[Icann-see] Host country for SEEDIG 2017

[Aida Mahmutović]

Dear all,

With the Belgrade meeting report <http://www.seedig.net/seedig-report-2016/> recently published, we have finalised the SEEDIG 2016 cycle, and it is now time to go ahead with the preparations for SEEDIG 2017. The next step in this regard is to agree on the host country for 2017.

We would like to inform you that the first suggestion and offer for the next SEEDIG host came from the Agency for Electronic Communications (AEC) of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (Sasho Dimitrijoski). Two more suggestions have been made afterwards, and they came from Slovenia (Dušan Caf) and Ukraine (Oksana Prykhodko).

Based on discussions we had with the people behind these three suggestions, we would like to propose that we go ahead with the offer from AEC and have SEEDIG 2017 hosted in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. Our proposal is motivated by the reasons listed below:
Macedonia is a country in our region, and AEC already plans to host an annual telecom meeting in May next year, in Ohrid (situated some 170 km away from Skopje). This international meeting attracts significant participation, especially from the private sector and governmental representatives. AEC’s offer involves having SEEDIG held in conjunction with this meeting. This will represent an opportunity for SEEDIG to raise more awareness on Internet governance processes and to attract more participation from a broader range of stakeholder groups - such as the private sector and government.
AEC is experienced in organising/hosting events of this nature.
AEC stands ready to offer their full support during the preparatory process, with human resources, onsite support, and other forms of contribution. Given that the proposed location is not the capital city, transportation is to be arranged from Skopje to Ohrid for foreign participants.
Looking back at the previous two SEEDIG meetings, it is evident the private sector has been the least represented one. Having SEEDIG 2017 hosted by a telecom regulatory authority might have the advantage of attracting more participation from this specific stakeholder group.
Ohrid is relatively close to Greece and Albania (two countries that have not been much represented at the previous SEEDIG meetings), and we hope this proximity would serve as an incentive for (more) stakeholders from those countries to attend SEEDIG 2017.
The Internet community in Macedonia is currently coalescing and planning Internet governance (IG) related activities. As an example, a local ISOC chapter is being built, and there are plans for forming a national IGF initiative. In this context, having a SEEDIG meeting hosted in the country could bring further incentives into these national processes; this would therefore contribute to achieving one of SEEDIG’s goals - that of strengthening the capacity of local stakeholders to participate in IG processes.
It was the first offer received for the next host country.

To reiterate, the proposal is to have SEEDIG 2017 held in the first half of May, in Ohrid, Macedonia. Your views on this proposal are welcome until 28 June 2016. Please note that only comments shared via this mailing list will be considered.
Kindly be reminded that, as before, silence will be taken as agreement with the proposal, and, unless strong and motivated objections are raised by the indicated deadline, we will proceed with the planning process.

Finally, we would like to thank Dušan and Oksana for their proposals, and for the constructive discussions we have had with them.

Thank you!

Best regards,

Aida (on behalf of SEEDIG executive committee)




Aida Mahmutović



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