Our bylaws are very important to us. They capture our mission of security, stability and accessibility, and compel the organization to be open and transparent. Learn more at www.ICANN.org.

Strategic Plan, 2016 - 2020

ICANN FY16 Operating Plan and Budget

Yesim Nazlar posted on Mar 25, 2016

Call for Volunteers: Cross Community Working Group on Enhancing ICANN Accountability (CCWG-Accountability) Implementation and Work Stream 2

https://www.icann.org/news/announcement-2016-03-25-en

25 March 2016

WHAT IS THE CCWG-ACCOUNTABILITY?

In December 2014, the Cross Community Working Group on Enhancing ICANN Accountability (CCWG-Accountability) was formed to deliver proposals that would enhance ICANN's accountability towards all stakeholders.

The work of the CCWG-Accountability is carried out in two Work Streams:

Work Stream 1: focused on mechanisms enhancing ICANN accountability that must be in place or committed to within the time frame of the IANA Stewardship Transition;
Work Stream 2: focused on addressing accountability topics for which a timeline for developing solutions and full implementation may extend beyond the IANA Stewardship Transition.

WHAT IS THE CCWG-ACCOUNTABILITY FOCUSED ON?

With the completion of the Work Stream 1 report and delivery to NTIA in March 2016, work is beginning on the implementation of the Work Stream 1 recommendations, followed by the development of a Work Stream 2 report. Work Stream 2 items are listed in Annex 12 of the CCWG-Accountability report [PDF, 6.03 MB], as follows:

Considering improvements to ICANN's standards for diversity
Focused efforts to enhance ICANN's transparency
Improving and clarifying expectations of ICANN staff accountability
Enhancing the accountability of ICANN's Supporting Organizations and Advisory Committees
Addressing jurisdiction-related questions, focused on applicable law for contracts and dispute settlements
Developing a Framework of Interpretation for ICANN's Human Rights commitment and proposed draft Bylaw (more information in Annex 5 of the Work Stream 1 Report)
Considering enhancements to the Ombudsman's role and function

INTERESTED IN JOINING THE EFFORT?

The CCWG-Accountability is open to anyone who wishes to join, and the group welcomes all interested stakeholders to join in this next phase.

There are two ways to join the CCWG-Accountability:

Individual Participants – Participants are expected to actively contribute to mailing list conversations as well as meetings. Each potential participate will be required to provide a Statement of Interest (SOI) before being designated as an individual participant and have posting rights to the mailing list. It is anticipated that participants will provide essential input to the process.
Mailing list observers – for those who are only interested in monitoring the exchanges of the CCWG-Accountability. Observers are offered read-only access to the mailing list. At any point in time, a mailing list observer can join the CCWG as a participant simply by informing ICANN staff and submitting a SOI.

The CCWG-Accountability operates in a fully open and transparent manner, and all mailing list exchanges are publicly archived. It should be noted that all participants are responsible for abiding by ICANN's Expected Standards for Behavior.

If you'd like to join the CCWG-Accountability efforts on Implementation and Work Stream 2, please send a note to acct-staff[at]icann.org.

WHEN IS THE NEXT MEETING?

The next meeting of the CCWG-Accountability will take place on Tuesday, 5 April from 19:00-21:00 UTC to review draft Bylaw language as a part of implementation of Work Stream 1.

The group anticipates finalizing discussions on the draft Bylaws in mid-April. After these discussions are completed, the group will focus on the inventory of Work Stream 2 items.

For more information on the CCWG-Accountability, visit https://community.icann.org/x/ogDxAg.

Yesim Nazlar posted on Mar 25, 2016

GNSO and At-Large Calls - Week of 28 March 2016 - 01 April 2016

Hello All,

Please find below the list of At-Large and GNSO WG meetings in which At-Large members are participants for the week of 28 March – 01 April 2016.

Updates will follow as Doodles close.

