DiploFoundation @ Internet Governance Forum
Athens, Greece – October-November, 2006

DiploFoundation took part in various activities during the first Internet Governance Forum (IGF) meeting, held in Athens from October 30 to November 3, 2006. This event was the culmination of nine months of training for participants of DiploFoundation’s Internet Governance Capacity Building Programme (IGCBP06). Fellowships to attend the IGF were awarded to 15 of this year’s participants. Tutors and alumni completed DiploFoundation’s delegation of nearly 30 associates. They participated in various workshops and discussions held over the four days of the IGF. They also had the opportunity to present their research, which focused on issues primarily concerning developing countries, such as net-neutrality, openness, access, and security.


One of the highlights of the event was an hour-long meeting with Vinton Cerf, during which Diplo participants had the opportunity to engage Dr Cerf in discussion on some of the more pressing and sometimes controversial issues related to the Internet. Participants were especially delighted by Dr Cerf’s keen insights. Making an analogy to the Internet, he said: “The Internet is a mirror of society... If you look at the mirror and you don’t like what you see, you don’t fix the mirror; you try to fix yourself.” Also present for the meeting was Marc Furrer, president of the Swiss Federal Communications Commission.


DiploFoundation associates also met Viviane Reding, EU Commissioner for Information Society and Media, and Annette Muehlberg, the Chair of ALAC, during the reception of the At-Large Advisory Committee of ICANN in Athens. During the opening session of the Internet Governance Forum, Commissioner Reding spoke about the need to respect fundamental human rights and the need to protect freedom of expression. She further acknowledged the benefits the Internet can bring to development policies: “The benefits of the Internet must be shared by the entire world's citizens, and not just those in Northern Europe, Northern America and South East Asia." Commissioner Reding also highlighted multilingualism as a theme that often comes up in this context, and its role in bridging the digital divide because by its very nature, it promotes culturally and linguistically diverse content on the Internet.


DiploFoundation organised a workshop, under the IGF programme, on October 31. The workshop dealt with Building Policy Capacity. The focus was on the capacity-building needs of developing countries. The panel consisted of DiploFoundation fellows from different regional organisations including the University of Malawi, ISOC (Internet Society, Syria, the United Nations Association of Venezuela, the Chamber of Deputies of the Romanian Parliament, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Argentina. The session was moderated by DiploFoundation associate Ljupco Gjorgjinski. In addition to this workshop, DiploFoundation participated in various other workshops held during the IGF:

  • Building Policy Capacity – in collaboration with the Global Knowledge Partnership, CMB Centre Moldova, and United Nations Association of Venezuela
  • Legal Aspects – in collaboration with the World Bank
  • ICT to achieve MDGs – in collaboration with the Pacific Island Chapter of the Internet Society (PICISOC)
  • Capacity-Building Constraints – in collaboration with the Association for Progressive Communication (APC)
  • Building Meaningful Participation – in collaboration with the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC)
  • Global Culture for Cyber Security – in collaboration with China Association for Science and Technology (CAST)

    Another important activity organised by DiploFoundation was a diplomatic skills workshop on negotiation and chairing of international meetings. This workshop was held in parallel to the IGF sessions. The simulation exercise – Negotiating a Global Framework for Internet Governance at the Internet Governance Forum 2011 – was facilitated by John Hemery from the Centre for Political and Diplomatic Studies in Oxford, UK. The simulation was very well-received and included participants not only from DiploFoundation, but from various stakeholder groups attending the main IGF activities. The workshop was followed by a reception for which participants and other guests from various delegations/organisations were invited to attend.


    In addition to all of these activities, DiploFoundation members also participated in organised interviews on “The Future of the Internet” conducted by the Pew Internet Project (http://www.pewinternet.org/).


    During the IGF, DiploFoundation was also present at the Internet Governance Plaza, which gathered stands that showcased activities and publications of organisations present at the IGF. DiploFoundation's stand served as a focal point for all those who were interested in DiploFoundation's activities and who wanted to obtain more information on the next IGCBP. The materials on the stand proved to be very popular. The booklets on Internet Governance, in the main UN languages, were requested for dissemination during future meetings and initiatives all around the world.

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