The Internet Governance Committee of the Coordination Center for TLD .RU/.РФ held a meeting during which participants discussed the outcomes of key international internet governance events, including the International Telecommunication Union’s World Telecommunication Development Conference held in Baku and ICANN84 in Dublin. The discussion also covered current issues related to the development of multilingualism on the internet and the participation of Russian experts in global internet policymaking.
Vladimir Gorzhaltsan, Advisor to the Coordination Center Director, presented the outcomes of the World Telecommunication Development Conference. In his address, he outlined the main areas of discussion, including internet access, the digital divide, and the role of international organizations in developing communications infrastructure. He also emphasized the ITU’s growing focus on internet inclusion and accessibility as integral components of sustainable development.
Maria Bolshakova, Deputy Director General of the Regional Commonwealth in the Field of Communications, and Vadim Glushchenko, Director of the Center for Global IT Cooperation, also shared their perspectives on participation in the World Telecommunication Development Conference in Baku.
Andrey Vorobyev, Director of the Coordination Center for TLD .RU/.РФ, spoke about universal acceptance and the development of domains in national languages. He spoke about an ICANN document presented at the World Telecommunication Development Conference that outlined proposals for advancing internationalized domain names (IDNs) and universal acceptance. The document links universal acceptance to key international internet governance agreements, including the outcomes of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) of 2003˗2005, the WSIS+10 decisions, and the provisions of the Global Digital Compact. All of these documents identify linguistic diversity as a prerequisite for internet accessibility and emphasize the importance of developing content and digital services in the languages of the world.
Turning to practical recommendations, Andrey Vorobyev highlighted ICANN’s proposals addressed to ITU member states, which include implementing universal acceptance principles in government services, incorporating requirements for compliance with universal acceptance into procurement documentation, and developing national metrics for the implementation of internationalized domain names and universal acceptance. He noted that the proposal to establish such metrics represents a new approach in international practice. ICANN also proposes joint projects to raise awareness of and implement IDN/UA, as well as the development of global indicators that could be taken into account in ITU reports when assessing the availability of high-quality internet connectivity.
In conclusion, Andrey Vorobyev stressed that the development of national-language domains and the implementation of universal acceptance did not only have technological, but also social importance. These initiatives are directly linked to the preservation of indigenous and minority languages and are particularly relevant in the context of the UN Decade of Indigenous Languages.
Irina Danelia, Deputy Director of the Coordination Center, presented the activities of the Country Code Names Supporting Organization (ccNSO) Policy Gap Analysis Working Group. The group identifies and describes gaps in the existing rules governing country-code top-level domains and prepares recommendations for the ccNSO Council on issues requiring further policy development or updates.
Mikhail Anisimov, ICANN’s Regional Representative for Eastern Europe and Central Asia, briefed participants on ICANN’s current initiatives in the region. He stressed the importance of engaging regional experts in discussions on universal acceptance, internet policy development, and national-language domains, and highlighted the role of regional meetings and working groups as entry points for new participants.
In conclusion of the meeting, the participants underscored the importance of maintaining ongoing dialogue within the Internet Governance Committee and expressed interest in addressing the issues raised during the discussion at future meetings.
