Dear all, 

Last week, I spent my holidays in Lomé, Togo, with the Internet Society Chapter (ISOC Togo), a proud NPOC member organization, to help organize what was likely the largest Universal Acceptance (UA) Day event to date. And I must say, this might just be the most rewarding experience I have had since joining the ICANN community.

We gathered at the École Polytechnique of the University of Lomé, where we had initially planned to host around 50 participants. But the response was overwhelming. To accommodate the unexpected turnout, we regrouped the event across 2 separate amphitheaters. One was set up for onsite participants and the other enabled hybrid participation, allowing us to successfully engage over 850 bachelor and master’s students, including 300 onsite and 550 online. We were joined by 35 lecturers, including 22 full professors in computer science and related fields. The energy, curiosity, and level of engagement from both students and faculty were truly inspiring.

Spending a day with ICANN staff, including Yaovi Atohun who joined us in person and Nabil Benamar who participated virtually from Morocco, brought immense value to the program. The sessions were highly interactive, covering both awareness on Universal Acceptance and hands-on technical training and configuration exercises. The results were powerful and immediate. A total of 223 new members joined the ISOC chapter that day, the largest single-day recruitment since 2001. 79% of participants expressed strong interest in joining ICANN and UA-related working groups.

This experience reminded me why we do what we do. Togo, a small country with over 42 local languages, where only French is currently supported under the Latin Script Root Zone Label Generation Rules (RZ LGR), was at the heart of a moment of deep pride. I am convinced that in 5 to 10 years, these young people will achieve what many in my generation never dared to attempt.

For those wondering where Togo is located, it is a beautiful West African country, a former German then French colony, nestled between Ghana and Benin, and known for its peaceful coastline and white sand beaches.

I also realized something personal. Sharing knowledge is far more fulfilling than my 8 to 5 routine back in France. That was my honest reflection.

And one last exciting note. The University of Lomé has officially expressed interest in integrating Universal Acceptance into its academic curriculum. This could be a real game-changer for sustainable capacity building in the region. That was how the ICANN UA Day 3000 USD grant was spent :) 

See the hopeful faces and the energy of the day via this album

Warm regards,

Emmanuel Vitus, NPOC Policy Chair

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