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2016 LAC Strategy Highlights

19 January 2017
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Noticias destacadas de la Estrategia de LAC 2016

The LAC strategy made good progress in 2016. We presented a study [PDF, 3.7 MB] that helped to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the domain name system (DNS) industry in our region, we officially launched the Latin American DNS Observatory, we held four editions of the LAC-i-Roadshow and we presented the Sustainability and Inclusion for Internet Governance (SusInGI) project

As always, our priority is to develop these projects alongside our Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) community members. The LAC strategy has become a beacon for regional participation and provides opportunities for newcomers.

Over the three-year period of the LAC strategy, 53 community members have participated in one or more projects. Last year, we welcomed 13 new participants.

I’d like to summarize some of the most noteworthy projects of 2016.

Latin America and Caribbean DNS Marketplace Study

The Latin America and Caribbean DNS Marketplace Study [PDF, 3.7 MB] identifies the strengths and weaknesses of the industry ecosystem in the region. It also contains recommendations for advancing the industry and for exploring potential opportunities. The study was conducted by Oxford Information Labs, the Latin American and Caribbean Country Code Top-Level Domains Organization (LACTLD), EURid (the registry manager of .eu and .ею) and InterConnect Communications.

We published the initial draft for public comments. A final version that includes community feedback will be published soon.

Latin American DNS Observatory

The Latin American DNS Observatory was officially launched during the III LAC DNS Forum, which took place in the Dominican Republic in August 2016. The Observatory establishes a regional measuring point for technical protocol parameters of the DNS. Its goals are to increase knowledge of this critical technology and to measure the adoption of new technologies and compliance with standards.

The leader of the project, Hugo Salgado from NIC Chile, presented the Observatory’s first report.

LAC-i-Roadshows

The LAC-i-Roadshows allow us to do outreach across the LAC region on key topics related to the DNS critical infrastructure. Agenda items have included the transition to Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6), the impact of the New Generic Top-Level Domains (gTLD) Program, and Security, Stability and Resiliency (SSR). In 2016, we started including time on the agenda for the local community to discuss local topics related to Internet governance.

Each year, the LAC-i-Roadshow travels to different parts of the LAC region. In 2016, over 130 participants attended our four events:

  • Mexico and Central America: Tegucigalpa, Honduras – 20 April
  • Caribbean Islands: Philipsburg, St. Maarten – 24 October
  • South America: Buenos Aires, Argentina – 29 November
  • Andean Region: Quito, Ecuador – 15 December

SusInGI: Sustainability and Inclusion for Internet Governance

SusInGI is a capacity-building project created in Uruguay by ICANN and Anilla Cultural Latinoamérica-Europa. The project aims to deepen and expand the involvement of academia in Internet governance in the LAC region. In 2016, SusInGI took important steps toward that goal.

SusInGI was selected as a cooperative project to be presented at this year’s Technology Information Center for Administrative Leadership conference (TICAL 2016). TICAL is the main LAC regional conference for managers in information and communications technologies. The SusInGI project impressed the academics attending from Mexico, Colombia, Brazil, Peru, El Salvador and Uruguay, thereby boosting support across the region.

The first SusInGI Webinar had more than 80 participants (teachers, students, researchers and others) from 15 countries.

Recently, an Academic Council was created to guide SusInGI's future steps. The Council’s role is to determine project scope and establish the syllabus for capacity-building courses.

Stay tuned! Soon, we’ll launch our “2016 LAC Year in Review” report, which will include infographics with data showing our progress. The report will present more highlights of our LAC Strategy work in Latin America and the Caribbean. (Read the “2015 LAC Year in Review.” [PDF, 4.8 MB])

Authors

Rodrigo Saucedo

Rodrigo Saucedo

Stakeholder Engagement Director, Andean Region and LAC Strategic Initiatives