Blog from March, 2017
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 03 April - 07 April 2017
Monday 03 April 2017
14:15 UTC: AFRALO General Assembly Organising Committee Call https://community.icann.org/x/qsfRAw
19:00 UTC: (MSSI) WS2 Ombudsman https://community.icann.org/x/ihWOAw
22:00 UTC: LACRALO Governance WG Call https://community.icann.org/x/kMLRAw
Tuesday 04 April 2017
03:00 UTC: (GNSO) New gTLD Subsequent Procedures Sub Team – Track 3 – String Contention, Objections & Disputes https://community.icann.org/x/FT2AAw
05:00 UTC: (MSSI) WS2 Jurisdiction https://community.icann.org/x/ihWOAw
16:00 UTC: (GNSO) Next-Gen RDS PDP Working Group https://community.icann.org/x/rjJ-Ag
19:00 UTC: (MSSI) WS2 Human Rights https://community.icann.org/x/ihWOAw
Wednesday 05 April 2017
17:00 UTC: (GNSO) Review of all Rights Protection Mechanisms (RPMs) in all gTLDs PDP Working Group https://community.icann.org/x/wCWAAw
18:30 UTC: AFRALO Monthly Call https://community.icann.org/x/GcbRAw
Thursday 06 April 2017
13:00 UTC: (MSSI) WS2 Diversity https://community.icann.org/x/ihWOAw
15:00 UTC: (GNSO) New gTLD Subsequent Procedures Sub Team – Track 4 - Internationalized Domain Names/Technical & Operations https://community.icann.org/x/HQSbAw
Friday 07 April 2017
05:00 UTC: (MSSI) WS2 Staff Accountability https://community.icann.org/x/ihWOAw
Please confirm your dial-out requests or apology notice to:
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
For WS2 Subgroup Topics or IOT calls : mssi-secretariat@icann.org
Thank you.
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
https://www.icann.org/news/announcement-2017-03-30-en
30 March 2017
SSR2 Review Team members at ICANN58 (L-R): James Gannon, Ramkrishna Pariyar, Žarko Kecić, Denise Michel, Jabhera Matogoro, Geoff Huston, Kerry-Ann Barrett, Kaveh Ranjbar, Emily Taylor, Alain Aina, Boban Krsic, Cathy Handley, Eric Osterweil, Mohamad Amin Hasbini. Not pictured: Noorul Ameen, Don M. Blumenthal.
30 March 2017 – The Second Security, Stability and Resiliency of the DNS (SSR2) Review Team is pleased to announce its leadership selections.
Three nominees volunteered themselves for a leadership position. The review team agreed by consensus to leadership by three co-chairs:
- Denise Michel, Domain Name System Strategy and Management at Facebook, Inc. (GNSO nominee, North America)
- Eric Osterweil, Principal Scientist at Verisign (RSSAC nominee, North America)
- Emily Taylor, CEO at Oxford Information Labs Ltd, Associate Fellow Chatham House (GNSO nominee, Europe)
ICANN announced[icann.org] the selection of a 16-member team to conduct the SSR2 review in February 2017. The SSR review was formerly required under the Affirmation of Commitments and is now one of the Specific Reviews under the ICANN Bylaws[icann.org]. The review will examine ICANN's execution of its commitment to enhance the operational stability, reliability, resiliency, security, and global interoperability of the systems and processes, both internal and external, that directly affect, or are affected by, the Internet's system of unique identifiers that ICANN coordinates.
Visit the SSR2 review team wiki[community.icann.org] to learn more about the team and follow their work.
About ICANN
ICANN's mission is to help 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 helps coordinate and support these unique identifiers across the world. ICANN was formed in 1998 as a not-for-profit public-benefit corporation and a community with participants from all over the world. ICANN and its community help keep the Internet secure, stable and interoperable. It also promotes competition and develops policy for the top-level of the Internet's naming system and facilitates the use of other unique Internet identifiers. For more information please visit: www.icann.org[icann.org].
https://www.icann.org/news/announcement-2017-03-29-en
29 March 2017
On Monday, 3 April 2017, join the Competition, Consumer Trust and Consumer Choice Review Team (CCT-RT) for one of two webinars on its Draft Report and Recommendations. This webinar provides you with the opportunity to learn about proposed improvements to the New generic Top-Level Domain (New gTLD) program and to share your input and ask clarifying questions about the CCT-RT Draft Report and Recommendations.
The purpose of the CCT-RT is to assess the New gTLD program in three areas: competition, consumer trust and consumer choice. The CCT-RT is also determining the effectiveness of the safeguards put in place to mitigate issues arising from the introduction of New gTLDs and the Program's application and evaluation process.
Join the webinar to receive a tailored briefing from the CCT-RT on its draft findings and recommendations. Attending the webinars will also allow you to provide initial feedback and ask clarifying questions prior to submitting your public comment of the CCTRT Draft Report[icann.org]. This public comment period is scheduled to close on 27 April 2017 and gives you the opportunity to provide input to the CCT-RT for its consideration as it continues its work towards developing its final report and recommendations.
On 3 April 2017, the CCT-RT will host two separate sessions at 10:00 - 11:30 UTC (time zone support here[timeanddate.com]) and 19:00 - 20:30 UTC (time zone support here[timeanddate.com]). In order to facilitate global participation, language services will be available in five UN languages.
Meeting Agenda
- Draft Report & Recommendations (5 min)
- Data Collection (10 min)
- Competition & Consumer Choice (35 min)
- Safeguards & Consumer Trust (40 min)
- Application & Evaluation Process (20 min)
How to join?
ADOBE CONNECT LINK: https://participate.icann.org/reviews-webinar
DIAL IN NUMBERS: http://adigo.com/icann/[adigo.com] (also see chart below)
The following interpretations are provided:
English: 9001
French: 9002
Spanish: 9003
Chinese: 9004
Russian: 9005
https://www.icann.org/news/announcement-2-2017-03-29-en
29 March 2017
lCANN launches the application round for those interested in participating in the ICANN60 Public Meeting through the Fellowship Program. The meeting takes place from 28 October – 03 November 2017 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. The deadline to apply is 10 May 2017. Successful candidates will be announced on 21 July 2017 on ICANN.org.
The Fellowship Program
The ICANN Fellowship[icann.org] program seeks out those who are interested in, or already engaged in, the various components of ICANN's work in policy building, the operation of the Domain Name System and the security and stability of the global Internet. The goal of the program is to help create a broader base of knowledgeable constituents to engage in the ICANN multistakeholder process and become the new voice of experience in their regions and on the global stage.
Since its creation in 2007, the Fellowship program has built a strong group of individuals who are actively participating in all of the ICANN communities as well as various Internet governance entities within the Internet ecosystem. Their engagement ranges from writing articles and blogs, providing online or in-person public comment in regard to bottom-up policy building, engaging in Internet conferences and panel discussions, participating in working groups, mentoring newcomers, assisting our regional leaders and becoming leaders themselves.
Click here for more information »[icann.org]
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 27 March - 31 March 2017.
Update 1:
Wednesday Cancelled:
19:00 UTC: (MSSI) WS2 Guidelines to good faith https://community.icann.org/x/ihWOAw
Thursday Added:
15:00 UTC: ALAC Subcommittee on Outreach and Engagement Call https://community.icann.org/x/ScLRAw
Friday Added:
19:00 UTC: (MSSI) WS2 Diversity https://community.icann.org/x/ihWOAw
Updates will follow as Doodles close.
