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Countdown to ICANN58 - Get Ready! 
In just five days, ICANN58 kicks off in Copenhagen, Denmark. The meeting runs from 11-16 March. We have created a set of tools that will keep you informed before and during the meeting.
 
Remote and On-Site Participants

* ICANN58 Mobile App. Manage your meeting experience - access the meeting schedule, network with fellow participants, view the venue map, find information about Copenhagen and more. Download the ICANN58 mobile app, available in app stores. 
* ICANN58 Meeting Schedule. Find out everything about the sessions at ICANN58. The meeting schedule lists all sessions - with descriptions, dates, times and locations - plus information about how you can participate remotely. 

On-Site Participants
  • ICANN58 Guide. Use this handy and comprehensive guide that contains a map of the Bella Centre, health and safety information, lists of notable and high interest sessions, schedule of social events and more.
  • Shuttle Schedule. Plan your daily trip to and from your hotel and the Bella Center.
  • Copenhagen Travel Pass. Take advantage of Copenhagen's reliable public transportation. All ICANN58 participants can obtain a reduced fare for the Copenhagen Travel Pass, which covers all forms of public transportation for the duration of the meeting. The pass is good for metro, bus and train, including transit to and from the airport.
Third Turkey DNS Forum Draws Participants >From Across the Region

Turkey DNS Forum brings together leaders from various sectors.

Around 150 participants attended the third Turkey Domain Name System (DNS) Forum, which took place 15-16 February 2017 in Istanbul. The event was opened by Dr. Ömer Fatih Sayan, the Chairman of the Information and Communications Technologies Authority of Turkey (BTK).
 
Under the theme "Building Bridges," the event covered trends in the domain name industry, DNS and cybersecurity, websites and social media in Turkey, legal aspects of domain names and an introduction to ICANN. The forum offered two tutorials on the DNS - one on legal aspects and the other on technical aspects. Attendees engaged in constructive discussions and debates with the panelists and speakers. Common themes were wanting to become more informed about DNS issues and about ICANN's Supporting Organizations and Advisory Committees.
 
ICANN's FY17 Q2 Quarterly Stakeholder Call was held on the first day of the forum. The call was broadcast during the event with real-time Turkish interpretation.
 
Es gibt keinen Knopf zur Abschaltung des Internets
Cherine Chalaby addresses participants at Domain pulse 2017.
ICANN Board Member Chalaby Speaks at Domain Name System Event in Vienna
The 13th Domain pulse conference was held in Vienna, Austria, on 16 and 17 February, and attracted over 300 participants. This meeting targets the German-speaking market and is hosted on a rotating basis by the three German speaking ccTLDs: .at (Austria), .ch (Switzerland) and .de (Germany). This year's theme was "Networks in Networks." Cherine Chalaby, Member of the ICANN Board of Directors, gave a speech on behalf of the ICANN Board on key issues of the DNS today and tomorrow.
 
One topic of discussion was what ICANN looks like after the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) stewardship transition, specifically whether the new system will be stable enough. Other sessions dealt with topics such as the current state of the domain name market, privacy and data protection, and challenges the DNS industry faces. 
ICANN Participates in "Safer Internet Week" Events
The first week of February marks "Safer Internet Week" in Russia. This year, ICANN experts participated in two key events: National Forum for Information Security (InfoForum-2017) and Cybersecurity Forum.
 
The annual InfoForum typically attracts participants from government agencies and the technical community. At the event, Michael Yakushev, VP of Stakeholder Engagement in Eastern Europe and Central Asia, gave a keynote speech on the trust factor in strengthening the security and safety of information systems connected to the Internet. Trust, accountability and transparency are among the most important pillars of ICANN-led ecosystem and policy-development procedures. Yakushev shared his views and ICANN's role in policymaking for Internet standards and regulation. Other presentations focused on issues such as big data, the Internet of things and online data protection.
 
The second event, the Cybersecurity Forum, traditionally attracts a more business-oriented audience. Discussions focused on how we can cooperate to make the Internet safer. Yakushev greeted participants at the opening session and moderated a panel on Internet security regulation.
 
