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ICANN Global Indigenous Ambassador Program Accepts Applications

8 November 2017

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LOS ANGELES – 8 November 2017 – The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) today announced the opening of applications for the Global Indigenous Ambassador Program. Two Indigenous Ambassadors will be selected from underrepresented indigenous communities to attend ICANN61.

Applicants must be members of unserved or underserved tribal or native communities and meet the ICANN Fellowship Program criteria. Selected participants will receive travel, hotel, and per diem for the ICANN61 Conference in Puerto Rico, to be held 10-15 March 2018.

"ICANN will be better equipped to support the next generation of the global Internet community through the inclusion of a broader and more diverse base of knowledgeable constituents." Said Loris Taylor, President & CEO, Native Public Media, "This is an exciting opportunity for two Indigenous Ambassadors to learn about ICANN and the At-Large Community, representing the best interests of Internet end users."

The deadline for submitting applications is 17 November 2017.

ICANN wants participants to learn as much as possible during ICANN61. As part of the program, Indigenous Ambassadors will:

  • Work with an indigenous mentor for the duration of the conference.
  • Attend the ICANN Newcomer meeting with a Public Responsibility Support team representative who will facilitate the session to ensure inclusion.
  • Participate in the Fellowship morning sessions for the duration of the conference to gain an understanding of and experience with ICANN and the multistakeholder community.
  • Participate in the newcomer Onboarding Program both prior to coming to ICANN61 and during ICANN61.
  • Submit a detailed report within 30 days after the conference – describing activities and assessing the Ambassador's experience. These reports help ICANN evaluate future Fellowship efforts.

This round of the program will launch at around the ICANN60 Public Meeting in Abu Dhabi in October 2017. In the previous round, applications for ambassadors, which was expanded to global indigenous communities, were received from nearly all continents. The two ICANN60 Ambassadors are from the United States and Bolivia, and the Indigenous Mentor is from Brazil.

ICANN encourages anyone who is qualified to apply for this special opportunity!

About ICANN

ICANN's mission is to help ensure a stable, secure, and unified global Internet. To reach another person on the Internet, you need to type an address – a name or a number – into your computer or other device. That address must 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 with a community of participants from all over the world.