ITU receives proposals on IPv6 and internet governance ahead of Doha conference
New submissions from China and regional groups seek amendments to existing ITU resolutions on IPv6 deployment, internationalised domain names and the implementation of WSIS outcomes. The proposals will be considered at the ITU Plenipotentiary Conference in November.
The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) has registered a new set of proposals addressing internet policy and governance ahead of its Plenipotentiary Conference, scheduled to take place in Doha, Qatar, from 9 to 27 November 2026.
Submitted on 29 October, the proposals seek amendments to existing ITU resolutions covering IPv6 deployment, the management of internationalised domain names and the implementation of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) outcomes. The submissions have been registered but have not yet been adopted.
IPv6 deployment is among the issues addressed by several regional groups. The Asia-Pacific Common Proposals and the Arab States have submitted separate amendments to Resolution 180, which concerns the promotion of IPv6 deployment. The proposals place the issue on the conference agenda, although their specific differences and potential implications depend on the wording of the submitted amendments.
China has submitted a proposal concerning Resolution 133, which addresses the role of member-state administrations in managing internationalised, or multilingual, domain names. The issue relates to the responsibilities of national authorities and existing international arrangements for coordinating internet naming. The proposal register confirms the submission but does not establish how China intends to change the resolution.
Another proposal from the Asia-Pacific region concerns Resolution 140, which covers the ITU’s role in implementing and reviewing WSIS outcomes and the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. African countries submitted separate amendments to the same resolution on 27 October.
Resolution 140 is relevant to the broader framework for international cooperation on digital development and internet governance, which involves governments, the private sector, civil society and technical organisations.
The proposals do not establish new technical requirements or governance arrangements at this stage. During the November conference, ITU member states will consider the submissions as part of negotiations, where proposed texts may be amended, combined, retained or rejected.
Held every four years, the Plenipotentiary Conference is the ITU’s highest policy-making body. It determines the organisation’s strategic direction, financial plans and institutional priorities for the coming period.
The submitted proposals are available through the ITU PP-26 proposal register.
