IGF 2013 in Bali a success
APNIC had a strong presence at the 8th IGF and played a significant role with local organizers to make the event a success.
APNIC had a strong presence and supported the 8th global Internet Governance Forum (IGF) in Bali recently. As the event was in the Asia Pacific region this year, APNIC played a significant role in working with local organizers to make the event a success.
In his speech to the High Level Leaders Meeting (HLLM) held just before the start of the IGF and with guests from all sectors such as government, business, the technical community, and civil society, APNIC Director General Paul Wilson introduced the concept of 'Internet Cooperation', encompassing the ideas of both Internet governance and enhanced cooperation. "Internet Cooperation represents Internet governance in action", he said. "It is very special and very specific, because it is absolutely open and multistakeholder in nature".
In collaboration with the Number Resource Organization (NRO), APNIC along with the other RIRs, hosted a booth to provide educational materials on IPv6 and the open and transparent policy development process facilitated by each RIR. The NRO also organized two workshops, one on 'IPv4 Markets and Resource Transfers' and the second on 'The Importance of Regional Coordination in Internet Governance'.
Several summaries of workshops attended by APNIC staff are available online, including draft reports of the two NRO workshops.
Throughout the week, the multistakeholder approach to Internet governance was emphasized as the most effective way to enable different stakeholders to play their respective roles in shaping Internet-related policies. Going forward, there were discussions about how the multistakeholder model can evolve to include more meaningful participation from all stakeholders.
During the event, there was strong commitment to the ideals expressed recently in the Montevideo Statement, which calls for a number of important steps, including:
- Increased effort on the enhancement of global multistakeholder Internet cooperation,
- The globalization of ICANN and IANA functions, so that all stakeholders including all governments are able to participate on an equal footing, and
- Ongoing attention to the need for global IPv6 deployment
A proposal was introduced by Brazil to host a meeting in May 2014 where multistakeholder discussions will work towards launching a process that would achieve progress in the agenda.
At the closing ceremony, Anne-Rachel Inne AFRINIC COO remarked on behalf of the technical community of the importance of maintaining the open and collaborative spirit of Internet cooperation, and the need for further evolution of Internet governance in all discussions going forward. She put out a call to strengthen the IGF Secretariat and find financial support to safeguard these important annual meetings.
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