The Internet Pavilion: Where Participation Makes the Difference

Hong Kong: 5 December 2006 - The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) announced on Tuesday that the Internet community organisations that enable the processes for Internet development and administration will partner at ITU Telecom World 2006 in Hong Kong at the Internet Pavilion.

ICANN, the Internet Society (ISOC), and the Number Resource Organization (NRO) cooperate to ensure the successful coordination of the Internet's technical infrastructure.

According to a press release by the corporation, the organisations will stress the importance of participation from all levels of society, including End Users, governments, the private-sector, business, and technical communities, in discussions, debates, activities, and policy development processes on the development, governance, and coordination of the Internet.

"Participation is essential to keeping the Internet open and accessible to all,” Chair of the NRO Raúl Echeberría said.

"Individuals and organisations collectively make the policies, approve the procedures, and write the standards that make the Internet the efficient and effective system it is today," he added.

Giovanni Seppia of ICANN noted, "Following the outcome of the World Summit on Internet Society (WSIS) and the recent first meeting of the Internet Governance Forum (IGF), the ITU Telecom World is a valuable opportunity for all the Internet community organisations to continue ongoing outreach efforts and to stimulate a constructive dialogue with the community."

The Internet Pavilion at Telecom 2006 builds on the success of the Internet Pavilion program that was launched at the WSIS meeting in Tunis in November 2005. The Internet Pavilion at Telecom World 2006 will also feature Asia-based Internet community organisations, including APAN, APIA, APTLD, and ASIA.

ICANN, ISOC, and the NRO promote the long-established bottom-up structures that enable new participants to bring ideas into the open and transparent decision-making processes upon which these organisations are based. The efficient functioning of the Internet involves community coordination that is well-established and provides flexibility to adapt to the ever-changing Internet environment.

This item was first published by ag-IP News.