CCT Student Joins Global Internet Governance Conversation at ICANN82: Khadija Mian (G’25) on Gender Equity in Tech Access

ICANN (the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers) is a global, multistakeholder organization that coordinates and develops policies for the unique identifiers of the internet – domain names (eg. icann.org), IP addresses, protocol parameters, etc – and its run almost entirely by volunteers! This conference was a Community Forum: an annual public meeting that allows ICANN’s internal groups, committees, and board to meet, share their work, and collect community feedback. Second-year CCT student Khadija Mian (G’25) presented at ICANN82 (March 8-13), as part of their NextGen@ICANN program.

Khadija says “The NextGen program was the perfect way to get involved in ICANN for the first time. We received one-on-one mentorship (my mentor Paulo was wonderful) and coaching on how ICANN really works, how to get involved in internet governance, and all the acronyms involved. We also gained access to a truly supportive internal community, a Zoom conference with the incredible Jake Feinler (‘mother’ of Whois, the Internet address database) and several networking opportunities, including an Amazon event. Most uniquely, we had the chance to share our own work. I addressed the ICANN community with research and policy recommendations on bridging the gendered digital divide, specifically by advancing material access to technology (skills, motivation, and leverage of benefits), in addition to the physical provision of digital infrastructure. Being part of this program and being at ICANN82 was a great experience – I would really encourage anyone interested in cyber governance, digital inclusion, or the Internet to apply! You can also submit a public comment on any of ICANN’s open proceedings to contribute to shaping their work”.