Third year SJD Candidate Ioana Stupariu was selected to participate as a Fellow at the 60th International Public Meeting of ICANN, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers. The meeting, which took place between 28 October-03 November 2017 in Abu Dhabi, gathered over 3000 people coming from all over the world to attend the annual meeting of the government, business, civil society, technical organisations and scientific communities, which represents the main 5 stakeholder groups of ICANN. The seven-day meeting was focused on outreach, capacity building, and showcasing ICANN’s work to a broader global audience, while also tackling some of the most pressing current matters related to internet governance such as internet security and privacy.
Besides the mandatory meetings she had to attend as a fellow, Ioana also participated in working group meetings related to privacy and internet governance, such as WHOIS Policy Development Process Working Group Meeting or the Cross Community Session on General Data Protection Regulation’s (GDPR) Implications for ICANN. She worked closely with the other 61 fellows selected coming from 50 countries of the globe, with various backgrounds ranging from legal and technical, to NGOs or public policy. Ioana was awarded the Fellowship after a thorough recruitment process which started in February, and has undergone intensive preparation prior to the meeting with an assigned experience coach. The ICANN Meeting Fellowship program is one example of how ICANN is supporting the next generation of community members interested in the way in which the Internet works. As an ICANN Fellow, Ioana is now member of one of the most wide-reaching and encompassing communities in the world active in internet governance.