- The nomination window for ICANN Board Seat 10 closes on December 16, 2024.
- Qualified candidates will undergo rigorous review to ensure global diversity and accountability.
What happened
The nomination period for Seat 10 on the ICANN Board of Directors will end on December 16, 2024, at 23:59 UTC. Managed by the Address Supporting Organization Address Council (ASO AC), the process is crucial for maintaining ICANN’s role in global internet governance. Candidates are expected to meet ethical standards and geographical diversity requirements, as no two directors from the same geographic region can serve concurrently. Interested applicants must submit their nomination, complete with a declaration of good character, by email. Following the submission, there will be a public comment period, interviews, and due diligence checks before a final candidate is selected. The new board member will begin their term after ICANN’s 2025 Annual General Meeting.
Nominations must include the following information:
- Full name of the nominee
- Contact email address of the nominee
- Contact telephone number of the nominee (if available)
- Full name of the person submitting the nomination
- Contact email address of the person submitting the nomination
- Contact telephone number of the person submitting the nomination
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What it’s important
The nomination process for ICANN Board Seat 10 is significant, but it also highlights challenges in global internet governance. While ICANN’s emphasis on diversity ensures balanced representation, critics argue that the strict geographical restrictions and lengthy selection process can inadvertently limit the candidate pool. Smaller organizations, particularly in emerging markets, may lack the resources or networks to nominate candidates, raising concerns about inclusivity in practice.
For example, regional internet service providers (ISPs) in Southeast Asia often depend on ICANN’s policies to access critical infrastructure, such as IPv6 addresses or domain name systems. However, their interests may not always align with decisions made at the board level, where larger global stakeholders often dominate discussions. In recent years, controversies surrounding tech governance bodies, such as the European Commission’s debates on Big Tech’s influence, underscore the need for ICANN to balance power dynamics effectively.
