New gTLD Program Next Round

Work Efforts

The GAC regularly considers a broad range of public policy issues impacting the DNS and other matters regarding the functions of ICANN. This work can result in consensus advice for the ICANN Board or public comment guidance to the ICANN community. This part of the website shares information related to those ongoing topics and activities.

Last Updated: 12 Sep 2024

Status: Active

Related Topics:

Domain Names , GAC Activities , gTLD Programs , gTLDs , New gTLD Applicant Guidebook , New gTLDs Subsequent Procedures

GAC Participation/Interest on Matters Related to Subsequent Rounds of New gTLDs

GAC members have actively participated in the GNSO Subsequent Rounds for New gTLD PDP WG. As part of this effort, and GAC wide interest in this important topic, the GAC formed a Focal Group on Next Rounds of New gTLDs following ICANN64 to build capacity within the GAC and ensuring timely input into the final deliberations of the New gTLD Subsequent Procedures PDP WG. The Focal Group evolved with the workload associated to the next round of new gTLDs and GAC members interested in the topic now participate in the GAC Small Team on the Next Round of New gTLDs. Interested GAC members who wish to join this effort are invited to email gac-staff@icann.org to be added to the Small Team mailing list.

Following the delivery of the Final Report on the New gTLD Subsequent Procedures PDP WG to the ICANN Board, GAC members have remained engaged and interested in this topic and continue to discuss this topic at GAC meetings around ICANN meetings.

GAC members continue to follow ongoing work around this topic, notably the Operational Design Phase currently being undertaken by ICANN org, and discussing potential areas for GAC Advice to the ICANN Board relative to Subsequent Rounds of New gTLDs.

GAC members are encouraged to contact GAC Support (gac-support@icann.org) if they wish to be added to the dedicated mailing list on Subsequent Rounds of New gTLDs to actively engage on this matter.

GAC Topic Leads on Subsequent Rounds of New gTLDs:

Jorge Cancio, Switzerland
Jason Merritt, Canada

Note: For a comprehensive deep dive on Subsequent Rounds of New gTLDs, interested GAC Members are encouraged to review the GAC Policy Background - Subsequent Rounds of New gTLDs document in the documentation section below.

Background

Since its incorporation, ICANN has delivered several expansions of the Top-Level Domain (TLD) namespace. The latest and most significant expansion started in 2012, and has seen more than 1000 New gTLDs added to the DNS.

In the context of the 2012 round of New gTLDs, ICANN received 1239 applications but only 97 Internationalized Domain Names (IDNs) related applications. It means that western companies and organisations mostly benefit from this opportunity. Then, the next round of new gTLD should represent a good opportunity for companies and organizations from Asia, Africa, Latin America and other regions to apply for IDN new gTLDs. The Internet community will not address the digital divide issue just by creating new infrastructures, access to local content is a real incentive to get more people online. IDNs allow Internet users to develop Internet identifiers based on their own narrative, their own language, their own script, their own keyboard.

This latest expansion, known as the New gTLD Program or the 2012 round of New gTLDs, was the product of a multi-year process of policy development, in which the GAC participated, with contributions in the form of policy principles, safeguard advice and objections to applications that could cause public policy concerns.

Several processes that have been supporting deliberations on these findings and wider policy issues related to further expansion of gTLDs have been of interest to the GAC, in particular:

The Consumer Trust, Consumer Choice and Competition Review whose Final Recommendations (8 September 2018) are in the process of being implemented, amid intense debates, per the ICANN Board’s decision (1 March 2018)
The GNSO’s Review of All Rights Protection Mechanisms in All gTLDs PDP tasked to assess the effectiveness of instruments such as the UDRP, URS and TMCH and suggest new policy recommendations in these areas
The GNSO’s New gTLD Subsequent Procedures PDP (Sub Pro PDP), and within it, the specific Work Track 5 on Geographic Names at the Top Level

Since 2016, the New gTLDs Subsequent Procedures (Sub Pro) PDP WG has been deliberating by reviewing and discussing the 2012 program and soliciting community input on policy recommendations to improve the next round of new gTLDs. Ultimately, the outcome of this PDP WG will be the basis for the policy and rules governing the next gTLD expansion.

Ongoing Work

Current GAC Positions

For most recent GAC positions please refer to the GAC collective comment submitted to the ICANN Board on 1 June 2021 to the public comment proceeding on the GNSO New gTLD Subsequent Procedures Final Outputs for ICANN Board Consideration.

The GAC has advised that a new round of applications for gTLDs should be carried out in a “logical, sequential and coordinated way” that takes into account the results of “all relevant reviews”, requirements of “interoperability, security, stability and resiliency”, “independent analysis of costs and benefits”, and while proposing “an agreed policy and administrative framework that is supported by all stakeholders” in the GAC Helsinki Communiqué (30 June 2016) as reiterated in the GAC Kobe Communique (14 March 2019).

