Dear Colleagues,

Last May I was honored to join you in inaugurating the Russian Internet Governance Forum and in celebrating the launch of the Cyrillic Internationalized Domain Name top-level domain for Russia.

Since then, the Internet’s landscape has changed dramatically. Seventeen new IDN TLDs have entered the Internet's root, with .РФ expanding vigorously. New generic top-level domains are expected to kick off shortly, offering businesses and individual users new choices and opportunities.

At its recent meeting in Silicon Valley-San Francisco, ICANN reiterated its commitment to promoting a secure, stable and unified global Internet based on genuine multi-stakeholderism. Against this background, the Internet Governance Forum saw the reaffirmation of its mandate by the United Nations, and this unique global platform is set to continue playing a pivotal role in promoting the principles of the World Summit on the Information Society, of which Russia was an author and major advocate.

I wish the Forum's organizers and participants every success. The Second Russian Internet Governance Forum will be a milestone in cementing the tradition of Russian IGFs and in advancing the global Internet.

Sincerely,

Rod Beckstrom,
CEO and president of ICANN