On January 20th and 21st, Barcelona becomes a key point in global Internet governance. For the first time outside the United States, the city is hosting the annual Strategic Planning Session (SPS) of ICANN’s GNSO Council , a top-level internal meeting where the strategic priorities of one of the most influential bodies in the domain name system are defined.
The session was hosted by Accent Obert , the entity managing the .cat domain.
The GNSO: where domain rules are decided
The GNSO (Generic Names Supporting Organization ) is one of the central bodies of ICANN1 and is responsible for defining and recommending policies governing generic top-level domains (gTLDs), such as .com, .org, .info and new gTLDs. The decisions discussed there have a direct impact on an essential part of the economic, social and institutional activity of the Internet on a global scale.
The Strategic Planning Session is an intensive working meeting of the GNSO Council, conceived as a space for strategic reflection on its role, priorities and operation in the medium and long term. Unlike other ICANN meetings, the SPS does not focus on the development of specific policies, but on such relevant issues as: the creation of new domains, the protection of brands and rights on the Internet, the resolution of conflicts between domain names, or the management of data associated with registries.
A historic meeting and a clear message
The holding of the SPS in Barcelona is of particular significance. It is the first time that this strategic meeting has been held outside the United States , which reinforces ICANN and the GNSO’s desire to decentralize the debate on Internet governance and better reflect its global dimension.
This decision also responds to the growing difficulties in guaranteeing entry into the United States for all Council members, which led Accent Obert to propose to the GNSO that it hold its meeting in Barcelona.
The role of Accent Obert and the .cat domain
The fact that Accent Obert is the host organization highlights the role of the .cat domain and the entire Catalan ecosystem in the international debate on Internet governance. The organization thus reaffirms its commitment to an open, inclusive Internet, respectful of linguistic diversity and oriented towards the public interest, as well as to the active participation of civil society in the definition of the rules that govern it.
With this meeting, the .cat domain reinforces its position as a relevant actor in the strategic debates that define the future of the domain name system and the Internet as a whole.