On April 10th, 2025, the Universal Acceptance (UA) Day 2025 for APAC Youth was successfully organized by the NetMission APRALO Study Group, gathering a vibrant group of 26 youth participants, organizers, and experts to explore the importance of Universal Acceptance (UA) and digital inclusivity in the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region.
Held virtually, the session was coordinated by Phyo Thiri Lwin and moderated by Au Yi Teng, with support from Jasmine Ko, Nawal Munir, and Barkha Manral (technical support), and rapporteurs Aviral Kaintura and Saima Nisar. The event created a dynamic space for youth to engage directly from industry leaders.
Distinguished speakers included:
- Samiran Gupta, Vice President of Stakeholder Engagement & Managing Director – APAC, ICANN
- Jian Chuan Zhang, Senior Director of Stakeholder Engagement – Asia, ICANN
- Edmon Chung, CEO, DotAsia Organisation
They shared valuable insights on the importance of UA, especially in a region as linguistically and culturally diverse as APAC. Their talks emphasized how ensuring all domain names and email addresses and language justice regardless of script or language which are treated equally across the Internet is essential to making the web more accessible and inclusive.
Adding youths’ perspective, Socheata Sokhachan and Sana Nisar reflected on their experiences through the ICANN Fellowship Program, while Aviral Kaintura and Rida Ashfaq shared their inspiring journeys as part of the ICANN NextGen Program, encouraging the participants to get involved in shaping the future of Internet policies.
This year’s UA Day event provided not only experts’ insights but also youth stories and practical pathways for their involvement.
For a detailed overview, key takeaways, and speaker highlights, read the full event report here: