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<div style="width: 738px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><a href="http://www.icann.org/"><img alt="ICANN" src="https://www.icann.org/sites/default/files/assets/icann-primary-94x94.jpg" style="border: 0px; width: 94px; height: 94px; float: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 10px;"></a>
<h2>News Alert</h2>
<p style="margin: 0px 0px 10px 0px; font-family: arial; font-size: small;"><a href="https://www.icann.org/resources/press-material/release-2016-03-07-en">https://www.icann.org/resources/press-material/release-2016-03-07-en</a></p>
<hr style="margin: 20px 0px 0px 0px;">
<h2 style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 0px;">Moroccan Minister of Industry & Digital Economy Stresses Importance of IANA Stewardship Transition During ICANN55</h2>
<p style="margin: 15px 0px 0px 0px;">7 March 2016</p>
<p><strong><em>Marrakech, Morocco…</em></strong> Moroccan Minister of Industry, Trade, Investment and the Digital Economy, Moulay Hafid Elalamy, expressed Morocco's support of the IANA Stewardship Transition today, during the Opening Ceremony of ICANN's 55th
Public Meeting, taking place in Marrakech, Morocco from 5-10 March. The meeting is being held under the high patronage of His Majesty King Mohammed VI.</p>
<p>"This great meeting in Marrakech coincides with the last leg, the final leg, of the process in order to get to a transition plan of the governance model of the world system of Internet resources, in order to increase transparency as well as accountability,"
said Elalamy. "This initiative is, without any doubt, the illustration of opening up the Internet."</p>
<p>ICANN55 is taking place during a critical moment in the history of the Internet governance, as members of the global Internet community have come together in Marrakech to finalize a set of proposals which will transfer stewardship of
<a href="https://www.iana.org/about">key elements of the Internet's system of unique identifiers</a> – the IANA functions – from the United States Government over to the multistakeholder community.</p>
<p>Director General of Morocco's National Telecommunications Regulatory Agency, Azdine El Mountassir Billah, spoke to the importance of the multistakeholder model of Internet governance, stating, "The great challenge - we know it all and we are working on it
- consists of inventing a governance model for the Internet: a multistakeholder, inclusive, fair and balanced one, involving all stakeholders: governments, civil society, and businesses, in order to increase the exchange of opportunities, to reconcile points
of view and to create the necessary synergies."</p>
<p>ICANN Board Chair Dr. Stephen Crocker remarked on the historic nature of ICANN55, but also to the work that still lies ahead, stating, "These proposals will usher in a new era of independence and global accountability of ICANN. Let me emphasize that we're
not done yet. This will be an extremely important juncture at this meeting, and then we still have quite a lot of time and work that will go on in multiple quarters, including, of course, within the U.S. Government."</p>
<p>"I wish to pay tribute to Mr. Fadi Chehadé, President of ICANN, and his team for the work done to make this organization what it is today," added Billah. "And for supporting, with enthusiasm and confidence, the holding of the 55th meeting in my country,
Morocco."</p>
<p>Those unable to attend ICANN55 in person are highly encouraged to participate remotely. Details for doing so can be found for any of the sessions listed at
<a href="https://meetings.icann.org/en/marrakech55/schedule-full">https://meetings.icann.org/en/marrakech55/schedule-full</a>.</p>
<p><strong>Members of the press are also invited to attend a press conference being held today, at 14:30 UTC. Details for joining are provided below.</strong></p>
<hr>
<h3>Press Conference Details:</h3>
<p><strong>WHO:</strong> <a href="https://www.icann.org/en/groups/board/chehade-en.htm">
Fadi Chehadé</a>, President and CEO, <a href="https://www.icann.org/en/biog/crocker.htm">
Dr. Stephen Crocker</a>, Board Chair, and <a href="https://www.icann.org/profiles/sagbo-pierre-dandjinou">
Pierre Dandjinou</a>, Vice President of Stakeholder Engagement, Africa</p>
<p><strong>WHEN:</strong> Monday, 7 March, 2:30 P.M. – 3:30 P.M. WET (14:30 – 15:30 UTC)</p>
<p><strong>WHERE:</strong> Roseraie, <a href="http://www.palmeraiemarrakech.com/en/conferences-events/">
Palmeraie Conference Center</a></p>
<p><strong>OFF-SITE ACCESS:</strong> Journalists from around the world can participate in the press conference via remote access.</p>
<ul>
<li>
<p>A live webcast may be accessed at <a href="https://icann.adobeconnect.com/icann55-press/">
https://icann.adobeconnect.com/icann55-press/</a>.</p>
<ul>
<li>
<p>Journalists who wish to pose questions remotely <strong>must do so in this Adobe Connect room.</strong></p>
</li></ul>
</li><li>
<p>The press conference will be held in English, but simultaneously interpreted into French, Arabic and Spanish, via the Adobe Connect room.</p>
</li><li>
<p>Telephone access (English) may be obtained by dialling an international access number obtained from this list
<a href="https://goo.gl/nvLx4o">https://goo.gl/nvLx4o</a>.</p>
<ul>
<li>
<p>The toll free access number in the U.S. is <strong>+1 (719) 457-6209</strong>. Once you have reached the conferencing center, dial
<strong>834 210 0020</strong>.</p>
</li><li>
<p>The telephone feed is <strong>listen-only</strong> and can not be used to ask questions.</p>
</li></ul>
</li></ul>
<p class="floatcenter"># # #</p>
<p>To learn more about ICANN55 in Marrakech, please visit: <a href="https://meetings.icann.org/en/marrakech55">
https://meetings.icann.org/en/marrakech55</a></p>
<p>To download high-resolution photos of the meeting, please visit: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/icann">
https://www.flickr.com/photos/icann</a></p>
<h3>Media Contacts</h3>
<p><strong>Luna Madi</strong><br>
Communications Director, EMEA<br>
London, U.K.<br>
<strong>Tel:</strong> +44 7780947574<br>
<strong>Email:</strong> <a href="mailto:luna.madi@icann.org">luna.madi@icann.org</a></p>
<p><strong>James Cole</strong><br>
Global Media Coordinator<br>
Washington, D.C.<br>
<strong>Tel:</strong> +1 202 733 7598<br>
<strong>Email:</strong> <a href="mailto:james.cole@icann.org">james.cole@icann.org</a></p>
<h3>About ICANN</h3>
<p>ICANN's mission is to ensure a stable, secure and unified global Internet. To reach another person on the Internet you have to type an address into your computer - a name or a number. That address has to be unique so computers know where to find each other.
ICANN coordinates these unique identifiers across the world. Without that coordination we wouldn't have one global Internet. ICANN was formed in 1998. It is a not-for-profit public-benefit corporation with participants from all over the world dedicated to
keeping the Internet secure, stable and interoperable. It promotes competition and develops policy on the Internet's unique identifiers. ICANN doesn't control content on the Internet. It cannot stop spam and it doesn't deal with access to the Internet. But
through its coordination role of the Internet's naming system, it does have an important impact on the expansion and evolution of the Internet. For more information please visit:
<a href="https://www.icann.org/">www.icann.org</a>.</p>
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