The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) plays a central role in the global Internet governance ecosystem. It is responsible for coordinating the Domain Name System (DNS) and ensuring that domain names and IP addresses worldwide operate within a unified, stable and secure framework.
ICANN’s public meetings – such as ICANN85, recently held in Mumbai – serve as important platforms not only for global technology companies but also for small and medium-sized countries. These forums bring together governments, technical experts, businesses and civil society to discuss and shape the policy and technical principles that ultimately influence the development of national domain ecosystems.
For Armenia, a particularly significant element in this process is the country code top-level domain .am. It represents Armenia in the global Internet space and is widely used by government institutions, businesses, media organizations and technology initiatives. The .am domain also attracts international interest due to its short and versatile abbreviation. It is frequently adopted as a brandable acronym in various sectors, including Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning, Asset Management, Additive Manufacturing, Augmented Marketing and others.
Another key direction of ICANN’s policy development is the expansion of Internationalized Domain Names (IDNs), which allow domain names to be written in non-Latin scripts.
Within this framework, the Armenian .հայ domain was introduced, enabling website addresses to be written entirely in Armenian. This development represents an important step toward strengthening the digital presence of the Armenian language and promoting the use of the native language online.
Meaningful participation in Internet governance is achieved through engagement in ICANN processes, which operate under the multistakeholder governance model reaffirmed in global discussions such as WSWS+20 and ICANN85. This model is particularly valuable for smaller countries, as active participation helps advance several important priorities: contributing to global Internet governance discussions, increasing the international visibility of the .am domain and supporting the development and improvement of Internet technical infrastructure.
In this context, ICANN platforms are not only spaces for technical dialogue but also strategic opportunities for smaller countries to strengthen their presence and voice in the global digital landscape.
