Jun, 2007 : Global Participation Gets a Boost at ICANN

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico: There are 33 moreinternational voices at the 29th International Public Meeting of InternetCorporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) thanks to its trial globalfellowships program.

“ICANN’s unique role is global in nature so it’s importantthat we not only invite the world to participate in our organization - wealso need to find ways to get involvement from developing nations and regionsthat might not otherwise be able to participate,” said Theresa Swinehart,ICANN’s Vice President, Global and Strategic Partnerships.

The 33 fellowswere chosen from 125 applications received - and 65per cent of the fellows and 68 per cent of applicants have never attended anICANN meeting. There were also 10 fellowship participants who were approvedbut decided to postpone taking part until the Los Angeles meeting later thisyear.

“Fellowship participants have been taking an active part in variousworkshops and sessions, and have also been holding their own daily meeting - whichis open to anyone attending the ICANN meeting,” Swinehart added. “It’sbeen great for ICANN to have them taking part in our process, and bringingthe ideas to the table.”

Approved fellows have their hotel rooms and economy airfare to the meetingpaid for, as well as a $300 stipend to cover incidental expenses during theweek. The program emerged from input made during ICANN’s public consultationson its Strategic and Operation planning process. The cost of the fellowshipproject for the San Juan meeting is estimated at $95,000.

A video of the fellowship participants at the San Juan meeting is availableonline at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u-avQSCl8eA.

The fellowship participants in San Juan are from Argentina, Benin, Botswana,Brazil, Colombia, Fiji, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Malawi, Mauritius,Mexico, Moldova, Montserrat, Nepal, Solomon Islands, St. Lucia, St. Vincentand The Grenadines, Tajikistan, Trinidad And Tobago, Tunisia, Tuvalu, and Venezuela.

About ICANN:

ICANN is responsible for the global coordination of the Internet's systemof unique identifiers like domain names (like .org, .museum and country codeslike .uk) and the addresses used in a variety of Internet protocols that helpcomputers reach each other over the Internet. Careful management of these resourcesis vital to the Internet's operation, so ICANN's global stakeholders meet regularlyto develop policies that ensure the Internet's ongoing security and stability.ICANN is an internationally organized, public benefit non-profit company. Formore information please visit: www.icann.org.

Media Contacts:

Jason Keenan
Media Adviser, ICANN (USA)
Ph: +1 310 382 4004
E: jason.keenan@icann.org

International: Andrew Robertson
Edelman (London)
Ph: +44 7921 588 770
E: andrew.robertson@edelman.com