The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) concluded the first-ever Virtual Community Forum tagged ICANN67 on the 12th March 2020.
The Forum was earlier scheduled to hold physically in Cancun Mexico but was cancelled and changed to remote participation due to the outbreak of Coronavirus, officially known as COVID-19.
Göran Marby, President & CEO of ICANN, in his report to the ICANN Board towards the Virtual Forum, enumerated Key Highlights & Milestones of the organisation in 2019. The full report can be viewed from the link: https://www.icann.org/uploads/board_report/attachment/91/ICANN_Org_Executive_Team_Report-Los__Angeles_Workshop_2020.pdf
As the ICANN 67 meeting was held remotely, the planned agenda was adjusted to make it more suitable for remote participation.
The ICANN organising team worked hard to give participants the tools to collaborate in the first Virtual Public Meeting.
Some of the key sessions and issues under discussion during the Community Forum included:
- Community Dialogue on the Proposed Transfer of Ownership of the Public Interest Registry
- Domain Name Registrant Data: EPDP Phase 2
- Rights Protection Mechanisms Phase 1
Although the ICANN community was not physically in the same location, the virtual platform allowed collaboration on the important work of ICANN. In the video welcome messages, ICANN President & CEO Göran Marby and ICANN Board Chair Maarten Botterman expressed their thanks to the ICANN community for its flexibility in embracing the online meeting. They also highlighted some of the priorities for ICANN67. ICANN67 was a virtual experience!