AFRALO UA DAY PROPOSAL 2026 APPLICATION

Contact Name*

Contact Email Address (If different from email provided above)

Organization(s)*
Africa Regional At-Large Organization (AFRALO)

URL(s) of Organization(s):
​https://atlarge.icann.org/ralos/afralo

Title of the Proposed UA Day Event*
AFRALO Regional Universal Acceptance Strategy and Adoption Forum – UA Day 2026

City of the UA Day Event*
Online Regional Event

Country or Region of the UA Day Event (List countries and regions in case of multiple countries):
Africa

Date of the UA Day Event:
Main Event: 1–30 May 2026

Pre-events: 25 March – 30 April 2026

Type of the UA Day Event*
Regional

Nature of the UA Day Event*
AFRALO Regional UA Strategy Review and UA Adoption Forum for At-Large Structures (ALSes) and Individual Members across Africa

Planned Duration of the UA Day Event*
Half-day (Main event), with supporting sessions and workshops spread between 25 March – 30 May 2026

Expected Number of Attendees Virtually (Estimated)*:
1000

Expected Number of Attendees in Person (Estimated)*:
Not applicable – Online regional event

Brief Description of the UA Day Event*

The AFRALO UA Day 2026 aims to review, strengthen, and implement the AFRALO Universal Acceptance Regional Strategy developed in previous years (2024–2025). The event will bring together regional stakeholders — including At-Large Structures, academia, registries, registrars, and technical experts — to evaluate adoption progress, showcase technical demonstrations, and develop updated implementation guidelines.

Key components will include:

• UA Awareness: Engage new communities and raise awareness of UA and IDNs, highlighting their role in linguistic and digital inclusion.

• UA Academic Curricula Workshop: Work with academic institutions to integrate UA and IDN topics into ICT and internet governance courses.

• UA Adoption & Demonstration: Showcase practical examples of UA adoption within registries, registrars, and service providers in Africa, sharing challenges and lessons learned.

• UA Regional Strategy Review: Evaluate progress from AFRALO’s 2024–2025 strategy, gather input from stakeholders, and update the 2026–2027 regional UA plan.

The overall goal is to advance UA readiness across the African DNS ecosystem, enhance collaboration between community stakeholders, and create a sustainable roadmap for Universal Acceptance adoption in the region.

URL of the UA Day Event:
(Will be added after event webpage creation – hosted under the AFRALO section on ​https://community.icann.org/display/AFRALO )

Type of the UA Adoption Activity (Only for UA Adoption events):
Development and demonstration of UA adoption practices within AFRALO’s network; follow-up on previous strategy progress; documentation of adoption experiences and recommendations for 2026–2027.

Details of UA Adoption Activity
The event will identify UA readiness gaps among AFRALO ALSes and regional registries.

• Planned actions: Review email, website, and software UA compatibility; document adoption improvements and barriers; develop regional implementation guidelines.

• Deliverable: A 2026 UA Regional Strategy Update Report and UA Adoption Case Studies.

UASG or ICANN Speakers or Trainers Requested?*
Yes

• ICANN Team: Simon Mayo

• UASG Team: UASG technical specialists on UA readiness, IDN integration, and implementation case studies

Amount of Financial Support Requested*
Support for hosting and promoting the virtual event, including:

• Online platform facilitation

• Design and hosting of the event webpage
  (Within the allocated ICANN UA Day support limits)

Has your Organization Organized a UA Day Event Before? If Yes, Has the Organization Conducted Any Follow-up Activities on UA?*
Yes — AFRALO organized UA Day sessions in 2024 and 2025, focusing on developing the regional UA strategy. This 2026 event builds on those outcomes, serving as a follow-up and implementation-focused review of the regional UA adoption roadmap.

Concept Note: AFRALO Regional Universal Acceptance Strategy and Adoption Forum – UA Day 2026

AFRALO Regional Universal Acceptance Strategy and Adoption Forum – UA Day 2026

2. Background and Rationale

The Africa Regional At-Large Organization (AFRALO), as the voice of individual Internet users within the ICANN ecosystem, continues to play a central role in advancing Universal Acceptance (UA) and Internationalized Domain Names (IDNs) across the continent.
UA ensures that all valid domain names and email addresses — regardless of script, language, or length — are accepted, validated, stored, processed, and displayed correctly by all Internet-enabled applications and systems.

