In my last Universal Acceptance (UA) Readiness Update blog, I shared that the ICANN organization (org) has support for internationalized email addresses. Since then, we have continued to make progress to ensure that all pertinent ICANN internal systems are UA-ready.
To date, ICANN org has conducted a comprehensive gap analysis on all its software products, prioritizing community-facing applications. The gap analysis was followed by the ICANN org Engineering and IT (E&IT) team's efforts to deliver UA support for the majority of its application portfolio. As a result of our efforts, only 9 percent of the org's applications remain on our UA-adoption roadmap. Most of the remaining applications are vendor-supported products.
Advancing UA-readiness remains a priority for ICANN internally and externally. We persist in enhancing our application portfolio to meet the fundamental standards of UA. This endeavor entails extensive collaboration with third-party vendors to ensure alignment with UA requirements. ICANN org's E&IT team has established guidelines requiring that all new tools developed by ICANN adhere to UA-readiness standards. In addition, our team is currently prioritizing products supporting the New Generic Top-Level Domain Program: Next Round.
We are proud to be part of the UA initiative, joining efforts with leading technology firms and the wider Internet community. Together, we strive to assist organizations and software developers in updating their systems to comply with UA principles for a truly multilingual and digitally inclusive Internet.
ICANN, along with other companies engaged in this endeavor, is committed to leading by example in achieving UA readiness. Our collective efforts aim not only to ensure that our own systems are UA-ready but also to provide guidance and insights for other organizations navigating similar challenges. You can find more information about our approach in a published case study titled "Increasing Internet Inclusivity and Diversity Through Universal Acceptance."
By sharing our experiences and best practices, we seek to facilitate a better understanding of the complexities involved in achieving UA readiness and support the broader adoption of inclusive practices across the digital landscape. Through collaboration and knowledge-sharing, we aspire to pave the way for a more digitally inclusive and equitable online environment for all users.
As we progress, we are committed to keeping the ICANN community informed. For more on UA and Internationalized Domain Names (IDNs), visit the UA Program page and the IDN Program page.
