The Association for Progressive Communications (APC) and the NEPAD Planning and Coordinating Agency–e-Africa Programme are pleased to announce the call for applications for the second African School on Internet Governance to be held in from 23 – 26 November 2014. The venue of the school will be advised in due course.
Internet Governance (IG) is usually defined as the development and application, by governments, the private sector, and civil society of principles, policies, norms, rules, decision- making procedures, and programmes that shape the evolution and use of the internet. While few contest the definition itself, the respective roles, responsibility, power and influence of various stakeholder groups continue to be the subject of intense debate. Also contested is the institutional ecosystem within which decisions that impact on the internet are being made, as well as the principles on which such governance should be based.
What is not contested is that (a) IG is complex and and participating effectively in IG processes is not easy, (b) African participation in IG, be it in technical, social or political spheres, is insufficient and (b) few African countries have established sustainable open and inclusive policy discussion forums where government, civil society, businesses and technical people are able to interact effectively and collaborate to develop consistent national and institutional strategies aimed at mobilising the internet for economic, social, political and cultural development.
The first Summer School on IG (SSIG) was held in Europe in Meissen in July 2007. It has become an annual event and has given rise to the South School on IG held annually in Latin America for the last four years and an Asia Pacific school that took place in 2011. The first African School took place in Durban in July 2013 and was a huge success, producing 35 “graduates”, many of whom have since gone on to play leading roles in internet governance debates in Africa and elsewhere.
Topics to be covered include:
- History and overview of IG
- Policy, development and human rights
- Regulation and management: standards, protocols, gTLDs, ccTLDs, internet intermediaries
- Multi-stakeholder approaches to IG: roles and processes, challenges and opportunities
- Topical issues such as the so-called ‘right to forget’, the NETmundial and its aftermath, the new African convention on cyber security, and the proposed African Declaration on Internet Rights and Freedoms.
Support for successful participants will include return economy ticket, meals, accommodation and course materials.
To apply please fill in the form at https://www.apc.org/limesurvey/index.php/753225/lang-en by Friday,12 September 2014. For more information contact Emilar Vushe on emilar@apc.org.