At ICANN70 (25 March 2021), the GAC recalled previous advice to the ICANN Board to note that “the GAC is seeking a coordinated approach on the implementation of the specified Recommendations from the CCT Review ahead of the potential launch of a new round of gTLDs.”

Additionally, “pursuant to GAC advice issued in Montréal (ICANN66), related correspondence with the ICANN Board and subsequent discussions, the latest on 23rd March during ICANN70, the GAC looks forward to be periodically updated on the ongoing consideration of the above mentioned advice, and, in particular, the Recommendations marked as "prerequisite" or "high priority" [...] for example through a tracking tool that identifies the status of each Recommendation in terms of who is taking it forward, how it will be implemented and when it is expected to be completed, particularly in regard to Recommendations attributed to the Organisation and the ICANN Community (in addition to the Board). The GAC also recalls its advice to the Board in the Helsinki Communiqué that "An objective and independent analysis of costs and benefits should be conducted beforehand, drawing on experience with and outcomes from the recent round."

Such analysis has yet to take place. In this regard, the GAC notes that the Operational Design Phase may provide the opportunity for this analysis to assist the Board as it considers whether a second round of New gTLDs is in the interest of the community as a whole.”

GAC members remain actively engaged in ongoing work efforts pertaining to the next round of new gTLDs as follows:

GAC/GNSO/ALAC Facilitated Dialogue on Closed Generics:

Manal Ismail, Egypt
Ronke Sola-Ogunsola, Nigeria
Jason Merritt, Canada
Jorge Cancio, Switzerland
Nigel Hickson, UK
Ian Sheldon, Australia

GNSO Guidance Process (GGP) on Applicant Support:

Maria Gabriela Mattausch, Argentina (Representative)
Rosalind KennyBirch, UK (Alternate)
Tracy Hackshaw, Universal Postal Union (Observer)

SubPro Implementation Review Team (IRT)

Jason Merritt, Canada (Representative)
Nigel Hickson, UK (Alternate)

Members

Name	Country
Marina Flego Eiras	Argentina
Avet Poghosyan	Armenia
Ian Sheldon	Australia
Ingram Niblock	Australia
Jamie McPherson	Australia
Dale Buttfield	Australia
Dr Shamsuzzoha	Bangladesh
Houégnon Geoffroy Bonou	Benin
Vladimir Terán Gutierrez	Plurinational State of Bolivia
Luciano Mazza de Andrade	Brazil
Marcelo Salomão Martinez	Brazil
Iglika Ivanova	Bulgaria
Mao Neang	Cambodia
David Bedard	Canada
Kennedy Djikolmbaibet	Chad, Republic of
Ahmat Tidjani Moustapha Bechir	Chad, Republic of
Abdeldjalil Bachar Bong	Chad, Republic of
Makka Issakha Sogar	Chad, Republic of
Yenan Ji	China
Noel Jean-David Litanga Sangu	Congo, Democratic Republic of
Venceslas Katimba Kukwabantu	Congo, Democratic Republic of
Finn Petersen	Denmark
Amparo Arango Echeverri	Dominican Republic
Manal Ismail	Egypt
Abdalmonem Tharwat Galila	Egypt
Martina Barbero	European Commission
Jonas Roule	France
Rudy Nolde	Germany
Philipp Schulte	Germany
Szabolcs Szolnoki	Hungary
Sushil Pal	India
Pradeep Kumar Verma	India
Teguh Arifiyadi	Indonesia
Hossein Mirzapour	Islamic Republic of Iran
Zeina Bou Harb	Lebanon
Khaled Altarhuni	Libya
Ruzamri Ruwandi	Malaysia
Mohamad Afiq Ammar Tulos	Malaysia
Neilan Lajkan	Republic of the Marshall Islands
Mohamed El Moctar Mohamedine	Mauritania
Marco Hogewoning	Netherlands
Babagana Digima	Nigeria
Ibiso Kingsley-George	Nigeria
Emmanuel Edet	Nigeria
Frode Sorensen	Norway
Irene Åmot	Norway
Melnguis Mesubed	Republic of Palau
Jonathan Temol	Republic of Palau
Miver Umedip	Republic of Palau
Hildeman Rangel	Panama
Nicolas Caballero	GAC Chair
Frederico Luis P. Trinidad	Philippines
Ana Neves	Portugal
Omer Fadul	Qatar
Ibrahim Al Maawali	Oman
Habib Al Balushi	Oman
Waleed Aloriny	Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Ivan Liška	Slovakia
Kanishka Karunasena Thanthri Waththage	Sri Lanka
Jorge Cancio	Switzerland
Olivier Girard	Switzerland
Lucas Prêtre	Switzerland
Isabelle Lois	Switzerland
Ken-Ying Tseng	Chinese Taipei
Mwesigwa Felician	Tanzania
‘Esau LM Tupou	Tonga
Mohammad Mubarak Al Falasi	United Arab Emirates
Nigel Hickson	United Kingdom
Susan Chalmers	United States of America
Pearl Risberg	United States of America
Owen Fletcher	United States of America
Susan Anthony	United States of America
Oscar Leon	Inter-American Telecommunicattion Commission - CITEL
Nigel Cassimire	Caribbean Telecommunications Union (CTU)
Nia Nanan	Caribbean Telecommunications Union (CTU)
Rodrigue Jacques Guiguemde	Smart Africa
Hazem Hezzah	League of Arab States
Khaled Wali	League of Arab States
Tracy Hackshaw	Universal Postal Union
Giacomo Mazzone	World Broadcasting Union