The participation of Michael Yakushev and Alexandra Kulikova, ICANN's regional Global Stakeholder Engagement Manager, showed ICANN's support for the security and resiliency of the global Internet infrastructure. It also reinforced ICANN's positive relationship with different communities from the region.
Two-Day Capacity-Building Workshop Held in Lesotho
On 1-2 March, ICANN's Bob Ochieng, Stakeholder Engagement Manager of East Africa, was invited by the Lesotho Network Information Centre (LSNIC), the newly formed national country code top-level domain (ccTLD) registry operator for .ls (Lesotho). Ochieng gave a capacity-building workshop for the Board of Directors appointed to run this new registry.
 
While the ccTLD is currently under the custody of the National University of Lesotho (Admin Contact), the technical management (Technical Contact) was outsourced to Rhodes University in South Africa by mutual agreement.
 
With the support of the regulator, a national registry has now been set up to assume the operations of the ccTLD, initially to be supported by the Universal Service Fund. The workshop was designed to introduce the new Board and management to the DNS ecosystem, the players involved and the principles of good corporate governance. ICANN, KeNIC (.ke registry) and the Africa TLD Association (AFTLD) participated in the workshop. A special consultant was hired to cover corporate governance.
 
The Kingdom of Lesotho has a population of about 1.9 million, which is distributed throughout ten districts. Almost two-thirds of the country is mountainous.
Implementing ICANN's Africa Strategy: Quarterly Call on DNS Security
The DNS Security Extensions (DNNSEC) Roadshow is a key program in the ICANN Africa Strategy. The DNSSEC quarterly call is an online meeting where participants share experiences and get news about DNSSEC operations in Africa. This quarter's call took place on 7 February, with the participation of 13 ccTLD managers who have implemented or in the process of implementing DNSSEC. Some of the African ccTLDs have proceeded to signing their zone's files after completing this program's workshops on DNSSEC. Other topics were the key signing key (KSK) rollover, business continuity and contingence planning.

Don't Forget Today's Pre-ICANN58 Policy Open House!

Monday, 6 March 2017 
10:00 UTC and 19:00 UTC 

To prepare community members for the upcoming Community Forum in Copenhagen, the Policy Development Support Team is hosting a Pre-ICANN58 Policy Open House today. Subject matter experts will provide brief updates on the policy and advice development work of the Supporting Organizations and Advisory Committees. The new interactive format will also feature an open question-and-answer exchange and a general overview of what to expect at ICANN58.
 
As usual, we will conduct two 60-minute sessions to accommodate participants from different regions and time zones. We plan to publish all relevant documents and materials beforehand, giving community members time to review all materials before the open house sessions.
 
Read the full announcement and register now!
Read the Pre-ICANN58 Policy Report and GNSO Policy Briefing
Two reports are now available to help you prepare for ICANN58.
Pre-ICANN58 Policy Report. The Supporting Organizations and Advisory Committees update you on what to expect for ICANN58. The report features information such as what to expect in policy and advice development work, background information and issue briefings, as well as session details.

GNSO Policy Briefing for ICANN58. The report describes relevant Generic Names Supporting Organization (GNSO) policy efforts, topics to be discussed, policy development processes, working groups and implementation review teams. You will also find information about all GNSO sessions.
Participate Remotely in ICANN58 
Not everyone can travel to Copenhagen to attend ICANN58, but ICANN strives to create an equal experience for everyone. We offer remote participation with livestream audio and video for all sessions. For some larger sessions, we also offer interpretation and transcription. All public sessions are recorded, transcribed, translated and archived in the Meeting Calendar on the ICANN Meetings website.
 
ICANN has chosen Adobe Connect (AC) as our tool for remote participation. During the sessions, ICANN staff members oversee the AC technical services. The AC chat rooms offer a  means for remote participants to interact with other participants, ask questions in real time and alert staff to any technical issues.
 
How can you participate? On the ICANN58 Meeting Schedule, on every session's page, you'll find a link to the AC "virtual room" - it has the same name as the on-site room. Click this link to enter the AC room. If you need technical or operational support in an AC room, contact the participant named "RP," visible in the Participant pod.
 
See you online at ICANN58!
What's New at ICANN's Development and Public Responsibility Department? 
Recently, the ICANN organization has been taking stock of feedback from stakeholders on how to improve existing programs and tools to better support the ICANN community's work. A recurring theme is the need to clarify the role and scope of the Development and Public Responsibility Department (DPRD). We must also better define the label "development," which is often confused with involvement in political, social and economic development issues. To address this feedback and to better reflect the nature of our work, beginning 1 July 2017, the department will change its name to "Public Responsibility Support."
 
