ICANN will continue its suspension of face-to-face meetings and business travel until at least 31 December 2020 with the organisation’s staff continuing to work from home, Göran Marby, ICANN’s President and CEO, announced in a post on the ICANN blog Tuesday. This includes ICANN69, from 17 to 22 October, also the 22nd Annual General Meeting, which was to be held in Hamburg, Germany. This follows June’s announcement that ICANN69 would be held virtually, as have the two previous ICANN meetings in 2020.
“Put simply,” Marby writes, “extending this guidance is the right thing to do during this historic time. We will reassess regularly as part of our monitoring of the situation and advise if there are any changes to this guidance.” The decision was made “after careful consideration and collaboration with the Board and Supporting Organisation and Advisory Committee (SO/AC) leadership.”
“The health and safety of our community and staff are always our top concern, and we believe it is not prudent to travel or encourage gatherings until at least the end of 2020. The ongoing and long-term health impact of COVID-19 on our community and staff is a risk that we are not willing to take. In addition, the travel landscape has not yet stabilized, which makes any travel complicated and risky.”
ICANN also announced Tuesday the ICANN69 Prep Week schedule. There will be 12 webinars intended to help prepare the community for the ICANN69 Virtual Annual General Meeting. Registration is required (click here for registration including for ICANN69).
ICANN69 Prep Week Schedule:
| Date / Time (CEST = UTC+2) | Title |
|---|---|
| Monday, 5 October 2020 13:30-15:00 CEST | What to Expect at ICANN69: A Guide for Newcomers |
| Monday, 5 October 2020 15:30-16:30 CEST | At-Large Social Media Webinar |
| Monday, 5 October 2020 17:00-18:00 CEST | NomCom ICANN69 Public Meeting |
| Monday, 5 October 2020 18:30-19:30 CEST | Registrant Program Update |
| Tuesday, 6 October 2020 15:30-16:45 CEST | Update on ICANN’s Reviews |
| Tuesday, 6 October 2020 17:00-18:00 CEST | Internationalized Domain Name (IDN) Program Update |
| Tuesday, 6 October 2020 18:30-20:00 CEST | Planning at ICANN and FY22 Planning Process |
| Wednesday, 7 October 2020 10:30-11:30 CEST | At-Large ICANN69 Introduction Webinar |
| Wednesday, 7 October 2020 17:00-18:00 CEST | Second Security, Stability, and Resiliency Review (SSR2) Progress Update |
| Wednesday, 7 October 2020 18:30-19:30 CEST | Contractual Compliance Update |
| Thursday, 8 October 2020 18:30-19:30 CEST | Pre-ICANN69 Policy Webinar |
| Thursday, 8 October 2020 20:00-21:00 CEST | Q&A with ICANN Org Executive Team |
ICANN69 Prep Week webinar materials and recordings will be shared on the ICANN69 meeting schedule. Meeting registration is required to access this information.