Along with staying aligned with modern technological advancements, expanding Armenian-language communication online also serves to strengthen our country’s presence in the global digital space.
Igor Mkrtumyan, Chair of the Board of the Internet Society NGO, made this announcement at an international conference in Yerevan on March 28, held in celebration of Universal Acceptance Day. He noted that by participating in the global “Universal Acceptance” movement, the Internet Society NGO is not only developing technical solutions but also actively creating Armenian-language content and enhancing Internet accessibility, making it a boundless educational resource for a wider audience.
The “Universal Acceptance” movement, which has been gaining traction in the IT sector in recent years, was launched by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) in collaboration with industry giants such as Apple, GoDaddy, Google, Microsoft, and Verisign. Its primary goal is to enable the Internet to function seamlessly in various languages by ensuring that domain names and email addresses in different scripts are fully recognised across network systems.
“ICANN is committed to bridging the digital divide by implementing identification systems and enabling the use of national alphabets online, ensuring that everyone can access modern digital resources and services in their native language,” stated Maarten Botterman, ICANN Board Member and special guest, during the conference’s opening.
The event brought together leading IT specialists from the USA, China, Russia, the Czech Republic, Serbia, India, Belarus, Laos, and Bahrain, as well as the UNESCO representative. The conference, titled “Developing IDN, EAI, and New gTLD Opportunities,” showcased technological advancements across different countries and explored strategic approaches for promoting internationalized domain names (IDNs). Discussions covered successful initiatives and the challenges of universal acceptance. Experts emphasized that while technological solutions are being gradually developed and implemented worldwide, the next crucial step is to launch broad awareness campaigns to inform the public about the opportunities for communicating online in their native languages.
The event was organized by the Internet Society NGO, the registry of the .am and .hay national domains, in partnership with the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) and the Internet Society Armenia Chapter PO.
