ICANN LAC Wraps Up 2024 with Impactful Jamaica RoadshowAlbert Daniels

In December 2024, ICANN's VP, Stakeholder Engagement & Managing Director - Latin America & Caribbean (LAC), Rodrigo De La Parra, ICANN's Regional Technical Engagement Senior Manager for LAC, Nicolás Antoniello, and myself, collaborated with the local Internet community in Jamaica to deliver an impactful roadshow. During the event, substantive exchanges were held on Domain Name System (DNS) Security and DNS Abuse, ICANN policy development, Universal Acceptance, and the Registration Data Request System. The event focused on the New Generic Top-Level Domains (gTLD) Program: Next Round and the associated ICANN Applicant Support Program.

A critical success factor of the roadshow was the strong involvement of ICANN Fellows Shannelle McPherson and Natalie Rose from Jamaica, along with other local community leaders from ICANN's Governmental Advisory Committee, At-Large Advisory Committee, Generic Names Supporting Organization, and Country Code Names Supporting Organization. These leaders included Kaydian Smith, Gary Campbell, Carlton Samuels, and Jeremy Whyte, many of whom are also associated with the Internet Society Jamaica Chapter.

In addition to the 50 selected in-person participants, nearly 100 participants joined online from Jamaica and the wider Caribbean. A highlight of the roadshow was a panel discussion featuring Rodney Taylor (Caribbean Telecommunications Union), Michelle Marius (ICT Pulse), Otis Osbourne (University of the Commonwealth Caribbean), Rodrigo de la Parra, and myself, which discussed the challenges and opportunities faced in the Caribbean regarding digital transformation and effective participation in global meetings such as the ICANN Public Meetings. The panel discussion was chaired by ICANN Fellow Shannelle McPherson.

Another important aspect of the roadshow was the face-to-face engagement with staff from three Internet service providers in Jamaica on the topic of deploying DNS Security Extensions (DNSSEC) and applying the DNS best practice framework known as KINDNS to DNS resolver operations in Jamaica. During meetings with the manager of Jamaica's country code top-level domain (.jm), participants concluded that future collaboration between Internet service providers and ICANN on relevant capacity-building and outreach activities to promote the use of DNSSEC and KINDNS would benefit the Jamaican Internet community.

Discussions were also held with two universities in Jamaica to outline ICANN's Academic Outreach Program and explore the possibility of integrating ICANN topics into the university curricula. This roadshow aligns with ICANN's commitment to fostering local engagement and collaboration while supporting the secure and stable operation of the Internet's unique identifier systems.