Internet Governance Forum kicks off in Egypt

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Ambassador Sha Zukang, the UN Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs, addresses the fourth version of the Internet Governance Forum (IGF) in Egypt's Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh on Nov. 15. 2009. The fourth version of the IGF, a multi-stakeholder dialogue on public policy related to Internet governance issues, kicked off in Sharm el-Sheikh on Sunday, with the participation of 1,500 delegates from 100 countries and regions around the world. (Xinhua/Chen Gongzheng) Photo Gallery>>> SHARM EL-SHEIKH, Egypt, Nov. 15 (Xinhua) -- The fourth version of the Internet Governance Forum (IGF), a multi-stakeholder dialogue on public policy related to Internet governance issues, kicked off Sunday in Egypt's Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh. The UN-sponsored annual forum was attended by some 1,500 delegates from 100 countries, who are divided into 80 workshops. Internet security, cloud computing, IPv6, social networks, openness and privacy are among the hottest topics of the four-day event, whose overall title is "Internet governance -- creating opportunities for all". "The overall theme for our forum is timely and appropriate," said Ambassador Sha Zukang, the UN Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs, at the opening ceremony, adding that "the voice of developing world must be heard." Ambassador Sha Zukang (2nd L), the UN Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs, and Egyptian Prime Minister Ahmed Nazif (2nd R) attend the fourth version of the Internet Governance Forum (IGF) in Egypt's Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh on Nov. 15. 2009. (Xinhua/Chen Gongzheng) Photo Gallery>>> Stressing the urgent need of managing critical resources for Internet development and increasing the penetration of the tool, he said "democratic Internet governance is a means of achieving development for all." For his part, Egyptian Prime Minister Ahmed Nazif said in a keynote speech that Egypt has benefited from the Internet in recent years. For Egypt, "ICT (Information and Communications Technology) has become a vital sector as important as Suez Canal and tourism," Nazif said. According to Nazif, Egypt registered a growth rate of 4.3 percent in the 2008-2009 fiscal year that ended in June, despite the global financial crisis, thanks to the double-digit growth of ICT sector in this period. Launched in 2006, the IGF revolves around Internet's sustainability, robustness, security, stability and development through wide-ranging workshop discussions. It has met annually, with participants from governments, private sector, international organizations, civil society and technical communities. The previous three versions were held in Athens in 2006, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in 2007, and in Hyderabad, India in 2008.