Minutes | Regular Meeting of the ICANN Board | 13 March 2025

Rationale for Resolutions 2025.03.13.01 – 2025.03.13.02

As part of ICANN's Public Meeting strategy, ICANN seeks to host a meeting in a different geographic region (as defined in the ICANN Bylaws) three times a year. ICANN85 is scheduled for 7-12 March 2026. Following a search and evaluation of available venues, the organization identified Mumbai, India as a suitable location for the ICANN Public Meeting.

The organization performed a thorough analysis of the available locations that met the Meeting Location Selection Criteria (see https://meetings.icann.org/en/host). Based on the proposals and analysis, ICANN has identified Mumbai, India as the location for ICANN85. Selection of this Asia Pacific location adheres to the geographic rotation guidelines established by the Meeting Strategy Working Group.

The Board Finance Committee (BFC) has carried out its standard due diligence in reviewing the proposed Board decision to recommend approval to the Board. As part of this diligence, the BFC has reviewed the financial risks associated with the proposed decision and the information provided by the org on the measures in place to mitigate those risks. The BFC has found these financial risks and the mitigation in place reasonable and acceptable.

The Board has reviewed the organization's briefing for the costs of hosting the meeting in Mumbai, India and agrees with the BFC's recommendation that the proposal met the significant factors of the Meeting Location Selection Criteria, as well as the related costs for the facilities selected, for the March 2026 ICANN Public Meeting.

ICANN conducts Public Meetings in support of its mission to ensure the stable and secure operation of the Internet's unique identifier systems and these meetings are consistent in the public interest as they provide free and open access to anyone wishing to participate, either in person or remotely, in open, transparent, and bottom-up, multistakeholder policy development processes.

There will be a financial impact to ICANN in hosting the meeting and providing travel support as necessary, as well as to the community in incurring costs to travel to the meeting. However, such impact would be faced regardless of the location and venue of the meeting and will be accounted for in the ICANN FY26 Operating Plan and Budget.

This action will have no impact on the security or the stability of the Domain Name System.

This is an Organizational Administrative function that does not require public comment.

Rationale for Resolutions 2025.03.13.03 – 2025.03.13.04

As part of ICANN's Public Meeting strategy, ICANN seeks to host a meeting in a different geographic region (as defined in the ICANN Bylaws) three times a year. ICANN88 is scheduled for 13-18 March 2027. Following a search and evaluation of available venues, the organization identified Lisbon, Portugal as a suitable location for the ICANN Public Meeting.

The organization performed a thorough analysis of the available locations that met the Meeting Location Selection Criteria (see https://meetings.icann.org/en/host). This analysis included ICANN org's health, safety and security assessment including mitigation plans for ICANN meeting participants. Based on the proposals and analysis, ICANN has identified Lisbon, Portugal as the location for ICANN88. Selection of this Europe location adheres to the geographic rotation guidelines established by the Meeting Strategy Working Group.

The Board Finance Committee (BFC) has carried out its standard due diligence in reviewing the proposed Board decision to recommend approval to the Board. As part of this diligence, the BFC has reviewed the financial risks associated with the proposed decision and the information provided by the org on the measures in place to mitigate those risks. The BFC has found these financial risks and the mitigation in place reasonable and acceptable.

The Board has reviewed the organization's briefing for the costs of hosting the meeting in Lisbon, Portugal and agrees with the BFC's recommendation that the proposal met the significant factors of the Meeting Location Selection Criteria, as well as the related costs for the facilities selected, for the March 2027 ICANN Public Meeting.

ICANN conducts Public Meetings in support of its mission to ensure the stable and secure operation of the Internet's unique identifier systems and acts in the public interest by providing free and open access to anyone wishing to participate, either in person or remotely, in open, transparent, and bottom-up, multistakeholder policy development processes.

There will be a financial impact to ICANN in hosting the meeting and providing travel support as necessary, as well as to the community in incurring costs to travel to the meeting. However, such impact would be faced regardless of the location and venue of the meeting and will be accounted for in the FY27 budget.

This action will have no impact on the security or the stability of the Domain Name System.

This is an Organizational Administrative function that does not require public comment.

All members of the Board voted in favor of Resolutions 2025.03.13.01 – 2025.03.13.02 and 2025.03.13.03 – 2025.03.13.04.  The Resolutions carried.

Rationale for Resolution 2025.03.13.05

The Board is addressing this matter to ensure Board Committee charters are up-to-date and reflect the most current governance requirements and the actual practices of each Committee.

