This month, members of the ICANN community, Board, and organization will be in Geneva, Switzerland, participating in the 12th annual meeting of the Internet Governance Forum (IGF). It seems only fitting to point out that Geneva is where the first phase of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) – which initiated the IGF – took place back in 2003. It is also the home of the IGF Secretariat.
The event will take place from 18 to 21 December 2017 at the Palais de Nations.
Since its inception, the IGF has evolved to become a unique and important platform for global dialogue on the development of the Internet, involving stakeholders from the wider Internet community. The IGF will afford ICANN an opportunity for bilateral discussions with a range of stakeholders from around the world.
This year, as in previous years, ICANN will engage in dialogue through a number of sessions, either as participants or through organized ICANN sessions. Key topics of discussion will be:
- General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)
- Multistakeholder governance in the Domain Name System (DNS)
- Emerging identifier technologies and how they may play a role in the evolution of the Internet, including in the proliferation of the Internet of Things (IOT)
- Voice of civil society in ICANN
We will hold our customary ICANN Open Forum, which I encourage you to attend. Göran Marby, ICANN CEO and President, and Cherine Chalaby, Chair of the ICANN Board, will brief participants on areas ICANN is addressing. These include the community's preparatory work for a potential new application process for generic top-level domains (gTLDs) and an update on the effect of the implementation of GDPR legislation in Europe. This will be an interactive session where IGF participants will be able to engage in an open dialogue and exchange views with ICANN's leadership.
Below are the main ICANN sessions at the IGF.
| Date | Time | Title |
|---|---|---|
| 17 December | 15:00–16:30 | How Digital activists are shaping the evolution of the Internet: the voice of civil society in ICANN |
| 17 December | 16:30–18:00 | The DNS and Emerging Identifiers (including DOA) |
| 19 December | 09:00–10:30 | Multistakeholder governance of the Domain Name System, lessons learned for other IG issues (WS76) – CCWG IG Session. |
| 19 December | 16:10–17:10 | ICANN Open Forum: ICANN – Looking ahead: - Challenges and Opportunities (OF50) |
ICANN community members have organized or will take part in other workshops, forums, and sessions. For more information, see the IGF website.
On the ground, the Government Engagement team, led by Tarek Kamel, will be coordinating the involvement of ICANN in this significant event.
We look forward to seeing you there soon!