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Marrakech, Morocco… Morocco's Minister of Industry, Trade and Digital Economy, Moulay Hafid Elalamy, will be speaking during the Welcome Ceremony of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN)'s 55th Public Meeting, which will be taking place from 5-10 March 2016. The meeting is hosted by the National Telecommunications Regulatory Agency (ANRT) of Morocco.
The meeting is being held at a critical moment in the organization's history, as the IANA Stewardship Transition nears completion. Stakeholders from around the world will be convening in Marrakech to finalize the proposal that will ultimately transfer stewardship of the IANA functions – key elements of the Internet's Domain Name System (DNS) – from the United States government over to the global multistakeholder community.
Göran Marby, ICANN's incoming President and CEO, will also be speaking to attendees during the Welcome Ceremony. On 21 May 2015, Fadi Chehadé announced his intent to depart from ICANN, and after a nearly year-long process to find his replacement, ICANN announced that Marby, a seasoned business executive and government leader, has been selected for the role.
In addition, Chehadé and Board Chair Dr. Stephen Crocker will be addressing attendees during the ceremony. We encourage members of the press to join in-person or remotely, as they will provide a high-level overview of what is expected to occur throughout the meeting. Those who are unable to attend the Marrakech meeting in person are encouraged to participate remotely via a live web stream. The details for connecting are provided below.
BACKGROUND: Held three times a year, ICANN's public meetings convene members of the global, multistakeholder Internet community, made up of individual users, businesses, civil society, governments, research institutions and non-government organizations, to discuss issues impacting the Domain Name System (DNS) and develop policy.
Welcome Ceremony & Opening Session:
WHO: Moulay Hafid Elalamy, Moroccan Minister of Industry, Trade & Digital Economy, Göran Marby, Incoming President and CEO, Fadi Chehadé, Current President and CEO, Dr. Stephen Crocker, Chair of the Board of Directors
WHEN: Monday, 7 March, 08:30 A.M. – 10:00 A.M. IST
WHERE: Atlas Auditorium, Palmeraie Conference Center
OFF-SITE ACCESS: Journalists from around the world can participate in the Welcome Ceremony via remote access.
- A live webcast may be accessed at LINK.
Media Contacts
Luna Madi
Communications Director, EMEA
London, U.K.
Tel: +44 7780947574
Email: luna.madi@icann.org
James Cole
Global Media Coordinator
Washington, D.C.
Tel: +1 202 733 7598
Email: james.cole@icann.org
About ICANN
ICANN's mission is to help ensure a stable, secure and unified global Internet. To reach another person on the Internet, you have to type an address into your computer - a name or a number. That address has to be unique so computers know where to find each other. ICANN helps coordinate and support these unique identifiers across the world. ICANN was formed in 1998 as a not-for-profit public-benefit corporation and a community with participants from all over the world. ICANN and its community help keep the Internet secure, stable and interoperable. It also promotes competition and develops policy for the top-level of the Internet's naming system and facilitates the use of other unique Internet identifiers. For more information please visit: www.icann.org.