ICANN Announcements

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Indian Minister of Electronics and Information Technology Reaffirms Support of Multistakeholder Model at ICANN’s 57th Public Meeting

5 November 2016

Hyderabad, India - India’s Minister of Law & Justice and Minister of Electronics and Information Technology Ravi Shankar Prasad reiterated India’s commitment to the multistakeholder model during the Opening Ceremony of the Internet Corporation of Assigned Names and Numbers’ (ICANN’s) 57th Public Meeting today.

The meeting, also known as ICANN57, is taking place in Hyderabad, India, from 3 – 9 November and has convened thousands of the global Internet community members (both on-site and remotely) to discuss and develop policies related to the Internet’s Domain Name System (DNS). It is hosted by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), with support from the Government of Telangana.

“India has supported the multistakeholder model of Internet governance and we are happy to note that the IANA stewardship transition has taken place. The Internet is a great equalizer and helps to connect all. It is now time to look ahead, to build the Internet of the future with the participation of all stakeholders,” said Prasad.

To expand India’s participation in the multistakeholder model, ICANN will work with India’s stakeholders, including the Government of India, to develop a structured framework focusing on fostering the development of the DNS industry in India. The framework will concentrate on capacity building for India’s stakeholders, gearing them up for active participation in ICANN and the multistakeholder model of Internet governance.

“With the IANA stewardship transition behind us, our top priority now is to focus on our revised mission and new bylaws, and working together with the empowered community. Expanding our outreach is key to our mission. In this context, we are keen to further deepen our ongoing engagement in India. As the second largest group of Internet users globally, we welcome India’s voice and participation,” said Göran Marby, ICANN President and CEO.

India currently leads the world with seven internationalized country code top-level domains delegated and eight more have successfully passed evaluation. There is also a Neo-Brahmi script panel in place that is defining the rules for the nine scripts used in India for evaluating future top-level domain applications work. This will serve communities using these scripts globally, paving the way for a multilingual and more inclusive Internet.

ICANN57 is the first post-IANA stewardship transition public meeting and also the first Annual General Meeting under the new Meetings Strategy.

ICANN Board Chair Dr. Stephen Crocker added, “The world is watching closely to see how a post-transition ICANN community handles its new found role. And much of that focus will be on those of you who are involved in enhancing ICANN’s accountability and transparency.”

ICANN also announced 12 winners of the 2016 Leadership award. The ICANN Leadership award is given annually at the General Meeting to outstanding member(s) of the ICANN community who over time have demonstrated a commitment to protecting and promoting the multistakeholder model. The winners this year all played important leading roles during the IANA Stewardship Transition:

  • IANA Stewardship Transition Coordination Group (ICG) – Alissa Cooper, Chair; Mohamed EL Bashir, Vice Chair; Patrik Fältström, Vice Chair
  • Cross Community Working Group on Enhancing ICANN Accountability (CCWG – Accountability) – Mathieu Weill, León Sánchez, Thomas Rickert, Co-Chairs
  • Cross Community Working Group to Develop an IANA Stewardship Transition Proposal on Naming Related Functions (CWG) – Lise Fuhr, Jonathan Robinson, Co-Chairs
  • Consolidated Regional Internet Registries IANA Stewardship Proposal Team (CRISP Team) - Izumi Okutani, Chair; Nurani Nimpuno, Vice Chair
  • IANAPLAN Working Group (IANAPLAN WG) - Marc Blanchet, Leslie Daigle, Co-Chairs

ICANN meetings are held three times a year in different regions to enable attendees from around the world to participate in person. These meetings offer a variety of sessions such as workshops, open forums and working meetings on the development and implementation of Internet policies. ICANN meetings offer the best opportunity for face-to-face discussions and exchange of opinions among attendees dedicated to the continued stable and secure operation of the Domain Name System.

To learn more about ICANN57 in Hyderabad, including remote participation, please visit: https://meetings.icann.org/en/hyderabad57

To download high-resolution photos of the meeting, please visit: https://www.flickr.com/photos/icann

Media Contacts

Liana Teo
Head of Communications, APAC
Singapore
Tel: +65 9796 5500
Email: liana.teo@icann.org



Fiona Aw
Global Communications Coordinator
Singapore
Tel: +65 9113 6621
Email: fiona.aw@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 need to type an address into your computer or other device – a name or a number. 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 and a community with participants from all over the world. For more information, visit  icann.org.