(WEB HOST INDUSTRY REVIEW) — In an effort to include worldwide input and ideas to create a truly global forum, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (www.icann.org) will be selecting a handful of bright minds from the developing world to attend its 37th International Public Meeting.
According to ICANN’s Friday announcement, the Nairobi, Kenya, meeting will be held from March 7 to 12, 2010, and 26 fellows have been selected to attend for free from across 21 countries, chosen from 119 applicants. The fellows represent all sectors including civil, government, and academia, as well as business and user groups. Included in these sectors are representatives of country code supporting groups.
Fellowship applications are assessed by an independent selection committee, and priority is given to applicants who are current residents of developing nations in the region in which the meeting is to be held, who are interested in participating in ICANN and its supporting organizations, such as the Governmental Advisory Committee, the Country Code Names Supporting Organization, and the Generic Names Supporting Organization.
“The Fellowship program is a real testament to the importance ICANN places on global engagement through increased participation from the developing and least developed world,” ICANN global and strategic partnerships vice president Theresa Swinehart said in a statement. “Reaching out to the global community, we saw a desire to be a part of the key discussions that take place at our meetings, but some countries and Internet users just didn’t have the resources to attend. The Fellowship program helps bridge that gap.”
Additionally, all confirmed fellowship participants must comply with the terms and conditions of the fellowship program. For instance, fellows are responsible for obtaining all travel visas once accepted into the program, and ICANN will only purchase their tickets after all necessary documentation has been obtained.
Once all of the requirements for travel are met, ICANN arranges airfare and hotel, as well as a stipend to assist with some meeting costs incurred. Recipients will be expected to actively participate in and contribute to ICANN processes during and after the meeting. As always, registration for ICANN’s meetings is free for anyone wanting to attend.
The 38th ICANN International Public Meeting will be held in Brussels, Belgium, from June 25 to 30, 2010. Applications for the Brussels Fellowship class will be available online, 11 January 2010, on the ICANN Fellowship webpage.
“We have seen the fellowship recipients in action since our first meeting in San Juan in June 2007 — and they have grown in their level of understanding and participation in the ICANN process and community.” Swinehart added. “ICANN is in the middle of major initiatives around new top-level domains, the introduction of internationalized domain names, to name just two, and the Fellowship program has a key role in making sure we get the broadest possible input on these matters.”
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