Since 2024, AFRALO has developed and implemented a Regional UA Strategy, aligning with the ICANN/UASG global framework to foster digital inclusion and linguistic diversity in Africa. Following successful UA Day engagements in 2024 and 2025, this 2026 forum seeks to review, strengthen, and advance the implementation phase of the regional UA strategy.

The event recognizes that Africa’s multilingual context and rapid digital growth present both challenges and opportunities for UA adoption. This forum will therefore serve as a platform to assess readiness, share best practices, and build consensus on a renewed roadmap for 2026–2027.

3. Objectives

1. Review and assess the progress of the AFRALO UA Regional Strategy (2024–2025).

2. Enhance understanding and awareness of UA and IDN integration among At-Large Structures (ALSes), academia, and technical communities.

3. Facilitate adoption and demonstration of UA-readiness in systems managed by African registries, registrars, and service providers.

4. Strengthen academic integration of UA and IDN concepts into ICT and Internet Governance curricula across Africa.

5. Develop the AFRALO UA Regional Strategy Update (2026–2027), informed by case studies and stakeholder feedback.

4. Theme and Sub-themes

Main Theme:
“Advancing Universal Acceptance Readiness Across Africa: From Strategy to Implementation”

Sub-themes:

• UA Awareness and Digital Inclusion

• Integrating UA and IDNs into Academic Curricula

• Technical Demonstrations and Case Studies of UA Adoption

• Evaluating and Updating the AFRALO Regional UA Strategy (2026–2027)

• Building Collaborative Networks for Sustainable UA Readiness

5. Proposed Activities and Methodology

The AFRALO UA Day 2026 will be structured as a virtual regional forum featuring plenary sessions, workshops, and demonstration labs. Activities will take place between 25 March and 30 May 2026, with the main event scheduled in May 2026.

Key components include:

1. UA Awareness Sessions: Engaging ALSes, community leaders, and Internet users to deepen understanding of UA and its role in an inclusive Internet.

2. Academic Integration Workshop: Collaboration with universities to embed UA and IDN topics into ICT and Internet Governance courses.

3. UA Adoption and Demonstration: Practical showcases from African registries, registrars, and email service providers on achieving UA readiness.

4. Regional Strategy Review Roundtable: Consultative session to evaluate 2024–2025 progress and design the 2026–2027 implementation roadmap.

5. Technical Clinics: Hands-on tutorials on email and website UA compatibility testing tools.

6. Expected Outcomes and Impact

• A comprehensive 2026 AFRALO UA Regional Strategy Update Report and Adoption Case Studies.

• Improved UA readiness among At-Large Structures, registrars, and Internet Service Providers across Africa.

• Strengthened partnerships between AFRALO, academic institutions, and technical communities.

• Expanded awareness and inclusion of multilingual Internet users through localized engagement.

• Enhanced capacity of African stakeholders to lead UA adoption initiatives at national and sub-regional levels.

7. Target Audience / Participants

• At-Large Structures (ALSes) and Individual Members across Africa

• African Internet registries and registrars

• Academic and research institutions

• Technical community representatives (ICT developers, ISPs, and system administrators)

• UASG and ICANN regional teams

• Civil society, youth, and digital inclusion advocates

8. Implementation Plan and Timeline

9. Partners and Collaborators

• ICANN Africa Regional Office

• Universal Acceptance Steering Group (UASG)

• AFRALO Leadership and UA Working Group

• African academic institutions (ICT faculties)

• African registries, registrars, and technical operators

• Civil society and youth digital inclusion organizations

10. Monitoring and Evaluation

Evaluation will focus on:

• Attendance and participation metrics across regions.

• Stakeholder feedback on knowledge improvement and technical understanding.

• Documented case studies of UA readiness within AFRALO’s network.

• Publication and dissemination of the updated regional UA strategy report.
  Post-event follow-up will be conducted through AFRALO’s working group channels and the ICANN community wiki page.

