ICANN Voices Support for an Open, Global, and Interoperable InternetAlexey Trepykhalin

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:

"Thank you, Ambassador Eneström and Ambassador Milambo,
Good afternoon,

ICANN is a nonprofit public benefit corporation with a global community dedicated to keeping the Internet secure, stable, and interoperable.

ICANN believes it is important that the Internet remains 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 U.N. 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 the multistakeholder 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 multistakeholder model is key to the Internet's continued development, in which all stakeholders are able to participate, and their ideas are given equal consideration at the decision-making table.

Multistakeholder organizations such as ICANN, and platforms such as the IGF that fully enable multistakeholder participation in an open and inclusive manner, are the best approach for further development of the Internet. This approach ensures that diverse perspectives are considered, fostering consensus-driven solutions that are more effective and sustainable for the global Internet community.

In addition, the multistakeholder model has protected the Internet from any unilateral decision making or control, which is necessary for a secure digital future and to safeguard the framework that continues to ensure the Internet's resilience.

The multistakeholder model is one of the most inclusive forms of decision making. 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."