From data privacy and cybersecurity to content regulation and net neutrality, policymakers and advocates face complex challenges related to the Internet. What background knowledge is necessary to understand these complex topics? How can civic actors engage on these issues and effectively advocate for policies that benefit Internet users? What are the unique challenges and opportunities for civic actors in the Middle East and North Africa? How can MENA develop more effective strategies for the Arab Internet Governance Forum? This program creates a unique opportunity to gain knowledge, skills, and tools to address these issues, communicate with actors from government and the technical community, and influence policy outcomes.
The IGMENA training programme equips stakeholders from across the region to take a leadership role in Internet governance and policy discussions at the local, regional, and global level. The eight-week course features customised content developed to reflect current policy challenges specific to the Middle East. Course materials include case studies from the region, ensuring that the content is relevant and practical.
By the end of the course, participants will be able to speak fluently about a range of Internet governance topics, connect this knowledge to their own experiences and context, and apply concepts from the course to their advocacy work. The programme will introduce select participants to a broader community of Internet governance experts and professionals by sponsoring participation in regional and global Internet governance processes. All successful participants will receive a Hivos/DiploFoundation course certificate. Top participants will be considered for fellowships to attend the IGMENA Summit in Tunis in late September 2016.
Course Description
The training takes place over the course of eight weeks. Each week has a specific focus:
Week 1: Course Introduction and Orientation
Week 2: Internet Governance History
Week 3: How the Internet Functions
Week 4: Human Rights and Internet Governance
Week 5: Cybersecurity
Week 6: Mass Surveillance and Internet Filtering
Week 7: A Practical View of Policy-making processes
Week 8: Final Assignment
Course material will cover the following topics in depth:
- The ecology of Internet governance: how the Internet works, the stakeholders involved, and a brief history of its development since the 1990s
- The status of MENA national and regional Internet governance forums and spaces
- Internet rights: human rights and the Internet, privacy and security, open source and privatization, content regulation and free speech
- Communications and information policy work around Internet rights and its influence on Internet governance processes
- Methods to participate actively in national and regional policy-making processes in order to influence discourse and outcomes
- Best practices at the global level and from other country case studies in an effort to apply those to the local context
From data privacy and cybersecurity to content regulation and net neutrality, policymakers and advocates face complex challenges related to the Internet. What background knowledge is necessary to understand these complex topics? How can civic actors engage on these issues and effectively advocate for policies that benefit Internet users? What are the unique challenges and opportunities for civic actors in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA)? How can MENA develop more effective strategies for the Arab Internet Governance Forum?