As part of its responsibilities, the BGC is tasked with "periodically review[ing] the charters of the Board Committees, including its own charter and work with the members of the Board Committees to develop recommendations to the Board for any charter adjustments deemed advisable." (BGC Charter, Sec. II.C.2.) In this role, the BGC asked each Committee to review its charter for the BGC's consideration. The Board Risk Committee has made suggested revisions to its charter, and has adopted a few additional suggested revisions from the BGC. Accordingly, the BGC recommended, and the Board now approves the suggested revisions to the Board Risk Committee (BRC) charter to update the relevant sections of the charters to current practices. Notably, the revised charter reflects the inclusion of a new area of oversight for the Risk Committee - internal audits. As ICANN has grown in number and complexity, the organization and the Board agreed that it was time to add an internal audit function within ICANN. And because the scope of internal audits will likely reach beyond just financial controls and statements, the Board previously determined that the Risk Committee rather than the Audit Committee was the best suited to oversee the internal audits, but with the direction to consult with other Board committees as deemed appropriate depending on the subject matter of a given internal audit.

This action is consistent with ICANN's Mission and is in the public interest as it is important to ensure that the Board Committees are properly tasked with responsibilities, and to ensure oversight over the ICANN organization, as the Board deems appropriate.

This action is not expected to have a direct fiscal impact on ICANN or on the security, stability or resiliency of the domain name system.

This decision is an Organizational Administrative Function that does not require public comment.

Rationale for Resolutions 2025.03.13.06 – 2025.03.13.08

In accordance with Section 22.5 (b) of the ICANN Bylaws, the Board is required to adopt a five-year strategic plan prior to the commencement of each five fiscal year period, with the first such period covering fiscal years 2021 through 2025. Thus, the Board is due to adopt a five-year strategic plan for fiscal years 2026-2030. The adoption of the ICANN Strategic Plan for Fiscal Years 2026–2030 fulfills this obligation and ensures that ICANN remains well-positioned to address emerging challenges and opportunities in the evolving Internet ecosystem.

This plan establishes ICANN's strategic objectives, goals, and high-level strategies that will guide ICANN's priorities over the next five years. The plan is structured to reflect the evolving needs of the ICANN community and the broader Internet ecosystem while maintaining alignment with ICANN's mission and commitment to the public interest.

The development of ICANN Strategic Plan for Fiscal Years 2026–2030 is the culmination of a collaborative and inclusive effort across the ICANN ecosystem. This plan reflects the active engagement of the ICANN community through various consultation methods, including seven environmental scan brainstorming sessions held from October to November 2023, which identified internal strengths and weaknesses and external opportunities and threats impacting ICANN's mission. The BSPC conducted 13 working sessions and participated in three Board Workshop sessions from January to May 2024 to develop the draft strategic objectives, goals, and strategies.

Further community engagement took place at ICANN79 in March 2024, where four dedicated sessions were held to discuss the draft vision statement and key insights from the environmental scan. At ICANN80 in June 2024, the draft strategies were presented in a dedicated session, allowing for additional community input, followed by a Public Comment period from July to September 2024, during which over 300 comments were received. The feedback from the Public Comment proceeding was thoroughly reviewed and discussed by the Board. The Board carefully considered the comments and incorporated community feedback into the strategic plan to ensure that ICANN remains responsive to stakeholder needs while maintaining a long-term strategic focus.

ICANN's strategic planning process is designed to ensure the continuous participation of the ICANN community throughout the five-year span of the plan. This commitment to ongoing engagement is demonstrated by the annual strategy review program, which consists of structured opportunities for feedback throughout the planning cycle, enabling ICANN to adapt to emerging challenges and opportunities while maintaining alignment with its long-term objectives. This iterative and inclusive process underscores ICANN's dedication to transparency, collaboration, and responsiveness. It ensures that ICANN remains accountable to its stakeholders, providing transparent and predictable strategic directions while allowing for ongoing community input.

The ICANN Strategic Plan is a fundamental part of ICANN's governance framework, mandated by the organization's Bylaws. This strategic plan serves the public interest by articulating a clear path toward ICANN's vision and strategic objectives, ensuring that ICANN remains well-positioned to fulfill its mission and sustain the security, stability, and resilience of the unique identifier systems. By aligning its strategic direction with the evolving needs of the global Internet community, this plan safeguards ICANN's role as a trusted steward of the Internet's unique identifier systems.

This decision will have a fiscal impact on ICANN and the Community as is intended. The Strategic Plan will be translated into ICANN's Operating Plans and will guide ICANN's work. Implementing the new Strategic Plan is expected to have a positive impact on the security, stability and resiliency of the domain name system (DNS) as maintaining ICANN's mission - SSR mission remains paramount within the Plan.

