Barcelona, Spain 31 October 2018: The African Union Commissioner for Infrastructure and Energy, H.E. Dr. Amani Abou-Zeid led the AUC delegation to the 63rd Annual General Meeting of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) which took place in Barcelona, Spain from 22 to 25 October 2018.
The High-Level Government Meeting (HLGM) segment aimed at demonstrating the evolving role of ICANN in the global Internet ecosystem. It reinforced the critical role that governments play in ICANN's new Empowered Community in developing policy relating to the secure and stable functioning of the Domain Name System (DNS).

In her statement, the Commissioner stated that the African Union Commission has endorsed digital Agenda as an enabler for realizing the continent socio-economic aspirations and as a prerequisite for Africa to leapfrog into the 21st century and transforming the lives of our citizens.

She went on to say that while the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) Steward Transition is indeed a step in the right direction, a great deal is yet to be done toward the implementation the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) Plan of Action that was agreed in 2005.

“It is our hope that ICANN can introduce additional measures to enhance its accountability and Transparency in relation to Domain Name System (DNS) management,” the Commissioner emphasized.

In closing, the Commissioner emphasized that the AUC would like to see that key role is given to governments and intergovernmental organizations on public policy issues related to the Internet.

The AU Commissioner met the President and CEO of ICANN, Mr. Goran Marby, with whom she discussed the current and proposed initiatives between the two institutions including capacity building for African regulators and policymakers.

Note to the Editors
The HLGM is held every two years in addition to the usual GAC meetings. Barcelona will be the fourth HLGM – previous meetings were held in Toronto (2012), London (2014), and Marrakech (2016). HLGMs reinforce the critical role that governments play in providing advice to the ICANN Board on public policy relating to the secure and stable functioning of the Domain Name System. They also give participants an opportunity to discuss at a very senior level the current public policy issues and challenges at ICANN.

Over 150 ministers and senior officials from governments around the world, as well as the leaders of various inter-governmental organizations (IGOs), attended the HLGM. Participants had an opportunity to discuss and get acquainted with the technical, legal, and geopolitical challenges that ICANN faces as it works to fulfill its mission in an ever-changing Internet ecosystem.

Established in 1998, ICANN is a non-profit organisation in charge of globally coordinating names and parameters to facilitate the functioning and further development of the Internet. For the Internet to work, domain names and IP addresses around the world have to be unique. The main task of ICANN is to coordinate these unique identifiers in cooperation with the global internet community. ICANN is working with AUC in developing the DotAfrica domain, an AUC led initiative for the common good and benefit of Africa’s citizens and businesses.

For further information:
Directorate of Information and Communication | African Union Commission I E-mail: DIC@africa-union.org I Website: http://www.au.int
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https://au.int/summit/extraordinary/11