Note: Single-source report; awaiting corroboration.
UNESCO and ICANN have jointly published a policy brief aimed at advancing Universal Acceptance (UA) to enable full internet access in local languages and scripts. The brief offers recommendations focused on policy development, public procurement, digital public services, capacity-building, and awareness-raising. It stresses the importance of supporting people engaging online in their own languages and warns that barriers to universal acceptance of multilingual domain names and emails may exclude communities from the digital world, impacting inclusion.
The brief was launched at EuroDIG Extra Vol. 10, preceding the European Dialogue on Internet Governance (EURODIG) 2026. The session featured UNESCO, ICANN, and other stakeholders discussing ongoing digital ecosystem challenges and practical steps to accelerate UA adoption in Europe.
Sarmad Hussain, Senior Director at ICANN, highlighted that only 29% of the world's 31.3 million email servers currently support internationalized email addresses, restricting internet use in native languages for billions. He noted that ICANN’s New Generic Top-Level Domain (gTLD) Program for 2026 enables more multilingual gTLD applications and includes an Applicant Support Program to reduce financial barriers for global communities. Hussain emphasized the need for a multistakeholder approach to achieve Universal Acceptance and introduced a framework to track UA progress.
Xianhong Hu, Programme Specialist at UNESCO, stated that moving toward a multilingual and inclusive internet involves interconnected challenges and broad cross-sector participation. Hu noted that Universal Acceptance goes beyond technical concerns, encompassing awareness, policy, and capacity gaps. She linked UA to UNESCO's mission of promoting the free flow of ideas, emphasizing its importance for meaningful global connectivity.