This resolution serves ICANN's mission in ensuring a secure and stable operation of the Internet's unique identifier systems. The ICANN Strategic Plan for fiscal years 2026-2030 builds upon ICANN's mission so that it may continue to effectively fulfil its aims and meet new and continuously evolving challenges and opportunities.

This resolution is in the public interest as the Strategic Plan will guide ICANN's activities and inform ICANN's operating plans and budgets to fulfil its mission in fiscal years 2025 through 2030. The strategic plan serves the public interest by articulating the path towards a new vision. The strategic plan complies with ICANN's commitments and is guided by ICANN's core values.

Rationale for Resolutions 2025.03.13.09 – 2025.03.13.10

ICANN and its community have long recognized the importance of Universal Acceptance (UA) of all domain names and email addresses, to ensure that registrants and end users can effectively utilize domain names formed by new gTLDs as well as internationalized domain names (IDNs). This is a necessary step towards digital inclusion of end users on a global scale. The community formed the UA Steering Group (UASG) in 2015 "to drive action over the course of the next 10 years," as governed by its charter, with the coordination and support of ICANN. During these 10 years, the UASG has significantly contributed to raising the awareness of UA, identified gaps in the technology and developed capacity-building resources for addressing UA-readiness. The Board acknowledges that UASG has completed 10 years of work, supported by ICANN org as outlined in the UASG's charter, and appreciates the contribution by the community.

More recently, input from the community has emphasized the increasing need for ICANN org to take a more direct role on UA adoption. For example, UASG leadership, in their meetings with Board IDN and UA Working Group, has asked that ICANN org help reach out to the big technology organizations for UA adoption. ICANN org is now directly fixing open-source platforms and interacting with technology organizations. The progress being made by ICANN org in directly handling implementation and operations is presented regularly at ICANN meetings, as it helps address existing technical gaps.

As the UASG marks the completion of 10 years of work and with UA-related issues now well documented, the necessary implementation and operational steps are needed to move toward broader UA adoption. The ICANN Board believes this is an opportune juncture to look at ICANN org's overall strategy and work on UA, and is therefore asking ICANN org to assess the ongoing UA work and propose and implement a path forward. As part of this effort, ICANN org should also evaluate how the community can continue to contribute to this work and determine the most effective mechanisms for receiving input from the many groups now engaged in these efforts. This includes reviewing the current status of ICANN org's efforts, available resources, and how to best organize work on UA adoption.

By reassessing how to allocate resources toward UA adoption, and focusing additional staff support on these areas, ICANN org is expected to contribute to UA-readiness and positively impact the community by fostering greater digital inclusivity on the internet.

This Board action supports both the public interest and ICANN's mission by advancing UA adoption. This effort is part of implementing its five-year Strategic Plans for FY21-25 and FY26-30, which undergo public comment before adoption and are managed by ICANN org, under the guidance of the ICANN Board and in collaboration with the community.

The Board has reviewed multiple documents related to progress made to date, including the following:

1. Draft ICANN FY26-30Strategic Plan: https://www.icann.org/resources/pages/strategic-plan-fy2026-2030-2023-11-22-en
2. ICANN FY21-25 Strategic Plan: https://www.icann.org/en/system/files/files/strategic-plan-2021-2025-24jun19-en.pdf
3. UA Readiness Report FY24: https://uasg.tech/download/uasg-050-ua-readiness-report-fy24/
4. IDN Report 2024: https://www.icann.org/en/system/files/files/idn-annual-report-2024-31jul24-en.pdf
5. UASG documents, including
   1. Letter to Board Chair to form UASG: https://www.icann.org/en/system/files/correspondence/universal-access-workshop-team-to-crocker-09feb15-en.pdf
   2. UASG Charter: https://uasg.tech/uasg-charter/

The work on UA adoption is already a part of ICANN's Strategic Plans and Budget for FY21-25 and FY26-30. No additional fiscal impact is anticipated but current resources may need to be realigned based on the way forward determined by ICANN org.

Rationale for Resolution 2025.03.13.11

Article 7, Section 7.2 and Article 14 of the ICANN Bylaws call for the Board to appoint the membership of each Board Committee, including filling any vacancies which may occur in these positions during the year. As Byron Holland was named to the Board to fill a vacancy, these Committee appointments are being made now rather than during the Organizational Meeting that occurs immediately after the Annual Meeting each year.

The appointment of the Board Committee membership is consistent with ICANN's Mission and is in the public interest as it is important to ensure that the Board Committees have the properly skilled expertise to carry out ICANN's Mission, Commitments and Core Values.

This decision will have no direct fiscal impact on ICANN and no impact on the security, stability or resiliency of the domain name system.

This is an Organizational Administrative Function that does not require Public Comment.