ICANN Meetings
ICANN Meetings are held three times a year in various regions around the world in compliance with the ICANN Bylaws which mandates the ICANN Board to maintain transparency in managing the internet and to provide opportunity for international participation in discussions and policy developments that has impact in the Domain Name System (DNS) and the global internet community.
ICANN meetings is organized and coordinated by at least 100 volunteer staffs from the ICANN's Supporting Organizations (SOs) and Advisory Committees (ACs). A general meeting is held annually to give way to new members to their seats and start to serve in the Board of Directors. [1]
Participants
ICANN meetings are open to everyone who are interested and are openly affected by the activities and work of the organization. Individuals attending ICANN Meetings include:[2]
- Government Representatives
- Registries
- Registrars
- ISPs
- Business Managers
- IT Managers and Consultants
- DNS Industry Managers and Experts
- Intellectual Property Managers
- Academia
Activities and Sructure
A wide range of topics regarding the many aspects of the internet are discussed during the ICANN Meetings including the stability and security of the DNS, intellectual property issues, procedures in creating policies affecting the growth and development of the internet, creation of new top level domains and many other issues. During ICANN Meetings, workshops, open forums and remote participation is also conducted using different tools such as live audio streaming, video, chat rooms and online question boxes.
The ICANN Meetings are free and are normally held for five days. An outline of the entire week's activities and agenda are provided in the morning of the first and opening day of every ICANN Meetings while in the afternoon, all the main specific issues are provided.
Subsequent are oftentimes dedicated for all the different constituencies hold their own meetings and sessions to discuss their concerns and issues. A day is dedicated for the internal review of the ICANN Structure and for the SOs and ACs Councils to make decisions on issues raised during the meetings. Workshops are also held to provide latest information and upcoming issues regarding the internet industry. A gala night is held for all the participants.
Annual elections of officers are also held during the meetings and reports from the different constituencies of working group are also submitted.
References