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A Year of Progress: The New gTLD Program in 2024

19 December 2024
By
Lars Hoffmann

Lars Hoffmann

VP, Policy Development & GAC Relations

Lars joined ICANN in January 2013 as a Policy Specialist, supporting the GNSO in its policy development processes, after which he worked for ICANN’s Strategic Initiative function, where he oversaw ICANN’s organizational reviews. In August 2020, Lars took on the role of Senior Director for Policy Research within the Global Domains and Strategy function where his responsibilities included the policy and implementation lifecycle of community-developed consensus policies. On 1 November 2023 Lars was promoted to Vice President, New gTLD Program Management, acting also as the deputy program lead.

Prior to joining ICANN, Lars was an Assistant Professor of European Constitutional Law at the University of Maastricht. He holds a doctorate in International Relations from the University of Oxford and an MSc in Political Economy from the London School of Economics. He was born in Germany and speaks German, English, French, and Dutch, and he can sometimes solve a Rubix cube.

 and
Marika Konings

Marika Konings

VP, New gTLD Program Lead

Marika Konings joined ICANN in July 2008. In her current role as Vice President, new gTLD Program, Lead, she provides leadership and direction over multiple tracks of organizational activities toward implementation of a subsequent round of ICANN's new gTLD Program.

Previously, she served the organization as Vice President, Policy Development Support. In this capacity she supported and coordinated cross-functional activities that aid the development of global policies that advance ICANN’s mission of preserving the security, stability, and interoperability of the Internet. In addition, she was responsible for providing guidance, direction, and advice to staff across the Policy function in achieving organizational objectives.

Prior to joining ICANN, Marika was Director of European Affairs for the Cyber Security Industry Alliance. Before that, Marika spent seven years as senior consultant for a Brussels-based public affairs consultancy, where she represented health care and technology clients. Marika is a Dutch national and has a degree from the University of Maastricht, the Netherlands, in Culture and Sciences and a Master's Degree in European Political and Administrative Studies from the College of Europe in Bruges, Belgium.

Over the past 12 months, the ICANN Board, community, and organization have collaborated to progress the implementation of the New gTLD Program: Next Round – projected to open for applications in April 2026.

Together, we reached a major milestone with the launch of the Applicant Support Program (ASP) and Registry Service Provider (RSP) Evaluation Program on 19 November. Both programs opened as planned, thanks to the efforts of the org and Implementation Review Team (IRT). In addition to completing the respective handbooks, both teams also are promoting these programs through outreach and engagement activities. For the ASP, this specifically focuses on building awareness of the opportunities new gTLDs may offer and the availability of assistance through the ASP among underrepresented populations.

We are pleased to report that these efforts are paying off. As of this writing, 17 organizations are in the process of applying for support via the ASP and 20 organizations are looking to be evaluated through the RSP Evaluation Program in different stages of the journey.

Important progress also is being made on the Applicant Guidebook (AGB), on which there were three Public Comment periods over the last year covering more than a dozen topics. Additionally, we received helpful direction from the Board on topics such as contention resolution, including the replacement string concept. A first draft of the updated Registry Agreement, an essential element of the New gTLD Program, is being reviewed by the IRT and will be published for Public Comment in 2025. ICANN also is making progress on the design of procedures and systems that will accompany the AGB that will enable ICANN to receive and process gTLD applications in April 2026.

None of these accomplishments would have been possible without the tireless efforts of the ICANN community and the dedication of ICANN org's New gTLD Program team. Their insights, expertise, and passion drive the success of the New gTLD Program. There is still a lot of work ahead, with important milestones expected for 2025 – including the completion of the AGB and adoption by the ICANN Board, the closing of the ASP and RSP pre-evaluation application submission periods, and evaluation results of ASP and RSP applicants.

We wish you a holiday season filled with joy, peace, and rest, and look forward to another exciting year of progress and collaboration in 2025!

Authors

Lars Hoffmann

Lars Hoffmann

VP, Policy Development & GAC Relations
Lars Hoffmann

Lars Hoffmann

VP, Policy Development & GAC Relations

Lars joined ICANN in January 2013 as a Policy Specialist, supporting the GNSO in its policy development processes, after which he worked for ICANN’s Strategic Initiative function, where he oversaw ICANN’s organizational reviews. In August 2020, Lars took on the role of Senior Director for Policy Research within the Global Domains and Strategy function where his responsibilities included the policy and implementation lifecycle of community-developed consensus policies. On 1 November 2023 Lars was promoted to Vice President, New gTLD Program Management, acting also as the deputy program lead.

Prior to joining ICANN, Lars was an Assistant Professor of European Constitutional Law at the University of Maastricht. He holds a doctorate in International Relations from the University of Oxford and an MSc in Political Economy from the London School of Economics. He was born in Germany and speaks German, English, French, and Dutch, and he can sometimes solve a Rubix cube.

Marika Konings

Marika Konings

VP, New gTLD Program Lead
Marika Konings

Marika Konings

VP, New gTLD Program Lead

Marika Konings joined ICANN in July 2008. In her current role as Vice President, new gTLD Program, Lead, she provides leadership and direction over multiple tracks of organizational activities toward implementation of a subsequent round of ICANN's new gTLD Program.

Previously, she served the organization as Vice President, Policy Development Support. In this capacity she supported and coordinated cross-functional activities that aid the development of global policies that advance ICANN’s mission of preserving the security, stability, and interoperability of the Internet. In addition, she was responsible for providing guidance, direction, and advice to staff across the Policy function in achieving organizational objectives.

Prior to joining ICANN, Marika was Director of European Affairs for the Cyber Security Industry Alliance. Before that, Marika spent seven years as senior consultant for a Brussels-based public affairs consultancy, where she represented health care and technology clients. Marika is a Dutch national and has a degree from the University of Maastricht, the Netherlands, in Culture and Sciences and a Master's Degree in European Political and Administrative Studies from the College of Europe in Bruges, Belgium.

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