Two years ago during ICANN63, the ICANN Board approved an eight-year plan to replenish the ICANN Reserve Fund to an amount equal to one year of operating expenses as the minimum target level of the Reserve Fund. Last month, for the first time in ICANN’s history, the...

With all ICANN meetings, our goal is to provide a secure and inclusive space for all participants. The COVID-19 pandemic has made this objective all the more important. The virtual meeting format, which we launched with ICANN67 in March and improved with ICANN68 in June,...

From 9 to 11 September, the ICANN Board held a virtual workshop focused on organizing our work and ensuring that we are fully prepared to deliver on our operational priorities. With ICANN69, our Annual General Meeting (AGM), quickly approaching, it was also an opportunity...

I am pleased to update our community on the installation of an ICANN Managed Root Server (IMRS) cluster in Singapore. This new cluster will help to increase the root server capacity for the Asia Pacific region and bolster the resiliency of the entire Root Server System....

Today, we published the first Public Technical Identifiers (PTI) strategic plan, the last step in fulfilling the implementation plan outlined in the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) stewardship transition by the cross-community working group. To view the...

I hope you and your loved ones are staying safe during these unprecedented times. We appreciate all the work our community is undertaking, despite the limitations as a result of COVID-19. I would like to share with you that ICANN org has updated its travel and meetings...

As part of an effort to keep the community informed about the evolution of policy and management of registration data, new information about the ICANN org's ongoing projects related to Registration Data Directory Services (RDDS) has been published. This roadmap, which is...

This week, the Board will be meeting remotely from 9 to 11 September to discuss and deliberate on several pressing issues. While the present circumstances continue to disrupt how the Board normally meets and conducts its business, it’s important that we keep our momentum...

ICANN's Office of the Chief Technology Officer (OCTO) is tasked with the formidable mission: to help improve the technical posture of ICANN in the world. As part of this mission, the OCTO team creates and publishes a portfolio of research papers and technical briefings...

The Domain Name System Security Facilitation Initiative Technical Study Group (DSFI-TSG) is now well underway and has completed its first major milestone: finalizing its charter and scope. Attacks on the DNS rarely impact only one actor in the Internet ecosystem and many...

In May 2020, we shared an update on the 2020 NomCom’s progress with selecting qualified candidates for open ICANN leadership positions. At that time, we advised that the COVID-19 pandemic would require us to revise our timeline. As you know, we normally would have...

In March 2019, the Board took action on the Competition, Consumer Trust, and Consumer Choice Review Team (CCT-RT) Final Report. In a subsequent blog, former Board Chair Cherine Chalaby explained how the Board considered the CCT-RT Final Recommendations and provided...

On behalf of the Generic Names Supporting Organization (GNSO) New generic top-level domain (gTLD) Subsequent Procedures Policy Development Process (PDP) Working Group (WG), we are pleased to announce the publication of our draft Final Report and the start of the Public...

The Government Engagement (GE) function at ICANN org is responsible for the development and implementation of a global strategy to engage with governments and intergovernmental organizations (IGOs). The GE team, comprised of political issue-based subject-matter experts,...

In June, I shared several organizational changes intended to help us support our community by improving efficiencies, strengthening collaboration, and maximizing our resources. This evolution included giving Xavier Calvez, Senior Vice President and Chief Financial...

On behalf of the Expedited Policy Development Process (EPDP) Team on the Temporary Specification for generic top-level domain (gTLD) Registration Data, I am pleased to announce the publication of the Team's Phase 2 Final Report. The Final Report sets out the EPDP Team's...

Since late 2019, country code top-level domains (ccTLDs) have been able to voluntarily participate in the Domain Abuse Activity Reporting (DAAR) system designed by ICANN's Office of the Chief Technology Officer (OCTO). The DAAR system is used to study and report on domain...

As a follow-up to my previous blog seeking feedback, I am pleased to announce that the Asia Pacific (APAC) Regional Plan for Fiscal Years (FY) 2021-2025 is now finalized. I am grateful for the input provided by the APAC community over the last few months of consultations,...

The world around ICANN is changing, and ICANN needs to evolve with it. Each year, I work with the ICANN Board to develop my goals for the next fiscal year, and then work with the Executive team to build a plan to achieve them. We set goals to help the entire ICANN...

I am pleased to share with you ICANN's final Africa Regional Plan for Fiscal Years (FY) 2021-2025. The launch of the ICANN Strategic Plan for FY21-25 provided an opportunity to review and realign our engagement plan for Africa. Accordingly, the Global Stakeholder...

In May 2020, the Information Transparency Initiative (ITI) team released a preview of the improved ICANN.org, giving the ICANN community an opportunity to see and experiment with some of the content types they have been working on to improve accessibility and findability...

One way ICANN fulfills its mission of ensuring the stable and secure operation of the Internet's unique identifier systems is by monitoring and collecting Domain Name System (DNS) related data. For this purpose, ICANN has launched a number of data-collecting initiatives,...

In-person ICANN meetings and workshops may be on hold in light of COVID-19-related travel restrictions, but we are continuing to develop self-paced online learning opportunities hosted on ICANN Learn. Capacity development is a significant way to enhance engagement with...

The ICANN community’s commitment to its work during these difficult times is impressive. The COVID-19 pandemic has helped us realize that many of the tools we need are already in use, and it has pushed us to be creative with how we approach our work. As I outlined in a...

ICANN org has implemented nearly half of all recommendations in the year since publishing its first-ever internal Human Rights Impact Assessment (HRIA). The focus has been on improving relevant processes, practices, and policies that may impact human rights concerns...