Monday 27 March 2017
13:00 UTC: (MSSI) WS2 Ombudsman https://community.icann.org/x/ihWOAw
19:00 UTC: (MSSI) WS2 Human Rights https://community.icann.org/x/ihWOAw
23:00 UTC: LACRALO Monthly Call https://community.icann.org/x/1b3RAw
Tuesday 28 March 2017
03:00 UTC: (GNSO) New gTLD Subsequent Procedures Working Group https://community.icann.org/x/RgV1Aw
13:00 UTC: At-Large Capacity Building Webinar: "At-Large Policy Advice Development Process” https://community.icann.org/x/Cb3RAw
15:00 UTC: (GNSO) New gTLD Subsequent Procedures Sub Team – Track 1 – Overall Process/Support/Outreach https://community.icann.org/x/7AObAw
16:00 UTC: (GNSO) Next-Gen RDS PDP Working Group https://community.icann.org/x/rjJ-Ag
17:00 UTC: NARALO Webinar #3 - Community Discussion on NARALO Rules of Procedures https://community.icann.org/x/I8HRAw
19:00 UTC: (MSSI) WS2 Jurisdiction https://community.icann.org/x/ihWOAw
21:00 UTC: ALAC Monthly Call https://community.icann.org/x/8L3RAw
Wednesday 29 March 2017
13:00 UTC: (MSSI) CCWGAccountability
Plenary Meetinghttps://community.icann.org/x/0LbRAw
16:00 UTC: (GNSO) Review of all Rights Protection Mechanisms (RPMs) in all gTLDs PDP Working Group https://community.icann.org/x/wCWAAw
Thursday 30 March 2017
05:00 UTC: (MSSI) WS2 Staff Accountability https://community.icann.org/x/ihWOAw
13:00 UTC: (MSSI) WS2 SO/AC Accountability https://community.icann.org/x/ihWOAw
14:00 UTC: (GNSO) CCWG New gTLD Auction Proceeds https://community.icann.org/x/yJXDAw
15:00 UTC: ALAC Subcommittee on Outreach and Engagement Call https://community.icann.org/x/ScLRAw
21:00 UTC: (GNSO) New gTLD Subsequent Procedures Sub Team – Track 2 – Legal/Regulatory https://community.icann.org/x/FwSbAw
Friday 31 March 2017
19:00 UTC: (MSSI) WS2 Diversity https://community.icann.org/x/ihWOAw
Please confirm your dial-out requests or apology notice to:
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
For WS2 Subgroup Topics or IOT calls : mssi-secretariat@icann.org
Thank you.
Kind Regards,
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
ICANN Weekly Newsletter
News from the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers
http://www.icann.org/[icann.org]
Week ending 24 March 2017
Announcements This Week
Successful Candidates Announced for ICANN59 Fellowship[icann.org]
24 March 2017
Proposal for Ethiopic Script Root Zone Label Generation Rules (LGR)[icann.org]
23 March 2017
22 March 2017
Upcoming Events
26-29 June 2017: 59th International Public ICANN Meeting – Johannesburg
About ICANN
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[icann.org].
https://www.icann.org/news/announcement-2017-03-24-en
24 March 2017
ICANN announces 55 individuals from 43 countries selected to participate in ICANN's Fellowship program at the 59th Public Meeting in Johannesburg, South Africa from 26-29 June 2017. As ICANN59 is a Policy Forum, only alumni of the Fellowship Program were eligible to apply. These successful candidates represent all sectors of society including; civil, government, ccTLD operations, academia, facets of the business community, technical, security and end user groups.
The Fellowship program seeks to create a broader and more diverse base of knowledgeable constituents with priority given to candidates currently living in underserved and underrepresented communities around the world, those who represent diversity of gender, sector, region, experience, expertise and/or have established financial need. An independent selection committee assessed the 72 Fellowship applications received for this meeting.
Click the following link to see the list of selected candidates and learn more about the Fellowship program: http://www.icann.org/en/about/participate/fellowships[icann.org]
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 27 March - 31 March 2017.
Monday 27 March 2017
13:00 UTC: (MSSI) WS2 Ombudsman https://community.icann.org/x/ihWOAw
19:00 UTC: (MSSI) WS2 Human Rights https://community.icann.org/x/ihWOAw
23:00 UTC: LACRALO Monthly Call https://community.icann.org/x/1b3RAw
Tuesday 28 March 2017
03:00 UTC: (GNSO) New gTLD Subsequent Procedures Working Group https://community.icann.org/x/RgV1Aw
13:00 UTC: At-Large Capacity Building Webinar: "At-Large Policy Advice Development Process” https://community.icann.org/x/Cb3RAw
15:00 UTC: (GNSO) New gTLD Subsequent Procedures Sub Team – Track 1 – Overall Process/Support/Outreach https://community.icann.org/x/7AObAw
16:00 UTC: (GNSO) Next-Gen RDS PDP Working Group https://community.icann.org/x/rjJ-Ag
17:00 UTC: NARALO Webinar #3 - Community Discussion on NARALO Rules of Procedures https://community.icann.org/x/I8HRAw
19:00 UTC: (MSSI) WS2 Jurisdiction https://community.icann.org/x/ihWOAw
21:00 UTC: ALAC Monthly Call https://community.icann.org/x/8L3RAw
Wednesday 29 March 2017
13:00 UTC: (MSSI) CCWG Accountability Plenary Meeting https://community.icann.org/x/0LbRAw
16:00 UTC: (GNSO) Review of all Rights Protection Mechanisms (RPMs) in all gTLDs PDP Working Group https://community.icann.org/x/wCWAAw
19:00 UTC: (MSSI) WS2 Guidelines to good faith https://community.icann.org/x/ihWOAw
Thursday 30 March 2017
05:00 UTC: (MSSI) WS2 Staff Accountability https://community.icann.org/x/ihWOAw
13:00 UTC: (MSSI) WS2 SO/AC Accountability https://community.icann.org/x/ihWOAw
14:00 UTC: (GNSO) CCWG New gTLD Auction Proceeds https://community.icann.org/x/yJXDAw
21:00 UTC: (GNSO) New gTLD Subsequent Procedures Sub Team – Track 2 – Legal/Regulatory https://community.icann.org/x/FwSbAw
Friday 31 March 2017
None
Please confirm your dial-out requests or apology notice to:
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
For WS2 Subgroup Topics or IOT calls : mssi-secretariat@icann.org
Thank you.
