Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) participated in the 6th Annual Meeting of the Internet Governance Forum (IGF) 2011, hosted by Kenyan Government in Nairobi from 27-30 September 2011. The theme of the meeting was “Internet as a Catalyst for Change: Access, Development, Freedoms and Innovation” reflects the Forum’s objectives in developing a common understanding of the best way for all stakeholders to realize the boundless opportunities offered by the cyber world.

The meeting gathered all active entities contributing to the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS), in addition to other institutes and bodies working in matters related to Internet Governance. The meeting served as a gathering through its rich agenda focusing on related topics including Internet governance for development, emerging issues, managing critical Internet resources, security, openness and privacy, access and diversity, and playing a role in developing internet governance.

Commenting on the participation of the TRA in the event, H.E. Mohamed Nasser Al Ghanim, TRA Director General said: “The TRA is always keen to participate in regional and international key forums, as we believe such events play an important role in supporting the industry. It is within our interest to share our expertise and experiences so we can work hand-by-hand to draw the future of Information and Communications Technologies (ICT) sector, and there is no doubt that our participation in the 6th Annual Meeting of the Internet Governance Forum falls within this context.”

“The key topics of this meeting were a gathering point for all participants, and we believe in the importance of interaction and cooperation between different entities and bodies through ideas and information exchange in order to develop the industry. We are very certain that discussing and deliberating on issues such as development, innovation and freedoms, is very significant and important, due to the impact that internet has on both individuals and entities all around the world,” Al Ghanim added.

The TRA represented by Eng.Suleman Bakhsh, TRA’s Senior ICT Analyst and UAE WSIS National Coordinator, in the Sixth Annual Meeting presented two key two topics, firstly, the Arabic Internationalized Domain Name; (Dot Emarat) in the context of Internet domain system. The topic discussed experiences and challenges faced by aeDA domain name registry in this regard, and shed light on the fact that such key projects would grant everyone the opportunity to overcome language barriers and facilitate the development of local Arabic content.

The TRA introduced, through its second topic which revolved around Internet Protocol version6 (IPv6), a futuristic vision and plan for a comprehensive UAE IPv6 strategy and action plan. TRA also highlighted the need to consider appropriate measures for a smooth and a successful transition from IPv4 to IPv6.. TRA also emphasized that all industry organizations, institutions and corporations should by now consider carefully and plan for the uptake to their systems and servers for the new IPv6, as the number of IPv4 addresses are diminishing.

The deliberations of the Sixth Annual Meeting of IGF through the opening ceremony and many other main sessions, workshops, open meetings and dialogue session were diverse, rich and current. the meeting discussed the main goals of the forum which have been achieved so far, and the ones to be achieved based on the recent developments.