
Hi Listers After an attempt that aborted in 2008, ICANN came full throttle into Nairobi and after 6 action packed days it was time to park the bags and leave- they did and they are gone heading for Brussels! Will Nairobi be remembered or put it differently will Nairobi remember ICANN. What's the impact both ways? My take is that the impact was both ways - Nairobi provided a fertile ground for Board action and ICANN event affirmed the local ICT sector and raised high to a pedestal for the world to see. Nairobi was a watershed for gTLDs . Being held in a developing country, it provided a fertile groundswell for consideration that resulted in at least two resolutions. EOI was thrown out by the Board for good reason - the criteria would have worked against the developing countries and small entities. This however is a short term reprieve and should only be a breather. Nairobi also provided a fertile moral ground to persuade the Board to pass a resolution supporting the formation of a working group to develop a sustainable approach to providing support to applicants requiring assistance in applying for and operating new gTLDs. These provide a lifeline for developing countries to participate meaningfully in the new space to be unleashed by the new gTLDs. It is a challenge thrown to us. ICANN more than affirmed the maturity of the ICT sector , the challenge is to build on this . A large number of ICANNers did not come to Nairobi courtesy of the mishandled security issues. This was a blessing in disguise for the ICT sector. The scribes did their work, transcribing live from California, some board members, presenters , and other participants participated fully - no latency . ICANN confirmed beyond doubt that our ICT infrastructure is world class and beyond reproach. In the main conference hall, I estimated over 200 devices all online and most streaming and the wireless internet speeds were incredible, the cellular networks were incredible and according to one staffer of ICANN, bandwidth capacity and quality was no different from any developed world country!! He thought the best thing should have been to stream the Carnivore Gala live to those who didn't come. Our ICT system has come of age and fully confirmed by ICANN. If scribes can sit in California and do their thing , the converse is true, we can offer first class scribing to world. This is an item we should shout loudly when marketing the BPO sector . Secondly, ICANN did official business on audio and video conferencing , is there any reason where we should not aggressively use audio and video conferencing in government , private sector and even social engagements? Finally, ICANN provided a stepping stone and great credentials to bring IGF to kenya next year . Media was caught unawares and never could catch up with the biggest event on internet that ever landed in Kenya . coverage of the opening day was a whimper and subsequent coverage tacked away in obscure pages. Cheers Muriuki Mureithi