T&T to host regional Internet Governance school

Trinidad and Tobago will host the 2014 edition of the South School on Internet Governance (SSIG), an annual programme aimed at raising a generation of leaders from Latin America and the Caribbean to represent the region at international fora where the future of the Internet is shaped and debated.

The SSIG is a five-day programme designed to educate young professionals in all aspects of Internet governance, from Latin American and Caribbean perspectives. The school is open to individuals working in government, the private sector and civil society as well as tertiary education students and academics. It aims to train new generations of professionals to actively participate in regional and global meetings that determine the future of the Internet.

The weeklong programme trains and actively encourages participants to engage in the development of national, regional and international Internet policy. The ultimate aim is to increase the quality of representation of Latin American and Caribbean countries at regional and international fora where issues related to the development of Internet governance are decided.

Since its inauguration in Argentina, the SSIG has been held annually in Brazil, México, Colombia and Panamá with the support of governments and private sector organisations.

The Caribbean Telecommunications Union (CTU), a regional inter-governmental organisation that supports the development of the Caribbean ICT sector, fully supports of the convening of the 2014 SSIG in Port-of-Spain, as that venue gives Caribbean stakeholders greater access to benefit from the programme.

The 2014 SSIG will take place in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad from April 28th to May 2nd.

The course covers the current governance of the Internet and the political, economic, social impact and legal frameworks. It presents the international fora for decision-making for the Internet’s development; technical protocols and standards; the role of Internet and governance and its significance to the evolution of the Internet. The course also includes lectures covering the practical management of critical Internet resources, as well as the development of the domain name market. Each academic lecture is followed by a Q&A Session.

Fellowships are available to cover the cost of accommodation, meals, course materials and social activities. Information on course details, registration and fellowships is available on the CTU website.

Montevideo Statement on the Future of Internet Cooperation

Montevideo, Uruguay – The leaders of organizations responsible for coordination of the Internet technical infrastructure globally met in Montevideo, Uruguay, to consider current issues affecting the future of the Internet. The Internet and World Wide Web have brought major benefits in social and economic development worldwide. Both have been built and governed in the public interest through unique mechanisms for global multistakeholder Internet cooperation, which have been intrinsic to their success. The leaders discussed the clear need to continually strengthen and evolve these mechanisms, in truly substantial ways, to be able to address emerging issues faced by stakeholders in the Internet.

In this sense:

• They reinforced the importance of globally coherent Internet operations, and warned against Internet fragmentation at a national level. They expressed strong concern over the undermining of the trust and confidence of Internet users globally due to recent revelations of pervasive monitoring and surveillance.
• They identified the need for ongoing effort to address Internet Governance challenges, and agreed to catalyze community-wide efforts towards the evolution of global multistakeholder Internet cooperation.
• They called for accelerating the globalization of ICANN and IANA functions, towards an environment in which all stakeholders, including all governments, participate on an equal footing.
• They also called for the transition to IPv6 to remain a top priority globally. In particular Internet content providers must serve content with both IPv4 and IPv6 services, in order to be fully reachable on the global Internet.

Adiel A. Akplogan, CEO, African Network Information Center (AFRINIC)

John Curran, CEO, American Registry for Internet Numbers (ARIN)

Paul Wilson, Director General, Asia-Pacific Network Information Centre (APNIC)

Russ Housley, Chair, Internet Architecture Board (IAB)

Fadi Chehadé, President and CEO, Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN)

Jari Arkko, Chair, Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF)

Lynn St. Amour, President and CEO, Internet Society (ISOC)

Raúl Echeberría, CEO, Latin America and Caribbean Internet Addresses Registry (LACNIC)

Axel Pawlik, Managing Director, Réseaux IP Européens Network Coordination Centre (RIPE NCC)

Jeff Jaffe, CEO, World Wide Web Consortium (W3C)