In early October, Fadi visited the “Casa de Internet” for Latin America and the Caribbean, the venue for ICANN’s Engagement Center in the region. This is a place where, among others, the following organizations live together as one big family: the Latin American and Caribbean Internet Addresses Registry (LACNIC) – which encouraged this initiative – the Internet Society (ISOC), the Latin American Cooperation of Advanced Networks (RedCLARA), the Latin American and Caribbean TLD Association (LACTLD) and the Ibero American Association of Research Centers and Telecommunications Companies (AHCIET).
This is not just a physical space where colleagues share a morning chat over a cup of coffee or a “mate”, or where we celebrate members’ birthdays with a barbecue, it is a place where, together, we face the challenges the Internet poses in our countries. The Casa de Internet is where we solve pressing issues that concern us all and, ultimately, share values and a common vision of an Internet where everyone has a voice and which is operated for the benefit of the people in our region and throughout the world.
The “Casa de Internet” is a place where people from 8 different countries choose to work, where it is not unusual to see staff of the Internet Society in LACNIC’s offices, or members of LACTLD in ICANN’s Engagement Center, and where people greet one another in French and laugh in Spanish. Developing joint initiatives like events, workshops and cooperation projects is an ongoing reality and, with the implementation of the strategic plan for Latin America and the Caribbean, the ICANN community now comes on board to cooperate with this region in full swing.
This spirit of camaraderie and collaboration is illustrated in the Montevideo Statement on the Future of Internet Cooperation, and was signed during Fadi’s visit, which brought together the leaders of all organizations responsible for the global coordination of the Internet technical infrastructure.
Uruguay may be a small country, but it is a great host. Without prior notice, the home to slightly more than 3 million people became the house of more than 240 million Internet users from Latin America and the Caribbean, and the birth place of a statement that intends to jointly address the issues affecting the future of the Internet worldwide.
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Watch this video for more information on the “Casa de Internet” for Latin America and the Caribbean: www.youtube.com/watch?v=0-_XYyj67Pk
To read the Montevideo Statement, please visit: http://www.icann.org/en/news/press/releases/release-07oct13-en
Watch Fadi’s interview (prime time news, Subrayado, Canal 10, Uruguay): http://t.co/aaYV7LB6w4
Read a previous blog entry on the “Casa de Internet” (Spanish): http://blog.icann.org/2013/08/la-casa-de-internet-recibe-a-la-uit/
