Egypt hosts the 4th IGF in Sharm el Sheikh

Sharm el-Sheikh, 18 November 2009 - The Internet Governance Forum (IGF) concluded its fourth meeting in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, where it met from 15 to 18 November 2009 with calls from participants to extend the Internet Governance Forum beyond its current mandate.  With more than 1800 participants from 112 countries, the 2009 Forum saw the largest attendance record since its inception in 2006.  The participants reflected the diversity of internet users and came from governments, international organizations, the Internet community, the private sector, civil society and the media.

Discussions in Sharm el-Sheikh, chaired by Tarek Kamel, the Egyptian Minister of Communications and Information Technology, examined ways to improve Internet access by all and promote local content and cultural diversity; ensure the safety of the Internet and fight cybercrime; manage key Internet resources such as the root server system, technical standards, interconnection and telecommunications, the domain name system and Internet protocol addresses.  The meeting also discussed new issues related to the continued growth of social networks, and the ensuing governance issues that are emerging. For more information please visit: http://igf09.eg/