The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) is pleased to announce the 2024 Middle East DNS Forum (MEDNSF2024). Organized jointly by ICANN and the National Telecommunications Regulatory Agency (ANRT) of Morocco, the forum is slated to take place from 24 to 25 April 2024 in Rabat, Morocco. This year marks the 10th anniversary of the event, and the first time it will be held in Morocco. Registration for the event is available here.
The forum will provide an excellent opportunity for regional industry leaders, policymakers, and stakeholders to discuss the evolving landscape of the Domain Name industry in the Middle East.
This year's theme, "Celebrating Progress in the Middle East's DNS Journey," underscores the past ten years' advancements in the region's digital infrastructure and growth in Internet usage. Furthermore, the milestone showcases the collaborative efforts of governments, technical organizations, businesses, and civil society to boost digital connectivity and inclusivity. A focal point will be digital inclusivity, particularly the promotion of Universal Acceptance for domain names and email addresses in Arabic script, leading to a more connected and meaningful online environment.
Other sessions include DNS abuse mitigation for a safer Internet, insights into enhancing DNS operations and security, and the sharing of ccTLD best practices to drive innovation in domain management.
This hybrid event will bring together experts from industry, network and service providers, policymakers, and non-government organizations to discuss the latest developments in areas relating to, or that may affect, the DNS such as cybersecurity, the multilingual Internet, and applicable regulations and legislations. The forum also offers participants an opportunity for networking and collaboration.
ANRT is one of the largest ccTLDs in the Middle East and Africa with close to 120,000 registrations under .ma. ANRT also partnered with ICANN to host ICANN Public Meetings in Marrakech in 2006 (ICANN26), 2016 (ICANN55), and 2019 (ICANN65).
For more information on the event and the agenda visit www.mednsf.org.
About the Middle East DNS Forum:
The Middle East DNS (MEDNSF) Forum brings together stakeholders from the domain name industry, government, and civil society to discuss DNS-related topics relevant to the region. Through dialogue and collaboration, the forum aims to promote the development of a secure, stable, and resilient DNS infrastructure in the Middle East.
The establishment of the MEDNSF was intended to bolster the domain name industry in the region, aligning with ICANN's Engagement Strategy in the Middle East for 2013-2016. Launched in 2014, the forum seeks to enhance the understanding of the Domain Name System among regional stakeholders. It has been hosted in various countries including the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in (2014), Jordan (2015), Tunisia (2016), Egypt (2017), Türkiye (2018), UAE (2019), Virtually (2021), Virtually (2022), and Türkiye (2023).