ICANN 47 Lagos? Nigeria wants to host the next ICANN meeting in Africa

The next ICANN meeting in Africa will take place from 14-19 July 2013 and already one African country has expressed an interest in hosting that meeting. The interest was expressed by a Nigerian delegate during the AFRALO general assembly in Dakar. 7 African countries  have now hosted ICANN meetings as follows:

• ICANN Accra Ghana 10-14 March 2002
• ICANN Carthage Tunisia 27-31 October 2003
• ICANN Cape Town 1-5 December 2004
• ICANN Marrakech 24-30 June 2006
• ICANN 33 Cairo 2-7Nov 2008
• ICANN 37 Nairobi 7-12 March 2010
• ICANN 42 Senegal 23-28 Oct 2011
  

Nigeria is one of the few "lions" of Africa yet to host an ICANN meeting. I think Mauritius could also put up a great showcase. Perhaps Rwanda? Angola maybe?  It's high time ICANN reached out to the Portuguese Africa too. Maybe Mozambique too? Botswana? If you are interested in helping ICANN make this decision, you can submit an ICANN meeting location recommendation here

ICANN meetings are the most important events in the global internet organization's calendar and occur three times every year in diverse regions in the world. It unite delegates-government representatives, civil society, registrars, registry service providers, business constituencies, academics, fellows- from all over the world to discuss policy issues of global importance in the administration of the internet . The meetings are also a social event with ample fun and networking opportunities for the ICANN community and participants. For the hosting country, ICANN meetings usually provide a platform to market the country to a large community of policy makers and observers. It also boosts the hosting country's reputation in terms of its ability to organize and host future high profile meetings.

The ICANN meeting also has unique component that I loved. Every ICANN meeting has a unique website and logo that draws from the country's culture. So far, the ICANN Dakar has had the best logo in my opinion, with nice African design and a "lion of Teranga" on top of baobab tree!

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ICANN 42 Dakar: Interview-Sébastien Bachollet Explains Challenges for Africa and other Global Internet Issues

After South Africa, Ghana and Kenya, ICANN will be holding its 42nd conference in Sub-Saharan Africa in Dakar, Senegal (23-28 October 2011). Charged, among other things, to allocate space for Internet Protocol (IP) and manage the domain name system, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) is a private sector, non-profit corporation with staff and participants from all over the world.

In this interview with RTN, Sébastien Bachollet, elected to the ICANN Board of Directors in 2010 as the  ICANN At-Large  Board Member by representatives of individual internet users, explains the challenges for the conference in Africa and the global issues related to Internet.

Sébastien Bachollet

RTN: Senegal will host the 42nd Global ICANN Conference in October 2011. What are the major issues of this conference for Africa?
Sébastien Bachollet:  The challenges are many for Africa in that the conference is held on the continent once every two years. Senegal therefore has an important challenge. The first is that of participation. The last ICANN meeting in Africa was held in Nairobi (Kenya). There had been difficulties related to participation because of perceived security issues. This year, we hope this will be a success especially since this is the first time in the history of ICANN that we organize a conference in the French-speaking Sub-Saharan Africa.

Many policy issues corresponding to the evolution and functioning of the Internet will be discussed. These will include, among other things, the program of the new gTLDs which consists within the framework of the management of generic top level domain names. It is expected to be a significant development in 2012.  Indeed, ICANN introduced seven new gTLDs in 2000: . Aero,. Biz,. Coop,. Info,. Museum. Name and. Pro. Then from 2005:. Travel. Job,. Mobi,. Such. Post. Asia,. Cat and recently. Xxx (for adult content).

After the decision in Singapore on June 20, 2011, the application process for new gTLDs will open on 12/10/2012. The ICANN community is currently exploring the possibilities of helping the realization of certain new gTLD projects in developing countries that do not have the means.

Preceding the ICANN meeting, in September, there will be the Internet Governance Forum  to be held in Nairobi. Notice that in the last quarter of this year, Africa will host two important international meetings related to Internet governance.

RTN: This calls into question the authority of the United States on the Internet and ICANN is an organization under American law. Do you think these issues will be discussed at the 42nd conference in Dakar?

SB: The question does not arise in those terms. There are people who have long dreamed of a transfer of governance to organizations like the UN. We should be well aware that no intergovernmental structure can replace ICANN. In the structure of ICANN, governments and international treaty organizations work in partnership with businesses, associations, users (business and individual) and technical specialists. They help build and maintain the global Internet. ICANN is run by a board of international representation that oversees the process of policy development and with an international team of permanent staff who ensure that  ICANN meets its operational commitments in relation to the Internet community and allow a real commitment of volunteers. ICANN opens the door to all countries. It would be a step backwards to think that intergovernmental structure within the UN can deal with the management of domain names and IP addresses worldwide.

