Dear Committee, FYI, 2009 East Africa Internet Governance Forum (EAIGF): Advancing the Internet Governance Debate in East Africa "Thinking Globally; Acting Locally" The Kenya ICT Action Network (KICTANet) <http://www.kictanet.or.ke/>, the Kenya Network Information Centre (KENIC) <http://www.kenic.or.ke/> in collaboration with other organisations are pleased to invite you to the second East African Internet Governance Forum (EA-IGF 2009) to be held at the Kenyatta International Conference Centre (KICC) in Nairobi, Kenya, from 7th to 9th September 2009. The 2009 EA-IGF is a follow up to the inaugural EA-IGF that was held in November 2008 in Nairobi, which aimed at catalysing the Internet governance debate in the East African sub region. With the increased access to broadband infrastructure in the East Africa region and the continued spread of sophisticated mobile services, understanding and addressing Internet policy issues has become a priority. The national and regional EA-IGF¹s will help prepare East African stakeholders to address the opportunities, strengths and challenges that arise, as well as ensuring that they have a voice in shaping Internet policy decisions at the global level. This year¹s EAIGF therefore seeks to continue to strengthen the national and regional dialogues on Internet Governance as well as; * Increase awareness of Internet Governance issues, including but not limited to local content and cyber-security; * Continue to develop capacity and skills of various stakeholders and build regional consensus on IG issues; and, * Begin to discuss the development of a regional East African Communication policy, among others. The outcomes of the EAIGF will be submitted to the East Africa Regulatory, Postal and Telecommunications Organization (EARPTO), the African Parliamentary Knowledge Network (APKN), the East African Community, as well as, the fourth UN Internet Governance Forum taking place in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, in November 2009. Further, the 2009 EAIGF will set the stage for the 37th ICANN meeting to be held in Nairobi, Kenya, in March 2010. For planning purposes, please register for the meeting at < http://www.eaigf.or.ke>http://www.eaigf.or.ke or send an email to < meeting@eaigf.or.ke>meeting@eaigf.or.ke confirming your attendance. Kind Regards, ----------- Vincent Ngundi Administrative Manager KENIC - The Kenya Network Information Centre <http://www.kenic.or.ke> <vincent@kenic.or.ke> [T] +254 20 4450057/8 [C] +254 20 2398036 [M] +254 733 790073 [F] +254 20 4450087 "dot KE for Every Name in Kenya!"