Geneva, Switzerland – 4th November 2005 – Many of the Internet community organizations that enable the processes for the development and administration of the Internet will host the ‘Internet Pavilion’ (stand 1323) at the ‘ICT 4 all’ exhibition at the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) in Tunis, 15-19 November 2005.
Organizations at the ‘Internet Pavilion’ will include the Internet Society (ISOC), the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF), the Number Resource Organization (NRO), the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), the London Internet Exchange (LINX), the Council of European National Top level Domain Registries (CENTR) and the African ISP Association (AfrISPA).
The pavilion theme is ‘The Internet – How does it work, Who makes it work’. It will offer WSIS attendees a clear understanding of the issues involved in the successful coordination of the Internet’s technical infrastructure, including the importance of building on the proven success of the inclusive and established processes that have fostered its incredible growth.
“Coordination and collaboration between the many organizations that play a role in Internet administration and development is vital,” commented Axel Pawlik, NRO Chairman. “The industry partners hosting the ‘Internet Pavilion’ at WSIS will show how cooperation is fundamental to the stability of the Internet.”
The ‘Internet Pavilion’ will demonstrate how participating organizations represent the evolving needs of the global Internet community through an open, neutral, bottom-up, collaborative and inclusive multi-stakeholder framework. The specific roles of each organization in Internet administration and coordination will be highlighted.
“This is a crucial time for all those with an interest in the future of the Internet,” explained Lynn St. Amour, President and CEO of the Internet Society (ISOC). “We encourage direct participation of any interested party in reinforcing the success of the existing mechanisms that have been built and driven by the Internet community.”
With regard to the results of the WSIS process, Ms. St. Amour asks that governments and other stakeholders remind themselves that decisions should be taken with the interests of Internet users in mind. “At the end of the day, the WSIS should protect the openness of the Internet and promote ways of facilitating access for those who wish to benefit from this incredibly valuable medium,” said Ms. St. Amour.