The ICANN85 Community Forum in Mumbai focuses on strengthening a secure and resilient global Internet
The ICANN85 Community Forum is currently underway in Mumbai, bringing together global Internet stakeholders to discuss collaboration and policy priorities aimed at maintaining a secure, stable and inclusive global Internet ecosystem.
The forum is organised by Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) and hosted in collaboration with the National Internet Exchange of India (NIXI) under the aegis of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology.
Global internet stakeholders convene in India
The official welcome ceremony brought together senior government officials and Internet governance leaders, including S. Krishnan, Secretary, MeitY; Rajesh Aggarwal, Chief Secretary, Government of Maharashtra; Sushil Pal, Joint Secretary at MeitY; Devesh Tyagi, CEO of NIXI; Tripti Sinha, Chair of the ICANN Board; Kurtis Lindqvist, ICANN President and CEO; and Samiran Gupta, ICANN Vice President for Stakeholder Engagement and Managing Director for Asia Pacific.
Speakers highlighted the growing role of the Internet as critical infrastructure underpinning economies, public services and innovation globally. Discussions emphasised the importance of collaboration between governments, the private sector, the technical community and civil society in ensuring that the Internet remains open, secure and resilient as digital adoption continues to expand worldwide.
Discussions on Internet governance and DNS evolution
The ICANN85 Community Forum includes more than 200 sessions involving policymakers, industry representatives, technical experts and civil society organisations from around the world.
Key topics under discussion include the future evolution of the Domain Name System (DNS), cybersecurity practices, and the upcoming expansion of generic top-level domains (gTLDs). Participants are also examining how global collaboration can strengthen Internet infrastructure and support a stable and interoperable digital ecosystem.
The forum also highlights the multistakeholder model of Internet governance, where diverse stakeholders work together to develop policies and operational frameworks that support the global Internet’s secure and stable functioning.
ICANN85 marks one of the largest gatherings of Internet governance stakeholders in the region and reflects India’s growing role in global discussions on digital infrastructure, Internet governance and the future of the global Internet ecosystem.