Monday 28 March 2016

16:00 UTC: (GNSO) New gTLD Subsequent Procedures Working Group https://community.icann.org/x/Jgp1Aw

23:00 UTC: (At-Large) LACRALO Monthly https://community.icann.org/x/JCeAAw

Tuesday 29 March 2016

none

Wednesday 30 March 2016

05:00 UTC: GNSO Next-Gen RDS PDP Working Group https://community.icann.org/x/rjJ-Ag

Thursday 31 March 2016

16:00 UTC: CWG IANA Stewardship Meeting https://community.icann.org/x/37fhAg

21:00 UTC: New gTLD Auction Proceeds CCWG Charter Drafting Team https://community.icann.org/x/px6AAw

Friday 01 April 2016

none

Please confirm your dial-out requests

For GNSO calls: GNSO Secretariats gnso-secs@icann.org

For At-Large calls or ALAC :staff@atlarge.icann.org

For CWG IANA Stewardship Brenda.Brewer@icann.org

For CCWG on Enhancing ICANN Accountability:acct-staff@icann.org

For CCWG-IG desiree.cabrera@icann.org

Thank you.

Heidi Ullrich, Silvia Vivanco, Ariel Liang, Gisella Gruber, Nathalie Peregrine, Terri Agnew and Yeşim Nazlar

ICANN Policy Staff in support of the At-Large Community

E-mail: staff@atlarge.icann.org

Website: atlarge.icann.org

Facebook: facebook.com/icannatlarge

Twitter: @ICANNAtLarge

Yesim Nazlar posted on Mar 24, 2016

ICANN News Alert -- Data Retention Waiver - Hosting Concepts B.V. d/b/a Openprovider

https://www.icann.org/news/announcement-2-2016-03-22-en

22 March 2016

DATA RETENTION WAIVER

HOSTING CONCEPTS B.V. d/b/a OPENPROVIDER

Hosting Concepts B.V. d/b/a Openprovider ("Registrar") submitted to ICANN a Registrar Data Retention Waiver Request ("Waiver Request") on the basis of Registrar's contention that compliance with the data collection and/or retention requirements of the Data Retention Specification in the 2013 RAA violates applicable law in the Netherlands.

ICANN hereby grants Registrar a limited waiver from compliance with certain provisions of the 2013 RAA on the following terms:

ICANN agrees that, following Registrar's execution of the 2013 RAA, and subject to the provisions of Sections 2 and 3 of this Waiver, for purposes of assessing Registrar's compliance with the data retention requirements of Paragraph 1.2.2 and 1.2.3 of the Data Retention Specification:

the retention requirement of Sections 1.2.2 and 1.2.3 of the Specification shall not be applicable to log files; and
the retention requirement of Section 1.2.2 shall not be applicable to telephone numbers, source IP addresses and HTTP headers.

Notwithstanding the foregoing, with respect to HTTP headers as referred to in Section 1.2.2 of the Data Retention Specification, the following exception to the waiver applies: In each instance for which the communication with the Registrant is carried out browser-based (and not via email), the Registrar may decide, but is not obliged, to store HTTP requests and responses in order to ensure proof of communication with the Registrant. If HTPP requests and responses are stored in such case, Registrar's obligations arising from the Data Retention Specification (as well as any other obligations arising of the 2013 RAA) shall be fully applicable with respect to such information.
Further notwithstanding the foregoing, with respect to log files as referred to in Sections 1.2.2 and 1.2.3 of the Data Retention Specification, the following exception to the waiver applies: Date and time stamp information will be stored by Registrar and thus Registrar's obligations arising from the Data Retention Specification (as well as any other obligations arising of the 2013 RAA) shall be fully applicable with respect to such information.
In all other respects the terms of the Data Retention Specification will remain AS IS. The waiver granted to Registrar applies only to retention of the specific items of data listed in the Paragraphs 1.2.2 and 1.2.3 of the Data Retention Specification that are expressly the subject of this Waiver, and it does not constitute a waiver of any other provisions of the 2013 RAA or other ICANN policies applicable to registrars. Without limiting the foregoing, nothing in this waiver limits Registrar's obligation to comply with Consensus Policies or Temporary Policies developed and adopted in accordance with ICANN's Bylaws ("ICANN Policies") or limits Registrar's obligation to comply with any amendment, supplement or modification of the 2013 RAA approved and adopted in accordance with the terms of the 2013 RAA ("RAA Amendments"). In the event of any inconsistency between this waiver and the terms of any ICANN Policy or RAA Amendment, the terms of the ICANN Policy or RAA Amendment will control.
The waiver granted to Registrar shall remain in effect for the duration of the term of the 2013 RAA signed by Registrar.

ICANN notes that the provisions of Section 3 of the Specification will apply to similar waivers requested by other registrars that are located in the Netherlands and subject to Dutch law.

