Geneva hosted the annual World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS), bringing together over 1,600 delegates, including representatives of specialized ministries from the world’s leading countries and heads of major international organizations. The event opened with welcome addresses by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, European Commission Vice-President Neelie Kroes, and ICANN President Fadi Chehade.
The discussions focused on the role of information and communication technology and the challenges to the development of the Internet in today’s world. The participants praised the relevant initiatives implemented by a number of countries, including the Russian Federation.
WSIS paid considerable attention to the development of ccTLDs, which are viewed as a major factor for drawing people from around the world into the information space and overcoming the digital divide.
For instance, General Manager of the Asia Pacific Top Level Domain Association (APTLD), Don Hollander, mentioned in his report the commitment of the Coordination Center for TLD RU/РФ to social initiatives and promoting the Internet in Russia. The speaker singled out the Explore Internet – Govern It online game, praising it as an efficient tool for engaging young people from across Russia in Internet governance. Mr Hollander also extolled the contribution of team .RU to the International Internet Governance Forum (IGF) in recent years and said that the Russian Internet Governance Forum (RIGF) played an important role in promoting the information society in Eastern Europe.
“The fact that the Explore Internet – Govern It online game is being discussed at such high-profile events means that our efforts to create and improve this game served a good purpose. The number of participants is growing as we are entering our third season, and it won’t be long before foreign players can join in, since the game is available in English, as well as Russian,” said Olga Alexandrova-Myasina, Head of the Coordination Center for TLD .RU/.РФ’s press service.
