ICANN Contribution to the European Commission's Call for Evidence on a Joint Communication on an International Digital Strategy
ICANN submitted a contribution to the European Commission's Call for Evidence on a Joint Communication concerning an International Digital Strategy. This focused on the Commission's strategic objectives, specifically the concrete actions related to international cooperation, including Internet governance, and improved coordination of the EU's positions in multilateral forums. ICANN welcomes the European Commission's and the EU's strong support for a global, interoperable, reliable, and secure Internet, demonstrated by their acceptance of and recognition of the multistakeholder model of Internet governance. ICANN also cautions against potential negative consequences that could lead to Internet fragmentation at the technical level, whether due to technical or legislative divergence. Within the context of the WSIS+20 Review process, ICANN recommends extending the mandate of the Internet Governance Forum (IGF), recognizing the technical community as a distinct stakeholder, and supporting the multistakeholder model of Internet governance.

ICANN's submission to the ITU CWG WSIS&SDGs’ consultation on the WSIS+20 review highlights key achievements in digital inclusivity, multilingualism, and increased Internet access while emphasizing the importance of the multistakeholder model in Internet governance. It acknowledges the ITU’s role in promoting global connectivity, universal and meaningful access, advocating for enhanced collaboration between governments and non-governmental stakeholders to strengthen digital development. Looking ahead, ICANN stresses the need for continued alignment between WSIS Action Lines and emerging global digital initiatives, ensuring that inclusive, multistakeholder processes remain at the center of sustainable development efforts.

ICANN's submission highlights some of the benefits of a multilingual Internet including increased digital inclusivity, economic and social opportunities, and the proliferation of local culture. Challenges include technological limitations and the need for updating legacy systems. The submission discusses the progress made through programs like the IDN ccTLD Fast Track Program and the new generic TLD (gTLD) program, which have enabled millions of domain names in various languages and scripts. ​ It also outlines the roles of stakeholders, including governments and International Organizations, in promoting Universal Acceptance (UA) and the need for capacity building to support UA adoption. ​ In summary the contribution emphasizes the importance of Internationalized Domain Names (IDNs) and Email Address Internationalization (EAI) to enable global language communities to navigate and communicate online using their local languages and scripts.

This contribution to the United Nations Commission on Science and Technology for Development details ICANN’s role in implementing the outcomes of WSIS through its coordination of the Internet’s unique identifier systems. Highlighting the multistakeholder model of Internet governance, the document showcases ICANN’s efforts in fostering a stable, open and globally interoperable Internet. Key initiatives include the IANA stewardship transition, advancements in Internationalized Domain Names, capacity development programs, DNS abuse mitigation, and the promotion of Universal Acceptance.

ICANN's contribution to the preparation of the UNCTAD annual report on "Progress made in 2024 in the implementation of the outcomes of the World Summit on the Information Society at the regional and international levels."

ICANN submitted a contribution to the CWG-Internet open online consultation. In this contribution, ICANN emphasizes the importance of the multistakeholder model of Internet governance in the Internet’s continued development. It highlights ICANN’s efforts in fostering meaningful connectivity, promoting a secure and resilient Internet, and promoting digital inclusion and skills. Additionally, ICANN shares perspectives on how to foster multistakeholder participation, as well as some thoughts on the role of WSIS.

ICANN responded to the European Commission’s call for feedback on the draft Implementing Regulation laying down rules for the application of Directive (EU) 2022/2555 (NIS2 Directive). This draft addresses the technical and methodological requirements for cybersecurity risk management measures and further specifies the cases in which an incident is considered to be significant. ICANN provided feedback regarding the cases in which an incident is considered significant for DNS service providers and TLD name registries. The feedback also covered the criteria used to determine the existence of a considerable reputational damage of an incident and those used to determine a recurring incident. ICANN suggests that the considerable development of best practices by the international multistakeholder community regarding the security of the DNS should be reflected in the technical and methodological requirements for cybersecurity risk management measures for network security.

The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), the Internet Society, and the Internet Architecture Board submitted these comments to respond to the Federal Communication Commission’s Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, Reporting on Border Gateway Protocol Risk Mitigation Progress (“NPRM”), and to urge reliance on multistakeholder mechanisms to enhance routing security rather than prescriptive regulations that would stifle innovation and fragment the Internet.

ICANN responded to a request for comment issued by the US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Agency (CISA) on its proposed implementation of the Cyber Incident Reporting for Critical Infrastructure Act of 2022 (CIRCIA). 

The ICANN Quadrennial Report for 2020-2024, submitted under ECOSOC resolution 1996/31, highlights ICANN's contributions to the U.N.'s development goals through its special consultative status. This report, required of NGOs every four years, enables ICANN to document its support for U.N. initiatives, receive feedback from Member States, and reinforce its collaborative relationship with ECOSOC. By meeting this reporting obligation, ICANN reaffirms its commitment to global internet governance within the framework of sustainable development.

In March 2024, ICANN responded to the IGF Leadership Panel's consultation on its draft framework for the “Internet We Want” (IWW). The consultation aimed to gather feedback from stakeholders on potential challenges to implementing the IWW vision and in the five sections of the framework: Whole and open, Universal and inclusive, Free-flowing and trustworthy, Safe and secure, and Rights-respecting.

ICANN’s contribution to theUnited Nations Commission on Science and Technology for Development (CSTD) questionnaire for 20-year review of WSIS implementation. The questionnaire was open to all stakeholders to share experience, views, and priorities. ICANN addressed the questions and issues pertaining to its mission and remit.

ICANN has provided input for the draft Saudi Arabian Digital Infrastructure Policy. This contribution highlights specific areas within ICANN's remit that the Saudi draft policy could consider, namely Internationalized Domain Names (IDNs), Universal Acceptance of Domain Names (UA), and Domain Name System Security Extension (DNSSEC).

ICANN has sent a communication to theEU Network and Information Systems Cooperation Group Work Stream for Article 28 NIS2 Directive. The communication shares information about the role and work of the ICANN multistakeholder model and its policymaking, including existing policies, procedures, and requirements that are pertinent to Article 28 - "Database of domain name registration data" of theNIS2 Directive.

ICANN’s contribution to the preparation of the UNCTAD annual report on “Progress made in 2023 in the implementation of the outcomes of the World Summit on the Information Society at the regional and international levels."

ICANN contributes feedback on theCall for Evidence for an Evaluation of Regulation 1025/2012 on European Standardization. ICANN emphasizes the vital role of common standards for global internet interoperability, underscoring the significance of their advancement within the IETF framework and recognizing the importance of policymakers' active involvement in standardization.

ICANN’s feedback to theUK’s DSIT consultation on ”Powers in Relation to UK-Related Domain Name Registries.” The submission aims to highlight ICANN’s global, multistakeholder approach in policy development for the Internet’s system of unique identifiers. It provides information about ICANN’s community responsibility for the gTLDs policies, as well as ICANN’s agreements with gTLDs. Finally it expands on ICANN’s approach to DNS Abuse.

ICANN’s contribution to the Global Digital Compact covering the following key digital issues from the Common Agenda report: (1) Connect all people to the Internet, including all schools; and (2) Avoiding Internet fragmentation.

ICANN’s contribution to the preparation of the UNCTAD annual report on “Progress made in 2022 in the implementation of the outcomes of the World Summit on the Information Society at the regional and international levels”.

ICANN’s feedback to the Call for Evidence launched by the European Commission on the “EU Toolbox against counterfeiting,” with the aim of explaining ICANN’s role in making and enforcing policies that apply globally to the DNS.