Yesim Nazlar posted on Mar 24, 2016

ICANN News Alert -- Data Retention Waiver - 101Domain GRS Limited

https://www.icann.org/news/announcement-4-2016-03-22-en

22 March 2016

DATA RETENTION WAIVER

101DOMAIN GRS LIMITED

101DOMAIN GRS LIMITED (Formerly - "Emerald Global Registrar Services Limited") ("Registrar") submitted to ICANN a Registrar Data Retention Waiver Request ("Waiver Request") on the basis of Registrar's contention that compliance with the data collection and/or retention requirements of the Data Retention Specification in the 2013 RAA violates applicable law in Ireland.

ICANN hereby grants Registrar a limited waiver from compliance with certain provisions of the 2013 RAA on the following terms:

ICANN agrees that, following Registrar's execution of the 2013 RAA:

For purposes of assessing Registrar's compliance with the data retention requirement of Paragraph 1.1 of the Data Retention Specification in the 2013 RAA, the period of "two additional years" in Paragraph 1.1 of the Data Retention Specification will be deemed modified to "one additional year"; and
For purposes of assessing Registrar's compliance with the data retention requirement of Paragraph 1.2 of the Data Retention Specification in the 2013 RAA, the period of "one hundred and eighty (180) days" in Paragraph 1.2 of the Data Retention Specification will be deemed modified to "ninety (90) days."

In all other respects the terms of the Data Retention Specification will remain AS IS. The waiver granted to Registrar applies only to the post-sponsorship period of retention of the data listed in the Paragraphs 1.1.1 through 1.1.8 and Paragraphs 1.2.1 through 1.2.3 inclusive of the Data Retention Specification, and it does not constitute a waiver of any other provisions of the 2013 RAA or other ICANN policies applicable to registrars. Without limiting the foregoing, nothing in this waiver limits Registrar's obligation to comply with Consensus Policies or Temporary Policies developed and adopted in accordance with ICANN's Bylaws ("ICANN Policies") or limits Registrar's obligation to comply with any amendment, supplement or modification of the 2013 RAA approved and adopted in accordance with the terms of the 2013 RAA ("RAA Amendments"). In the event of any inconsistency between this waiver and the terms of any ICANN Policy or RAA Amendment, the terms of the ICANN Policy or RAA Amendment will control.
The waiver granted to Registrar shall remain in effect for the duration of the term of the 2013 RAA signed by Registrar.

ICANN notes that the provisions of Section 3 of the Specification will apply to similar waivers requested by other registrars that are located in Ireland and subject to Irish law.

Yesim Nazlar posted on Mar 24, 2016

ICANN Newsletter -- 18 March 2016

ICANN Weekly Newsletter

News from the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers

http://www.icann.org/

Week ending 18 March 2016

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Announcements This Week

Draft Report on New gTLD Program Safeguards to Mitigate DNS Abuse Available for Public Comment

15 March 2016

NextGen@ICANN Application Round Open for ICANN56

15 March 2016

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Upcoming Events

27-30 June 2016: 56th International Public ICANN Meeting – Helsinki

About ICANN

ICANN Bylaws

Our bylaws are very important to us. They capture our mission of security, stability and accessibility, and compel the organization to be open and transparent. Learn more at www.ICANN.org.

Strategic Plan, 2016 - 2020

ICANN FY16 Operating Plan and Budget

Yesim Nazlar posted on Mar 23, 2016

Data Retention Waiver - TransIP B.V.

https://www.icann.org/news/announcement-2016-03-22-en

22 March 2016

DATA RETENTION WAIVER

TransIP B.V.

TransIP B.V. ("Registrar") submitted to ICANN a Registrar Data Retention Waiver Request ("Waiver Request") on the basis of Registrar's contention that compliance with the data collection and/or retention requirements of the Data Retention Specification in the 2013 RAA violates applicable law in the Netherlands.

ICANN hereby grants Registrar a limited waiver from compliance with certain provisions of the 2013 RAA on the following terms:

ICANN agrees that, following Registrar's execution of the 2013 RAA, and subject to the provisions of Sections 2 and 3 of this Waiver, for purposes of assessing Registrar's compliance with the data retention requirements of Paragraph 1.2.2 and 1.2.3 of the Data Retention Specification:

the retention requirement of Sections 1.2.2 and 1.2.3 of the Specification shall not be applicable to log files; and
the retention requirement of Section 1.2.2 shall not be applicable to telephone numbers, source IP addresses and HTTP headers.

