 with an open meeting of the ccNSO Council, where current pressing issues within the ccNSO community were addressed. The ccNSO Council also extended the mandate of the PGA WG until ICANN83. As a reminder, the PGA WG includes Irina Danelia and Svetlana Lobanova of the Coordination Center for TLD .RU/.РФ. Additionally, the ccNSO Council reappointed Irina Danelia as Vice Chair of the SOPC, thereby extending her current authority.
This announcement marks the conclusion of ICANN81’s work. The next ICANN meeting is scheduled for March 8-13, 2025, in Seattle, USA.