Meeting and Records

Mar

2025

ICANN82 - Session 10 - GAC Discussion on New gTLD Program Next Round

20:15 - 21:30 UTC

Materials:

Oct

2023

ICANN78 - Session 9 - GAC Discussion on New gTLD Program Next Round (2/2)

07:00 - 08:00 UTC

Materials:

...

Topics: New gTLDs Subsequent Procedures

Oct

2023

ICANN78 - Session 3 - GAC Discussion on New gTLD Program Next Round (1/2)

06:30 - 07:30 UTC

Materials:

...

Topics: New gTLDs Subsequent Procedures

Jun

2023

ICANN77 - Session 6 - GAC Discussion on New gTLD Program Next Round (2/2)

17:45 - 19:00 UTC

Materials:

...

Topics: ICANN Meetings , New gTLDs Subsequent Procedures

Outcomes

Main chronological milestones of SubPro work

The GNSO’s New gTLD Subsequent Procedures PDP was initiated on 17 December 2015 to determine “whether changes or adjustments to the existing policy recommendations [...] are needed” in relation to original policies that the Working Group charter recognizes as “designed to produce a systemized and ongoing mechanisms for applicants to propose new top-level domains”.

PDP Working Group Milestones so far have included:

a first round of community consultations on overarching issues (Summer 2016)
a second round of community consultations on a wide range of more specific topics (March-May 2017). It received 25 submissions.
an Initial Report (3 July 2018) documenting the Working Group's deliberations, preliminary recommendations, potential options, as well as specific questions to the ICANN Community. It received 72 submissions in a period of 3 months.
a Supplemental Initial Report (30 October 2018) addressed a more limited set of additional issues including Auctions, Application Comments, Changes to Applications and proposal to improve Registrar support of New gTLDs. It received 14 submissions.
a Supplemental Initial Report of its Work Track 5 (5 December 2018) dedicated to address the use of Geographic Names at the Top Level.
The full Working Group reviewed public comments on its Initial Report and Supplemental Initial Report through to ICANN66.
The Subsequent Rounds of New gTLDs Draft Final Report was published for public comment on 20 August 2020.
The Subsequent Rounds of New gTLDs Final Report was delivered to the GNSO Council on 18 January 2021 and submitted for public comment on 22 April 2021.
The final report and the GNSO Council recommendations report was submitted to the ICANN Board for their review and consideration on 24 March 2021.
The Subsequent Rounds for New gTLDs Operational Design Assessment was delivered to the ICANN Board on 12 December 2022.
The Subsequent Round for New gTLDs Implementation Review Team (IRT) work commenced in May 2023 and is ongoing.

Documentation

Filter Documents

Title	Date	Type
SubPro IRT Work Plan 23 May 2023 Date: 23 May 2023 Type: Work Plans	23 May 2023	Work Plans	1684848960000
Board Scorecard: Subsequent Procedures (SubPro PDP) Date: 16 Mar 2023 Type: Publication	16 Mar 2023	Publication	1678970400000
New gTLD SubPro Operational Design Assessment - Community Webinar Date: 14 Dec 2022 Type: Presentation	14 Dec 2022	Presentation	1671009180000
Summary of ICANN Board & Org Actions in Response to GAC Advice on the New gTLD Program Date: 20 Sep 2022 Type: Publication	20 Sep 2022	Publication	1663662420000
ODP Policy Questions and GNSO Council Answers Date: 13 Sep 2022 Type: Report	13 Sep 2022	Report	1663072560000
GAC Comment on Subsequent Rounds for New gTLDs Final Report Public Comment Proceeding Date: 01 Jun 2021 Type: Work Products	01 Jun 2021	Work Products	1622543700000
GAC Scorecard: Status of Substantive Areas of Interest to the GAC for Subsequent Rounds of New gTLDs Date: 20 Jan 2021 Type: Work Products	20 Jan 2021	Work Products	1611138720000
Final Report on the New gTLD Subsequent Procedures PDP WG (GNSO) Date: 20 Jan 2021 Type: Report	20 Jan 2021	Report	1611138600000

Current GAC Positions

Main chronological milestones of SubPro work

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