Indian Minister of Electronics and Information Technology Reaffirms Support of Multistakeholder Model at ICANN’s 57th Public Meeting

Indian Minister of Electronics and Information
Technology Reaffirms Support of Multistakeholder Model at ICANN’s 57th Public
Meeting

Hyderabad,
India

India’s Minister of
Law & Justice and Minister of Electronics and Information Technology Ravi
Shankar Prasad reiterated India’s commitment to the multistakeholder model
during the Opening Ceremony of the Internet Corporation of Assigned Names and
Numbers’ (ICANN’s) 57th Public Meeting today.

The meeting, also
known as ICANN57, is taking place in Hyderabad, India, from 3 – 9 November and
has convened thousands of the global Internet community members (both on-site
and remotely) to discuss and develop policies related to the Internet’s Domain
Name System (DNS). It is hosted by the Ministry of Electronics and Information
Technology (MeitY), with support from the Government of Telangana.

“India has supported
the multistakeholder model of Internet governance and we are happy to note that
the IANA stewardship transition has taken place. The Internet is a great
equalizer and helps to connect all. It is now time to look ahead, to build
the Internet of the future with the participation of all stakeholders,” said
Prasad.

To expand India’s
participation in the multistakeholder model, ICANN will work with India’s
stakeholders, including the Government of India, to develop a structured
framework focusing on fostering the development of the DNS industry in India.
The framework will concentrate on capacity building for India’s stakeholders,
gearing them up for active participation in ICANN and the multistakeholder
model of Internet governance.

“With the IANA
stewardship transition behind us, our top priority now is to focus on our
revised mission and new bylaws, and working together with the empowered
community. Expanding our outreach is key to our mission. In this context, we
are keen to further deepen our ongoing engagement in India. As the second
largest group of Internet users globally, we welcome India’s voice and
participation,” said Göran Marby, ICANN President and CEO.

India currently leads
the world with seven internationalized country code top-level domains delegated
and eight more have successfully passed evaluation. There is also a Neo-Brahmi
script panel in place that is defining the rules for the nine scripts used in
India for evaluating future top-level domain applications work. This will serve
communities using these scripts globally, paving the way for a multilingual and
more inclusive Internet.

ICANN57 is the first
post-IANA stewardship transition public meeting and also the first Annual
General Meeting under the new Meetings Strategy.

ICANN Board Chair Dr.
Stephen Crocker added, “The world is watching closely to see how a post-transition
ICANN community handles its new found role. And much of that focus will be on
those of you who are involved in enhancing ICANN’s accountability and
transparency.”

ICANN also announced
12 winners of the 2016 Leadership award. The ICANN Leadership award is given
annually at the General Meeting to outstanding member(s) of the ICANN community
who over time have demonstrated a commitment to protecting and promoting the
multistakeholder model. The winners this year all played important leading roles
during the IANA Stewardship Transition: 

·  IANA Stewardship Transition Coordination Group
(ICG) – Alissa Cooper, Chair; Mohamed EL Bashir, Vice
Chair; Patrik Fältström, Vice Chair

·  Cross Community Working Group on Enhancing
ICANN Accountability (CCWG – Accountability) – Mathieu Weill, León
Sánchez, Thomas Rickert, Co-Chairs

·  Cross Community Working Group to Develop an
IANA Stewardship Transition Proposal on Naming Related Functions (CWG) – Lise
Fuhr, Jonathan Robinson, Co-Chairs

·  Consolidated Regional Internet Registries IANA
Stewardship Proposal Team (CRISP Team) – Izumi Okutani,
Chair; Nurani Nimpuno, Vice Chair

·  IANAPLAN Working Group (IANAPLAN WG) – Marc
Blanchet, Leslie Daigle, Co-Chairs

ICANN meetings are
held three times a year in different regions to enable attendees from around
the world to participate in person. These meetings offer a variety of sessions
such as workshops, open forums and working meetings on the development and implementation
of Internet policies. ICANN meetings offer the best opportunity for
face-to-face discussions and exchange of opinions among attendees dedicated to
the continued stable and secure operation of the Domain Name System.

To learn more about
ICANN57 in Hyderabad, including remote participation, please visit: https://meetings.icann.org/en/hyderabad57