[IRPCoalition] IGF Academy announces fellows, commences work to build successful NRIs

[ljp at irights.info]

Dear all,
iRights, a German NGO (with Matthias Spielkamp, Farzaneh Badii and myself)
just launched the IGF Academy in cooperation with APC and LIRNEasia.
Please find below our press release.
Apologies for crosspostings.
Warm regards,
Lorena

IGF ACADEMY ANNOUNCES FELLOWS, COMMENCES WORK TO BUILD SUCCESSFUL NRIS

Berlin, Colombo, Johannesburg, September 13th, 2016

IGF Academy, a new initiative aiming to foster freedom of expression by
strengthening Internet governance structures, has announced its fellows.
Initiated by German NGO iRights and funded by the German Ministry of
Economic Cooperation and Development, IGF Academy partners with APC and
LIRNEasia to provide support to 16 fellows from Africa and Asia for
building or enhancing their nation’s IG infrastructures.

IGF Academy kicked off in August with two regional workshops. Fellows from
Congo (Brazzaville), Namibia, Togo and South Africa met in Johannesburg,
their colleagues from Bangladesh, Bhutan, Myanmar and Sri Lanka convened in
Colombo. Short biographies of the fellows can be found on IGF Academy’s
website at http://igf.academy/#fellows

Main goal of the workshops was for fellows to start the development of
strategic roadmaps for their national IG processes and to provide fellows
with a platform to collaborate with their peers. Experts provided input on
IG basics, stakeholder mapping, fundraising and communications strategies,
and logistics organisation.

The roadmaps are focused on enhancing freedom of expression by improving
the already existing Internet governance processes, or by creating such
processes in the fellows’ countries. Additionally, the IGF Academy aims
to strengthen ties between local and regional Internet governance
stakeholders and freedom of speech experts, and to provide concrete steps
for multistakeholder participation in the global United Nations IGF. The
IGF Academy thus contributes to a local, (cross)regional and UN global
dialogue on freedom of expression and information.

“We are happy to see such a highly qualified and motivated group of
experts in their respective fields take on the challenges of strengthening
freedom of speech by enhancing Internet governance processes in their
countries,” said Matthias Spielkamp, board member at iRights and Project
Lead for IGF Academy.

“The interdependence of Internet governance and media regulation is still
not seen clearly in many countries, and here I am explicitly not just
talking about the Global South. So I’m excited that we can provide
fellows with a genuine opportunity to work on the interface of these
issues, with the expectation that this in the long run will strengthen
both,” adds Lorena Jaume-Palasí, senior project manager at IGF Academy.

The IGF Academy will hold online meetings with the fellows as well as
provide webinars to assist them with the finalization of their strategy
roadmaps until the upcoming global IGF. It will support all fellows to
attend the IGF, to be held from 6 to 9 December in Guadalajara, Mexico, and
will organise a meeting on-site prior to the global IGF to prepare the
fellows to participate in the forum.

For more information about the IGF Academy go to: http://igf.academy/
Find IGF Academy on Twitter at @IGFAcademy

ABOUT IGF ACADEMY
IGF Academy was initiated by iRights in March 2016. It aims to foster
freedom of expression on the Internet and inclusive and transparent
national Internet governance and policy processes. Fellows from four
African and four Asian countries will be supported in the creation and/or
consolidation of multistakeholder, national Internet governance structures.

The IGF Academy is run by iRights in cooperation with APC and LIRNEasia and
funded by the German Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development.

ABOUT IRIGHTS
iRights is a non-governmental organisation based in Berlin. Consisting of
iRights e.V., a charitable non-profit, and the independent think tank
iRights.Lab, we have been active at the intersection of digitisation and
society for more than ten years. Since 2005 we run the iRights.info online
platform, one of Germany’s premier resources for information and
discussions on copyright, privacy, media freedom and Internet governance
issues. We develop joint projects and provide research and consultancy for
a wide range of stakeholders: foundations and other NGOs, government and
public entities, private companies, academic institutions and individuals.
Our mission: To harness the opportunities of digitisation for the promotion
of democracy and the public good. Our approach: We offer our expertise and
create spaces for the cooperative development of practical outcomes and
solutions.

For inquiries regarding IGF Academy please email igf-academy [at] iRights
[dot] info
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