The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the European Registry for Internet Domains vzw (EURid), the registry that manages the .eu top-level domain (TLD). The MoU, signed on 20 June 2022, is an effort between the two organizations to strengthen their collaboration in supporting Internationalized Domain Names (IDNs) and promoting the Universal Acceptance (UA) of all domain names and email addresses.
IDNs promote a multilingual Internet by enabling people to use domain names and email addresses in local languages and scripts used globally and in the Europe region such as Cyrillic, Greek, and Latin (e.g., καθολική-αποδοχή-δοκιμή.ευ, email-épreuve@épreuve-acceptation-universelle.org). Universal Acceptance is key to supporting their use because it ensures that all domain names and email addresses – regardless of script, language, or character length – are accepted equally by all Internet-enabled applications, devices, and systems. UA includes supporting all IDN country code top-level domains (ccTLDs), as well as new, long and IDN generic top-level domains (gTLDs).
Through this MoU, ICANN and EURid will explore and identify joint activities around IDNs and UA, focusing on technical collaboration and research, educational resources, community outreach and engagement, and information sharing. The full MoU can be viewed here.
"EURid's vision, as registry operator of .eu, .ею (Cyrillic script) and .ευ (Greek script), is to ensure a trustworthy .eu environment and to enable online multilingualism. Enabling Internet users to use domain names and email addresses in local languages and scripts used globally is a key element. This Memorandum of Understanding further strengthens our collaboration with ICANN and we look forward to jointly improve the Universal Acceptance of IDNs," said EURid`s General Manager, Peter Janssen.
"Supporting IDNs and Universal Acceptance is a priority for ICANN and an important step toward an inclusive and multingual Internet," said ICANN President and CEO, Göran Marby. "Cooperation with global organizations like EURid is critical to making the Internet more accessible and viable not only for users across Europe but around the world."
If your organization is interested in coordinating with ICANN on UA-related initiatives, please email uaprogram@icann.org.