Date: 3 to 9 November 2016
Location: Hyderabad International Convention Centre (HICC), Hyderabad, India
The 57th Public Meeting of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), popularly known as ICANN57, was held from 3 to 9 November 2016 at the Hyderabad International Convention Centre (HICC) in Hyderabad, India. Hosted by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), Government of India, with support from the Government of Telangana, the meeting marked a historic milestone as the first ICANN Public Meeting following the successful IANA Stewardship Transition, reinforcing the global multistakeholder model of Internet governance.
Anupam Agrawal participated in ICANN57 as a participant, joining thousands of Internet stakeholders, policymakers, technical experts, businesses, civil society representatives, academia, and government delegates from across the world to discuss the future of the Internet’s unique identifier systems and policy ecosystem. The conference provided an invaluable platform for international collaboration, capacity building, and consensus-driven policymaking.
As ICANN’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) under its revised meetings strategy, ICANN57 placed a strong emphasis on outreach, stakeholder engagement, and technical capacity building. The week-long programme featured hundreds of sessions covering critical areas including Domain Name System (DNS) security, ICANN accountability following the IANA transition, WHOIS and Registration Directory Services (RDS), country code Top-Level Domains (ccTLDs), new generic Top-Level Domains (gTLDs), Internet governance, public safety, cybersecurity, and policy development across Supporting Organizations and Advisory Committees. The event also hosted workshops, technical working groups, cross-community discussions, fellowship activities, and outreach programmes designed to broaden participation in Internet governance.
The Hyderabad meeting reaffirmed India’s growing role in shaping the future of the global Internet by bringing together diverse stakeholders to address challenges related to security, stability, interoperability, and inclusive digital development. It also strengthened collaboration between governments, industry, the technical community, and civil society through transparent and consensus-based decision-making.
Participation in ICANN57 provided Anupam Agrawal with the opportunity to engage directly with international experts and evolving policy discussions that continue to influence the governance of the global Internet. Such participation reflects a continued commitment to advancing India’s presence in international Internet governance forums and contributes to broader efforts in promoting an open, secure, resilient, and globally interoperable Internet ecosystem.