Veni Milanov Markovski is ICANN's Vice-President for UN engagement, based in New York.[1] Originally a Bulgarian Internet entrepreneur, who co-founded the first domestic Bulgarian Internet service provider bol.bg, he went on to become a regional advocate for Free and Open-Source Software, before becoming global Internet governance leader and author.
Markovski first came into contact with the Internet in September 1990, by becoming one of the first system operators of a Bulletin Board System, part of FidoNet in Sofia, Bulgaria.[2] In 1993 he co-founded, and was CEO until 2002, of bol.bg, the first Internet service provider in Sofia,[3][4] and second overall in the country, after the Moscow-based private network GlasNet.[5] In 1995 Markovski co-founded the Internet Society of Bulgaria[4] – a non-profit think tank, promoting Internet usage and digital rights in Bulgaria, chartered by the global Internet Society. From March 2002 to January 2012, Markowski was chairman of the IT advisory committee to the Bulgarian President Georgi Parvanov. In 2009, in this role, Markovski spoke at the International Conference on Cyber Security (ICCS) in NYC, saying "In many countries cyber crime is not a crime.".[6] From 2006 until 2009, Markovski was senior adviser on international projects to the chairman of Bulgarian State Agency for IT and Communications to the Council of Ministers. Markovski was a member of the Bulgarian delegation to the World Summit on Information Society (WSIS) in 2003 and 2005.
Free and Open-Source Software
Markovski became an advocate of Free and Open-Source Software (FOSS), and in December 2003 is quoted in the New York Times about how he had successfully lobbied the UNDP to support its use.[7] In 2004 the Internet Society of Bulgaria, under Markovski's leadership supported Bulgarian MPs filing monopoly complaints against Microsoft, particularly for its use in e-government,[8] and collaborated with the UNDP to launch a program to promote the use of FOSS in municipal e-government initiatives across Southeastern Europe. [9]
Global Internet Policy
As head of the Internet Society of Bulgaria, in 2002 Markovski began regularly participating in ITU-related events. He was also elected to the Board of Trustees of the Internet Society,[10] a position he held until 2007.[11] During this time the board oversaw the Internet Society's acquisition of the .org top level domain, and the launch of the Public Interest Registry.
In 2014, Markovski was promoted to ICANN's VP, Global Stakeholder Engagement, working out of the United Nations in New York City, responsible for relations with the UN, UN agencies, and the permanent missions to the UN. He participated in the negotiations of the WSIS+10 Review in 2015, and in December that year addressed the UN General Assembly.[15][16]
Media and recognition
Markovski has been covered by international and national media for his work on internet governance and disinformation policy. In 2012 he was quoted by Reuters in reporting on United Nations telecommunications treaty negotiations.[17] In 2018 the European Commission appointed him to its High-Level Expert Group on Fake News and Online Disinformation; Bulgarian National Television reported on the appointment.[18][19] In 2022 TheMayor.eu published an interview discussing misinformation and responsible journalism.[20]
↑Колектив (2006) Историята, населена с хора - том II: Интревюта, свидетелства, спомени. Гутенберг, ISBN978-954-617-012-5, стр. 202-210; Collective, History, Populated With People (2006) Gutenberg, Sofia, (in Bulgarian).
↑Горица Белогушева, Жюстин Томс (2003) Първите в българския интернет. Сиела, ISBN9546495794, стр. 47-49; 71-76. Goritsa Belogusheva and Justine Toms, „The First in the Bulgarian Internet“, Ciela, 2003
12"Veni Markovski". International Institute of Communications. Retrieved 2025-11-03.
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