GeoTLD Universal Acceptance (UA) Local Initiative
The GeoTLD Universal Acceptance (UA) Local Initiative is an intiative by the GeoTLD Group, developed in cooperation with ICANN, to actively support geoTLD registries and their local stakeholders in organizing Universal Acceptance (UA) training and outreach within their respective cities, areas, or regions.
The GeoTLD Universal Acceptance (UA) Local Initiative
Universal Acceptance (UA) refers to the principle that all valid domain names and email addresses – regardless of script, length, or format – should are accepted, vallidated, stored, processed, and displayed correctly by all internet-enabled applications, devices, and systems.
GeoTLDs are top-level domain (TLD) extensions based on a geographic name, geographic identifier, geographic origin, or cultural community, created with the purpose of serving their respective region. They play a key role in promoting local digital identities of cities, regions, languages, or cultures on the internet.
Universal Acceptance (UA) and geoTLDs support a common goal: ensuring that everyone can navigate and communicate on the internet using the domain name and email address that best aligns with their interests, identity, business, culture, and language. Achieving UA guarantees that language-specific characters in domain names and email addresses, as well as the use of TLDs that extend beyond the two- or three-character format, are seamlessly supported.
The GeoTLD UA Local Initiative created by the GeoTLD Group in cooperation with ICANN helps geoTLDs to organise UA activities and outreach customised and tailored to local needs, and address local demand for training. It promotes cooperation between geoTLD registries and their local stakeholders on UA and the organisation of UA events and training in the local language.
Activities supported under the GeoTLD UA Local Initiative
The GeoTLD UA Local Initiative promotes the cooperation between geoTLD registries and their local stakeholders on UA and the organisation of UA events and training.
- Atelier Acceptation Universelle des noms de domaine et adresses email – 20 March 2025, Strasbourg, France – organisation .alsace – language French
On 20 March, the .alsace registry hosted a Universal Acceptance (UA) workshop in Strasbourg, bringing together regional stakeholders. The workshop was part of the agenda of NDDCamp Alsace, the regional event focused on domain name innovation and industry trends. Key presenter and trainer at the workshop was Benoît Ampeau, Director of Partnerships and Innovation at Afnic and Head of Afnic Labs.
Materials : slide deck (French with English), recording (LinkedIn video streaming) .
Upoming
Universal Acceptance (UA) resources and background information
Useful links
- ICANN’s Universal Acceptance webpage : https://www.icann.org/ua
- Universal Acceptance Stearing Group (UASG)
Background and information resources in different languages
- Aceptación Universal. As preguntas que nunca te fixeras, contestadas. (Universal Acceptance. The Questions you never asked, answered.) An informative UA slide in Galician and English, by the .gal registry. (link)
- UA training materials in German, developed for the UA Technical Training organised by GeoTLD Group and ECO in Köln, April 2023: Fragen und Erfahrungen (questions and experiences) slide deck – German; Werkzeuge und Understützung (tools and support) slide deck – German; UA Technical tests slide deck – German; Fallbeispiele Registry/Registrar-Systeme (Case studies registries/registrar systems) slide deck – German.