RTN: Is Africa sufficiently represented?

SB: Nobody is ever represented enough! Africa is a continent that contributes immensley at ICANN, especially in the part of the representatives of individual users (At-Large / ALAC) and also governments (GAC).

RTN: How do you analyze the evolution of the Internet in Africa, in the context in which the continent of Africa is perceived as the latecomer?

SB: Far from it, Africa is a continent on the fringe of developments related to Internet. If we judge the new innovative uses around the mobile Internet, Africa has much to teach the rest of the world. There are real uses that emerge with the mobile Internet from Africa. And with the arrival of these submarine cables, the fiber optic belt of Africa on the western and the eastern coastal rims, these innovative uses will continue to accelerate in the coming years with increasing bandwidth. All these current projects are very encouraging but Africa itself will have to manage its own resources at the local level.

RTN: In the new cases of ICANN, there is also the arrival of IPv6. What are the issues related to the deployment of this protocol?

SB: There is no direct impact on the end user, fortunately. With IPv6, we hope to see innovative uses appear at the level of individual users. Internationally, distribution of blocks of IPv4 addresses will nolonger be possible even in the Asia Pacific. As for Africa, it will be a little longer because demand is lower than in other regions. Africa must take advantage of this opportunity to organize a smooth transition between IPv4 and IPv6, but it needs attention now. It is also one of the questions we will discuss at the ICANN meeting in Dakar.

RTN: Can we regulate the Internet? Should we regulate the Internet?
SB: There are certainly interventions to be made such as when a vendor disappears. We will have to continue serving these customers. When moving from IPv4 to IPv6, there are obviously regulatory elements that come into play. It is the same when it comes to the new domain name extensions or program not to mention the IDN new gTLDs (Internationalized Domain Names). ICANN plays a very important role in this system.

To strengthen its position, Africa should be more organized. The whole domain distribution chain should be developed in Africa. Currently, there are only two ICANN Accredited Registrars available in Africa (in South Africa and Senegal) out of the 53 countries that make up the continent. They are just next to domain name resellers. In comparison, there are about 900 ICANN Accredited registrars in the world. The United States alone has 502 registrars against 11 for Latin America.

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ICANN 42 Dakar: Dakar to be the "Capital of the Internet" in October, Africa to influence internet decision making

The Senegalese capital of Dakar will host the 42nd meeting of ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers), the organization that manages the global Internet from the 19 to 28 October 2011. This great meeting, which will be broadcast live over the Internet, will bring together over 1200 participants from five continents and will take place in two phases: "meeting of experts and a ministerial round table." This event is thus an opportunity for Africa to be included in decision-making processes of the Internet so that Africa does not suffer from the measures and guidelines decided in high places without giving its opinion. 
Senegal is more than ready to host a major meeting that determines the future of the Internet. Indeed, Dakar will be from 19 to 28 October the capital of the Internet. The National Organizing Committee of the 42nd meeting of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) held a press conference on Thursday, August 11, 2011 with all stakeholders and a delegation from ICANN to explain the stakes and show how Dakar is ready for the challenge.
The Chair of the National Committee for organizing this event, who is also the Director of Information Technology and Communication (ICT) in Senegal Ms Maïmouna Diagne said that through the Ministerial Round Table, African countries under the banner of African Union will, for the first time during the 42nd ICANN meeting, convene a meeting on the Internet. For her, it will be an opportunity to make Africa a stakeholder in what happens on the Internet worldwide. "The decisions made by ICANN in each of its general meetings, three times a year, affect the future of the Internet and can change our lives in a very short time even if the process is transparent, democratic and public. Hence the need to be present and above all to participate, "said Maimouna Diagne.
Two high-level workshops will be held on this occasion during which the question of competent network management within Africa, security of DNS and domain names will be discussed. The President of the Organizing Committee also emphasized that during the Dakar meeting, a plea will be given so that following the example of South Africa and the Maghreb region, Senegal too can have a copy of the server to facilitate trade in the UEMOA region.

Senegalese Minister of Telecommunications and Information Technology and Communication, Guirassy Moustapha said that the 42nd ICANN meeting will ring as a recognition of the role of the Senegalese president in the development of the information society in Africa.
The holding of the meeting in Dakar will be an opportunity for operators to increase the capacity of Internet connection or double or even triple Internet access . This will also be an opportunity to introduce the IPV6 and say farewell to IPV4 . Source:africapress

ICANN Dakar bags a new Gold Sponsor, Siter Domain Dialing

The ICANN Conference for developing countries is just 3 months away and the event has bagged yet another gold sponsor; Siter Domain Dialing. Siter provides to smartphones what computer users take for granted, a domain name. “Domain dialing” is a free service for smartphones designed by Siter.com, a Brazil-based app designer.

