The NRO at the Internet Governance Forum (IGF)
During the inaugural Internet Governance Forum (IGF) in Athens, 30 October - 2 November 2006, participants gathered to discuss the overall theme of Internet Governance for Development, with capacity building as a cross-cutting priority. IGF explored the four main themes of openness, security, diversity, and access in main sessions and various workshops.
Two members of the NRO Executive Committee, Adiel Akplogan (AfriNIC) and Raul Echeberria (LACNIC), were part of the Advisory Group that helped to coordinate the IGF, including setting the agenda and participating in discussions leading up to the IGF. In addition, Adiel Akplogan spoke at the closing ceremony, where he defended the spirit of multistakeholder participation and the relevance of capacity building.
Throughout the event, NRO representatives met IGF participants and exchanged knowledge, experience, and views on Internet activities.
The NRO participated in two workshops in Athens.
1. Participation Workshop
Tuesday, 31 October
11:30AM - 1:00PM
Divani Apollon Palace, Aphrodite C
The workshop's focus was on encouraging multi-stakeholder participation in the organisations and mechanisms responsible for the management, administration and development of the Internet. The purpose of the workshop was to communicate the importance of participating in the processes of those organisations and mechanisms, to show how one can participate and, importantly, how to locally build the appropriate expertise and capacity to successfully contribute. Different perspectives on participation and engagement by different communities and stakeholders were explored with an emphasis on encouraging practical mechanisms for increasing participation from communities that are typically under-represented.
2. Capacity Building Constraints
Thursday, 2 November
9:30AM - 11:00AM
Divani Apollon Palace, Aphrodite C
The workshop was jointly organised by a multi-stakeholder group of agencies. Different strands of capacity-building and different sectoral and regional experiences were briefly introduced and illustrated by panelists from this multi-stakeholder partnership before opening the floor to a structured discussion, during which diversity of contributions were deliberately sought by the facilitator. The four key themes of the IGF were used to structure the discussion. Issues of local ownership, capacity building and institutional strengthening were prioritised.
For more information on the workshops at IGF, see the official website at http://www.intgovforum.org.