The Internet has become a fundamental component in the economic, social, and political spheres around the globe. It currently connects close to four billion people. The stable and flexible functioning of the Internet is therefore increasingly important for developed, emerging, and developing countries and their citizens.

The governance of the Internet Ecosystem has long been the concern of a selected group of stakeholders, but the number of interested parties, both state and non-state stakeholders, is increasing as global connectivity spreads.

Internet Governance is a contested topic, where the Middle East and Adjoining Countries School on Internet Governance (MEAC-SIG) will try to offer understanding, framing, and actions to be taken in this Internet governance environment. It will offer potential governance scenarios and analyse its international, regional, and national implications at the political, economical and technical levels.

Objective

As Middle East stakeholders are under-represented in Internet governance deliberations, the objective of the Middle East and Adjoining Countries School of Internet Governance (MEAC-SIG) is to address this problem.

MEAC-SIG is one of the few Internet governance education platforms in the Middle East. It provides a rare opportunity for regional stakeholders to learn about and participate in deliberations on Internet governance issues. MEAC-SIG prepares them to take part in governance processes, empowering them to become advocates of important local issues in global Internet governance fora.

MEAC-SIG is one of the few tools available in the Middle East to introduce the various stakeholders groups, especially youth, to an independent perspective on Internet governance. We also believe that the MEAC-SIG will greatly benefit the region by disseminating the principles of openness, collaboration, and inclusiveness upon which the Internet’s success has been based.

MEAC-SIG 2021v

The 2021 edition of MEAC-SIG will be conducted in English. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2021 edition will be held entirely virtual using ZOOM. Compared to previous editions, the 2021 edition will be condensed, and successful participants will have to conduct more offline work.

MEAC-SIG 2021v will take place on 4-8 July 2021, and the time for the sessions on each day is 08.00 - 11.30 AM UTC. Prior to the start of the SIG, participants will be requested to read some material and enroll in some online courses.

MEAC-SIG 2021v is organized by ICANN, ISOC, and the RIPE NCC.

MEAC-SIG 2021v Agenda Topics and Call for Applications

The agenda for MEAC-SIG 2021v will cover the following topics:

1. The History of the Internet and Internet Governance
2. Introduction to Internet Governance and its Stakeholders
3. ICANN and the Domain Name System
4. Introduction to Regional Internet Registries and RIPE NCC
5. Standards and the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF)
6. Internet Policy Development Processes
7. National, Regional, and Global IGFs and SIGs
8. Cybersecurity & Encryption
9. Internet and Privacy
10. Fragmentation and role of national governments in IG
11. Internet Governance and Economic Development
12. Content Regulation and Platforms

If you are interested in attending MEAC-SIG 2021v, please fill out an application form here >> https://forms.gle/Y5PHhZxBRqERaZQv7. Applications will be received until Friday 14 June at 23.59 UTC.

Past Editions of MEAC-SIG

• MEAC-SIG Kuwait 2014
• MEAC-SIG Tunisia 2015
• MEAC-SIG Beirut 2016
• MEAC-SIG Ankara 2017
• MEAC-SIG Cairo 2018
• MEAC-SIG Rabat 2019