TOP NEWS

By Tripti Sinha, ICANN Board Chair

The ICANN84 Annual General Meeting (AGM) will commence on Saturday in Dublin, Ireland, and online. Beginning on Friday, the ICANN Board of Directors will hold a three-day workshop to prepare for the AGM and advance our work in key areas such as the Registration Data Request Service.

The workshop also will include an informational session on the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) that will be available to the public as a webinar. Please join the Board in learning more about the IETF’s role in the Internet ecosystem.

IETF Informational Session

Sunday, 26 October | 15:30–17:00 UTC

For more highlights from the agenda for the Board Workshop, read my blog.

By Russ Weinstein, Senior Vice President, Policy Development Support

Next week, ICANN will convene for the ICANN84 Annual General Meeting in Dublin, Ireland. Please allow me to be the first to welcome you to Dublin, which is hosting its second ICANN Public Meeting!

As we approach the start of ICANN84, I encourage you to visit the meeting website. Here, you can register and find important information about the schedule, travel, hotel, transportation, health, and safety. I also recommend you read the ICANN84 Policy Outlook Report, which the Policy Development Support team develops to help all participants prepare for work sessions. Materials such as presentations and recordings from Prep Week, which was held 13–15 October 2025, are also available.

Read the full blog for details of community discussions that will take place at ICANN84. 

By Chris Mondini, Vice President, Stakeholder Engagement and Managing

Director, Europe

Welcome to ICANN84 in Dublin. This Annual General Meeting comes at a pivotal moment, with the upcoming WSIS+20 review and the April 2026 launch of the New gTLD Program: Next Round. Over the coming days, we will highlight how ICANN’s multistakeholder model delivers real-world impact and prepare for the opportunities and challenges ahead.

ICANN84 is also a transition point, as new Board members take their seats and community leaders assume fresh roles. Sessions on leadership development and capacity building will showcase how new and experienced voices together shape the future of Internet governance.

Whether you are with us at the Convention Centre Dublin or participating remotely, I encourage you to take full advantage of the sessions, conversations, and exchanges. Dublin’s rich history of culture and exchange is a fitting backdrop as we reaffirm our shared responsibility to keep the Internet secure, stable, and globally interoperable.

ICANN Publishes FY25 Annual Report and Audited Financial Statements

ICANN published its Annual Report for Fiscal Year 2025 (FY25) and audited consolidated financial statements. ICANN also published the FY25 audited financial statements for its affiliate Public Technical Identifiers (PTI). ICANN's fiscal year ends on 30 June.

The FY25 Annual Report describes ICANN's progress toward its Bylaws obligations and Strategic Plan objectives. The ICANN Bylaws direct that the Annual Report and audited financials must be published no later than 120 days after the end of the fiscal year. ICANN is pleased to share these results ahead of the 28 October deadline.

Read the announcement to learn more.

Africa Engagement and DNS Forums to Be Held in Accra, Ghana

ICANN is pleased to announce two significant regional events in Accra, Ghana, on 9–10 December 2025: the Africa Engagement Forum and the Africa DNS Forum.

Together, these back-to-back forums will bring African stakeholders into conversation on Internet governance, technical innovation, and the future of the Domain Name System (DNS).

The Africa Engagement Forum (9 December), co-hosted by the Association of African Universities and ICANN, will highlight regional priorities and updates from ICANN. Sessions will explore topics such as Internet governance, Universal Acceptance, the New Generic Top-Level Domains Program: Next Round, and the ongoing work of the Coalition for Digital Africa.

On 10 December, the Africa DNS Forum will convene under the theme "Resiliency of the DNS in Africa." Organized in collaboration with the Africa Top Level Domains Organization and the AfRegistrar Association, the forum will address key technical and business issues shaping the region's domain name industry. 

Read the announcement to learn more.

The Spirit of Dublin: 10 Things to Know

Before ICANN84

Dublin is a city where history and modern life sit side by side. Viking foundations, Georgian townhouses, and lively pubs create a compact, walkable place full of stories. As ICANN84 approaches, we’re sharing a few glimpses of the city’s character to inspire your visit.

The very name Dublin comes from Dubh Linn, or “black pool,” a tidal basin that once sat where Dublin Castle now stands. The pool is long gone, but the castle gardens still mark the spot that gave the city its name.

