In the evolving digital landscape, an inclusive, resilient, and secure Internet is more crucial than ever. Governments at the United Nations (U.N.) are close to reaching a political agreement to address various digital and Internet-related issues. The Global Digital Compact (annexed to the Pact of the Future) is anticipated to be adopted at the U.N. Summit of the Future in September 2024.
On 22 August 2024, ICANN spoke in support of the multistakeholder model at the Global Digital Compact Stakeholders Session. ICANN's remarks underscore our commitment to maintaining an Internet that is open, globally connected, interoperable, and accessible to all. ICANN's global community, dedicated to the secure and stable operation of the Internet, believes that these principles are fundamental to a digital future that benefits everyone.
You can read the full intervention below:
"Greetings, co-facilitators, excellencies and stakeholders.
ICANN is a nonprofit public benefit corporation with a global community.
We are dedicated to keep the Internet open, globally connected, interoperable, and accessible to all, -- to ensure a digital future that benefits everyone.
The success of the Internet is the result of a number of factors, including the long-established multistakeholder model of Internet governance that was enshrined in the WSIS Tunis Agenda in 2005, and UN General Assembly Resolution 70/125.
The technical community, of which ICANN is a key part, is a core component of the multistakeholder model. The collaborative efforts of the technical community and its model have resulted in the stable, secure and resilient operation of the Internet.
The multistakeholder model has given us a robust Internet for more than 40 years while experiencing exponential growth in users and traffic. The same model is key to the Internet's continued development, in which all stakeholders can participate equally.
Multistakeholder platforms such as the IGF, and organizations such as ICANN that fully enable open and inclusive participation, are the best approach for Internet's development.
In this regard, ICANN acknowledges the crucial role governments play and their contributions in ICANN's multistakeholder policy development process through the Governmental Advisory Committee or GAC.
We encourage the GDC to reaffirm the support for the multistakeholder model as the most adaptable, inclusive, and effective approach to Internet governance, and to consider an inclusive multistakeholder approach in the follow up and implementation. By upholding the multistakeholder model, you will ensure that the Internet continues to serve as a catalyst for innovation, inclusivity, economic growth, and global connectivity for all.
This concludes my brief statement."