[Chapter-delegates] press release: Internet Society and African Internet leaders gather in Cairo for INET regional conference

[Gerard Ross]

Hello everyone

For your information, here is a press release we shall be issuing  
shortly.

Regards
- Gerard

--
Gerard Ross
Senior Manager, Outreach and Coordinated Communication
Internet Society
Email: ross at isoc.org


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Press release - for immediate distribution
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INTERNET SOCIETY AND AFRICAN INTERNET LEADERS GATHER IN CAIRO FOR INET  
REGIONAL CONFERENCE

Cairo, Egypt - 15 May 2009 - Leading African and international  
technologists and policy makers will gather in Cairo on Monday, 18  
May, for the INET Africa Regional Conference, organized by the  
Internet Society, in collaboration with the Ministry of Communications  
and Information Technology of Egypt, to explore emerging issues of  
regional Internet governance.

With the United Nations' Internet Governance Forum (IGF) scheduled to  
meet in Egypt in November, this INET meeting presents an ideal  
opportunity for stakeholders from across the African Internet  
community to come together and foster productive dialogue on common  
issues.

"The importance of connecting with regional Internet communities has  
never been greater," says Dawit Bekele, manager of the Internet  
Society's African Bureau.

"Local conditions require local solutions, assisted and informed by  
the technical expertise and policy experience of leading Internet  
community experts," said Mr. Bekele. The INET meetings meet this need,  
bringing together key members of regional Internet communities and  
global experts, with an agenda tailored to address critical current  
issues.

The agenda for the Cairo meeting includes an important introduction to  
the multistakeholder nature and processes of the IGF, before drilling  
down to key issues facing the African Internet community, such as  
backbone development, the importance of exchange points as a part of  
national infrastructure, IPv6 addressing, multilingualism, and the  
benefits of the Internet's open architecture.

This INET Africa meeting also benefits greatly from the presence of  
the African Network Operators Group (AfNOG) meeting. AfNOG, now  
celebrating it's tenth annual meeting in Cairo this week, has been one  
of the driving forces of African Internet development. AfNOG and the  
Internet Society have long enjoyed a close relationship, with several  
of ISOC's past INET meetings held in conjunction with AfNOG.

More details of the INET Africa Regional Conference, Egypt are  
available here:

  http://www.isoc.org/isoc/conferences/inet/09/egypt.shtml

Details of the Internet Society's INET programme are available here:

  http://www.isoc.org/isoc/conferences/inet/


About the Internet Society
--------------------------
The Internet Society is a non-profit organization founded in 1992 to  
provide leadership in Internet related standards, education, and  
policy. With offices in Washington, DC, and Geneva, Switzerland, it is  
dedicated to ensuring the open development, evolution, and use of the  
Internet for the benefit of people throughout the world. More  
information at http://www.isoc.org


Media Contact
-------------
Greg Wood
Senior Communications Manager
E-mail: wood at isoc.org
Telephone: +1-703-439-2145
1775 Wiehle Avenue
Suite 201 Reston, VA
20190-5108 USA