Dublin is also a UNESCO City of Literature, home to greats like James Joyce, W.B. Yeats, and Oscar Wilde. At Trinity College, the Long Room library houses the famous Book of Kells, an illuminated manuscript celebrated for its intricate, hand-drawn detail.

Discover more stories about Dublin’s culture, history, and modern energy in our blog, "The Spirit of Dublin: 10 Things to Know Before ICANN84."

How the Internet Works: Join OCTO

Learning Sessions

The Office of the CTO Technical Engagement team is bringing a dynamic lineup of “How it Works” sessions to ICANN84 in Dublin, designed to demystify the Internet’s core functions. These sessions are a great opportunity for both newcomers and seasoned community members to deepen their technical knowledge.

• On Sunday, 26 October, join us for three back-to-back sessions: How the Internet Really Works (09:00–10:00) with Ulrich Wisser, Regional Technical Engagement Manager for Europe; How the Domain Name System (DNS) Works (10:30–12:00) with Champika Wijayatunga, Regional Technical Engagement Director for Asia Pacific; and How the Registration Data Access Protocol (RDAP) Works (13:15–14:30) with Yazid Akanho, Regional Technical Engagement Manager for the Middle East and Africa.

• On Tuesday, 28 October, don’t miss How the Regional Internet Registries (RIRs) Work (15:00–16:00) and How Root Server Operation Works (16:30–17:30), led by the Number Resource Organization and the Root Server System Advisory Committee.

Your Voice Matters: Join the ICANN84

Plenary Sessions

The Review of Reviews Cross Community Group (Reviews CCG) will take center stage at two plenary sessions. With its charter recently approved by the ICANN Board, the Reviews CCG has been tasked with performing a fundamental evaluation of reviews to help shape a review mechanism that is fit for the intended purposes of enhancing ICANN’s accountability, transparency, and effectiveness.

Join the plenary discussions and help shape the future of ICANN’s review processes.

In Memoriam: Remembering Fred Baker

A dedicated member of the Internet community for over three decades, Fred Baker held numerous contributing and leadership roles in ICANN, the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF), and the Internet Society. He also contributed to and liaised with multiple organizations, including the International Telecommunication Union-Telecommunication Standardization Sector, the United States Federal Communications Commission, and United States National Institute of Standards and Technology. 

Baker was active in the IETF from 1989 until 2024, including serving as IETF chair from 1996 to 2001 and Internet Architecture Board chair from 1996 to 2002. In 2017, he joined the Root Server System Advisory Committee (RSSAC) as the primary representative from the Internet Systems Consortium, an organization he helped found in 1994. In 2018, he became a co-chair of RSSAC, and in 2019, when RSSAC replaced its two co-chairs with a chair and a vice chair, Baker became the first RSSAC chair. He continued serving as RSSAC chair until 2023.

Throughout his career, he mentored many people who are active in the IETF and ICANN communities and was always willing to explain complex Internet technologies to policymakers and newcomers.

Baker passed away on 18 June 2025. We will recognize him during the Community Recognition session on Thursday, 30 October.

Call to Action: Update Your Statements

of Interest

The ICANN Board has approved the ICANN Community Participant Code of Conduct Concerning Statements of Interest (the "Code" or "Code of Conduct"). This new code strengthens the requirement that ICANN community members disclose their interests and affiliations when participating in committees, working groups, or other ICANN-related activities. The code is now in effect, and all participants should work toward adhering to the increased disclosures.

As we prepare for ICANN84, we call on everyone in the ICANN community to take a moment to contribute to the culture of transparency.

1. Review and familiarize yourself with the new Code of Conduct.
2. Review your existing Statement(s) of Interest for every relevant community group or activity you participate in, and make any and all necessary updates to your disclosures as appropriate.

These small, individual steps will result in significant enhancements to the trust in the ICANN community and our multistakeholder model. Thank you for your prompt attention to this important update to our expected standards of participation.

Read the blog for more details.

Read the Policy Outlook Report and the GNSO

Policy Briefing

ICANN org's Policy Development Support team has published the ICANN84 Policy Outlook Report. The report provides an overview of the Supporting Organizations and Advisory Committees’ planned activities.

The Generic Names Supporting Organization Policy Support team has published the ICANN84 Policy Briefing to help the community prepare for ICANN84.

Review the Prep Week Materials

ICANN84 Prep Week took place 13–15 October 2025. If you missed any of the sessions or would like a recap, you can find the materials on the Prep Week schedule.

Click on a session title; the available resources are listed under "Files."