Notwithstanding the foregoing, with respect to HTTP headers as referred to in Section 1.2.2 of the Data Retention Specification, the following exception to the waiver applies: In each instance for which the communication with the Registrant is carried out browser-based (and not via email), the Registrar may decide, but is not obliged, to store HTTP requests and responses in order to ensure proof of communication with the Registrant. If HTPP requests and responses are stored in such case, Registrar's obligations arising from the Data Retention Specification (as well as any other obligations arising of the 2013 RAA) shall be fully applicable with respect to such information.
Further notwithstanding the foregoing, with respect to log files as referred to in Sections 1.2.2 and 1.2.3 of the Data Retention Specification, the following exception to the waiver applies: Date and time stamp information will be stored by Registrar and thus Registrar's obligations arising from the Data Retention Specification (as well as any other obligations arising of the 2013 RAA) shall be fully applicable with respect to such information.
In all other respects the terms of the Data Retention Specification will remain AS IS. The waiver granted to Registrar applies only to retention of the specific items of data listed in the Paragraphs 1.2.2 and 1.2.3 of the Data Retention Specification that are expressly the subject of this Waiver, and it does not constitute a waiver of any other provisions of the 2013 RAA or other ICANN policies applicable to registrars. Without limiting the foregoing, nothing in this waiver limits Registrar's obligation to comply with Consensus Policies or Temporary Policies developed and adopted in accordance with ICANN's Bylaws ("ICANN Policies") or limits Registrar's obligation to comply with any amendment, supplement or modification of the 2013 RAA approved and adopted in accordance with the terms of the 2013 RAA ("RAA Amendments"). In the event of any inconsistency between this waiver and the terms of any ICANN Policy or RAA Amendment, the terms of the ICANN Policy or RAA Amendment will control.
The waiver granted to Registrar shall remain in effect for the duration of the term of the 2013 RAA signed by Registrar.

ICANN notes that the provisions of Section 3 of the Specification will apply to similar waivers requested by other registrars that are located in the Netherlands and subject to Dutch law.

Yesim Nazlar posted on Mar 23, 2016

Data Retention Waiver - Emerald Registrar Limited

https://www.icann.org/news/announcement-3-2016-03-22-en

22 March 2016

DATA RETENTION WAIVER

EMERALD REGISTRAR LIMITED

EMERALD REGISTRAR LIMITED ("Registrar") submitted to ICANN a Registrar Data Retention Waiver Request ("Waiver Request") on the basis of Registrar's contention that compliance with the data collection and/or retention requirements of the Data Retention Specification in the 2013 RAA violates applicable law in Ireland.

ICANN hereby grants Registrar a limited waiver from compliance with certain provisions of the 2013 RAA on the following terms:

ICANN agrees that, following Registrar's execution of the 2013 RAA:

For purposes of assessing Registrar's compliance with the data retention requirement of Paragraph 1.1 of the Data Retention Specification in the 2013 RAA, the period of "two additional years" in Paragraph 1.1 of the Data Retention Specification will be deemed modified to "one additional year"; and
For purposes of assessing Registrar's compliance with the data retention requirement of Paragraph 1.2 of the Data Retention Specification in the 2013 RAA, the period of "one hundred and eighty (180) days" in Paragraph 1.2 of the Data Retention Specification will be deemed modified to "ninety (90) days."

In all other respects the terms of the Data Retention Specification will remain AS IS. The waiver granted to Registrar applies only to the post-sponsorship period of retention of the data listed in the Paragraphs 1.1.1 through 1.1.8 and Paragraphs 1.2.1 through 1.2.3 inclusive of the Data Retention Specification, and it does not constitute a waiver of any other provisions of the 2013 RAA or other ICANN policies applicable to registrars. Without limiting the foregoing, nothing in this waiver limits Registrar's obligation to comply with Consensus Policies or Temporary Policies developed and adopted in accordance with ICANN's Bylaws ("ICANN Policies") or limits Registrar's obligation to comply with any amendment, supplement or modification of the 2013 RAA approved and adopted in accordance with the terms of the 2013 RAA ("RAA Amendments"). In the event of any inconsistency between this waiver and the terms of any ICANN Policy or RAA Amendment, the terms of the ICANN Policy or RAA Amendment will control.
The waiver granted to Registrar shall remain in effect for the duration of the term of the 2013 RAA signed by Registrar.

