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HONG KONG - 4 December 2006 - The Internet community organisations that enable the processes for Internet development and administration will partner at ITU Telecom World 2006 in Hong Kong at The Internet Pavilion (Booth # 8053). The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), the Internet Society (ISOC), and the Number Resource Organization (NRO) cooperate to ensure the successful coordination of the Internet's technical infrastructure.

The organisations will stress the importance of participation from all levels of society, including end users, governments, the private-sector, business, and technical communities, in discussions, debates, activities, and policy development processes on the development, governance, and coordination of the Internet.

"Participation is essential to keeping the Internet open and accessible to all," said Raúl Echeberría, Chair of the NRO. "Individuals and organisations collectively make the policies, approve the procedures, and write the standards that make the Internet the efficient and effective system it is today."

Giovanni Seppia of ICANN noted, "Following the outcome of the World Summit on Internet Society (WSIS) and the recent first meeting of the Internet Governance Forum (IGF), the ITU Telecom World is a valuable opportunity for all the Internet Community organisations to continue ongoing outreach efforts and to stimulate a constructive dialogue with the community."

The Internet Pavilion at Telecom 2006 builds on the success of the Internet Pavilion program that was launched at the WSIS meeting in Tunis in November 2005. The Internet Pavilion at Telecom World 2006 will also feature Asia-based Internet community organizations, including APAN, APIA, APTLD, and .ASIA.

ICANN, ISOC, and the NRO promote the long-established bottom-up structures that enable new participants to bring ideas into the open and transparent decision-making processes upon which these organisations are based. The efficient functioning of the Internet involves community coordination that is well-established and provides flexibility to adapt to the ever-changing Internet environment.

About the Internet Pavilion Organizations

ICANN - ICANN is responsible for the global coordination of the Internet's system of unique identifiers. These include domain names (like .org, .museum and country codes like .uk), as well as the addresses used in a variety of Internet protocols. Careful management of these resources is vital to the Internet's operation, so ICANN's global stakeholders meet regularly to develop policies that ensure the Internet's ongoing security and stability.

ISOC - The Internet Society (ISOC) is a not-for-profit membership organization providing leadership in Internet related standards, education, and policy. For over 13 years ISOC has run international network training programs for developing countries and these have played a vital role in setting up the Internet connections and networks in virtually every country connecting to the Internet during this time.

NRO - Formed by the five Regional Internet Registries (RIRs) to formalise their cooperative efforts, the Number Resource Organisation exists to oversee the unallocated number resource pool. It also promotes and protects the bottom-up policy development process, and acts as a focal point for Internet community input into the RIR system.