ICANN brings regional internet governance, security focus to Guyana

– as inaugural cybersecurity event to be held in Guyana

Guyana is taking another step toward strengthening its digital future as the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) brings regional Internet governance and cybersecurity expertise to Georgetown through its first “ICANN Near You” event for the Latin America and Caribbean (LAC) region.
ICANN has launched the Caribbean Internet community’s participation in the inaugural ICANN Near You event, which is being held from February 3 to 5, 2026, in Georgetown, Guyana.
The three-day programme offers an accessible and responsive approach to addressing region-specific technical and Internet governance needs. Hosted in collaboration with the University of Guyana (UG), the initiative brings ICANN’s technical expertise directly to local stakeholders, helping to address challenges related to the local identifier system.
The University of Guyana has played a key role in the country’s Internet ecosystem, hosting both the Internet Exchange Point (IXP) and the .gy domain. The agenda features hands-on workshops on the Domain Name System (DNS), DNS Security Extensions (DNSSEC), and security best practices aimed at strengthening local technical capacity and Internet resilience.

Regional collaboration
Speaking at the launch, Chair of the ICANN Latin America and Caribbean Regional At-Large Organisation, Lance Hinds, highlighted the importance of regional collaboration in building a secure and resilient Internet.
He expressed concern that decisions about the future of the Internet are often made without sufficient regional participation.
“My concern is that decisions are being made in our name, and we are not playing a part in the deliberations about what the next Internet will look like,” he said.
He also emphasised the importance of understanding the infrastructure behind the Internet.
“When people say the Internet is down, that’s actually incorrect. Google might go down, Facebook might go down, and Instagram might go down, but the Internet itself doesn’t go down. That foundation is always there because of the policy and engineering that keep it running,” he explained.

UG’s cybersecurity challenges
“Guyana is now updating its data protection and data transaction legislation. These frameworks are beginning to come into place, so the question becomes: how do you do these things properly, and how do you get everyone involved? An institution like the University of Guyana is critical, because this is where it started,” he noted.
Hinds explained that ICANN, particularly in the Caribbean, made a strategic decision to entrust domain management to universities, recognising them as centres of both technical and policy expertise, with plans to expand engagement across the region.
Vice-Chancellor of the University of Guyana, Professor Paloma Mohamed-Martin, highlighted the growing cybersecurity challenges faced by the institution, noting that the event will better equip the university to address these threats.
“We have been attacked many times over the last three or four years by bad actors. Universities are prime targets for Internet assaults of all kinds,” she said.
She noted that UG has faced phishing attacks involving impersonation of students and staff, attempts to breach applications and systems, and challenges related to inappropriate online behaviour, particularly on social media.
“We have had incidents where our examinations were disrupted by extremely disturbing content. These are challenges faced by universities globally,” she explained.
Professor Mohamed-Martin emphasised the importance of understanding the technical foundations of the Internet.
“We are all front-end users, but as a society, we now need to understand what is happening ‘under the hood’. We must work together to not only use this resource but to preserve it and leverage it for inclusivity, efficiency, and prosperity,” she said.

ICAAN
ICANN’s mission is to help ensure a stable, secure, and unified global Internet. Every device connected to the Internet uses a unique identifier – such as a name or number – to communicate with others. ICANN coordinates and supports these identifiers worldwide to ensure that systems work seamlessly.
ICANN was formed in 1998 as a non-profit public benefit corporation, supported by a global community of stakeholders.