ICANN notes that the provisions of Section 3 of the Specification will apply to similar waivers requested by other registrars that are located in Ireland and subject to Irish law.

Yesim Nazlar posted on Mar 23, 2016

Call for Volunteers: New GNSO Policy Development Process Working Group to Review All Rights Protection Mechanisms in All gTLDs

https://www.icann.org/news/announcement-2016-03-21-en

21 March 2016

In Brief

The Generic Names Supporting Organization (GNSO) Council seeks volunteers for a new Working Group that will conduct a Policy Development Process (PDP) to Review All Rights Protection Mechanisms (RPMs) in All Generic Top-Level Domains (gTLDs). The GNSO Council approved the PDP Working Group's Charter [PDF, 510 KB] on 9 March 2016.

What This Team Will Do

Conduct the PDP in two phases
This PDP Working Group is being chartered to conduct a review of all RPMs in all gTLDs in two phases as defined in the approved charter [PDF, 524 KB]: Phase One will focus on a review of all the RPMs that were developed for the New gTLD Program (i.e. the Trademark Clearinghouse and associated notification and sunrise mechanisms, the Uniform Rapid Suspension procedure, and the Post-Delegation Dispute Resolution Procedures), and Phase Two will focus on a review of the Uniform Dispute Resolution Policy (UDRP).
At a minimum, in each Phase of this PDP, the Working Group will be expected to first assess the effectiveness of the relevant RPM(s), for which it should seek the input of experienced online dispute resolution providers and other subject matter experts, as appropriate. The Working Group is also expected to look at the interplay between and complementary roles of each RPM in seeking to more fully understand their overall functioning and effectiveness. Ultimately, the goal is for the Working Group to consider the overarching issue as to whether or not all the RPMs collectively fulfill the purposes for which they were created, or whether additional policy recommendations are needed, including to clarify and unify the policy goals.
In public comments to the UDRP Final Issue Report [PDF, 2.69 MB], the RPM Staff Paper [PDF 2.5 MB], and the Preliminary Issue Report for this PDP, various community groups and participants had identified a number of issues that they considered appropriate for review in a PDP. As such, the Working Group is expected to consider these community suggestions, which have been listed in the Working Group Charter, with further modifications, additions and deletions to be determined by consensus of the Working Group.
Coordinate its work with other parallel efforts
The Working Group will monitor the progress of and, where appropriate, coordinate with, other ICANN groups that are working on topics that may overlap with or otherwise provide useful input to this PDP. These other efforts include the Competition, Consumer Trust and Consumer Choice Review Team, the Trademark Clearinghouse Independent Review and the GNSO's PDP Working Group on New gTLDs Subsequent Procedures. In this regard, the GNSO Council directed that a GNSO community liaison be appointed by the two GNSO PDP Working Groups. Further, as the manager of the policy development process, the GNSO Council is to be kept informed about the various coordination efforts so that in case of conflict between these groups, the Council may take the appropriate action to align the different work processes.
At the conclusion of Phase One of its work, the Working Group is expected to assess the need for modification to its Charter and, if appropriate, submit a request to the GNSO Council accordingly for the subsequent phase(s) of its work.

How This Team Will Work

ICANN Working Groups use transparent, open processes. The meetings of this PDP Working Group will be recorded and transcribed, and the recordings and transcriptions will be available to the public. The mailing list for the Working Group will be archived publicly. The group will collaborate using a public workspace for draft materials and all final work products and milestones will be documented on the WG's wiki. The PDP WG is expected to follow the GNSO Working Group Guidelines [PDF, 350 KB] as well as the GNSO PDP Manual [PDF, 300 KB].

How to participate

There are two ways to volunteer:

Individual Members – anyone interested can volunteer to join the PDP Working Group as a member, regardless of whether they are members of the ICANN community. Members are expected to actively contribute to mailing list conversations as well as meetings – it is anticipated that the Working Group will at a minimum meet on a weekly basis via teleconference. Members are expected to provide essential input to the process. Members will be required to provide a Statement of Interest (SOI).
Mailing list observers – for those who are merely interested in monitoring the Working Group's deliberations, it is possible to sign up as a mailing list "observer" which offers read-only access to the mailing list. Mailing list observers will not be permitted to post, will not receive invitations to the meetings of the Working Group and will not have to complete a Statement of Interest. At any point in time, a mailing list observer can join the WG as a member simply by informing the GNSO Secretariat.

