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ICANN84 Newsletter
30 October 2025
| | | Thank You for Joining ICANN84 | |
By Kurtis Lindqvist, ICANN President and CEO
I’d like to thank everyone who contributed to the success of the ICANN84 Annual General Meeting. Thank you also to our host, the Internet Neutral Exchange Association, and the Convention Centre Dublin for helping to make this meeting possible.
ICANN Public Meetings are one of the best examples of our multistakeholder governance model at work. By ensuring that everyone has a voice, we maintain ICANN’s accountability, effectiveness, and ability to adapt to a changing environment.
If you missed anything from the meeting, the session recordings and transcripts are available on the ICANN84 website. I’ll see you next year at ICANN85!
| | Join Us in Mumbai for ICANN85 | |
By Samiran Gupta, Vice President, Stakeholder Engagement and Managing
Director – Asia Pacific
As we conclude a productive ICANN84 in Dublin, our attention now turns to our next meeting, ICANN85. This meeting will take place 7–12 March 2026 at the Jio World Convention Center in Mumbai, India, and will be hosted by the National Internet Exchange of India.
ICANN85 will serve as the 2026 Community Forum – an important opportunity for the global community to come together, review progress, and continue advancing the policies and technical work that ensure the secure and stable operation of the Internet.
Hosting ICANN85 in Mumbai, India’s financial and commercial hub, reflects the Asia Pacific region’s dynamic role in shaping the digital future. With its rapidly expanding Internet ecosystem, thriving startup culture, and strong commitment to innovation, India provides an inspiring backdrop for the community’s conversations about the Internet’s evolution.
Whether you are deeply engaged in policy development or just beginning your ICANN journey, I encourage you to join us. ICANN85 will be defined by the voices and contributions of the community – whether in Mumbai or participating remotely. We look forward to welcoming you to this important gathering.
| | | ICANN Introduces Revised Community Anti-Harassment Policy | |
By Ergys Ramaj, Vice President, Public Responsibility Support
ICANN is a unique multistakeholder environment. The community's strength is that it is composed of participants from numerous and varied backgrounds, societal values, and cultural norms. In the ICANN community, all participants should feel welcomed, appreciated, and valued; all participants should interact with others without prejudice or bias, all should treat others fairly and without discrimination, and all should assume others are acting with integrity.
The revised Community Anti-Harassment Policy reflects ICANN’s firm commitment to a safe, respectful and dignified environment for all stakeholders participating in its multistakeholder environment.
The policy has been revised, based on community feedback, to be clearer, more inclusive, and more supportive. It provides guidance on how to seek confidential support and explains what steps you can take if you experience or witness harassment. The policy is designed to promote a safe environment, where everyone is treated with dignity and respect. Read the newly updated policy.
| | ICANN84 NEWS AND RESOURCES | | | We Value Your Feedback: Take the ICANN84 Post-Meeting Survey | |
Thank you for attending ICANN84! To help us improve future events and ensure we are meeting the needs and expectations of our attendees, we would greatly appreciate a few minutes of your time to complete our post-meeting satisfaction survey.
Your feedback is essential in helping us understand what worked well and where we can do better. Whether it's about the content, networking, logistics, or overall experience, your insights will directly inform how we shape future programs.
Thank you again for being part of ICANN84, and we look forward to hearing your thoughts!
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ICANN Public Forums are a long-standing feature of ICANN Public Meetings. Open to all community members, they provide an opportunity for people from diverse backgrounds to share views on key issues and suggest ways forward.
ICANN Public Forum | 30 October, 10:30 - 12:00 GMT/UTC
| | Continuing the Conversation: Second Review of Reviews Plenary at ICANN84 | |
Contribute to the Review of Reviews Cross Community Group’s work to develop a shared understanding of the areas and issues for which reviews will enhance ICANN's accountability, transparency and effectiveness. Join today’s plenary session at 13:15 UTC and provide feedback on a proposed purpose of reviews statement.
Review of Reviews - Session 2 of 2 | 30 October, 13:15–14:30 GMT/UTC
| | At-Large Leadership Wrap-Up | |
The At-Large Wrap-Up session is the traditional final session held by At-Large during ICANN public meetings. This session includes the reporting of highlights from ICANN84 sessions held by At-Large and any ALAC actions that need to be taken. The ALAC Liaisons and At-Large,Working Group chairs, and host RALO chair present highlights from their specific sessions. As ICANN84 is the Annual General Meeting, there will also be the customary thank you to outgoing ALAC and RALO leaders and the welcoming of
incoming leaders.
At-Large Leadership Wrap Up | 30 October, 15:00 - 16:00 GMT/UTC
| | At-Large Plenary 2: Increasing Capacity in Underserved Regions: Registries and Registrars | This session took place on Wednesday, 29 October. If you missed it or want to review, visit the session page to view the available session materials and recordings. | |
This plenary, jointly organized by the At-Large Advisory Committee (ALAC) and Registrar Stakeholder Group (RrSG), surveyed the existing requirements to becoming a registry operator and a registrar, the potential hurdles these can present to those in underserved regions, and potential solutions to increase participation in these regions.
