ICANN - Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers

06/03/2025 | News release | Distributed by Public on 06/03/2025 15:11

Welcome to Prague: A Preview of the ICANN83 Policy ForumRuss Weinstein

Next week, the ICANN community will convene for the ICANN83 Policy Forum in Prague, Czech Republic. I'm pleased to welcome you to a city that's hosting its second ICANN Public Meeting - and one that offers a truly remarkable backdrop for our discussions.

As we approach the start of the Policy Forum, I encourage you to visit the ICANN83 website. Here, you can register and find important information about the schedule, travel, hotel, transportation, health, and safety. I also recommend you read the ICANN83 Policy Outlook Report, which is written to help all participants prepare for work sessions. Materials such as presentations and recordings from Prep Week, which was held 27-28 May 2025, are also available.

The ICANN community has taken the lead in organizing the four-day program:

  • The Address Supporting Organization (ASO) continues its work to strengthen the governance of the Regional Internet Registry (RIR) system. If approved, a new governance document would supersede the nearly 25-year-old Internet Coordination Policy 2 and would establish rules for ICANN and the ASO to recognize, monitor, and, if needed, derecognize and replace an RIR. During ICANN83, the ASO will review the feedback from the recent ICANN Public Comment proceeding and the concurrent RIR community consultations on the draft RIR Governance Document.
  • The Country Code Names Supporting Organization (ccNSO) will focus on Domain Name System abuse, Internet governance, and Universal Acceptance. The ccNSO will also host Tech Day and conduct a two-day ccNSO Members Meeting.
  • The Generic Names Supporting Organization (GNSO) will continue its work on the Policy Development Process (PDP) on Latin script diacritics in generic top-level domains (gTLDs). The GNSO committee working on a service to request private domain name registration data will conduct two work sessions to develop a report that will inform the ICANN Board's consideration of pending policy recommendations.
  • The At-Large community and the Governmental Advisory Committee will explore Domain Name System Abuse, the New gTLD Program: Next Round, including the Applicant Support Program, and domain name registration data.
  • The Root Server System Advisory Committee and the Security and Stability Advisory Committee will work on their technical publications and conduct a joint open mic session.

Other highlights from the schedule include:

  • Discussions about how the ICANN community can engage in the upcoming 20-year review of the World Summit on the Information Society outcomes on Monday 9 June.
  • On Tuesday 10 June, the ICANN Board will host a reception in honor of the many dedicated leaders of working groups across the ICANN community, and the GAC will remember our friend and former colleague, Nigel Hickson.
  • An update on the work to improve the effectiveness of ICANN Public Meetings, called the "How We Meet" initiative on Thursday 12 June.
  • Joint sessions between ICANN community groups to discuss issues of mutual interest throughout the week.

Thank you for making the time to attend ICANN83, in person or remotely. Whether you're a longtime community member, an occasional contributor, or joining us for the first time, I encourage you to take an active role. And if you see me in the hallway, don't hesitate to say hello.

Authors

Russ Weinstein

Senior Vice President, Policy Development Support
Read biography

Russ Weinstein

Senior Vice President, Policy Development Support

Russ Weinstein is the Senior Vice President, Policy Development Support. He leads a global team responsible for facilitating the development of policy recommendations and related advice by ICANN's multistakeholder community, as part of ICANN's mission to ensure the stable and secure operation of the Internet's unique identifier systems. Russ brings to his role more than 20 years of experience and success in building relationships, engaging diverse stakeholders, leading programs and teams to implement policy and advice, and creating scalable operations.

Joining ICANN in October 2012 to support the New gTLD Program, Russ has since held management roles of increasing responsibility. Promoted to Vice President, GDD Accounts and Services in 2020, he managed ICANN's relationships and contracts with gTLD Registries and ICANN-Accredited Registrars.

Before ICANN, Russ worked in the aerospace industry, gaining experience in business operations, finance, contract administration, and supply chain management. He holds a bachelor's degree in business administration from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, and an MBA from the University of Southern California.

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