The ICANN Board and I would like to thank all those who attended the ICANN82 Community Forum. We appreciate your engagement and contributions immensely.
Before the meeting got underway in Seattle and online, the Board participated in the virtual ICANN82 Prep Week by hosting an engagement session with the community. For this session, Board members led discussions in separate breakout rooms about ICANN's ongoing efforts to understand and address the global public interest, as well as the development of the updated ICP-2 document. The Board is grateful for the community's input and perspectives on these two important topics.
Next, the Board held a three-day workshop ahead of the Community Forum. There were several key areas in which the Board advanced its work during the workshop and ICANN82:
ALAC Info Session: The workshop featured a public informational session with the At-Large Advisory Committee (ALAC) as part of a continuing series with ICANN's Supporting Organizations and Advisory Committees. ALAC leadership explained the structure of the committee and the At-Large community. Additionally, they outlined ALAC's policy and operational priorities, including the next round of new generic top-level domain (gTLD) applications, DNS Abuse mitigation, and evolving and strengthening ICANN's multistakeholder model to facilitate diverse and inclusive participation in policymaking. If you missed the session, the recording is available on the Board Activities and Meetings page.
New gTLD Program: Next Round: The Board reviewed the implementation status of the next round, including the development of the gTLD application processing project, progress on the new Base Registry Agreement, the approval process for vendor contracts, and upcoming milestones for the Applicant Guidebook.
Reviews: The Board discussed the timing, scope, and objectives of the Fourth Accountability and Transparency Review (ATRT4), which we will consider initiating in April 2025. Acknowledging the work still in progress to implement the ATRT3 recommendations, as well as the community capacity constraints associated with review work, the Board agreed to seek input from the community during ICANN82 on how to move forward with reviews, including ATRT4.
The Board's subsequent discussions with several community groups demonstrated the need to establish a review schedule that is sustainable and meaningful, with the understanding that additional measures may be needed to ensure that ICANN reviews are fit for purpose. We received suggestions that the ATRT4 scope should be focused on further evolving ICANN's review mechanisms. The Board will take stock of the input received to inform its decision.
Finances: The Board reviewed ICANN's financials for the first seven months of the fiscal year and the status of the ongoing cost-saving efforts. These actions have allowed ICANN to reduce costs to well below last year and even below this year's budget. ICANN's financial position has improved compared with last year due to higher funding and efforts to reduce costs.
Strategic Plan: As usual, the ICANN Public Meeting concluded with a Regular Board Meeting on Thursday, 13 March. The Board adopted the ICANN Strategic Plan for Fiscal Years 2026–2030, officially opening a new chapter for ICANN. This plan belongs to all of us, and we must work together to bring it to fruition. The Empowered Community process is underway, and if no petitions are raised, the plan will go into effect on 1 July 2025.
I am grateful to the co-chairs of the Board Strategic Planning Committee, Maarten Botterman and Chris Chapman, for their leadership in developing the plan over the past year. I also would like to thank the members of the ICANN community, organization (org), and Board for their input and hard work to create our road map for the next five years.
UA: One of the goals of the new Strategic Plan is to facilitate digital inclusion, which includes promoting the advancement of Universal Acceptance (UA) and Internationalized Domain Names (IDNs). In light of this renewed focus on UA and IDNs, the Board approved a resolution directing ICANN org to evaluate and evolve strategies to support UA adoption. At the same time, the Board recognizes and applauds the contributions of the Universal Acceptance Steering Group for the past 10 years in support of this goal.
ICANN's work to build a more multilingual DNS not only creates a more inclusive Internet, but it also helps the broader effort to preserve the diverse languages of the world, and thereby heritage and culture.
New Board Member: The Board welcomed a new director at this workshop and meeting: Byron Holland was nominated by the Country Code Names Supporting Organization to fill a vacant seat on the Board. As a longtime member of the ICANN community, Byron's expertise is an asset to the Board.
After a productive Board Workshop and Community Forum, let us continue to collaborate and build consensus as we pursue our shared goals. Even in unpredictable times, we can provide stability, security, and unity for the Internet by fulfilling our mission. Thank you for your hard work at ICANN82, and I will see you at ICANN83 in June!