The session included the viewpoint of the registries, presented by Edmon Chung, CEO of dotAsia, as well as the registrars, presented by both Prudence Malinki, Head of Industry Relations, Markmonitor, and Niyonsaba Fridolin, Director of Engineering, KITECH. The session included a presentation on the barriers to entry for Applicant Support Program applicants, specifically the cost of operational compliance, the working capital requirements, and potential future policy.
The ALAC closed the session by expressing their intent to continue exploring improvements in this arena.
| | Call for Input on Draft FY26–30 APAC Regional Plan | |
As part of the APAC Space session on 28 October 2025, the APAC community was asked to provide their input on the draft APAC Regional Plan for FY2026–2030. During the session, the APAC team also shared key achievements from the published FY2025 Regional Report.
The draft plan includes 18 proposed focused engagement areas/activities aligned with the strategic objectives outlined in the ICANN Strategic Plan for Fiscal Years 2026–2030, illustrated with envisioned outcomes for each engagement areas/activities. Please submit your input to apachub@icann.org by 16 November 2025.
For those who missed the APAC session, a recording of the event, presentation materials, and session notes are available on the Community Wiki page.
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Sameer Gahlot, a public policy professional and certified corporate secretary, has worked as a Research Associate at the National Internet Exchange of India since March 2023, focusing on the intersection of policy, society, sustainability, and technology. He is an active participant in the Country Code Names Supporting Organization.
Gahlot was selected as an ICANN84 Fellow. He also attended ICANN82, where he delivered a presentation on behalf of the Asia Pacific Top-Level Domain Association’s Working Group on Research in Next-Generation Domain Name System. Previously, Gahlot helped to co-organize India’s first Local Asia Pacific Internet Governance Academy geared toward capacity building for future Internet governance leaders.
Keenly interested in international cooperation on Internet issues, Gahlot headed the Digital Transformation and Cybersecurity Working Group at the 5th Indo-German Young Leaders Dialogue in Berlin, and co-chaired the 2024 Asia Pacific Youth Internet Governance Forum. In collaboration with his international peers, Gahlot’s team also won the best presentation award for their topic on "Multilingual AI in Universities: Advancing Inclusion Through Universal Acceptance and Stakeholder Insights" during the sixth Asia-Europe Foundation Higher Education Innovation Laboratory.
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A Senior Delivery Specialist at Rogers Communications, Waqar Ahmad leads large-scale telecommunications and infrastructure projects across Canada. With a strong technical background in networks and systems, he is deeply interested in the intersection of infrastructure, policy, and global digital governance.
Ahmad is an individual member of the North American Regional At-Large Organization where he volunteers to advance ICANN’s North America Regional Engagement Plan. He participated in ICANN79 (Puerto Rico) and ICANN81 (Istanbul) as an ICANN Fellow and was also selected as a fellow for ARIN 52. Ahmad is affiliated with the Internet Society’s Canada Chapter and the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers Toronto Section. His involvement in ICANN stems from a desire to bridge technical expertise with policy development, working toward a secure, inclusive, and resilient Internet.
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"This fellowship is an opportunity to explore stakeholder constituencies and amplify technical community voices
within ICANN.”
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An undergraduate student in networks and security at the University of the South Pacific, Mohammed Sajid is particularly interested in computer networks, machine learning, and cybersecurity. His curiosity about ICANN stems from his desire to understand how the Internet works, especially how it is governed and about the people shaping its future.
Hailing from Fiji, Sajid is keenly aware of the unique challenges small island states face, such as high connectivity costs, limited infrastructure, and a shortage of experts. Through his involvement with ICANN, he hopes to learn how the multistakeholder model functions in practice and how he can apply the knowledge gained to help advance the Internet space in Fiji and the Pacific Islands.
| “We must ensure that smaller regions like the Pacific Islands are not left behind.” | | | ICANN COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT | | |
Eyitayo Iyortim
Member, Country Code Names Supporting Organization (ccNSO), .ng
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"I first joined the ccNSO as the Chief Operating Officer of a ccTLD manager, but soon got very interested in the work of the ccNSO, particularly as it fosters knowledge sharing and coordinates policy recommendations which affect the ccTLD ecosystem. I became a COP mentee in 2018, learnt a lot about how the ccNSO works, and then started to serve on the Meetings Planning Committee so I could contribute to the success of the meetings. I am currently the ccNSO appointee to the ICANN NomCom."
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Andrew Lewela
Member, Country Code Names Supporting Organization (ccNSO), .ke
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"I joined the ccNSO to learn and benefit from the combined experience of colleagues who have served the community in different capacities. I have always admired the professionalism and collegiate nature of ccNSO members and their wealth of knowledge and willingness to share it to the benefit of others. This is central to building an inclusive digital future."
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