11. Coordination Team

Lead Contacts:

• Hadia Elminiawi, AFRALO Chair (hadiaelminiawi@yahoo.com)

• Mutegeki Cliff Agaba, AFRALO UA Strategy Coordinator

• Setondji Hounzandji, AFRALO Secretariat

• Patrick Kiiza 

• Aaron Promise Mbah

• Houda CHIHI

• Mawuko Kudzo Kpatah

• Abubakari Saddiq Adams

• Tinuade Oguntuyi

• Adebunmi Adeola Akinbo

• Olabisi Josh-Falade 

• Shadrack Inusah

• Confidence Osein

• Stephen Dakyi

• Amina Ramallan

• Madiha Mahamat 

• Abdou MFOPA POUNTOUGNIGNI

• Olabimpe A. Adeloro

• Harouna Issaka

• Nkoro, Nkoro Essang

• Laurent NASSARA 

• Malick ALASSANE

• Adugna Necho Mulatu

• Samwel Kariuki 

• Emmy Okwir Ogule

• Frank Asefuah

• Seth Adjei Gyimah

UA Day 2026 – Planning Meeting Summary

Date/Context: First coordination call to plan AFRALO’s UA Day 2026 proposal.
Attendance: ~25 expressed interest; ~5–8 on the call. Participants included Cliff Mutegeki (facilitator), Aaron Promise Mbah, Laurent (Lawrence) Nassara, Houda, Confidence Osein, Nkoro, Shadrack Inusah, Dr. Adebunmi Akinbo.

Purpose

• Align on the proposal approach for UA Day 2026 and confirm the near-term workplan and meeting.

Key Points & Discussion

• Tight timeline: Aim for first draft by Nov 5, internal review, and submission by Nov 8 (ahead of the Nov 9 deadline).

• Eligible event window: UA Day activities must occur between Mar 25 and May 30, 2026.

• UNESCO–ICANN collaboration continues; proposals aligned with multilingualism/indigenous languages are favored.

• Event focus options (from ICANN call):

  1. UA Awareness

  2. UA Adoption & Demonstration

  3. UA Regional Strategy Review (review progress since previous UA Days, update regional strategy).

• Group leaning: Prefer Regional Strategy Review (with adoption demonstrations) while still integrating awareness (awareness seen as ongoing and foundational).

• Format: Virtual (participants spread across regions).

• Continuity: Build on 2024/2025 activities and the AFRALO UA regional strategy (draft dated Mar 1, 2025); ensure ALS activities are captured/updated on the wiki.

• Stakeholder engagement: Consider inviting implementers to discuss adoption progress; measure what awareness has achieved so far.

Decisions

• Proceed to review ICANN call docs + AFRALO strategy + past ALS activities before next call.

• Time coordination: Mornings are difficult for West Africa; explore evening UTC slots. Tentative preference around 18:00 UTC, but to be confirmed via poll.

Action Items

• Cliff

  • Share links (ICANN call page, wiki, photos/examples, strategy doc), meeting minutes, and a Doodle poll (options: 17:00 / 18:00 / 19:00 UTC).

  • Prepare proposal skeleton so the team can start filling it next meeting.

• All Participants

  • Review: ICANN call for proposals, UA event categories, AFRALO UA strategy (Mar 1, 2025), and 2024/2025 ALS activity list; send any missing ALS activities to Cliff.

  • Come ready to choose: final event category/theme, UA Day date (Mar 25–May 30, 2026), and event format details (agenda, speakers, adoption demos).

• Next Meeting

  • Target an evening UTC time (pending poll).

  • Outcomes targeted: lock theme/category, pick date range, and begin filling the proposal form.

Risks / Notes

• Time constraint to submit by Nov 8–9.

• Balance awareness (still needed widely) with ICANN’s emphasis on adoption/strategy progress to maximize acceptance.

UA Day 2026 – Planning Meeting 2 Agenda

Date: Wednesday, 5 November 2025
Time: 8:00 PM UTC
Platform: Zoom

1. Welcome and Opening Remarks (5 mins)

• Brief welcome by the Chair / Coordinator

• Meeting objectives

2. Updates and Progress Review (10 mins)

• Recap of last meeting highlights

• Updates on individual and team tasks (proposal, concept note, communication, etc.)

3. AFRALO UA Day 2026 Proposal Finalization (20 mins)

• Review of proposal draft and feedback

• Final edits to key sections:

  • Event Title and Objectives

  • Theme alignment with ICANN’s UA Day 2026 goals

  • Activities and timeline

4. Coordination and Partnerships (10 mins)

• Discussion on collaboration with other stakeholders

• Role allocation for communication, documentation, and outreach

5. Next Steps and Deadlines (10 mins)

• Task assignments for final submission

• Review of timeline leading up to UA Day 2026

• Scheduling the next coordination meeting

6. AOB – Any Other Business (5 mins)

• Open floor for additional comments, suggestions, or announcements

7. Closing Remarks (5 mins)

• Summary of action points

• Appreciation and adjournment