The GNSO has been invited to nominate one individual to serve as the member of a new Universal Acceptance (UA) Expert Working Group (EWG). The GNSO is hereby opening a Call for Expressions of Interest (EOI) to solicit volunteers for this position. Please see details below.
To apply, fill out the EOI form and submit it to gnso-secs@icann.org. The deadline for submissions is 13 June 2025 at 23:59 UTC.
Selection of GNSO-nominated Member
The GNSO Council has tasked the Standing Selection Committee (SSC) with evaluating the candidates and recommending one individual. The GNSO Council will review the SSC's recommendation and make a final decision on the nominee.
Details on the process can be found on wiki here.
Background
UA ensures that all valid domain names and related email addresses, regardless of length, language, or script, work seamlessly on the Internet. Achieving UA-readiness is essential to enabling a more digitally inclusive and multilingual Internet. UA is included in ICANN's FY21–25 Strategic Plan and remains an area of focus in the FY26–30 Strategic Plan as a key driver for facilitating digital inclusion. UA and IDNs are also key components of the New gTLD Program: Next Round, which will expand competition, innovation, and consumer choice in the DNS.
Compensation
This is a volunteer role.
Scope of Work for UA EWG
The EWG will propose guidelines for ICANN's work on UA adoption based on input from targeted stakeholders, including:
- Big Tech and Open-Source Organizations: Update applications and services to support UA.
- Tech Developers and System Administrators: Ensure existing and new software applications support UA and Internationalized Domain Names (IDNs).
- Domain Name System (DNS) Industry and Related Businesses: Encourage generic top-level domain (gTLD) and country code top-level domain registries, registrars, registry service providers, resellers, hosting providers, Internet service providers, and others to become UA-ready.
- Internet Governance and Policy Professionals: Raise the visibility of UA and its importance to the multilingual Internet within international organizations, intergovernmental organizations, and governments.
Work Plan
The UA EWG is anticipated to meet on a weekly basis to discuss issues and develop proposed deliverables on the agreed timeline. The tentative steps and timeline are as follows:
- 25 June 2025: Nominations due.
- July 2025: Working group members finalized and work commences.
- November 2025: Draft report based on the scope of work published for Public Comment.
- February 2026: Guidelines finalized and published.
Responsibilities
The nominees must have demonstrated knowledge of UA and IDNs and expertise in one or more of the following areas:
- Technical challenges and solutions for UA.
- Technical training for promoting the use of IDNs and UA.
- IDNs and/or Email Address Internationalization.
- Internet governance or public policy work related to digital inclusion and a multilingual Internet.
Other desired attributes include:
- Member of a GNSO Stakeholder Group and/or Constituency with a track record of engagement
- Understanding of the ICANN's mission, structure, and multistakeholder model
- Willingness to devote the necessary time
- Ability to present information in a manner that is simple and easy to understand
- Strong written and verbal communication skills
Additional Information
UA EWG meetings will be recorded and publicly posted, along with supporting materials. More details on the process and timeline can be found on wiki here.
Contact
If you have any questions, please send an email to: gnso-secs@icann.org.