There is an increased demand from across the ICANN regions for capacity-development opportunities. We are in the planning stages of scaling up ICANN Learn to serve as a space for skill building and knowledge sharing for all stakeholder groups. We will be expanding language capabilities to include non-U.N. languages. We are grateful to the community for this type of feedback and guidance.
 
Our flagship meeting programs - the Fellowship Program, Newcomers Day and NextGen@ICANN - remain key to strengthening broad participation, knowledge and diversity across ICANN. As ICANN58 nears, we look forward to continuing to work closely with the community to improve the quality of the tools and support needed to carry out ICANN's mission.  
Missed the Quarterly Stakeholder Call?
On 15 February 2017, ICANN held its quarterly stakeholder call for the second quarter of the 2017 fiscal year. If you couldn't attend live, you can access the presentation, transcripts and recordings. The Adobe Connect recording and presentation materials are posted in English. Session transcripts and audio recordings are available in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Portuguese, Russian and Spanish.
Get Involved with ICANN Reviews 

ICANN reviews are crucial tools that assess the health of ICANN, its Supporting Organizations and Advisory Committees. Reviews indicate how well they operate, how effective they are in achieving their purpose and how they are held accountable to the stakeholder community.  If you're interested, here are ways you can learn more and participate. 

 

  • Meet the members of the Security, Stability and Resiliency of the Domain Name System (DNS) Review Team (SSR2 Review Team). Share your input on the scope of this review at the open session at ICANN58. 

  • Apply to be considered for the team that will conduct the Third ICANN Accountability and Transparency Review (ATRT3). Deadline: Friday, 21 April 2017, 23:59 Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). 

Calling All Students and Academics: RACI Applications Open
The Réseaux IP Européens (RIPE) Academic Cooperation Initiative (RACI) is looking for talented researchers in the field of Internet technology to share their research with the RIPE community. Successful applicants will receive complimentary tickets, travel and accommodation for meetings. They'll have the opportunity to present their work to some of the leading technical figures in the Internet world.
 
Applicants can submit presentations in the field of network measurements and analyses, Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6) deployment, Border Gateway Protocol (BGP) routing, network security, Internet governance, peering and interconnectivity or the Internet of Things (IoT).
 
Application Deadlines
  • ENOG 13 (23-24 May, St. Petersburg, Russia): Apply by 19 March 2017.
  • SEE 6 (12-13 June, Budva, Montenegro): Apply by 9 April 2017.
African GAC Members Participate in First Capacity-Building Workshop
ICANN and the Communication Authority (CA) of Kenya hosted a four-day capacity-building workshop in Nairobi, Kenya, in late January. The workshop was held in collaboration with law enforcement agencies and the Governmental Advisory Committee (GAC) Underserved Regions and Public Safety Working Groups.
 
The first two days focused on raising awareness and assisting African GAC members on how they can effectively participate in and contribute to policy development at ICANN. The workshop covered topics such as understanding the ICANN ecosystem, the policy development processes, new gTLDs and the role of the GAC.
 
The last two days featured capacity building with law enforcement agencies on topics such as the definition and mitigation of abuse in the domain name system. Participants discussed how these issues can be addressed through processes and contracts at ICANN and how law enforcement agencies can better engage with ICANN.
 
Documentation and reports from the workshop can be found on the following webpages: GAC Underserved Regions Working Group and GAC Public Safety Working Group.
At-Large Review Workshop Planned Ahead of Public Comment Deadline
A public workshop on the At-Large review will be held at ICANN58 on Wednesday, 15 March, from 15:15-16:45 local time. It will follow up on the topics covered in a webinar held 27 February. The workshop will also provide an opportunity for a community-wide discussion on the findings and proposed recommendations, with the goal of developing useful and implementable final recommendations.
 
ITEMS International, the independent examiner, has been conducting the organizational review of the At-Large community. Its draft report proposes 16 recommendations that ITEMS believes will help improve the At-Large community's structure and effectiveness, regional and global meetings, funding regime and support staff.
 
