On April 23, I met with leaders of ccTLDs, Registries, and Registrars in New York City for a milestone event that converged our work initiated during each of the CEO Roundtables hosted since the beginning of this year. Throughout the roundtable series, I have learned a great deal and have been profoundly impressed by the participants’ dedication to enhancing, strengthening and advancing the Domain Name System (DNS) sector.
This particular session also marked the posting of the Proposed Final 2013 Registrar Accreditation Agreement (RAA) for which ICANN is seeking public comment. Getting to this stage, after eighteen months of intense negotiations, is a tremendous collective accomplishment and I would like to convey my sincere appreciation to the Registrar Negotiating Team for their significant contributions and collaborative dialogue throughout the process.
As part of the summit agenda, participants briefed each other on efforts to raise the profile of the DNS sector, provided status reports on various DNS initiatives, and delved into mechanisms that can be utilized to further demonstrate the value of the Internet. For instance, discussions centered on topics such as info graphics for depicting the domain name value chain; philanthropic vehicles to support DNS entrepreneurship in the developing world; industry conferences and consumer awareness forums; and proposals to codify ethical standards for DNS businesses. What I found to be particularly beneficial during our interactive brainstorming sessions were the perspectives and experiences of the ccTLD operators.
We emerged with a timeline for completing our work to be showcased to the broader community at ICANN 47 in Durban in July. I want to emphasize this work was conducted entirely by the CEOs, with ICANN serving as facilitator, and it was truly exciting to see this diverse group of leaders in action.
In addition, a sub-group of participants presented their plans to form a Domain Name Industry Association, entirely independent of ICANN, designed to further the interests of a range of organizations within the ever-evolving DNS sector.
During the latter part of our meeting, we focused on ICANN’s future through an interactive session, one of many conversations to take place in the coming months. As I explained in Beijing, we will begin a process in June toward creating a new vision and a five-year strategic plan for ICANN, and all stakeholders are invited to participate. More information: Video and Strategy Conversation.
I am extremely grateful to everyone who could be there, including ICANN Board Members Cherine Chalaby and Bruce Tonkin, and for their deep insights on how ICANN can continue to achieve its goal of becoming a mature, inclusive and efficient organization. ICANN’s Engagement Team is already at work organizing comparable events and is planning a CEO Roundtable for leaders from academia, civil society and nonprofits in the near future.
Our work, however, is only just beginning as we look ahead to the bright horizon. The New gTLD Program Timeline [PDF, 488 KB] is reflective of these important endeavors, and I remain invigorated by the forward steps that we are all achieving together.
