The Universal Acceptance Steering Group (UASG) has published its annual operating plan for FY23 (July 2022 – June 2023). The FY23 Action Plan provides an overview of the UASG’s goals and priorities for the next fiscal year. To view the plan, click here.

Since 2015, the community-led UASG has been working to make the Internet more inclusive for users around the world through the UA of all valid domain names and email addresses. Over the next year, the UASG will continue to focus on:

  • Raising UA awareness among relevant stakeholders (technology enablers, developers, email software and service providers, email system administrators, registries and registrars, academia, and governments).
  • Helping technology and email providers make their tools, systems, and services UA-ready by providing documentation and training.
  • Encourage businesses and governments to ensure their developers and suppliers provide UA-ready solutions.
  • Measuring progress on UA-readiness globally.

“After a few years of working to identify UA issues and related gaps in technology, the UASG is now in a strong position to focus on UA solutions. The next fiscal year presents a great opportunity to conduct meaningful outreach to technical communities and provide the necessary resources to make their systems and services UA-ready,” said UASG Chair, Ajay Data.

The UASG carries out its work through six working groups that address the different components of UA. Below are examples of each working group’s priorities for the next year. For a more detailed look at the work planned, please view the full FY23 Action Plan here.

Technology Working Group

The Technology Working Group will focus on the remediation of standards and technology in addition to developing technical training, with a focus on technology enablers and developers. FY23 work includes:

  • Demonstrating UA-readiness on prioritized technology stacks like Java, JavaScript, and Python.
  • Providing step-by-step instructions on how to make websites and CMS UA-ready.

Email Address Internationalization (EAI) Working Group

The EAI Working Group will focus on the identification of relevant technology and EAI-related gaps, EAI remediation, and providing training materials for email software and service providers to promote EAI support and deployment. FY23 work includes:

  • Finalizing the self-certification guide for EAI and supporting implementation.
  • Identifying customers and service providers to showcase successful EAI adoption.

Measurement Working Group

The Measurement Working Group will focus on planning, overseeing, and directing gap analysis efforts for various frameworks and technologies and reporting on the progress of UA-readiness. FY23 work includes:

  • Performing gap analysis of e-commerce platforms, web hosting tools, identity platforms, and CMS.
  • Determining how much the Android platform limits the acceptance of IDNs in web browsing.

Communications Working Group

The Communications Working Group will focus on developing the communication strategy for the UASG and overseeing its execution in collaboration with other working groups. FY23 work includes:

  • Developing explainer videos and other communications materials for distribution.
  • Maintaining the UASG’s social media channels and website.

Local Initiatives Working Group

The Local Initiatives Working Group will continue supporting the efforts of each of the current Local Initiatives located in China, the Commonwealth of Independent States and Eastern Europe (CIS-EE), India, and Thailand, with the goal of onboarding 2-3 new initiatives in FY23.

UA Ambassadors Working Group

The UA Ambassadors Working Group will continue supporting the 12 current UA Ambassadors located in Benin, China, Egypt, India, Nigeria, South Africa, and Turkey. UA Ambassadors will focus on conducting outreach efforts and training in their local communities.

If you are looking to get involved with the UASG, here are a few ways: