Istanbul to host Face-to-face meeting of CCWG-Accountability, CWG-Stewardship

ITRealms:

The Cross Community Working Group on Enhancing the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Number (ICANN) Accountability (CCWG-Accountability) and the CWG-Stewardship will each hold a face-to-face meeting in Istanbul, Turkey the week of 23-27 March 2015, reports ITRealms.

The CWG and CCWG leaders coordinated the location, agreeing that holding their respective two-day meetings consecutively was the best way to apply resources and manage joint efforts.

ITRealms also reports that these decisive meetings are scheduled to help reinforce each group's respective project plans and timelines, both anticipating drafts for public comment in April.

According to ITRealms findings, the meetings are open to observers through Adobe Connect, and the working sessions will be recorded and transcribed.

ITRealms recalls that the second of two Working Sessions for the CCWG-Accountability was held last December. 

The CCWG-Accountability is expected to deliver proposals that would enhance ICANN's accountability towards all stakeholders.

The goal is for the transition proposal regarding the IANA functions to be communicated to NTIA in a timeframe which is consistent with the expiration date of the current IANA Functions Contract, which is set at 30th September 2015. 

The CCWG-Accountability will therefore work as expeditiously as possible to identify those mechanisms that must be in place or committed to before the IANA Stewardship Transition in light of the changing historical contractual relationship with the U.S. Government and those mechanisms for which a timeline for implementation may extend beyond the IANA Stewardship Transition.
 
+Remmy Nweke (ITRealms) 
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FG pledges five-fold increase in broadband infrastructure

ITRealms:  

The Minister of Communication Technology, Dr Omobola Johnson, has said the federal government is committed to a five-fold increase in broadband infrastructure to facilitate innovation and create more business opportunities for Information and Communication Technology (ICT) companies and the teeming unemployed youths in the country,ITRealms reports.

This is as the Commtech Minister listed inadequate power infrastructure as one of the key challenges impeding deployment of communications in Nigeria.

Johnson who stated this during a panel discussion on ‘Policies Enabling Access, Growth and Development on the Internet’ at the 9th Internet Governance Forum (IGF) held in Istanbul, Turkey, recently, emphasized that countries with a higher broadband penetration experience greater innovation as it is a catalyst that fast tracks innovation adding that in recognition of the huge potential of ICT to drive Nigeria, as an emerging market, her ministry and Federal Government were applying and promoting an ICT strategy that will facilitate and stimulate rapid growth and development for the country.

She said that Nigeria was aggressively developing its ICT sector to drive national development in all sectors noting that the country has unveiled a National Broadband Plan and is currently implementing it to increase broadband penetration in the country five folds over the 2012 penetration rate by 2017, and stressing that Nigeria was pushing for an increase in broadband penetration to fast track innovation and enable a digitalised economy

The 9th annual forum with the theme, ‘Connecting Continents for Enhanced Multi-stakeholder Internet Governance’ drew 215 participants from Africa and 1,163 remote participants from Africa, civil societies, Asia Pacific, governments, Eastern Europe, intergovernmental organisations, the private sector, Latin America and the Caribbean, the technical community, Western Europe and other bringing the number of participants to a total of 2,374 onsite participants and

ITRealms recalls that some of the anticipated benefits of broadband penetration in the country include socio-economic development leading to efficient healthcare service delivery, education and literacy, enhanced security and safety, etc. as well as more robust macroeconomic activities that accelerate growth.

Chukwudi Obi

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IGF 2014 closes with 3,537 participants

ITRealms:

The 9^th Internet Governance Forum (IGF) ended in the city of Istanbul, Turkey on Friday, 5 September 2014 with a total of 3537, both onsite and remotely, reports ITRealms.

Our correspondent also gathered that out of this total, the onsite participants were 2,374 while remote participants recorded 1,163 for the four-day forum.

In addition, ITRealms exclusively learnt that out of the onsite participants figure, Africans were 215, Asia Pacific-423; Eastern Europe – 153; Host country - 706; Latin America and the Caribbean – 158; Western Europe and Others – 714.

Also, the onsite participation by stakeholder group cut across civil society, government, intergovernmental organizations, private sector and technical community.

Whereas the civil society recorded 836, government – 542, intergovernmental organizations –98, private sector -516 and technical community 289.

Meanwhile, ITRealms recalls that there was a High Level Leaders meeting the host country convened a high level session on the topic of capacity building for economic development, which was attended by 21 leaders, government ministers who spoke on this important topic and including the Minister of Communication Technology, Mrs. Omobola Johnson.

On NETmundial, participants looked back on the lessons learnt and mapping the road ahead, recalling that this was a follow-up event to the NETmundial in Sao Paulo, held last quarter of 2013.

One of the highlights at the IGF 2014 was the debut of the Internet Governance Forum Support Association (IGFSA) spearheaded by the Internet Society with the objective of achieving a stable and sustainable funding mechanism to contribute to the United Nations IGF Trust Fund and support related activities.

Participants, especially from the African continent held a session to the African Declaration on Internet Rights and Freedoms, which was a Pan-African initiative to promote human rights standards and openness principles in Internet-policy making on the continent, was launched at the 2014 IGF among others.

Remmy Nweke:

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