TOP NEWS

By Tripti Sinha, ICANN Board Chair

On behalf of the ICANN Board of Directors, I would like to thank everyone who took part in the ICANN85 Community Forum in Mumbai, India. As a multicultural, multilingual democracy, India is a fitting gathering place for our diverse, multistakeholder community. 

ICANN85 came at a busy and consequential time for ICANN, as our last Public Meeting before the launch of the New Generic Top-Level Domains (gTLD) Program: 2026 Round. Key areas of discussion included preparations for the 2026 Round as well as lessons learned from the World Summit on the Information Society 20-year review process and the evolution of ICANN reviews.

The Board discussed these topics during our three-day workshop immediately prior to ICANN85, as well as in our joint sessions with community groups. For highlights of the Board’s activities in Mumbai, read my blog.

By Kurtis Lindqvist, ICANN President and CEO

I’d like to thank everyone who contributed to the success of the ICANN85 Community Forum, which took place 7–12 March in Mumbai. In total, 1,517 people attended ICANN85 in person, including 332 first-time attendees, and 678 people participated virtually.

ICANN85 participants hailed from 112 countries and territories, and all five ICANN regions were represented. Here’s the regional breakdown of the in-person attendees:

• Africa – 103 (6.8 percent)
• Asia, Australia, and the Pacific Islands – 876 (57.7 percent)
• Europe – 221 (14.6 percent)
• Latin America and the Caribbean – 48 (3.2 percent)
• North America – 269 (17.7 percent)

Because of travel disruptions, some who were planning to attend this meeting in person had to join remotely, highlighting the importance of robust virtual participation. Despite these challenges, ICANN85 resulted in meaningful progress on several priority areas of our work.

Read my blog for more takeaways from ICANN85.

ICANN is honored to announce Amrita Choudhury, a longtime member of the ICANN community, as the recipient of the 2026 ICANN Community Excellence Award.

ICANN President and CEO Kurtis Lindqvist presented the award to her during the ICANN85 Welcome Ceremony on Monday, 9 March 2026.

The ICANN Community Excellence Award honors members of the ICANN community who have deeply invested in consensus-based solutions and contributed in a substantive way to policymaking within the ICANN ecosystem.

Read the announcement to find out more.

At ICANN85, the WSIS+20 “Lessons Learned and Next Steps” session looked back on the review process that panelists said was both successful and unfinished. 

A consistent theme was that collaboration mattered. ICANN President and CEO Kurtis Lindqvist said the review reminded us that the Internet works because it is “coordinated through collaboration,” pointing to close cooperation across ICANN, the Internet Society (ISOC), governments, and community groups. Reinforcing that point, Sally Wentworth, President and CEO of ISOC, noted that multistakeholder consensus “is fragile and it requires constant attention,” underscoring that collaboration cannot be episodic but must be sustained over time.

Speakers also stressed that the real test comes next. Amrita Choudhury said the Outcome Document was positive overall, but “the devil lies in the details and implementation.” Chengetai Masango, head of the Internet Governance Forum Secretariat, called the result “very positive and beyond expectations,” while emphasizing that “it’s an ongoing process.”

Throughout the discussion, participants highlighted the need for sustained engagement and a clear focus on implementation so WSIS+20 delivers in practice, not just on paper.

Interest in Universal Acceptance (UA) continued to be high during ICANN85, with an emphasis on adoption and implementation. A Governmental Advisory Committee discussion on UA included a representative of UNESCO sharing the importance of advancing the acceptance of UA for a multilingual Internet.

Panelists at the session highlighted how governments are exploring their role in advancing UA, and discussed the Indian government experience with UA, and updates from the country code community and ICANN. 

Missed the session? View the Zoom recording and related material.

2026 Round Nears End-of-April Opening

Momentum is building in the approach to the opening of the New Generic Top-Level Domains (gTLD) Program: 2026 Round on 30 April. With just weeks remaining, now is the time for applicants to prepare and review the many resources the program team has made available.

