[AfrICANN-discuss] EAST AFRICAN INTERNET GOVERNANCE FORUM 2010; STRENGTHENING EAST AFRICA’S CRITICAL INTERNET RESOURCES 11-13 August 2010, Kampala, Uganda.,,

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*_EAST AFRICAN INTERNET GOVERNANCE FORUM 2010;_* *_STRENGTHENING EAST 
AFRICA’S CRITICAL INTERNET RESOURCES 11-13 August 2010, Kampala, Uganda._*

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The 2010 East African Internet Governance Forum (2010 EA-IGF) will take 
place on 11-13 August, 2010 at the Imperial Royale hotel in Kampala, 
Uganda. This third EA-IGF is hosted by the Uganda Communications 
Commission (UCC), I-Network Uganda, Collaboration on International ICT 
policy for East and Southern (CIPESA), and Women of Uganda Network 
(WOUGNET). 

 

Under the theme “*Strengthening East Africa’s Critical Internet 
Resources”*, participants will this year address and discuss the 
governance of Critical Internet Resources (CIRs) in East Africa. 
Particular focus has been given to three key CIRs that have been 
identified as cross-cutting. Past EA-IGFs identified issues of *ccTLD 
management and ownership, transitioning to IPv6, and the importance of 
national and regional IXPs* as crosscutting issues that needed to be 
addressed both at the national and regional levels. The 2010 meeting 
will therefore provide comprehensive consideration to addressing ccTLD 
management in East Africa. Research findings on ccTLDs will be shared 
based on the five priority issues effecting ccTLDs identified by the 
2008 and 2009 EA-IGFs; Cybercrime, Policy and Regulation of ccTLDs, 
ccTLDs and consumer rights, and key issues that affect access to 
Broadband and Internet and how these affect the management and 
coordination of ccTLDs. The challenges and effective strategies for 
transitioning to IPv6 will also be discussed.

 

This year’s access theme will examine the status of broadband in East 
Africa, noting achievements, hurdles to be overcome and plans for the 
immediate future. Security and privacy session will address Cybercrime 
and how it affects women differently among other Cybercrime concerns.

 

The 2010 EA-IGF will introduce a new session focusing on emerging issues 
for the Internet society of East Africa. Policy and regulatory framework 
issues around cross-border/regional ICT certification and the role of 
youth in advancing the Internet Governance debate in East Africa.  The 
meeting will also discuss the review and future of the global UN IGF 
process. The EA-IGF supports the continuation and extension of the 
mandate of the IGF and also supports Kenya’s expression of interest in 
hosting the 2011 IGF

 

A *parliamentary and IG session* will be held on 13 August and will 
review the declarations made during the 2009 EA-IGF held in Nairobi as 
well as address emerging IG issues. The session will be attended by 
parliamentarians from the five East African countries as well as from 
the United Kingdom.

 

The outcomes of the EA-IGF will be submitted to the fifth UN Internet 
Governance Forum taking place in Vilnius, Lithuania 14 – 17, September 
2010. Further, the proceedings will be presented at other national and 
regional forums in Africa.

 

For each thematic session, representatives from each country will 
provide their national perspective on the theme, identifying/sharing key 
issues, challenges and recommendations.

 

*What is the EA-IGF*

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The EA-IGF was convened in 2008 by the Kenya ICT Action Network 
(KICTANet) as a multi-stakeholder process with the aim of ensuring 
meaningful participation of East African internet stakeholders in 
internet governance policy processes. The EA-IGF is open to 
representatives from government, civil society, academia, private 
sector, media, consumer groups, other entities and individuals 
interested in Internet Governance issues. This regional IGF process 
brings together participants from Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, Kenya, 
Burundi and South Sudan to identify, explore and build consensus around 
common Internet policy priority issues in the region. 

 

The EA-IGF model sees each country begin the process with online 
discussions to identify the Internet policy issues most important to 
them, followed by a face-to-face national IGF meeting. These national 
processes then fed into the regional meeting, the EA-IGF. The outcomes 
of the national and regional processes have then been very successfully 
shared at two global IGFs. While the EA-IGF is informed by IGF it does 
not mimic the global process. The national IGFs, which form the building 
block for the regional EA-IGF, identify issues that are unique and 
important to their local situations and needs.

 

The goal of the EA-IGF is to create a Community of Practice that will be 
a sustaining foundation for meaningful participation of East African 
stakeholders in Internet public policy debates at the national, regional 
and international level.

 

*The 2010 EA-IGF is supported by*

 

·       Uganda Communications Commission (UCC)

·     Collaboration on International ICT policy for East and Southern 
Africa (CIPESA)

·       I-Network Uganda

·       Women of Uganda Network (WOUGNET)

·       International Development and Research Centre (IDRC)

·       Japan International Corporation Agency (JICA)

·       Nominet United Kingdom

·       AT&T

·       AfriNic

·       AfTLD

·       Internet Society (ISOC)

·       Centre for Global Communications (GLOCOM)

·       Kenya ICT Action Network (KICTANet)

·       Internet Governance Forum (UN-IGF)

 

*To register for this event or obtain additional information, please 
visit the meeting website at **http://www.eaigf.or.ke*