CAIRO--Following the successful hosting of the five regional
internet governance forums or IGFs by the respective regions, the inaugural
Africa Internet Governance Forum (AfrIGF) opened Wednesday amidst calls for
increased partnership and collaboration to curb cyber crime and enhance online
security in the continent.
In his opening address, Egypt’s ICT
minister Eng Hany Mahmoud noted that enhancing security and building confidence
and trust in the use of ICT applications is one of the “most important emerging
issues that are threatening the ICT sector worldwide.”
“Collaboration of regional and international
efforts from all stakeholders involved is much needed. In this respect, Egypt
has established its national CERT and we are ready to discuss together policy
challenges and find ways for cross-border cooperation on cybersecurity. As
well, openness and free flow of information should be maintained in way that
preserves the stability and robustness of the global Internet,” said Eng
Mahmoud.
The minister added that the UN General Assembly would decide on a
number of important issues such as the report of the 15th session of the
Commission on Science and Technology for Development of the Economic and Social
Council on Internet Governance Improvements, the Enhanced Cooperation
consultations, and the WSIS Review Meeting Decision.
“We have the World Conference of
International Telecommunications (WCIT) that encompasses a lot of articles
pertaining to Internet Public Policy matters. Such issues require series
collaboration and coordination from our side to be able to face the
international community with one African voice,” he said, adding that the first
African IGF is a catalyst for creating more convergence between the views
coming from the five different African regions.
Mr Moctar Yedaly, African
Union Commission’s (AUC) head of Post and Telecommunication Division, ICT
Policy and Development programmes, said that the “more the modern society depends
on the Internet the more relevant Internet governance will be.”
The 2-day meeting, being held at the
Smart Village Convention Centre, has been organized by the United Nations
Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) and the African Union Commission
(AUC), government of Egypt through the Ministry of Communications and
Information Technology and the five African sub-regional IGFs.
The five regional IGFs include the
West Africa Internet Governance Forum (WAIGF), the East Africa
Internet Governance Forum (EAIGF), Forum de Gouvernance de
l’Internet en Afrique Centrale (FGI-CA), the Southern Africa Internet
Governance Forum (SAIGF) and the North Africa Internet Governance Forum
(NAIGF).
The event has drawn participants
from across the continent to define Africa’s collective common position on
Internet Governance and share best practices based on the results of national
and sub-regional consultations. The conference was preceded by pre-conference
workshops in the afternoon of 2 October 2012.
Mr Masango Chengetai from the IGF
Secretariat in Geneva stated that there are 12 regional IGFs and more than 22
national IGFs covering the globe, as well as thematic IGF initiatives such as
the Youth IGF.
“It is important that Africa makes
its voice heard in the global Internet Governance debate. Good Internet
governance begins at home, that is at the national and regional level, where
the policies are incorporated into legislation and are actually implemented. It
is better to have a public comment before a law is passed then after,” said
Chengetai, adding that the Africa IGF has a pivotal role in interconnecting the
regional IGFs and can provide a united African perspective to the global
Internet governance discussions.
Mr Makane Faye, who read the speech
on behalf of Dr Aida Opoku-Mensah, the director of UNECA’s ICT, Science and
Technology Division (ISTD), said that Internet governance, as a key issue
emerging from the WSIS process, is an important multi-stakeholder platform.
“The key to making Internet
Governance a success at both the sub-regional and regional levels is dependent
on the take up and active participation at the national level. To this end,
national forums on the management of Internet resources and critical
infrastructure are encouraged in countries,” said Faye.
So far, Africa has hosted 2 annual
IGF meetings - with the 2009 IGF being held in Egypt while the 2011 IGF, which
had the highest attendance, was held in Nairobi. The African Internet
Governance Forum (AfIGF) was launched in 2011 to support and promote the
consolidation of the on-going regional initiatives and reach
out to continental and global stakeholders and guide in their engagement
in continental, regional and national initiatives.
The seventh global IGF will take
place on November 6-9, 2012, in Baku, Azerbaijan under the theme: “Internet
Governance for Sustainable Human, Economic and Social Development.
“We
expect that this conference will promote discussions on the African IG agenda
and shape the way for Africa's participation in the next IGF, in Baku,” said
Faye
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