Authors: Anil Kumar Jain, Chair, Universal Acceptance Steering Group Sarmad Hussain, Senior Director, IDN and UA Programs, ICANN
As 2024 draws to a close, it is a good time to reflect on the strides made in advancing Universal Acceptance (UA) this year. Thanks to the unwavering commitment of our global community, including the Universal Acceptance Steering Group (UASG), we have achieved significant milestones that bring us closer to a more inclusive, multilingual Internet for all. Here are some of the highlights that defined 2024:
UA Day 2024: A Global Celebration of UA
The second annual UA Day was a resounding success, with events held across five geographic regions, uniting stakeholders from technology and DNS industry, academia, civil society, and government to raise awareness of UA and foster collaboration to address barriers to adoption. Thousands of participants from around the world participated in various types of UA awareness, technical training, and strategy events, as well as two new event types introduced this year: UA academic curricula sessions and UA adoption exercises. In total, 52 events were held, representing 47 countries/territories and 23 global languages. Read the full recap of UA Day 2024 to learn more.
The EAI Self-Certification Guide: A Practical Tool for Email Service Providers
In 2024, the UASG released the much-anticipated EAI Self-Certification Guide, a resource designed to empower email service providers to ensure their systems are Email Address Internationalization (EAI)-ready. The guide is a cornerstone of the EAI Self-Certification Program and offers practical, step-by-step instructions for testing and certifying EAI support, an important element of the UA of domain names and email addresses. Email service providers can use the score generator contained in the guide to self-certify their products based on three levels: Silver, Gold, and Platinum. By simplifying the path to EAI compatibility, we hope to see more email platforms fully embrace internationalized email, creating a better experience for users worldwide.
Mapping progress with the FY24 UA-Readiness Report
The release of the FY24 Universal Acceptance-Readiness Report provided a comprehensive overview of efforts to advance UA adoption globally. The report highlighted key achievements to date while identifying areas requiring further attention. Notably, it showcased increased UA compliance among major platforms and underscored the importance of continued advocacy and technical support to bridge remaining gaps. These insights will continue to inform and guide the UA remediation work as we move into 2025 and beyond.
UA Curriculum Program for Universities
A strong understanding of Universal Acceptance is an increasingly significant and differentiating skill set for software developers. Developers who create online systems with UA in mind help to ensure their work is future-proofed and supportive of current Internet users, as well as the billions who will come online. ICANN and UASG published a draft of the UA Curriculum, which consists of 12 modules covering the important topics of Internationalized Domain Names (IDNs), EAI, and UA. ICANN is working with universities to carry out joint faculty training and supporting faculty to integrate the UA Curriculum into their relevant degree programs. Universities can participate by connecting with ICANN at UAProgram@icann.org.
Local Initiatives: Driving Change on the Ground
Throughout 2024, UA local Initiatives continued to play a pivotal role in advancing UA awareness and implementation at the grassroots level. From hosting community workshops and training sessions to engaging with policymakers and developers, these initiatives amplified the reach and impact of UASG in diverse regions including China, Commonwealth of Independent States and Eastern Europe (CIS-EE), India, Sri Lanka, and Thailand. In FY24, all local Initiatives focused on UA adoption for domain names and email addresses, and helped many local well-known websites and some email servers support UA. Check out the FY24 Universal Acceptance-Readiness Report for full details. UA local initiatives also hosted UA Day events in 2024.
UA Ambassadors
Through this program, UA Ambassadors conducted multiple UA-related training sessions, participated in forums, and promoted the UA curriculum in universities and academic conferences. These individuals also played an important role in supporting local and regional UA Day events in 2024.
Looking Ahead to 2025, With Gratitude
None of these accomplishments would have been possible without the energy and enthusiasm of the global UA community. Your efforts have brought us closer to making UA a reality for users around the world. Thank you for being the driving force behind this year’s progress.
We will be sharing the 2024 UASG Activities Report in early 2025, so stay tuned. In the interim, feel free to listen to the update presented during ICANN81 Prep Week.
As we celebrate these milestones, we look forward to building on this momentum in 2025. Together we are building an all-inclusive, language barrier-free Internet to provide users with a choice of domain names and help get the next one billion, non-English speaking Internet users online.