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
ICANN Weekly Newsletter
News from the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers
http://www.icann.org/[icann.org]
Week ending 17 March 2017
Announcements This Week
ICANN58 Copenhagen GAC Communiqué[icann.org]
16 March 2017
Denmark's Minister of Culture Remarks on the Success of ICANN's Multistakeholder Model[icann.org]
13 March 2017
ICANN Launches Testing Platform for the KSK Rollover[icann.org]
13 March 2017
Call for Public Comment on the Draft 2016 African Domain Name System Market Study[icann.org]
11 March 2017
Upcoming Events
26-29 June 2017: 59th International Public ICANN Meeting – Johannesburg
About ICANN
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[icann.org].
https://www.icann.org/news/announcement-2017-03-16-en
16 March 2017
The Governmental Advisory Committee meeting at ICANN58 in Copenhagen has issued its Copenhagen Communiqué. It is available for review at GAC Copenhagen Communiqué
ICANN Weekly Newsletter
News from the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers
http://www.icann.org/[icann.org]
Week ending 10 March 2017
Announcements This Week
Krista Papac Named as ICANN Complaints Officer[icann.org]
10 March 2017
ICANN's Draft FY18 Operating Plan and Budget, and Five-Year Operating Plan Update[icann.org]
8 March 2017
Root Stability Study Final Report Now Available[icann.org]
8 March 2017
7 March 2017
Enhancing Accountability Guidelines for Good Faith[icann.org]
7 March 2017
6 March 2017
Upcoming Events
11-16 March 2017: 58th International Public ICANN Meeting – Copenhagen
About ICANN
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[icann.org].
https://www.icann.org/resources/press-material/release-2017-03-13-en
13 March 2017
Copenhagen, Denmark…
ICANN's 58th public meeting, taking place from 11 to 16 March in Copenhagen, Denmark, has attracted more than 2500 registered participants. The meeting, hosted by the Danish Business Authority and the Danish Internet Forum, is being held six months after the IANA Stewardship Transition[icann.org], a milestone in the history of ICANN's multistakeholder community. Stakeholders from around the world, including people from businesses, governments, academia, and civil society, have convened in Denmark to discuss various topics such as the next steps after the IANA Stewardship Transition, enhancements to ICANN's accountability and the new generic top level domain (gTLD) program.
At the opening ceremony, Denmark's Minister of Culture, Mette Bock, commented on the IANA Stewardship Transition and ICANN's multistakeholder model, stating "The IANA Stewardship Transition only happened because the whole ICANN community, and that is you, was able to work together and to develop proposals that received a very broad support. It was, indeed, a masterpiece and showcase for how the multistakeholder model can function and deliver sustainable results."
Chairman of DIFO and DK-Hostmaster, Professor Henrik Udsen, also commented on the importance of this model. "Like ICANN, DIFO is based on a multistakeholder model, ensuring that all interest of the Danish Internet society is represented in the continuing efforts to make the .dk zone attractive and security," said Udsen. "We believe that this multistakeholder model both at a national and international level is a vital component in creating robust solutions to the many challenges we face."
ICANN's President and CEO, Göran Marby, stressed the importance of diversity with respect to the future Internet users, saying "To be able to support the next generation of Internet users, we need to be diverse enough to understand the nodes going forward."
ICANN Board Chair, Dr. Stephen Crocker, remarked on the importance of working together globally to maintain the Internet. "We're all different parts of one entity united by a common purpose to help maintain an amazing global network of networks," said Crocker. "If we do our mission well, we will facilitate communication and the flow of information around the globe, but the only way that we can do that is if we work together and the work that we do together is framed by compassion and respect."
At the ceremony, ICANN's Chief Technology Officer David Conrad announced the launch of a test bed for the upcoming Key Signing Key (KSK) Rollover. "On 11 October 2017, relatively soon, we are going to be changing the root key signing key. Before that time, DNS operators, who have enabled DNSSEC validation, must update their configurations. So what we're announcing today is a test bed for DNS operators to determine the readiness to support automatic updates.."
ICANN is in the process of performing a Root Zone DNS Security Extensions (DNSSEC) Key Signing Key (KSK) rollover[icann.org]. The KSK is used to cryptographically sign the Zone Signing Key (ZSK), which is used by the Root Zone Maintainer to DNSSEC-sign the root zone of the Internet's DNS. Maintaining an up-to-date KSK is essential to ensuring DNSSEC-signed domain names continue to validate following the rollover. Internet service providers, enterprise network operators and others who operate DNSSEC validation must update their systems with the public part of the new key signing key.
Those unable to attend ICANN58 in person are highly encouraged to participate remotely. Details for remote participation in any of the sessions can be found here[schedule.icann.org].
Photos of the meeting can be found here[flickr.com].
BACKGROUND: Held three times a year, ICANN's public meetings convene members of the global, multistakeholder Internet community, made up of individual users, businesses, civil society, governments, research institutions and non-government organizations, to discuss issues impacting the Domain Name System (DNS) and develop relevant policies.
Media Contacts
Luna Madi
Communications Director, EMEA
London, U.K.
Tel: +44 7780947574
Email: luna.madi@icann.org
Buket Coskuner
Global Communications Coordinator
Istanbul, Turkey
Tel: +90 533 487 6254
Email: buket.coskuner@icann.org
About ICANN
ICANN's mission is to help 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 helps coordinate and support these unique identifiers across the world. ICANN was formed in 1998 as a not-for-profit public-benefit corporation and a community with participants from all over the world. ICANN and its community help keep the Internet secure, stable and interoperable. It also promotes competition and develops policy for the top-level of the Internet's naming system and facilitates the use of other unique Internet identifiers. For more information please visit: www.icann.org[icann.org].
https://www.icann.org/news/announcement-2017-03-13-en
13 March 2017
13 March 2017 – ICANN is offering a testing platform for network operators and other interested parties to confirm that their systems can handle the automated update process for the upcoming Root Zone Domain Name Systems Security Extensions (DNSSEC) Key Signing Key (KSK) rollover. The KSK rollover is currently scheduled for 11 October 2017.
"Currently, seven hundred and fifty million people are using DNSSEC-validating resolvers that could be affected by the KSK rollover," said ICANN's Vice President of Research, Matt Larson. "The testing platform is an easy way for operators to confirm that their infrastructure supports the ability to handle the rollover without manual intervention."
Internet service providers, network operators and others who have enabled DNSSEC validation must update their systems with the new KSK. This can be done in one of two ways:
- An operator can configure a new trust anchor manually by obtaining the new root zone KSK from the iana.org website at https://www.iana.org/dnssec/files[iana.org].
- An operator can enable a feature available in many validating resolvers that automatically detects and configures a new root zone KSK as a trust anchor, in which case they need take no action.
Check to see if your systems are ready by visiting go.icann.org/KSKtest[go.icann.org].
The KSK has been widely distributed and configured by every operator performing DNSSEC validation. If the validating resolvers using DNSSEC do not have the new key when the KSK is rolled, end users relying on those resolvers will encounter errors and be unable to access the Internet. A careful and coordinated effort is required to ensure that the update does not interfere with normal operations.
More information is available at www.icann.org/kskroll[icann.org].
https://www.icann.org/news/announcement-2017-03-11-en
11 March 2017
Today, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) announced a call for public comment[icann.org] on the draft 2016 African Domain Name System Market Study, which was commissioned in March 2016 and managed by the South African Communications Forum (SACF) for ICANN.
The goal of the study is to identify and define the strengths and weaknesses in the African DNS industry ecosystem, and develop recommendations on how to advance the industry by bringing it closer to available opportunities.
This study aims to document relevant data points and provide further analytical findings, in order to enable ICANN and players in the African names space to develop a roadmap on the scope of needs and priorities for the development and growth of both "ccTLDs and gTLDs" (the DNS market) in Africa. Its outcomes will feed into plans to establish up an observatory that will continuously monitor the growth, development and emerging needs of the DNS market in Africa.
