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US Embassy Invites NiRA President to Panel discussion webcast on Internet Governance
I was invited to participate in a one-hour web chat panel discussion on “Internet Governance: The Significance of NETmundial and Nigeria’s Policy Priorities for the Global Internet Governance Forum (IFG)” by the Deputy Economic Counselor, US Embassy Nigeria.
The web chat took place at the US Embassy’s Information Resource Centre in Abuja on the 21st July 2014. My invitation to the panel discussion was as a result of the distinguished roles I have played in Internet policy discussions in Nigeria and the global level. The embassy said they were honored to include me in this panel discussion comprising of prominent experts on Internet governance in Nigeria and United States of America. From Washington, DC were, Daniel Sepulveda, Ambassador, Coordinator for International Communications and Information Policy, Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs, as well as Associate Administrator Fiona Alexander (Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunication and Information Administration). We also had our own, Tope Fashedemi (Director of eGovernance Nigeria Ministry of Communication Technology) as well as Dr. Jimson Olufuye. The discussion was videotaped and streamed live over the Internet. Questions came from online participants from Africa. This is one of the outreach events by the Government of United States on Internet Governance as the 9th IGF as well as the IANA stewardship transition draw close.
To watch the full video recording, please click on https://conx.state.gov/media/internet-governance-2/
In my contribution as President of the Nigeria Internet Registration Association (NIRA), I made it known to the panel that more governments should participate in the IGF process, and that IGF meetings should not just be a talk show but should result in recommendations that are implementable by governments and private sector stakeholders.
“Participants need to be prepared”; “there should be some structure in the form of who does what”. I also suggested that IGF reach out to engage younger participants, build an interactive website that enables greater participation, and figure out ways to provide more funding so that more African and developing countries stakeholders can afford to participate.
It was understood that funding is a major challenge and many African countries have not started the IGF process because of this challenge. Despite the fund challenges, it was agreed that more countries need to be encouraged to commence the IGF process as the process can generate “more substantial incomes” for its economies.
I also suggested that Internet Service Providers (ISPs), who are capable, should sponsor IGF participation by smaller African countries, which are challenged by funds.
Mr. Fashedemi opined that better participation across Africa would be seen if there are substantial policy outcomes from the IGF process. He also stated that the Nigerian Government is keen on making Internet services more accessible and affordable to its citizens.
My participation was noted on the Internet World. The recording of the 21st July 2014 was circulated as a contribution towards the Community Investment Programme (CIP) by Ambassador Daniel Sepulveda, Coordinator for International Communications and Information Policy, Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs.
I wish to invite listeners to please participate in the on-going work of IANA Coordination Group. We should not keep quiet and complain thereafter. This is a great opportunity for us to have our voices heard in this global process of IANA Stewardship Transition. Visit www.icann.org and follow the links to read all about it and then make a contribution today.
Yours Sincerely,
Mrs. Mary Nma Uduma
NIRA President |
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ICANN Board Extends Term of its President
On the 1st of August 2014, the ICANN announced its Board resolution to extend by two years the contract of its President and Chief Executive Officer Fadi Chehadé. The contract will now run until 30 June 2017.
The Board Chair, Dr. Stephen Crocker stated that extending the tenure of Mr. Chehade, clearly shows the support and confidence that the Board has in him and this action will help ensure the stability in leadership, which is important for ICANN.
This singular action will increase Mr. Chehadé's base salary by 12.5 percent. The Board adjudged the recommended increase, by its Compensation Committee with Towers Watson, as reasonable and in line with comparable positions.
Mr. Chehade felt humbled and honored by the Board's trust in him to lead ICANN at such a critical time and indicated he would expend his energy and passion towards ICANN's noble mission and great public responsibility. With focus, diligence and hard work from all, ICANN will continue to evolve into a mature, global organization.
ICANN webinar on name collision
Internet Corporation For Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) will be holding a webinar to provide information regarding the Name Collision Occurrence Management Framework. There will be two sessions to accommodate different time zones.
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ICANN staff will provide an overview of the framework including registry operator requirements followed by a Q&A. For more information, kindly read the announcement https://www.icann.org/news/announcement-2-2014-08-01-en and download the Name Collision Occurrence Management Framework https://www.icann.org/en/sy
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Fellowship application for ICANN 52
The 52nd ICANN meeting in Marrakech, Africa will hold 8th to12th February 2015
• Application Round opens: 8th August 2014 at 23:59 UTC
• Application Round closes: 19th September 2014 at 23:59 UTC
• Selected Fellows announced: 7th November 2014
More information on the ICANN fellowship program at
https://www.icann.org/resources/pages/fellowships-2012-02-25-en
More information on Terms and conditions at https://www.icann.org/resources/pages/terms-conditions-2012-02-25-en
More information on the application process at https://fellowship.icann.org/applicant/welcome
UPCOMING EVENTS
IANA Stewardship Transition Coordination Group (ICG)
The next conference call of IANA Stewardship Transition Coordination Group (ICG) will hold on 19th August 2014, 12:00-14:00 UTC. The community can attend by way of a listen-only mode Virtual Meeting Room through which audio of the call will be streamed. In addition, translations into the 5 UN languages plus Portuguese will be available through relevant Adigo Bridge dial-in numbers and Conference ID codes.
For more information, including dial-in options, please click https://www.icann.org/news/announcement-2-2014-08-07-en
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Reminder: Registration for AfPIF-2014 is still open
AfPIF 2014 - The Future of Peering
Location: Pullman Dakar Teranga Hotel, Dakar, Senegal
The 5th African Peering and Interconnection Forum (AFPIF) holds over a 3-day period, 26th t0 28th August 2014 in Dakar, Senegal to discuss the future of peering in an era where the cost of transit is declining.
The event seeks to discuss regional interconnection dynamics and content issues that are critical components of transit deficits. AfPIF seeks to foster cross-border interconnection opportunities by ensuring that key players -- infrastructure providers, Internet Service
Providers (ISPs), Internet Exchange Points (IXPs), international financial institutions, and policy-makers and regulators are present at the event. For more information please click on
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IGF2014 2-5
September 2014 Istanbul
ICANN 51 - Los Angeles, CA 12-16 October 2014 USA
la51.icann.org
AFRINIC 21 22-28 November 2014 Mauritius
www.afrinic.net |
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