One critical resource is the 2026 Round Base Registry Agreement, which the ICANN Board approved at ICANN85. This is the standard registry agreement that successful applicants in the 2026 Round will enter into with ICANN and outlines the obligations of becoming a registry operator.

At ICANN85, the program team held eight sessions, including two plenary sessions. One session provided an introduction and demonstration of the TLD Application Management System. This marked the first opportunity for the community and potential applicants to get acquainted with the system before the application window opens. A recording of the demo and session is available. Recordings of the rest of the sessions are available on the meeting website.

ICANN org also has developed special resources for new applicants, including recorded webinars, topic overviews, FAQs, and application system demo videos. All of these materials, including the Applicant Guidebook, are available on the program’s Readiness Resources page.

Questions about the 2026 Round application process should be directed to globalsupport@icann.org. The latest program news and updates will be made available on the New gTLD Program website.

ccNSO Council Reconfirms Chair and Vice Chair

at ICANN85

The Country Code Names Supporting Organization (ccNSO) Council held its annual elections for the council leadership team during ICANN85. Following the process, the current chair, Alejandra Reynoso, and vice chairs Adebiyi Oladipo and Jordan Carter were reconfirmed for an additional one-year term.

The reconfirmation ensures continuity in the leadership of the council as it continues to advance its work on behalf of the country code top-level domain community. The chair and vice chair will maintain their roles in guiding the council’s activities and representing the ccNSO within the broader ICANN community.

The ccNSO Council looks forward to building on its ongoing work under their continued leadership in the year ahead.

GNSO ICANN85 Recap

During ICANN85, the Generic Names Supporting Organization (GNSO) made substantive progress on key policy development initiatives and other projects. The Policy Development Process (PDP) Working Group on Domain Name System (DNS) Abuse Mitigation commenced its work in Mumbai with four working group sessions. Mitigating DNS Abuse remains a priority issue within the ICANN community due to its ongoing impact on the security, stability, and resilience of the DNS. Please consider following the DNS Abuse Mitigation PDP proceedings as an observer as the community makes progress on this important topic. 

Additionally, the Latin Script Diacritics PDP Working Group held two meetings during ICANN85 to begin its review of the Public Comment on its Initial Report. The Working Group is continuing to make progress on its discussion of the Public Comments received in preparation for publishing its Final Report for the GNSO Council.

Finally, the GNSO Council continued its work on a range of policy issues through bilateral meetings with the Board and Governmental Advisory Committee, three GNSO working sessions, and the GNSO Council meeting. The GNSO Council would like to thank the community for their engagement with its policy work at ICANN85 and looks forward to continued collaboration on its PDPs moving forward.

Shaping a Draft Proposal for a Review of Reviews

The Review of Reviews Cross Community Group continues working to develop a proposal for a refreshed system of reviews. At ICANN85, the group gathered input from across the community on an outline of a draft proposal, with a continued focus on shaping a reviews program that is sustainable and fit for purpose in strengthening ICANN’s accountability, transparency, and effectiveness.

The community is invited to review resources and is encouraged to learn how to participate and share input at upcoming meetings. View progress on the Review of Reviews Community Wiki.

Board Vote Triggers Development of Supplemental Recommendations for the System for Standardized Access/Disclosure 

During ICANN85, the ICANN Board voted not to adopt the 18 policy recommendations for a System for Standardized Access/Disclosure (SSAD), following advice from the Generic Names Supporting Organization (GNSO) Council and community input. Recognizing the interdependence of the recommendations, this approach enables further policy development work through supplemental recommendations, and allows for refinement based on community input and lessons learned from the Registration Data Request Service (RDRS) pilot.

The GNSO Council will continue its discussions on advancing the Supplemental Recommendations, forming a group to develop recommendations, and proposing a timeline to complete the work. 

ICANN org will also continue preparations for proof-of-concept authentication testing, working with the FBI and Interpol to establish requirements for authentication identity providers for RDRS or a successor system.