RIO DE JANEIRO: The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers today commended the second meeting of the Internet Governance Forum (IGF) in Rio de Janeiro.
"Just as was envisioned, the IGF has brought together the Internet community — including ICANN — to meet and discuss the most pressing Internet issues we face together," said Dr Paul Twomey, ICANN’s President and CEO. "ICANN has had a large number of discussions with a wide range of people at the IGF, and have built new bridges and strengthened existing relationships."
During the course of the meeting, ICANN concluded two important and significant arrangements with other international organizations.
- A global collaboration with the International Telecommunication Union and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) to build universal standards that encourage a multilingual cyberspace. [please see clarification below]
- A Memorandum of Understanding with the African Telecommunications Union to help raise awareness and increase understanding of Internet governance issues with African policy makers and regulators
"As I said in my remarks at the opening of the IGF, ICANN wants as many people as possible to take part in our community. I invite all IGF participants to get involved with ICANN and help us strengthen the single, global, interoperable Internet."
ICANN representatives also took part in panels and workshops ranging from the opening session to critical Internet resources; multilingual standards, the functioning of the DNS system, DNSSEC, malicious use of domain names, the root server system, and public policy on the Internet. ICANN also held its own public forum where it heard from participants and explained how the ICANN model is working.
Peter Dengate Thrush, ICANN’s new chair, also expressed his delight at the IGF’s bringing together of the global Internet community
"The IGF has provided us all with a great opportunity to share information and experiences, and in some cases correct misimpressions of how the Internet works and what roles organizations like ICANN play," Dengate Thrush said. "All of these discussion will play a key role in strengthening and protecting the single, global, interoperable Internet that ICANN stands for.
"The meeting has also strengthened the multistakeholder model pioneered by ICANN — where everyone from governments to civil society can participate as equals — as the best way to approach Internet issues. We look forward to more conversations next year at the IGF in India," Dengate Thrush said.
Clarification
ICANN has agreed to work in partnership with the International Telecommunication Union and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) to encourage a multilingual cyberspace, and in fact co-hosted an IGF session with these bodies, but no formal agreement was signed. ICANN apologises for any misunderstanding that may have resulted in this regard.
About ICANN:
ICANN is responsible for the global coordination of the Internet's system of unique identifiers like domain names (like .org, .museum and country codes like .uk) and the addresses used in a variety of Internet protocols that help computers reach each other over the Internet. Careful management of these resources is vital to the Internet's operation, so ICANN's global stakeholders meet regularly to develop policies that ensure the Internet's ongoing security and stability. ICANN is an internationally organized, public benefit non-profit company. For more information please visit: www.icann.org.
Media Contacts:
Jason Keenan
Media Adviser, ICANN
Ph: +1 310 382 4004
E: jason.keenan@icann.org
International: Andrew Robertson
Edelman (London)
Ph: +44 7921 588 770
E: andrew.robertson@edelman.com