LONDON - The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) convenes its 50th Public Meeting in London, 22 – 26 June 2014. To date, there are more than 2,200 pre-registered participants making this one of the largest public meetings ICANN has ever convened; and an indicator of the importance of the topic at hand.
According to the Corporation, the historic meeting will bring together international stakeholders from government, business, civil society, technical organizations and research institutions to discuss a wide variety of issues, including:
• The transition of the stewardship of some key Internet technical functions from the U.S. government to a global multi-stakeholder body.
• ICANN’s accountability and globalization strategies.
• The role of ICANN in the global Internet ecosystem.
• An exploration of the continued momentum of the New generic Top-Level Domain Program.
Moreover, the At-large Summit II Working Group (ATLAS II) will begin meeting on Saturday 21st June, exploring the future of multistakeholderism and the globalization of ICANN. The At-Large groups are made up of a wide range of representatives from around the world, and primarily is the voice of the end-use around the world into the policies that govern the Domain Name System.
To officially kick-off ICANN50, Board Chair Dr. Stephen Crocker and President and CEO Fadi Chehadé will address attendees during a welcome session on Monday, 23 June at 8:30 AM BST (7:30am UTC). Journalists are encouraged to attend.
Following the welcoming session, Chehadé and Crocker will join the President of the Global Domains Division Akram Atallah and Vice President for Europe Jean-Jacques Sahel in responding to journalists' questions during an international news conference. They will address a wide range of issues including the future of the Internet ecosystem and its on-going development and additional initiatives surrounding the security and resiliency of the Domain Name System (DNS).
Journalists unable to attend the London meeting are invited to participate remotely in the news conference via a live video web stream or an international toll-free telephone connection. Details are provided below.
A recording of the news conference will be posted to the press page of the ICANN website (http://www.icann.org/en/news/press) after the event.
To see the full schedule of events and meetings taking place during ICANN 50, go to http://london50.icann.org/en/schedule-full.
Details of the News Conference:
WHAT: News Conference
WHO: Dr. Stephen Crocker, Chair of the Board of Directors, Fadi Chehadé, President and CEO, Akram Attallah, President, Global Domains Division, Jean-Jacques Sahel, VP, Global Stakeholder Engagement, Europe -ICANN
WHEN: Monday, 23 June 11:30 – 12:15 BST (10:30 – 11:15 UTC)
WHERE: Thames Suite, Hilton London Metropole Hotel, London
OFF-SITE ACCESS: Journalists from around the world can participate in the news conference via remote access.
• A live video webcast may be accessed at http://icann.adobeconnect.com/lhr50-press
• Telephone access may be obtained by dialing an international access number obtained from this list www.adigo.com/icann. The toll free access number in the U.S. is +1.800.550.6865. Once you have reached the conferencing center, dial 25594.
Details of the Welcome Ceremony:
WHAT: Welcome Ceremony and President's Opening Session
WHO: Dr. Stephen D. Crocker, Board Chair, ICANN Mr. Edward Vaizey, MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Culture, Communications and Creative Industries, Baroness Rennie Fritchie DBE Chair, Nominet, Rt. Hon. Carwyn Jones AM, First Minister of the Welsh Government, Fadi Chehadé, President & CEO, ICANN
WHEN: Monday, 23 June 8:30am-10:00am BST (7:30am-9:00am UTC)
WHERE: Sandringham Room, Hilton London Metropole Hotel, London
OFF-SITE ACCESS: Journalists from around the world can participate in the Welcome Ceremony via remote access.
• A live video webcast may be accessed at http://london50.icann.org/en/schedule/mon-welcome
• Telephone access may be obtained by dialing an international toll-free number obtained from this list at www.adigo.com/icann. Once you have reached the conferencing center, dial 25594.
ICANN’s mission is to ensure a stable, secure and unified global Internet. To reach another person on the Internet you have to type an address into your computer - a name or a number. That address has to be unique so computers know where to find each other. ICANN coordinates these unique identifiers across the world. Without that coordination we wouldn't have one global Internet. ICANN was formed in 1998. It is a not-for-profit public-benefit corporation with participants from all over the world dedicated to keeping the Internet secure, stable and interoperable. It promotes competition and develops policy on the Internet’s unique identifiers. ICANN doesn’t control content on the Internet. It cannot stop spam and it doesn’t deal with access to the Internet. But through its coordination role of the Internet’s naming system, it does have an important impact on the expansion and evolution of the Internet. For more information please visit: www.icann.org.