The 90th APTLD Members Meeting Communique

Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia  |  14-17 September 2026

The 90th APTLD Members Meeting was held at Novotel Ulaanbaatar, with online participation available to members. Hosted by Datacom (.MN Registry), APTLD90 brought the regional ccTLD community together for practical training, peer learning, policy and operational discussion, and stronger professional connections. The meeting also celebrated 30 years of Internet development in Mongolia and recognized Datacom (.MN)’s contribution to the country’s digitalization.

The Members Meeting opened on 15 September with a traditional performance by the Tumen Ekh Ensemble and remarks from Enkhbold Gombo, CEO of Datacom LLC, and Ai-chin Lu, APTLD Board Chair.

As a hybrid meeting, APTLD90 connected people from across the Asia-Pacific and around the world, creating space to exchange experience, strengthen relationships and continue important conversations beyond the formal sessions.

Meeting at a glance

Measure	APTLD90 snapshot
Programme	13 substantive sessions: 2 technical trainings and 11 Members Meeting sessions
Contributors	51 unique speakers, moderators and contributors, from 36 organizations including APTLD partners, members, and ccTLDs, plus 2 APTLD working groups
Community representation	36 organizations including APTLD partners, members, and ccTLDs, plus 2 APTLD working groups
Training day	54 attended Training Day for both in persons and online participants
Participation records	163 total registered participants across both on-site (Novotel Ulaanbaatar) and online (Zoom virtual access) channels. Official APTLD member representatives accounted for 107 total delegates (65.6% of overall attendance), reflecting strong regional engagement across 22 Ordinary ccTLD registries and 14 Associate Member organizations. 22 Unique ccTLD Registries • 14 ccTLD Registries On-Site • 18 ccTLD Registries Online Ordinary Member Totals: • On-Site: 50 Delegates • Online: 35 Delegates • Combined: 85 Delegates Associate members breakdown detailing 14 unique organizations and 22 total delegates (15 on-site, 7 online). Datacom and Host Ecosystem Mobilized 38 Local Mongolian Stakeholders.

Road to APTLD90

APTLD prepared members through the Road to APTLD90 webinar on 26 August 2026. The three-hour online session featured eight speakers and drew 37 participants. It introduced the meeting programme and logistics and opened practical conversations on ccNSO and NetBeacon approaches to DNS-abuse reporting, GlobalBlock domain protection, Universal Acceptance, AI-assisted coding tools, and regional DNS-abuse trends. Slides, recordings and news summaries were subsequently made available to members.

Technical training

The hybrid Training Day on 14 September focused on practical skills that support registry resilience and a more inclusive Internet.

• ● KINDNS and DNS Best Practices introduced practical approaches to improving DNS health, operational readiness and resilience.
• ● Supporting Universal Acceptance through Artificial Intelligence Coding Tools explored the technical requirements for accepting all valid domain names and email addresses and demonstrated how AI coding tools can support UA-ready applications.

Members Meeting highlights

The main meeting on 15 and 16 September combined community updates with practical discussion of the changes affecting ccTLDs, registrars and the wider Internet community.

• ● AI, domains and trust: the implications of an AI-driven Internet for domains, visibility, trust, security and accountability.
• ● Community and regional cooperation: updates from partner organisations, APTLD members, and the MPSC and RNDG working groups.
• ● Strategy and operations: data-driven decision making, global shifts and local resilience, and sustainable growth and reinvention in registry and registrar operations.
• ● DNS security and resilience: practical DNS-abuse prevention and mitigation tools, threat intelligence, current attack risks and registry preparedness.
• ● Capacity building and inclusion: peer learning, collaborative capacity building and ccTLD leadership in expanding Universal Acceptance across the region.

Batbold Toiruul, Head of the Regulatory Department at the Communications Regulatory Commission of Mongolia, presented Mongolia’s Digital and Internet Landscape: Regulatory Perspective and Future Direction, sharing a national regulatory perspective on Mongolia’s digital development and future direction.

The concluding session included reports and key takeaways from the APTLD90 Fellows, a preview of APTLD91 by the next host, and closing remarks from the APTLD Vice Chair. The Fellows’ testimonials will be made available on the APTLD website.

Key messages from APTLD90

• ● Members value practical training, tools and peer examples that can be applied within registries of different sizes and levels of resourcing.
• ● DNS resilience, abuse mitigation, AI, data and Universal Acceptance are increasingly connected operational and policy priorities.
• ● Collaboration among Ordinary and Associate Members, partners and working groups, supported by early programme development and continuous member feedback, remains central to relevant regional capacity building.

Community, culture and connection

The Members’ Dinner on 15 September, hosted by Datacom and .MN, celebrated Mongolian culture through calligraphy, music, dance and other performances, together with recognition of APTLD90 sponsors. The evening extended the meeting’s celebration of 30 years of Internet development in Mongolia.

On 17 September, participants had the opportunity to join a Cultural Networking Tour hosted by Datacom and .MN. APTLD thanks the host for providing this opportunity to experience Mongolia’s heritage and landscape and continue informal networking.

APTLD expresses its appreciation

APTLD thanks Datacom and .MN for their generous hospitality, dedicated leadership and close coordination as host and headline sponsor. The support of the APTLD Board, Secretariat, programme committee, MPSC and RNDG working groups, local team, speakers, moderators, Fellows, special guests and participants made APTLD90 possible.

Sponsors and partners

• ● Host and headline sponsor: Datacom (.MN Registry)
• ● Gold sponsor: ICANN
• ● Silver sponsors: Brand Safety Alliance and Internet Society
• ● Light sponsors: Identity Digital and dotUP

APTLD is grateful to every Ordinary and Associate Member, partner organization, .MN organizing team, speaker and participant who contributed online and in person. Their expertise, questions and willingness to share experience continue to strengthen the Asia-Pacific ccTLD community.

APTLD90 reaffirmed the value of practical regional cooperation and APTLD’s commitment to an inclusive, secure and resilient Internet for all. Members are invited to respond to the post-meeting surveys to help shape future APTLD meetings: https://aptld.link/aptld90topicsurvey

See you at APTLD91 in Brisbane, Australia, from 15 to 19 February 2027.