This initiative is a direct outcome of the ICANN Africa Engagement Strategy.
The draft 2016 African Domain Name System Market Study report, which is now open for comments, can be found here[icann.org] [PDF, 5.86 MB]. Comments are due by Friday May 5, 2017 at 23.59 UTC. Please send all comments by email to africadnsstudy@icann.org.
The initial report will be discussed during ICANN58 in Copenhagen, on Monday March 13, 2017 at 12:45pm - 2:00pm UTC at Hall C1.3 (ALAC). More information can be found here[schedule.icann.org].
Background
Over 4 years ago, the African community met in Prague (ICANN44) for a historic meeting chaired by Dr. Steve Crocker and then-incoming President and CEO Fadi Chehadé. The outcome was a new approach[icann.org] to Africa, focused on:
- Developing a framework for ICANN's Africa strategy;
- Supporting stronger ICANN presence in Africa;
- Increasing Africa's participation within ICANN.
The meeting also resulted in the formation of a volunteer, nine-member Africa Strategy Working Group (ASWG), whose mission was to develop an ICANN strategy for the region. The group was motivated by the realization that Africa lacked commensurate participation in the ICANN ecosystem. This group developed the first 2012 – 2015 Africa Strategic Plan[afrinic.net].
An updated version of the strategy was released in November 2014, at the end of a meeting attended by representatives from AFNOG, AFRINIC, AFTLD, GAC, AFRALO, AFICTA, NEPAD and the African Registrars Association.
One of the key projects identified in the revised 2016-2020 ICANN Africa Strategic Plan was to conduct a study on the business feasibility of the growing DNS industry in Africa (Page 16, Strategic Objective 15), and to commission the creation of an observatory to develop new indices for DNS industry growth within Africa (page 17, strategic Objective 16). This draft study is part of the ongoing efforts to implement these objectives and further the domain name market is Africa, in partnership with you, our community.
https://www.icann.org/news/announcement-2017-03-10-en
10 March 2017
10 March 2017 – The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) today announced that Krista Papac, Director of Registry Services and Engagement for ICANN's Global Domains Division, has been named as ICANN's Complaints Officer.
"The Complaints Officer is an important new function within ICANN to help improve the ICANN organization," said CEO Göran Marby. "Krista is a long-time contributor to the ICANN organization and multistakeholder community. She is widely respected by her colleagues across the organization and has built extensive relationships with members of the community. I could not be happier with a candidate to fill this important role."
The Complaints Office will provide a centralized mechanism to track complaints received about the ICANN organization and is an additional way for the ICANN organization to be accountable for and transparent about its performance. The Complaints Officer will work with ICANN's various internal complaints processes to assist improvements and collect data about complaints received across the organization. The Complaints Officer will help ensure that any complaints about systemic issues or concerns about the organization are heard, reviewed, analyzed and resolved as openly as appropriate.
ICANN receives complaints through the Ombudsman, Reconsideration Requests and Independent Review Process filings and through various ICANN functions such as Contractual Compliance. All of these mechanisms and functions will remain the same and are not affected by this additional accountability process.
"I am honored to take on this new role for ICANN," said Krista. "My goal is to help build this new avenue for the community to have their voices heard. As the Complaints Officer, I can help give the organization better visibility into any possible systemic issues that may exist now or in the future, so we can proactively consider improvements."
The Complaints Officer will report directly to John Jeffrey, ICANN's General Counsel and Secretary. Krista will be transitioning away from her Global Domains Division role in the coming weeks, and will begin to build out the Complaints office.
Krista Papac is a seasoned executive with over 15 years of experience in the domain name industry holding a variety of roles including executive leadership and management, strategic planning, business process development, and business development. Krista joined ICANN in May 2013 as the Director of Registry Services & Engagement. During this time, she built a global team of relationship and service development experts by putting people, process and infrastructure in place to support the growth of the gTLD marketplace.
About ICANN
ICANN's mission is to help 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 helps coordinate and support these unique identifiers across the world. ICANN was formed in 1998 as a not-for-profit public-benefit corporation and a community with participants from all over the world. ICANN and its community help keep the Internet secure, stable and interoperable. It also promotes competition and develops policy for the top-level of the Internet's naming system and facilitates the use of other unique Internet identifiers.