Using Siter’s mobile app, Android, iPhone and Blackberry users can automatically “dial” a domain name rather than struggling through pages and pages of content searching for a phone number. The program calls from a collection of more than 26 million assigned phone numbers worldwide and suggests a number to call based on that company’s web address. Users looking to contact their local Target store, for example, need only type Target.com into the Siter program for a list of the best phone numbers based on proximity to their current location. The service works in 11 languages, and is robust in Brazil and growing in the United States and other countries.

For example, if you are looking forward to booking a Kenya Airways flight and you are not sure on who to call to make reservations, you will need to simply "dial" kenya-airways.com and siter domain dialing will bring you a list of the most relevant phone numbers to call! Now I get it and it's even cooler!

Users will install the app on their phone so that when they looking for contacts of certain business, they simply enter the domain name, anyway, visit the website and discover for yourself; Yes, that's what the world has come to! Apps Planet. I hope someone will design an app that helps me interpret my dreams as I have been having strange ones lately :) I have not yet tested the app because I don't have a smartphone but this is  good for Dakar and the ICANN conference in Africa to be able to attract sponsorship. and such an innovative one,  and fast. This piece of innovation is also coming at a time when the web is undergoing a much bigger innovation in the Top Level domains...domain names will soon be very much a part of our lives!

Such success stories will convince ICANN to hold more meetings in the future on the least connected continent in the world. In other news, the Senegalese president Abdoulaye Wade has banned protests in the capital city Dakar; ICANN was worried about protests in Senegal a few months back although these events are not connected.

ICANN 42 Senegal; ICANN and Senegalese Government Correspondence Concerning Protests

GoDaddy $7.49 Domain Names


I actually saw this link on Twitter and took the trouble to translate it for you :(
The first letter is from the Senegalese Minister of Communication Telecommunications and ICT, Moustapha Guirassy and the second is the response by the former ICANN Chairman PD Thrush


Mr. President,  

On behalf of the Government of Senegal, I thank you for being kind enough to choose Dakar to welcome the next ICANN meeting.


While am aware of the guarantees required for the holding of such major international meetings in terms of safety and also to have followed the organization of the meeting in Nairobi in 2009, I must indicate that Senegal is a country with a democratic tradition. . 

Thus, the right to protest is enshrined in the article 10 of our constitution which indicates that everyone has the right to express and disseminate their opinions by speech, writing, images, peaceful march, provided that the exercise of these rights does not affect the honor and consideration of others or public order. (see http://www.gouv.sn/spip.phparticle794). 

Besides, Senegal is heading towards the presidential elections in 2012. Thus, the people will have to exercise their right to protest. 

It will be for the authorities to ensure that this right be strictly respected. You will concur with me that the publication of some information that can be used by malicious individuals needs to be avoided. 

Having had to welcome major events such as:

-Summit of the Organization of Islamic Conference.
-The Global Symposium for Telecommunications Regulators
 -The International Conference on AIDS and Sexually Transmitted Infections ICASA (9000 participants representing 130 countries);
-World Festival of Negro Arts, etc. My Government will ensure that all steps be taken to ensure a resounding success in the organization of the 42nd ICANN public meeting. 

Finally, a confirmation of the choice of Dakar to welcome the next meeting of ICANN, would allow our National Organizing Committee, which is already hard at work, to better approach the final stretch.

Looking forward to welcoming you to Senegal, the country of the Teranga. Please accept, Your Excellency the President of the Board, the assurances of my highest consideration. 


ICANN's Reply
Mr. Moustapha Guirassy
Minister of Communication Telecommunications and ICT Republic of Senegal
58 Boulevard de la Republique Dakar, Senegal

Dear Minister Guirassy:
Thank you for your recent letter regarding ICANN’s 42nd Public Meeting to be held in Dakar,
23-­‐28 October 2011.

On behalf of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), I want to thank the Republic of Senegal for its gracious offer to host our conference.  We are looking forward to experiencing the professionalism in meeting organization and technical execution for which Senegal is well known.

We are aware of Senegalese citizens’ right to peaceful demonstration, and are grateful for your acknowledgement of the need to ensure the safety and security of the ICANN community members, board members and staff who will attend the meeting.  Our security staff and advisors are committed to close cooperation with your government to ensure a positive outcome.

The Dakar meeting is certain to be an important conference for our community, and we
anticipate that important work will be undertaken there.  

I am sure that I speak for the entire ICANN board of directors when I say that we are excited to
be able to visit and enjoy your beautiful country later this year.
 Warmest regards,

INTERNET CORPORATION FOR ASSIGNED NAMES AND NUMBERS
Chairman of the Board of Directors 
Peter Dengate Thrush