In addition, there will be opportunities to provide input through public consultations and public comment processes that the PDP Working Group is expected to organize.

How to Join

If you are interested in joining the Working Group either as an individual participant or mailing list observer, please fill in the sign up form or send the Word document [DOCX, 72 KB], filled in, to the GNSO Secretariat.

All members and observers will be listed on the PDP Working Group's wiki page.

Next steps

The GNSO Council directed that this call for volunteers be circulated as widely as possible in order to ensure broad representation and participation in the Working Group. it is anticipated that the Working Group will convene online for the first time in early April 2016. Following that, regular online meetings will be scheduled in accordance with the Working Group's work plan, which it is expected to develop as one of its first tasks.

Further information and preparation

For those interested in volunteering for this effort, you are strongly encouraged to review the following materials prior to the first meeting of the PDP WG:

The Final Issue Report [PDF, 1 MB]
The approved charter [PDF, 510 KB]
Materials available at the Working Group's online wiki workspace

Background

The question of who legally has rights to, or is the legitimate holder of, a domain name can be open to dispute. In relation to domain name disputes concerning the registration and use of legally protected trademarks, the Uniform Dispute Resolution Policy (UDRP) is the longest standing alternative dispute resolution procedure. As a result of the New gTLD Program, several new rights protection mechanisms (RPMs) were developed to mitigate potential risks and costs to trademark rights holders that could arise in the expansion of the gTLD namespace, which included certain safeguards to protect registrants who engage in legitimate uses of domain names: the Uniform Rapid Suspension System (URS); the Trademark Clearinghouse (TMCH) and the associated availability through the TMCH of Sunrise periods and the Trademark Claims notification service; and the Post-Delegation Dispute Resolution Procedures (PDDRPs). Prior to the launch of the New gTLD Program, on 3 October 2011 ICANN staff had published a Final Issue Report on the current state of the UDRP. The recommended course of action in that UDRP Final Issue Report [PDF, 2.69 MB] was not to initiate a PDP at the time, but to hold off launching any such PDP until after the new URS had been in operation for at least eighteen (18) months. In addition, the September 2015 revised RPM Staff Paper [PDF 2.5 MB] had explicitly noted that some of the concerns identified by the community for consideration as part of a review of the RPMs might be appropriate topics for policy development work. The UDRP has not been subject to comprehensive review. There has also not been a full review of all the RPMs developed to date by ICANN, to consider whether or not they are collectively achieving the objectives for which they were created.

In preparation for this PDP, a new Preliminary Issue Report [PDF, 1.4 MB] was published for public comment on 9 October 2015. A Final Issue Report [PDF, 1.2 MB] was subsequently published on 7 October 2015, including links to all public comments received, along with a draft charter for the PDP WG [PDF, 510 KB]. The final charter was approved by the GNSO Council on 9 March 2016, enabling the formation of a GNSO working group of community volunteers to conduct this PDP.

More information can be found on the activities webpage for GNSO PDP Review of All Rights Protection Mechanisms in All gTLDs and the Working Group's online wiki workspace, which includes the charter, community input provided during the public comment period, and an extensive library of foundational materials to inform the Working Group's deliberations.

As this will be a complex multi-phase PDP, anyone interested in helping to shape the review of all RPMs in all gTLDs are encouraged to volunteer for this Working Group.

Yesim Nazlar posted on Mar 23, 2016

NextGen@ICANN Application Round Open for ICANN56

https://www.icann.org/news/announcement-2016-03-15-en

15 March 2016

With the announcement of ICANN56 relocation to Helsinki, Finland the application round to participate in the NextGen@ICANN Program at Meeting B* in June 2016 is now open. This round remains open until 18 April 2016 and successful candidates will be announced on the ICANN website, 2 May 2016.

*Please note Meeting B is specifically focused on policy making and on-going work within ICANN Communities.

The NextGen@ICANN Program

The NextGen@ICANN program remains the same for Meeting A, B and C: it is an education and awareness based experience, designed for a smaller, younger and more region-specific group of participants. Applicants must be between the ages of 18 and 30, live in the region of the meeting and be engaged in some level of higher education, with focus on Internet related subject matter. Each selected member will deliver a 5-10 minute presentation on a topic relevant to the community. Recent presentation topics include Internet governance, DNS and the future of the Internet.

