SAMENA Council joins global dialogue on sustainable internet policy at the 9th Internet Governance Forum in Turkey

The South Asia, Middle East, North Africa region’s SAMENA Telecommunications Council joined stakeholders across the global Internet ecosystem to discuss opportunities, exchange best practices and help shape the evolution and use of the Internet at the 9th Internet Governance Forum (IGF), which took place from September 2 – 5 in Istanbul, Turkey.

Held under the theme "Connecting Continents for Enhanced Multi-stakeholder Internet Governance", IGF 2014 provided an opportunity for SAMENA to contribute its unique perspectives, insights and regional experiences to discussions during the Forum’s different sessions and workshops.

Commenting on the Council’s participation at IGF 2014, George Salama, Sr. Manager - Public Policy, SAMENA Telecommunications Council, said, “It is very promising to see such spirit of cooperation in the IGF among the different stakeholders - governments, industry, civil society, academia – all united around a common vision to ensure a better future for the Internet and its governance. A future that is based on mutual collaboration, transparency, and respect for the needs of the industry as well as of the end user.”

“The IGF, provides an open environment for discussions around strategic Internet public policy topics that are shaping the sustainability of the ICT industry. With its decentralized structure and multi-stakeholder character, the Forum allows a cross-section of voices to contribute to the development of policies while identifying and addressing emerging issues,” he added. 

The IGF is a multi-stakeholder, democratic and transparent forum which facilitates discussions on public policy issues related to key elements of Internet governance. IGF provides an enabling platform for discussions among all stakeholders in the Internet governance ecosystem, including all entities accredited by the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS), as well as other institutions and individuals with proven expertise and experience in all matters related to Internet governance. 

This year’s IGF focused particularly on Net Neutrality – an issue that had been left open following the NETmundial meeting in Sao Paulo in April 2014. Other prominent topics which dominated the debate at IGF 2014 included “Critical Internet Resources”, “Content Creation”, “Policies Enabling Access”, “Enhancing Digital Trust”, and “Internet and Human Rights”, among others.