The draft report is available for public comment for three more weeks. Provide your feedback by 24 March!
CCWG-UCTN Publishes Interim Paper for Public Comment
The Cross-Community Working Group on the Use of Country and Territory Names as TLDs (CCWG-UCTN) has decided that two-character codes (in ASCII) should remain reserved for country code top-level domains (ccTLDs), which adheres to the ISO 3166 standard. After analyzing community feedback on three-character codes, the CCWG-UCTN discussed a proposal during and after ICANN55. The CCWG-UCTN also held a broad cross-community session at ICANN56. Since ICANN57, the CCWG-UCTN has been developing its interim report for public comment, including its consensus views, issues faced, and its conviction that a harmonized framework for the use of country, territory and other geographic names is not feasible. This was the first task for the CCWG-UCTN, as outlined in its charter. The public comment proceeding will remain open until 21 April 2017.
ICANN Board Accepts the GNSO Review Implementation Plan
On 3 February, the ICANN Board accepted the GNSO Review Implementation Plan for the 34 recommendations of the GNSO Review Final Report. In particular, the ICANN Board supports the three-phased prioritization approach laid out in the implementation plan and indicated it would welcome more implementation details for Phases 2 and 3 regarding the high, medium and low priority recommendations. The ICANN Board directed the GNSO Review Work Party to provide updates - detailing progress and measurability - to its Organizational Effectiveness Committee (OEC) every six months. Any budgetary implications of implementing the GNSO review recommendations will be part of the ICANN Board's annual budgeting process. Read more.
Available for Comment - Competition, Consumer Trust and Consumer Choice Draft Report
ICANN has published a draft report of findings and initial recommendations from the Competition, Consumer Trust and Consumer Choice review. The report examines the extent to which the introduction of new generic top-level domains (gTLDs) has promoted competition, consumer trust and consumer choice in the domain name system. It also assesses the effectiveness of the safeguards ICANN has implemented to mitigate issues related to the introduction new gTLDs. Read the draft report or submit a comment. Additionally, you can join the CCT Review Team engagement session at ICANN58, where the team will discuss its findings.
Universal Acceptance: New Resources Available
The Universal Acceptance Steering Group (UASG) has made significant progress in the last year toward its goal of helping software developers and website owners understand how to update their systems to keep pace with an evolving domain name system. The group has launched a dedicated website that hosts a comprehensive collection of educational resources, such as quick guides for developers - available in multiple languages - on Universal Acceptance in general and Email Address Internationalization in particular. The guides include key terms and recommended steps to becoming Universal Acceptance-ready. The website also hosts case studies that highlight how organizations are raising awareness of Universal Acceptance and ensuring their systems are accessible to everyone. Visit www.uasg.tech to learn more.
Voting Now Open - Global Amendment to the Base New gTLD Registry Agreement
Applicable registry operators are now able to vote on the Global Amendment to the base New gTLD Registry Agreement. Voting is open until 10 April 2017 at 23:59 Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). 

The proposed amendment is the result of discussions between ICANN and a working group established by the Registries Stakeholder Group. If applicable registry operators approve the proposed amendment, it will go to the ICANN Board of Directors for approval. If the Board approves the amendment, it will become effective 60 days after ICANN notifies registry operators of Board approval. If applicable registry operators do not approve the proposed amendment, the current Registry Agreement will remain in full force and effect. 

Visit the Global Amendment webpage to access resources such as a summary of proposed changes, webinar recordings and answers to frequently asked questions.
Now Available: Revised Report of the Independent Review of the Trademark Clearinghouse
An independent review of the Trademark Clearinghouse was conducted by Analysis Group, a third-party consulting firm, as part of the New gTLD Program reviews. The firm examined whether domains that relate to (but do not exactly match) trademarks should be considered for use in the Sunrise and Claims periods of a new gTLD's life cycle. The review also explores if extending the number of days of the Claims service would be of value. The revised report is expected to help inform discussions and policy development regarding Rights Protection Mechanisms in the New gTLD Program. Read the report.
Thick WHOIS Registration Data Directory Services Requirements to Take Effect
On 1 February 2017, ICANN announced that gTLD contracted parties must update their registration data directory services to comply with: 

 

* Thick WHOIS Transition Policy for .COM, .NET and .JOBS 

* Registry Registration Data Directory Services Consistent Labeling and Display Policy 

 

The policies require all gTLD registrations to be "Thick" with a consistent labeling and display of WHOIS output. Learn more.

1 new gTLD and 1 ccTLD delegated in February

africa
پاکستان, "Pakistan", /pakistan/

Join us at these upcoming EMEA events:
 

Learn more about how ICANN will be participating in regional events near you.