Find out more about applying to the NextGen@ICANN Program »

Yesim Nazlar posted on Mar 21, 2016

GNSO and At-Large Calls - Week of 21-25 March 2016

Hello All,

Please find below the list of At-Large and GNSO WG meetings in which At-Large members are participants for the week of 21-25 March 2016.

Updates will follow as Doodles close.

Monday 21 March 2016

20:00 UTC: ALAC Leadership Team (ALT) Monthly Meeting https://community.icann.org/x/1SiAAw

22:00 UTC: (GNSO) New gTLD Subsequent Procedures Working Group https://community.icann.org/x/Jgp1Aw

Tuesday 22 March 2016

05:00 UTC: (At-Large) APRALO-APAC Hub Webinar: Getting ready for the “New” Internet Name Space – Universal Acceptance and it’s challenges Webinar https://community.icann.org/x/1x2AAw

16:00 UTC: GNSO Next-Gen RDS PDP Working Group https://community.icann.org/x/rjJ-Ag

19:00 UTC: (At-Large) EURALO Monthly Meeting https://community.icann.org/x/5iiAAw

Wednesday 23 March 2016

21:00 UTC: At-Large Capacity Building Program -2016: First Webinar on the topic: At-Large WG’s: Best Practices in Chairing, Organization, Participation https://community.icann.org/x/FCmAAw

Thursday 24 March 2016

none

Friday 25 March 2016

none

Please confirm your dial-out requests

For GNSO calls: GNSO Secretariats gnso-secs@icann.org

For At-Large calls or ALAC :staff@atlarge.icann.org

For CWG IANA Stewardship Brenda.Brewer@icann.org

For CCWG on Enhancing ICANN Accountability:acct-staff@icann.org

For CCWG-IG desiree.cabrera@icann.org

Thank you.

Heidi Ullrich, Silvia Vivanco, Ariel Liang, Gisella Gruber, Nathalie Peregrine, Terri Agnew and Yeşim Nazlar

ICANN Policy Staff in support of the At-Large Community

E-mail: staff@atlarge.icann.org

Website: atlarge.icann.org

Facebook: facebook.com/icannatlarge

Twitter: @ICANNAtLarge

Yesim Nazlar posted on Mar 21, 2016

IMPORTANT Invitation / At-Large Capacity Building Program - 2016: "At-Large working groups: Best practices in Chairing, Organization, Participation"

Dear All,

This is an invitation to attend the first Webinar of the new At-Large Capacity Building Program - 2016 on the Topic of “At-Large working groups: Best practices in Chairing, Organization, Participation”. The trainers will be Cheryl Langdon-Orr and Olivier Crépin-Leblond.

This webinar is scheduled on Wednesday 23 March 2016 from 21:00 - 22:00 UTC (60 minutes) .

For other times:

http://tinyurl.com/hlsk7gw

The draft agenda and call details are available at:

https://community.icann.org/x/FCmAAw

French and Spanish interpretation will be provided.

Adobe Connect:

https://icann.adobeconnect.com/alcb2015/

Conference IDs:

EN: 1638

ES: 1738

FR: 1838

http://adigo.com/icann/

If you require a dial-out please contact At-Large staff at staff@atlarge.icann.org with your preferred number.

At-Large Capacity Building Program 2016: wiki workspace

Thank you.

Regards,

Heidi Ullrich, Silvia Vivanco, Ariel Liang, Gisella Gruber, Nathalie Peregrine, Terri Agnew and Yeşim Nazlar

ICANN Policy Staff in support of the At-Large Community

E-mail: staff@atlarge.icann.org

Website: atlarge.icann.org

Facebook: www.facebook.com/icannatlarge

Twitter: @ICANNAtLarge

One World, One Internet

Yesim Nazlar posted on Mar 10, 2016

Moroccan Minister of Industry & Digital Economy Stresses Importance of IANA Stewardship Transition During ICANN55

https://www.icann.org/resources/press-material/release-2016-03-07-en

7 March 2016

Marrakech, Morocco… Moroccan Minister of Industry, Trade, Investment and the Digital Economy, Moulay Hafid Elalamy, expressed Morocco's support of the IANA Stewardship Transition today, during the Opening Ceremony of ICANN's 55th Public Meeting, taking place in Marrakech, Morocco from 5-10 March. The meeting is being held under the high patronage of His Majesty King Mohammed VI.

