Largest Ever ICANN Meeting Convenes in London

More than 3,300 people from around the world have registered for ICANN’s 50th meeting in London, making it the largest in the organization’s history.

“Today is a great day for advancement of the multistakeholder model and its inclusivity,” said Fadi Chehadé, President and CEO of ICANN. “ICANN 50 is a milestone meeting for many reasons, not the least of which is the remarkable affirmations of the multistakeholder model it has brought.”

Chehadé applauded the Chinese government’s adoption of the DNSSEC deployment and the expansion of the IPv6 protocol, which he said will assure the expansion of the continued global expansion of the Internet.

Minister Lu Wei of China’s Cyberspace Affairs Administration told attendees, “We all hold one single aspiration, i.e. to improve the governance of the Internet. This is in line with ICANN’s vision of ‘One World, One Internet’.”

Minister Lu expressed appreciation and support for the advancements of the multistakeholder model that framed the NETmundial meeting in Sao Paulo, Brazil in April.

Minister Lu’s comments followed the recognition of the newly formed Lebanon Internet Center or LINC.

Dr. Imad Hoballah, a member of the LINC Board, said, “The multistakeholder approach draws its strength from the ability to bring together diverse views, and align them to a common goal of a global, interoperable Internet.”

Chehadé acknowledged the announcements by both Lebanon and China, “Both are a testament to the world’s growing commitment to an inclusive multistakeholder Internet governance model, as is the remarkably high participation from so many people from every region of the world.”

The U.K.’s Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Culture, Communications and Creative Industries Edward Vaizey told attendees, “The Internet, as it has been governed, has to be seen as an unqualified success story. It’s created the opportunity for massive economic growth and for greater intellectual freedom. So if we’re going to look at the governance of the Internet, it’s important that we preserve those principles.”

Board Chair, Dr. Stephen Crocker, embraced ICANN’s maturation to meet the needs of an expanding online world.  “Our world, – the Internet world… is constantly evolving, changing to meet the ever-expanding number of global Internet users”

The Board Chair for the UK Internet registry Nominet, Baroness Rennie Fritchie said, “We approach the challenge of Internet governance with the same appetite, finding better ways of doing our bit, working together and a desire to make real progress.”

“In an increasingly globalized world, having a sense of identity, of course, becomes ever more important,” the First Minister of Wales, the Rt Hon Carwyn James told attendees, “The Internet allows us to make connections that go beyond our local neighborhoods and even beyond our country’s borders, allowing individuals to develop their personal identity in whatever manner they see fit.”

ICANN also announced the winner of the 2014 Multistakeholder Ethos Award – Avri Doria, policy and governance advisor for dotgay LLC. The Multistakeholder Ethos Award recognizes ICANN participants who have deeply invested in consensus-based solutions, recognized the importance of ICANN’s multistakeholder model of Internet governance, and contributed in a substantive way to the higher interests of ICANN’s organization and its community.

ICANN’s 50th meeting will continue through the week with sessions on ICANN’s global accountability and consideration of the U.S. government’s proposal to transition of the stewardship of the Internet’s technical functions to global multistakeholder model.