ICANN: Overview

Managing Domain Names and IP Addresses on the Internet

For the Internet to function, domain names and IP addresses must be unique worldwide. The central task of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), founded in 1998, is to ensure the stable and secure operation of the Internet's unique identification systems in cooperation with the global Internet community. ICANN therefore coordinates the management of names and addresses on the Internet as a non-profit organization.

Multistakeholder model

ICANN plays a unique role in the infrastructure of the Internet. At the heart of ICANN's policy-making is what is known as the "multistakeholder model." This is a community-based, consensus-driven approach to policymaking. The idea is that Internet governance should mimic the structure of the Internet itself - borderless and open to all.

ICANN is an organization and community with participants from around the world that works to keep the Internet secure, stable, and interoperable. It promotes competition and develops policy for the Internet's unique identifiers. Through its role in coordinating the Internet naming system, it has an important influence on the expansion and development of the Internet.

The Annual General Meeting (AGM) is the third meeting in the three-meeting annual cycle, typically held in October or November. The duration of the AGM is six days, running from Saturday through Thursday.

The AGM includes time for internal SO/AC work and cross-community interaction, but the overall focus is to showcase ICANN’s work to a broader global audience, with more time dedicated to capacity building and leadership training sessions. The AGM is also where new members of the ICANN Board of Directors take their seats.

ICANN Meetings have been central to ICANN’s multistakeholder model since its formation in 1998. They provide a venue for learning about ICANN, advancing policy work, conducting outreach, exchanging best practices, conducting business deals, and interacting with members of the ICANN community, Board, and organization.

An average ICANN Meeting accepts more than 200 submissions to schedule in twelve simultaneous sessions spanning four to six days.

The 78th ICANN meeting will be held in Hamburg from 21 to 26 October 2023: "I am very pleased that Hamburg will be able to welcome the international network community to the new Congress Centrum Hamburg. The meeting is a great enrichment for the city as an innovation location and 'Smart City'," says Michael Westhagemann, Senator for Economics and Innovation of the City of Hamburg.

Hamburg was already scheduled to host the then ICANN Annual General Meeting in 2020. However, the conference was then hosted virtually due to the Covid-19 pandemic.