"This great meeting in Marrakech coincides with the last leg, the final leg, of the process in order to get to a transition plan of the governance model of the world system of Internet resources, in order to increase transparency as well as accountability," said Elalamy. "This initiative is, without any doubt, the illustration of opening up the Internet."

ICANN55 is taking place during a critical moment in the history of the Internet governance, as members of the global Internet community have come together in Marrakech to finalize a set of proposals which will transfer stewardship of key elements of the Internet's system of unique identifiers – the IANA functions – from the United States Government over to the multistakeholder community.

Director General of Morocco's National Telecommunications Regulatory Agency, Azdine El Mountassir Billah, spoke to the importance of the multistakeholder model of Internet governance, stating, "The great challenge - we know it all and we are working on it - consists of inventing a governance model for the Internet: a multistakeholder, inclusive, fair and balanced one, involving all stakeholders: governments, civil society, and businesses, in order to increase the exchange of opportunities, to reconcile points of view and to create the necessary synergies."

ICANN Board Chair Dr. Stephen Crocker remarked on the historic nature of ICANN55, but also to the work that still lies ahead, stating, "These proposals will usher in a new era of independence and global accountability of ICANN. Let me emphasize that we're not done yet. This will be an extremely important juncture at this meeting, and then we still have quite a lot of time and work that will go on in multiple quarters, including, of course, within the U.S. Government."

"I wish to pay tribute to Mr. Fadi Chehadé, President of ICANN, and his team for the work done to make this organization what it is today," added Billah. "And for supporting, with enthusiasm and confidence, the holding of the 55th meeting in my country, Morocco."

Those unable to attend ICANN55 in person are highly encouraged to participate remotely. Details for doing so can be found for any of the sessions listed at https://meetings.icann.org/en/marrakech55/schedule-full.

Members of the press are also invited to attend a press conference being held today, at 14:30 UTC. Details for joining are provided below.

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Press Conference Details:

WHO: Fadi Chehadé, President and CEO, Dr. Stephen Crocker, Board Chair, and Pierre Dandjinou, Vice President of Stakeholder Engagement, Africa

WHEN: Monday, 7 March, 2:30 P.M. – 3:30 P.M. WET (14:30 – 15:30 UTC)

WHERE: Roseraie, Palmeraie Conference Center

OFF-SITE ACCESS: Journalists from around the world can participate in the press conference via remote access.

A live webcast may be accessed at https://icann.adobeconnect.com/icann55-press/.

Journalists who wish to pose questions remotely must do so in this Adobe Connect room.

The press conference will be held in English, but simultaneously interpreted into French, Arabic and Spanish, via the Adobe Connect room.
Telephone access (English) may be obtained by dialling an international access number obtained from this list https://goo.gl/nvLx4o.

The toll free access number in the U.S. is +1 (719) 457-6209. Once you have reached the conferencing center, dial 834 210 0020.
The telephone feed is listen-only and can not be used to ask questions.

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To learn more about ICANN55 in Marrakech, please visit: https://meetings.icann.org/en/marrakech55

To download high-resolution photos of the meeting, please visit: https://www.flickr.com/photos/icann

Media Contacts

Luna Madi

Communications Director, EMEA

London, U.K.

Tel: +44 7780947574

Email: luna.madi@icann.org

James Cole

Global Media Coordinator

Washington, D.C.

Tel: +1 202 733 7598

Email: james.cole@icann.org

About ICANN

ICANN's mission is to ensure a stable, secure and unified global Internet. To reach another person on the Internet you have to type an address into your computer - a name or a number. That address has to be unique so computers know where to find each other. ICANN coordinates these unique identifiers across the world. Without that coordination we wouldn't have one global Internet. ICANN was formed in 1998. It is a not-for-profit public-benefit corporation with participants from all over the world dedicated to keeping the Internet secure, stable and interoperable. It promotes competition and develops policy on the Internet's unique identifiers. ICANN doesn't control content on the Internet. It cannot stop spam and it doesn't deal with access to the Internet. But through its coordination role of the Internet's naming system, it does have an important impact on the expansion and evolution of the Internet. For more information please visit: www.icann.org.

Yesim Nazlar posted on Mar 10, 2016

ICANN55 Marrakech GAC Communiqué

https://www.icann.org/news/announcement-2016-03-09-en

9 March 2016

The Governmental Advisory Committee meeting at ICANN55 in Marrakech has issued its Marrakech Communiqué. It is available for review at GAC Marrakech 55 Communiqué [PDF, 567 KB].

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